Too Big for the Helicopter
Jeff Bezos’ 417-foot sailing superyacht recently stopped by New Zealand. In a way, it feels like it’s come home, considering it’s named Koru. At the time of its commissioning it was the second-largest sailing yacht in the world. The title for largest goes to the simply titled “A”.
It’s a beautiful boat with a classic design. Each of Koru’s three masts stands at about 70 metres. I guess I’ve gotten so used to seeing more modern sleek designs that when a superyacht comes along actually looking like a yacht yacht it feels refreshing. Unfortunately this is a double-edged sword as apparently Bezos finds it too recognisable, and is rumoured to want to sell it. Being recognisable wouldn’t be too much of a problem except the boat got into hot water (not literally) in the Netherlands a few years ago. Back in 2022 in Rotterdam the boat requested the partial temporary dismantling of a Dutch national monument, a bridge that couldn’t accommodate Koru’s gargantuan masts on its way to a shipyard. The locals threw a fit and they had to find another way. Now it has a somewhat tarnished reputation that follows it everywhere.
The buxom mermaid figurehead on the front is based on Lauren Sanchez, Bezos’ wife. If he did sell off the US$852 million megayacht I wonder if he’d want to keep that part for their lounge.
It takes a crew of 36 to keep 18 guests comfortable. Due to its masts it doesn’t have a helipad so it’s normally followed by its support vessel, Abeona, which does. It was considered the eighth-largest support vessel in the world in 2023. It’s gone by the names YS 7512 and Wingman. I can see why. It looks like it belongs to a very swish navy. Apparently this has begun to be a trend in the industry: the yachts are getting bigger, and support vessels that give staff and crew their own space are springing up to support them.
A lot has been made of Koru’s running costs, to the tune of US$51 million but that’s just the nature of the beast when you’re maintaining that many staff on such a ridiculously large boat.
The interiors of Koru were designed by Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi, and feature warm neutral colours. It has three jacuzzis and a swimming pool. The support vessel is rumoured to be stuffed full of all the other hardware one might want to have fun with while on the water, including possibly a private sub, but don’t quote me on that.
So will anyone take this pair of boats off Bezos’ hands? We’ll have to see. There’s been a crunch in the superyacht market since a lot of Russian oligarchs were shut out of international markets for some reason.