Jeff Bezos’s megayacht, Koru, took over three years to build, and the Amazon founder has now utilized the world’s largest sailing yacht for a total of three years. The 417-foot Oceanco mammoth has served as the backdrop for his most significant personal milestones, particularly those involving his now-wife, Lauren Sanchez. From the original proposal to their engagement celebrations and several star-studded parties, the sailing yacht has been the primary venue for their life together. However, while these memories are significant, the reality remains that Koru attracts as much attention as its owner, the world’s third-richest man with a net worth of $275 billion.
According to Page Six, beyond her size and beauty, the vessel can occasionally present a logistical nightmare. One might imagine a man of Bezos’s stature would dominate the Monaco Grand Prix with his 3,300-ton superyacht, but in reality, he could not get anywhere near the action-packed arena and was forced to use a tender.
A similar situation occurred in the Venice Lagoon; even though Koru served as the “ring bearer” for Sanchez’s 30-carat sparkler when Bezos popped the question, the gargantuan craft simply couldn’t make it into the port. If Bezos is truly considering a private sale of this floating party pad, which costs at least $50 million annually to maintain, he will surely miss the good times, though the expense is hardly the issue.
The maintenance fees for Koru’s striking teak decks and its many luxuries are mere peanuts for the tech tycoon. Instead, the move appears to be motivated by privacy. While the purpose of a private vessel is often to remain inconspicuous, Koru achieves the exact opposite. Over the last three years, the couple has sailed the globe, hosting celebrity pals including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, and Usher, and always under the prying eyes of the internet.
Koru’s 230-foot-high sails became such a flashpoint that they sparked immense backlash when it was suggested the historic Koningshaven Bridge (De Hef) in Rotterdam be dismantled to allow the yacht to pass during her maiden voyage. While that unpleasantness was eventually dodged, those same sails are the reason the helipad was placed on Abeona instead.
It does not appear that the support vessel will be going anywhere soon, even if Koru finds a new owner. Unlike the mothership, which sleeps 18 guests in 9 cabins, Abeona features staterooms for four guests and carries a substantial crew of approximately 37 members. Appropriately named after the Māori word for new life, growth, strength, and peace, Koru’s name may finally reflect its destiny as a new life on the market potentially awaits. The Oceanco masterpiece remains a maritime marvel, featuring a wooden figurehead bearing the likeness of Sanchez, water cannons, a glass-bottom pool, and three jacuzzis along with a hefty $50 million maintenance bill, best afforded by the Bezoses of the billionaire world.
