Centibillionaires who own some of the world’s largest and most opulent yachts often turn off their transponders and go dark for the sake of privacy. Jeff Bezos has done it, and Mark Zuckerberg too. But it all falls flat as soon as their superyachts reach a dock. Case in point is Zuckerberg’s Launchpad and Wingman yachts which recently docked at the Club de Mar in Palma for the first time. He may have turned off the AIS on the luxury vessel’s journey from the Americas to the Mediterranean, but the vessel stole the show as soon as it docked. Both the $300 million Launchpad and its shadow vessel, the $30 million Wingman, were in Panama around Zuckerberg’s 40th birthday.
However, for billionaires, summers and superyachts are best spent in the Mediterranean, which is why the Meta boss, worth $175 billion, had both ships sailing to Palma de Mallorca. Now, the luxury boats of the man who evidently values his privacy are dwarfing other vessels at the Mallorca port. There are so many ironies here: the man who built his $1.25 trillion company by selling other people’s private information seeks privacy, and yet his pleasure crafts overshadow every other boat owing to their size and grandeur.
Still, Zuckerberg seems intent on his quest to ward off any extra attention. As witnessed on an earlier occasion, the 387-foot Feadship beauty and its support vessel pulled off a vanishing act in May when both ships turned off their AIS as they left Florida heading south towards Jamaica. The Launchpad superyacht left Panama on May 22nd and arrived in Gibraltar with Wingman in tow on June 4th, perhaps to refuel. The vessels are now moored at Club de Mar in Palma and have unintentionally become the cynosure of attention. The spectacular 4999 GT vessel is hard to miss.
It sleeps 24 guests and a crew of 48 and is accompanied by the 220-foot Wingman, which includes three guest cabins. Whether the boats are here to make the most of a Mediterranean summer is yet to be seen. Perhaps Zuckerberg and his clan will fly in soon to enjoy their first summer aboard their luxury vessel.
