Jeff Bezos has finally been spotted aboard the $500 million sailing yacht that he’s been rumored to be the owner of for years. And the vessel has an added design touch that has the celebrity press worked up like a rough sea.
The Amazon founder is clearly the owner of the 417-foot, triple-masted “Koru,” a Dutch-built schooner that was photographed this week moored off the coast of the Spanish island Mallorca.
And Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sanchez sure looks like the inspiration for the yacht’s figurehead. The Daily Mail referred to the polished wooden sculpture on the yacht’s prow as a “curvaceous winged GODDESS” in a splash this week that featured multiple images of the sailing ship and Sanchez.
The couple, who became a public item three years ago, can be seen on the yacht’s deck in swimwear.
Author Brad Stone was the first to report on Bezos’ desire to set sail in luxury fashion. Stone wrote is his 2021 book on Bezos, titled “Amazon Unbound,” that the move into the world of luxury yacht ownership heralds Bezos’ “transformation from geeky technologist to globe-trotting megabillionaire.”
Along the way, Koru caused some controversy due to a plan at one point that involved dismantling a historic bridge in the Dutch city of Rotterdam so that the yacht could pass to open seas.
Koru, a Māori symbol representing “new life, spiritual growth, and progress,” underwent sea trials in February. There’s no helipad on board because of the masts, but there is a 250 foot support vessel that has one.
