Is the summer more spectacular this year, or is the Mediterranean more mesmerizing? Something is clearly different, as per Boat International; the highest volume of sea traffic in the past five years was observed in 2023. BOATPro’s Global Fleet Tracker indicated there were an insane 1,570 yachts above 24 meters (qualifying as superyachts) cruising through the beautiful coastline during the month of July. With the pandemic becoming history and the world open again for exploration, there is nothing stopping yacht owners from having the time of their life.
With Hollywood A-listers (Leonardo DiCaprio was basking in the sun aboard the Vava II yacht), music royalty, and even billionaires all choosing to spend quality time aboard a luxury vessel, the world has been eager to follow. Centibillionaire Jeff Bezos has been cruising the Mediterranean for over a month. The 59-year-old philanthropist arrived on the Spanish Balearic Island by private jet in May before visiting Koru yacht, where he proposed to his ladylove Lauren Sanchez. Since then, the 416 feet sailing ship has seen the best of Saint-Tropez, Portofino, Cannes, and Capri.
The Mediterranean has turned into the quintessential summer yachting destination. Some prominent ships spotted cruising in the area, other than the second largest sailing ship worldwide, were 358-feet Seven Seas, 360ft vessel Kaos, David Geffen’s $400 million Rising Sun, and the 246-footer Abeona from Damen Yachting following Koru megayacht in its debut season.
The most popular areas accessed by pleasure crafts consisted of Saint Tropez, Monaco, Capri, Sardinia, and Corfu, which certainly looked more appealing from a multi-million ship.
Lurssen’s mammoth $450 million Opera Yacht, owned by the wealthy Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi, was spotted in all her glory, spending her debut season hitting all the famous Mediterranean hotspots around Italy. It also got the gargantuan 12,518-ton ship into trouble for treading into the protected waters off the Tuscan island of Giannutri, Italy. The 478 feet megayacht went from Venice, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Sicily, and Amalfi toward the port city of Genoa. What else will a rich man or woman take his striking superyacht if not to one of the most incredibly idyllic areas globally?
