Meet Jeff Bezos' fleet and its Lauren Sanchez figurehead
Much like Amazon, Jeff Bezos’ $500 million superyacht offers every bell and whistle imaginable, from A to Z.
The colossal, triple-masted Koru began its career serving the world’s third richest man this week, cruising the Mediterranean around Mallorca.
The 417-foot schooner first left Rotterdam in the Netherlands for sea trials in February. Dropping anchor in Mallorca put its jaw-dropping size on full display.
It also showed the extent of Bezos’ fleet: Not only did the Koru sail into harbor, so did its support vessel, Abeona, a mega-boat in its own right, the luxurious fast-launches used to move between the two — and aerial support in the form of his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez’s personal helicopter.
Sanchez also seemingly serves the fleet’s mascot, with the Koru’s figurehead, a part of traditional large sailing ships, modeled after her.
The Koru is the world’s tallest sailing yacht. Its three huge 229-foot masts power it to 20 knots. It’s also the biggest billionaire’s yacht which can move under sail-power alone.
What’s on board the Koru, Jeff Bezos’ ultra-luxe sailing yacht. Mike Guillen/NY Post
And what’s on board the Abeona, the Koru’s support vessel. Mike Guillen/NY Post
The masts are so tall that Dutch officials considered dismantling the 95-year-old Koningshaven Bridge to allow the vessel past the 131-foot span on its journey from the Oceanco shipyard in Alblasserdam through Rotterdam to the North Sea.
That controversial plan was scrapped after local backlash, including residents being urged to toss eggs at Bezos’ “latest toy,” the New York Times reported. The superyacht, previously known as Y721, was instead towed to a shipyard in Rotterdam, downstream of the bridge, without its masts.
Jeff Bezos takes the wheel of his superyacht, with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez along Mallorca’s coast. Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com
The Koru at anchor off Mallorca. The figurehead on its prow (circled) is modeled on Lauren Sanchez. SplashNews.com
A wooden figurehead on Koru’s prow bears a striking resemblance to Bezos’ girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. In 2018, the pair started secretly dating. They both divorced their partners the following year. BACKGRID
Bezos, 59, and the bikini-clad Sanchez, 53, appeared ready for the summer as the pair soaked up the sun aboard Koru, a Māori word for loop or coil that symbolizes new beginnings — possibly a coy reference to their relationship.
Sanchez started secretly dating the Blue Origin founder in the summer of 2018. Bezos then announced in January 2019 he and his wife Mackenzie were divorcing after 25 years, while Sanchez finalized her split from husband Patrick Whitesell later that year.
Sanchez plays a critical role in the Bezos fleet: As a helicopter pilot, she was seen landing on the Abeona. She was also at Bezos’ side when he took the wheel of the Koru.
The Bezos fleet was on full display off Mallorca, with one of the Abeona’s launches leaving for the Koru, while Sanchez’s Airbus ACH-135 was on the Abeona’s landing pad. SplashNews.com
With 229-foot masts, the 417-foot Koru is sure to turn heads as it tours the Mediterranean. Bezos commissioned the vessel in 2018. SplashNews.com
Koru was first seen under construction in 2021 at Oceano’s yard. The company is owned by a fellow billionaire, Oman’s Mohammed Al Barwani.
As many as 18 guests can enjoy the yacht’s three outdoor decks, including one with two pools. The vessel, which has a crew of up to 36, also boasts a cinema, meeting spaces and lounges, Luxuo reported.
Jeff Bezos, left, with partner Lauren Sanchez and other guests Monday aboard Koru on the coast of Mallorca. Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com
Lauren Sanchez, clad in a hot pink bikini, soaks up the sun Monday on Koru, as yachting season heats up in the Mediterranean. Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com
Every detail is designed for luxury, even down to the masts’ technology.
Bezos opted for high-tech “in-boom furlers,” which store the vast canvases at the bottom of the mast, above the deck. Each weighs nearly 2,000 pounds, but they allow his deck to be kept clear of ropes.
Clearing ropes out of the way maximizes entertaining space, and allows for a hot tub forward of the mainmast.
The yacht is also built for speed. Its three masts provide “one of the largest sail areas ever seen in yachting,” according to SuperYacht Times.
In the Mediterranean’s azure waters, the Koru’s vast scale is clear. The 2,000lb boom furlers at the base of each mast are a key part of the design, keeping the decks free of ropes. SplashNews.com
Bezos and Sanchez’s fleet was due to make for the neighboring island of Ibiza, Spain, after its stop in Mallorca. MEGA
The Koru’s original designer, and the identity of its captain, remain secret. Boat International noted: “With the elegant curve of the bow and a bowsprit, the lines are certainly classic, but we still have no idea which designer drew them.”
The Cayman Islands-flagged vessel also has engine power like most sailing yachts.
And while other billionaires measure yachts by size, Bezos’ is only the 24th largest.
