Y721 Koru: the scandalous yacht of Jeff Bezos

The largest sailing yacht?

Koru is a 127m sailing yacht built by Oceanco. At the time of publication of this material, it is de facto the largest sailing yacht in the world.

Of course, you can argue that Sailing Yacht A is officially considered one, but her sails are not so in the classical sense. In the case of Koru, everything is fair - quite a standard three masts with ordinary sails, except that their sizes are larger than usual.

Koru is a sailing three-masted schooner with a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. Sea trials are in full swing!

Specifications

It is 127 meters long and has a capacity of about 3300 GT. Unlike most yachts of similar size, Koru will be powered by her own sails rather than her engines or both sails and engines. The height of the main mast, according to various estimates, ranges from 65 to 90 meters.

But there is still a full-fledged engine on board (not counting the diesel generators, of course). Apparently, Koru has much more in common with ordinary small boats than other giants. At the moment, more details about the yacht are not disclosed - even the price is indicative. Experts give a figure of 500 million dollars, but it is impossible to confirm or deny it.

Interestingly, Koru is unlikely to travel alone. She will be accompanied by a smaller support yacht. On board will be water toys, tenders, additional crew and fuel.

The supply yacht will probably be the 74m YS7512. It is currently the largest yacht support vessel in history. It can accommodate up to 45 people on board. Among other things, the yacht will have a hangar for a helicopter. The yacht itself, according to Boat International, will be called Abeona.

Some insiders reported that the yacht would be handed over to the owner at the end of February 2023, but as we can see, there was some delay. Koru has just started sea trials.

Entertainment on board

When it comes to such giant yachts as Koru, the question involuntarily arises: “What to do on it?” The answer is simple: "Have fun!" On the deck there is a fairly large pool, which is clearly the central area for vacationers on the main deck.

In addition, there is a whole cinema on board (dimensions, alas, are unknown). Knowing the busyness of Jeff Bezos, there will be no questions about the fact that there will be several full-fledged conference rooms inside the superyacht. About lounge areas, bar, etc. no need to speak at all. 

However, the shipyard Oceanco refused to give a more detailed answer. According to the shipyard: “It is important for us to protect the privacy of our customers.” There are also questions about how Bezos will use the yacht. There is a high probability that Jeff will be on board only a few times, after which the yacht will be rented out for charter use.

Scandals, intrigues and investigations related to Koru

One of the main scandals around the yacht, interestingly, has almost nothing to do with the yacht itself. When there were rumors that the owner of Koru was none other than Jeff Bezos, then almost immediately began unambiguous conversations about where he got such money for the boat. 

The answer was found almost immediately - the hard labor of employees of the Amazon Corporation, on which Bezos made his fortune. This problem is not the first year, but imagine the feeling of a company worker when he learns that the owner of this very company is buying a yacht for a conditional $ 500 million.  

The second scandal, which was better known to the mass audience, happened in 2021 at the height of the COVID pandemic. Then Koru riveted the attention of the public to itself due to the fact that for the passage of the yacht, as reported, it would be necessary to dismantle the historical landmark - the Königshofen Bridge in Rotterdam.

The city government, in principle, was not against such an adventure (it's no joke, Bezos will pay for both disassembly and assembly of the bridge). Local residents and activists were of a different opinion. They published an open letter threatening to pelt Koru with rotten eggs and tomatoes if the bridge was demolished.

It would seem that the multibillionaire Bezos and a bunch of people with rotten eggs - who will win the confrontation is clear. But in order not to alarm local authorities, activists and residents, the Oceanco shipyard decided not to tempt fate and tow Koru to another shipyard for the installation of masts. 

Thus, the epic with the construction of the largest sailing yacht in history is coming to an end. We are looking forward to the start of a new epic, but already connected with the operation of the yacht!

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16.03.2023