Centibillionaires are a common sight in the Mediterranean during summer, even if they prefer to keep a low profile. However, the world’s hawk-eyed observers always manage to keep tabs on them. Jeff Bezos made headlines with his summer aboard the $500 million megayacht Koru, which has seen abundant use during this season. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg, the third richest man with a net worth of $184 billion, is also enjoying the high seas, albeit with more secrecy. His $300 million superyacht, Launchpad, has been sailing in stealth mode for the last three months, with its AIS (Automatic Identification System) turned off throughout the European holiday. That’s more than 90 days where the 388 feet long vessel is sailing blind in the busy waters of the Mediterranean.
The Feadship beauty took the Facebook founder and his family to the picturesque island of Elba, located in Tuscany, Italy. They made a brief stop at Mallorca before finally mooring off the coast of Levanto Bay. For Father’s Day in June, the Meta CEO whisked the entire Zuckerberg clan onto Launchpad.
Even during this time, Mark followed in Bezos’ footsteps by keeping the AIS turned off to avoid attention. However, the shadow vessel, Wingman, a $30 million yacht, has been broadcasting its location, which revealed that the vessels were heading back across the Atlantic and transited the Panama Canal.
According to Esysman Superyachts, Zuckerberg’s ships sailed on the Pacific side and made their way towards Cabo San Lucas. Vessel Finder reported that Wingman was at Fort Lauderdale on August 12th, but the same cannot be said for the 387-foot-long Launchpad, which continues to move forward unbothered and remains off the grid. According to the US Coast Guard, the maritime rules of the United States state a maximum penalty of $41,093 for a vessel violating AIS regulations.
While this amount might be insignificant to a centibillionaire like Zuckerberg, the risk is one that should not be taken lightly. In recent history, two stunning superyachts, Venus (owned by Laurene Powell Jobs) and Lady Moura, collided in broad daylight despite their transponders being active. If such a catastrophe can occur on vigilant vessels taking all necessary safety measures, then even a genius like Zuckerberg should be cautious.