Koru’s support vessel, Abeona, is decked out with a helipad and plenty of room for expensive maritime toys, like tenders, scuba gear and even if he decides to acquire it, a personal submarine. SplashNews.com
Abeona, Bezos’ custom-built 246-foot support vessel, is the 225th largest yacht in the world, according to SuperYacht Times. SplashNews.com
However, since Koru’s masts rule out a helicopter deck, the billionaire commissioned a support vessel, Abeona, named for the Roman goddess of outward journeys.
In addition to a helipad, the 246-foot Abeona features an extra two staterooms for four guests and as many as 45 crew and support staff.
It’s the largest custom-built support vessel ever manufactured by Damen Yachting. On board in Mallorca were at least four jetskis, two fast launches, and an additional dinghy. Its heavy winch is capable of lifting a small submarine, although Bezos is not believed to have one thus far.
Koru, built by Oceanco in the Netherlands, has three decks, including one outfitted with two swimming pools. SplashNews.com
Bezos and Sanchez can welcome up to 16 guests on board, and also have extra staterooms on their support tender. There are 36 crew on the Koru, and up to 45 crew and specialist staff can be accommodated on the Abeona. Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com
The “classic exterior lines” of Koru, are reminiscent of another billionaire’s boat: Eos, a 305-foot sailing yacht owned by Barry Diller, 81, who may have inspired Bezos after hosting him on the vessel.
Favored by megastars like Katy Perry and Bradley Cooper — who were Diller’s guests during 2019’s Google Camp in Sicily — the German-built Eos can accommodate up to 16 guests and 21 crew.
It was the largest private sailing yacht in the world when it was completed in 2006. Diller, chairman of IAC and Expedia, who is worth $3.9 billion, bought it three years later. Intriguingly, its figurehead is modeled on Diller’s wife Diane von Fürstenberg, the fashion designer.
But the $200 million, 305-foot schooner is now dwarfed by Bezos’ boat.
The Koru under sail: In the right wind conditions, it can reach 20 knots, and is the largest sailing yacht capable of moving entirely under sail. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
As Koru sailed in the Balearic Sea this week off the coast of Spain, Bezos’ boat symbolically surges past several other tech billionaires’ vessels – including Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s $80 million, 240-foot Dragonfly, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s, $160 million, 288-foot Musashi.
It will cost Bezos, 59, an estimated $25 million per year to operate Koru, but the world’s third-richest man isn’t likely to need a loan with his $140.6 billion fortune, according to Forbes.
Eos, a 305-foot yacht owned by IAC and Expedia chairman Barry Diller, features a pool and a figurehead of Diller’s wife, fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. The $200 million yacht can accommodate 16 guests and 21 crew. AMA / MEGA
Diller’s yacht features a figurehead modeled on his wife, von Fürstenberg, suggesting it inspired Bezos on the Koru. Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld
Bezos’ use of sailpower sets him apart from most billionaires, but others are seeking a hi-tech zero-carbon power source: a Japanese billionaire has reportedly commissioned the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht.
Germany’s Lürssen Yachts announced in March that they had a hydrogen-powered superyacht in advanced construction.
It declined to identify the future owner of the unnamed superyacht, but specialist publication FuelCellsWorks reported Japanese billionaire tech Yusaku Maezawa, worth an estimated $1.7 billion, commissioned the innovative effort.
Bezos is not the only tech titan with a yacht habit: The Koru puts him ahead of many on size but it is relatively small as a superyacht, coming in at 24th largest in the world. NY Post
Koru while under construction in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, in October 2021. A plan to dismantle a historic bridge so the yacht could reach the North Sea was ultimately scuttled after local backlash. AP
Dubbed Project Cosmos, the 374-foot superyacht is designed by Apple’s legendary Marc Newson and was first unveiled in early March at Lürssen’s facility in Rendsburg, Germany.
Once completed as soon as next year, the vessel is expected to utilize emission-free fuel cell technology to generate power lasting up to 15 days while anchored or to travel as far as 1,000 miles at slow speeds.
Three other major shipyards, including in Italy and the Netherlands, are likely to launch their own hydrogen started outfitting newly constructed vessels with hydrogen fuel cells as of March 2022, with the first models reportedly expected in 2024.
Other megayachts expected to soon join Bezos’ Koru in the water include two Lürssen models, the 475-foot Luminance and the 400-foot Jag, and Feadship 821, a 389-foot offering from the Netherlands manufacturer.
The German-built Azzam, the world’s largest superyacht, was delivered in 2013. It can accommodate up to 36 guests and can reach speeds up to 31.5 knots (36 mph). Jaume Sellart/EPA/Shutterstock
But even those won’t best the biggest megayacht in the world, the 593-foot Azzam, which launched in 2013 after being commissioned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates who died last year.
Azzam, which means determination in Arabic, reportedly cost more than $600 million and is nearly 60 feet longer than the world’s second-largest yacht, the 533-foot Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Those monster vessels are expected to be surpassed next year by REV, a 600-foot yacht under construction in Norway which will have space for 36 guests and 54 crewmembers, according to Boat International.
Source: New York Post
