jeff bezos yacht statue

Does Jeff Bezos's New Yacht Feature a Sculpture of Lauren Sánchez?

The world's largest sailing yacht appears to have a figurehead that resembles Sánchez.

The yacht, which is named "Koru" and reportedly cost around $500 million, features a wooden figurehead of a woman that seems to be based on Sánchez. In addition, the sculpture is wearing the symbol for Koru, which is Māori for "loop or coil" and represents creation.

Per the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , "The koru, which is often used in Māori art as a symbol of creation, is based on the shape of an unfurling fern frond. Its circular shape conveys the idea of perpetual movement, and its inward coil suggests a return to the point of origin. The koru therefore symbolises the way in which life both changes and stays the same."

Bezos has previously posted about the symbol of koru, including a photo in his New Year's Day post in 2022, where he wrote, "the new year is also a great time to take stock and focus on personal growth, renewal, rebirth, and paying careful attention to each moment of your life. The good and the bad. All of it. Celebrate and grow." You can scroll to the last slide in here:

Bezos and Sánchez have been spotted this week on the three-mast yacht off the coast of Spain. At 417 feet, it is the largest sailing yacht in the world, and it is trailed by a 246-foot support vessel called the Abeona.

Bezos and his first wife, MacKenzie Bezos , divorced in April 2019 , and he has been publicly dating Sánchez since that same year.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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$500m price tag and bronze statue similar to his girlfriend: What we know about Jeff Bezos’s wild superyacht

‘koru’ superyacht comes complete with figurehead that looks similar to amazon founder’s girlfriend. meredith clark writes, article bookmarked.

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Bezos and Sanchez were spotted on the new superyacht.

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Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez have been spotted relaxing on the Amazon founder’s new superyacht, which is reportedly worth almost $500m.

The 59-year-old billionaire was photographed aboard the 417-foot-long vessel as it set sail along the coast of Spain on Monday, 15 May.

The couple’s maiden voyage comes nearly five years after the vessel was first commissioned in 2018 for half a billion dollars. The yacht – named the Koru after the Maori word for “new beginnings” – comes complete with three decks and a pool.

In photos obtained by the Daily Mail , Bezos was seen shirtless on the megayacht’s sundeck, while Sanchez was dressed in a pink bikini and white cover-up as the pair enjoyed the sunshine.

Bezos reportedly arrived to his yacht via helicopter, making use of the vessel’s helipad, after being flown to Mallorca on a private jet.

The 250-foot tall boat even came equipped with a figurehead that bore a striking resemblance to Bezo’s 53-year-old girlfriend. The polished wooden sculpture, which sits at the prow of the yacht, depicts a woman carved in the style of a Roman goddess, complete with long hair and a flowing gown.

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Koru, previously known as Y721, is the tallest sailing yacht in the world with three masts measuring more than 230 feet, according to Boat International . It reportedly cost Bezos $485m.

The boat’s exterior has a classic design of a black hull with a white superstructure. Although the brand-new vessel doesn’t come with a helipad, the Amazon founder reportedly purchased a support yacht, worth $75m specifically to land his helicopter.

The yacht is one of the longest in the world.

The Koru was constructed by Dutch yacht maker Oceano near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It caused quite a scandal in February 2022 when the vessel nearly required the historic Koningshaven Bridge to be dismantled because its masts were too tall to pass under the bridge.

Indeed, the vessel is officially the tallest yacht in the world, standing at more than 230ft (70m), and is the length of four blue whales at 416ft (127m) - one of just four yachst in the world to boast a length of greater than 100m.

When Oceanco requested the city of Rotterdam dismantle the 100-year-old bridge – known to locals as “De Hef” – outraged citizens planned to throw rotten eggs at the superyacht. The yacht maker rescinded its request and ultimately hauled the 417-foot vessel to a separate shipyard to install the masts.

The clever design of the three masts, which see the yacht powered by kinetic energy, mean Bezos does not need an entire crew to staff the vessel - instead the Koru can be manned by one person (although no doubt the billionaire will have staff on hand for more of his voyages).

Guests visiting Bezos aboard his new superyacht are able to arrive via helicopter thanks to the vessel’s helipad, while other transport on board includes a fleet of cars, jetskis and smaller speedboats.

The yacht reportedly costs $25m a year to maintain, according to Page Six , but Bezos has more than enough money to cover the maintenance – his net worth is an estimated $141bn.

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Jeff Bezos Really, Really Likes His Girlfriend, According to the Figurehead Apparently Made in Her Image on His Estimated $500 Million Yacht

By Kenzie Bryant

It is yacht season, a time of year that occurs whenever or wherever there is nice weather for yachting on one’s yacht. What are the activities of yacht season? Well, if one is a billionaire or friends with one, dining, swimming, lounging, tanning, and feeling the ocean breeze through your hair. But for those landlubbers destined to only ever look at yachts through a screen, the activity of yacht season is mainly looking at photos of the yachters on their yachts while comparing the billionaires’ big boats. 

