Billionaire Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez arrived in Cannes, south of France, in the Amazon founder’s $500 million superyacht over the weekend, Page Six reported. The power couple arrived at the resort town which has attracted global celebrities for the ongoing Cannes Film Festival 2023.
The luxury boat, named Koru, is believed to be the largest sailing yacht in the world. The vessel completed its construction recently, five years after it was commissioned in 2018, and made its maiden voyage in April. The front of the superyacht reportedly features a mermaid figure that resembles Lauren Sanchez.
Bezos has also brought his support yacht, Abeona, to Cannes, along with Koru.
In Cannes, Bezos and Sanchez were seen at a magazine party at the Hotel Du Cap Eden Roc, and at a private mansion party for Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, according to the Page Six report.
Running the superyacht will cost Jeff Bezos $25 million a year. Koru is the tallest yacht in the world, with triple masts towering at over 230 feet, making the sailing yacht nearly half the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The vessel is 127 meters long and can accommodate 18 guests and requires a crew of 40, New York Post had reported. The aluminium and steel vessel reportedly boasts three decks, including one with a swimming pool.
Last year, Bezos found himself in the middle of a controversy after Dutch shipmaker Oceanco requested that a historic bridge in the Netherlands be dismantled because the yacht's three masts were too tall to pass under the bridge, despite its 131-foot clearance. The 130-foot steel structure wouldn’t allow the vessel and its 229-foot masts to pass through.
Following an uproar from residents, the boat was towed from its construction location to another shipyard in a nearby town without its masts. There were also reports of locals threatening to pelt the yacht with eggs. Subsequently, Koru was towed away under cover of darkness.
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