Roman Abramovich ’s yacht Eclipse has a mini submarine on board and two helipads. Bernard Arnault ’s yacht has a grand piano and a cinema. Jeff Bezos ’s new yacht also has a name—Koru—and has three large masts, making it a sailing schooner that harkens back to the golden age of seafaring (though, at 417 feet, way bigger than those boats generally were). It’s the Renaissance fair of the seas. 

And no Dutch-built yacht would be complete without a Valkyrie at its prow. The one on Koru looks a helluva lot like Lauren Sanchez, his girlfriend. Bezos has not commented on his ship to the press, so whether the figurehead is explicitly based on Sanchez’s visage and body is simply conjecture. Here, for example, is the Daily Mail conjecturing: “ curvaceous winged GODDESS…bears striking resemblance to none other than…Ms. Sanchez! ” 

And here is the original Lauren Sanchez: 

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Some people’s love language is words of affirmation. Some prefer giving gifts. Still more people’s love language is building hyperrealistic shrines to your love on your big, huge, reportedly half-a-billion-dollar yacht . All are valid ways of expressing devotion. 

Besides a lifelike statue of his girlfriend, Bezos’s yacht has an on-deck pool as well as a pet yacht—that is, a smaller dinghy (only 246 feet) that provides a helipad and storage for “toys,” and follows the big yacht around, according to The New York Times .  Koru has been under construction for years, but Bezos’s yacht was first spotted sailing in the seas of Spain’s Mallorca on Monday. The couple were photographed on board in their swim trunks , enjoying the fruits of their patience.

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Jeff Bezos' yacht reportedly cost $500 million and is the largest sailing yacht in the world. Here's what we know.

• Jeff Bezos ' new $500 million megayacht Koru set sail this summer.
• At 417 feet long, it's the world's largest sailing yacht and even boasts a sculpture resembling his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez.
• Here's everything we know about Bezos' yacht.

Jeff Bezos' new megayacht set sail this summer, with the founder and former Amazon CEO and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez crisscrossing Europe to show it off.

At 417 feet long, the vessel is the world's largest sailing yacht and cost an estimated $500 million. The yacht is named Koru , which means "loop" or "coil" in the Māori language and often signifies new beginnings.

Koru joins a large class of flashy billionaires' yachts , including the 305-foot-long Eos, which belongs to billionaire Barry Diller and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.

Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison owns a yacht called Musashi, which is 288 feet long.

Bezos commissioned the enormous boat from the Dutch custom yacht builder Oceanco, and it took years to construct.

Related stories

In February, the yacht underwent its first sea trials, a series of tests usually conducted in the last phases of construction. Koru made its maiden voyage in April, traveling from the Netherlands to Gibraltar.

The vessel has a pool on deck, and the prow features a mermaid sculpture that bears a striking resemblance to Bezos' then-girlfriend Sanchez. A second "support yacht," which has an on-deck helipad, accompanies Koru on its travels.

Sanchez has said the sculpture affixed to Bezos' yacht isn't her. "I'm very flattered, but it's not," she told Vogue. The sculpture is apparently of the Norse goddess Freyja, one of Bezos' favorite figures from mythology.

Bezos and Sanchez were first seen aboard the yacht along the coast of Spain in May, shortly before news broke that the couple had gotten engaged. The couple spent the rest of the summer on board traveling to various destinations, stopping at the Cannes Film Festival, sailing down the Italian Riviera, and making their way to Croatia.

In August, the yacht played host to an engagement party for Bezos and Sanchez , which reportedly drew guests including Bill Gates, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Ari Emanuel, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

While yacht season was apparently enjoyable for the couple, it was only after the vessel stirred up quite a bit of controversy: Koru's masts were so tall that the yacht nearly required the dismantling of a historic bridge in the Netherlands in order for it to pass through.

Locals planned to egg Bezos' superyacht if the bridge came down. Following the public outcry, Oceanco withdrew its request for the city to take apart the bridge.

And despite this massive purchase, Bezos' net worth is still well over $100 billion.

Watch: What it takes to build a 164-foot superyacht

• Main content

Jeff Bezos has added a bit of stunning new woodwork to his superyacht: The prow is now decorated with, as the Daily Mail put it, a “curvaceous winged GODDESS,” which bears a striking resemblance to Lauren Sanchez, Bezos’s girlfriend.

Bezos and Sanchez were seen lounging on the 400-foot yacht off the coast of Spain earlier this week , and the addition of a gleaming Alive Girl figurehead suggests that the ship is finally finished. The world’s largest sailing yacht has been under construction for some time — apparently it was being remodeled to house a swimming pool, a helipad, and room for a second, smaller yacht . Last year, it was nearly vandalized by a bunch of egg-wielding Rotterdam citizens when they heard one of their important bridges would have to be disassembled to make way for the yacht’s movements.

A nautical bust is not a practical accessory, but more of a spiritual symbol — an embodiment of a ship’s vibe. Traditionally, a figurehead would be a mermaid, a fierce animal, or maybe a Valkyrie to suggest protection. I feel that Sanchez, an enthusiastic helicopter pilot who is scheduled to go to space next year , seems more than appropriate for the job. Ahoy, Alive Girl.

• lauren sanchez

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Did Jeff Bezos put a sculpture of his girlfriend on the bow of his new $500 million megayacht? You be the judge.

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

A sculpture on Jeff Bezos' new $500 million megayacht has tongues wagging: Is it his girlfriend?

Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, were recently spotted on the yacht for the first time.

The watercraft is named Koru, which is Māori for loop or coil and signifies new beginnings.

A sculpture on Jeff Bezos' new megayacht has people wondering whether it's his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez .

The figurehead on the prow of the 417-foot watercraft shows a woman with long hair in a flowing dress, as seen in photos first published by the Daily Mail . She appears to be wearing a necklace that may feature the symbol for koru, which is the name of the ship. Koru means "loop" or "coil" in the Māori language and often signifies new beginnings.

Bezos and Sanchez, who went public with their relationship in 2019, were first spotted on the new $500 million superyacht earlier this week off the coast of Spain.

The vessel, believed to be the largest sailing yacht in the world, had a rocky road to completion. It caused an uproar when its Dutch shipmaker, Oceanco, requested that a historic bridge in Rotterdam in the Netherlands be dismantled for the yacht to pass because its masts were too tall to pass through underneath.

The 100-year-old Koningshaven Bridge, nicknamed "De Hef" by locals, had been renovated in 2017; after that, the city had vowed not to take it apart again, according to Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond .

Residents grew outraged and even threatened to egg the yacht if the bridge was dismantled, prompting Oceanco to withdraw its request and quietly tow away the yacht to another shipyard without its masts, which were installed later to avoid the clearance issue.

Koru was seen  doing sea trials , which are comprised of several tests and usually mark one of the last phases of construction, in February. The yacht made its maiden voyage in April when it left Oceanco's facilities to travel to Gibraltar on the way to Bezos.

Check out the photos of the yacht's figurehead on the Daily Mail .

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Jeff Bezos' $500M yacht showcases Lauren Sánchez sculpture

Jeff Bezos seemingly added a sculpture of Lauren Sánchez to the front of his $500 million yacht. He must really love her.

Burtland Dixon

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has added a unique touch to his extravagant $500 million yacht, named Koru. The 59-year-old billionaire has commissioned a wooden sculpture in the likeness of his girlfriend, Lauren Sánchez, to adorn the prow of the vessel. The sculpture, spotted during their recent sail around the Spanish island Mallorca, features Sánchez wearing the symbol for Koru—a Māori term meaning loop or coil—as a necklace. The symbol represents new beginnings, positive change , and personal growth, People shares.

#JeffBezos ' $500M yacht appears to have figurehead of girlfriend #LaurenSanchez . https://t.co/8sGGYdje4a pic.twitter.com/d6Ly95CvJO — New York Post (@nypost) May 19, 2023

While Bezos has not provided any official comment on the sculpture, its resemblance to Sánchez is evident. The expressive display of affection showcases Bezos' devotion in a rather unconventional way. The wooden artwork reflects the couple's connection to the symbol of Koru, which holds special significance to them.

In addition to the Sánchez-inspired sculpture, Bezos' yacht boasts luxurious amenities such as an on-deck pool. The vessel also includes a smaller dinghy, known as a “pet yacht,” which serves as a helipad and storage for various recreational items. This smaller yacht follows Koru and provides added convenience for the couple's excursions.

Jeff Bezos carving his gf onto his yacht is everything to me I love the way they love. pic.twitter.com/mXepwhFSKl — flargo (@sorkincel) May 19, 2023

Andrew Korpan · 3 months ago

Burtland Dixon · 7 months ago

Spencer See · 8 months ago

The construction of Koru has been underway for several years, and its recent appearance off the coast of Mallorca marks its inaugural sail. Bezos and Sánchez were photographed enjoying their time onboard, embracing the joys of their patient wait for completion.

The addition of the Lauren Sánchez sculpture further enhances the yacht's grandeur, symbolizing a new phase of life and the hope for a bright future. While Bezos remains tight-lipped about the artistic portrayal, the sculpture is a testament to the couple's shared journey and their appreciation for Māori traditions.

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Much like Amazon, Jeff Bezos’ $500 million superyacht offers every bell and whistle imaginable, from A to Z.

The colossal, triple-masted Koru began its career serving the world’s third richest man this week, cruising the Mediterranean around Mallorca.

The 417-foot schooner first left Rotterdam in the Netherlands for sea trials in February. Dropping anchor in Mallorca put its jaw-dropping size on full display.

It also showed the extent of Bezos’ fleet: Not only did the Koru sail into harbor, so did its support vessel, Abeona, a mega-boat in its own right, the luxurious fast-launches used to move between the two — and aerial support in the form of his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez’s personal helicopter.

Sanchez also seemingly serves the fleet’s mascot, with the Koru’s figurehead, a part of traditional large sailing ships, modeled after her.

The Koru is the world’s tallest sailing yacht. Its three huge 229-foot masts power it to 20 knots. It’s also the biggest billionaire’s yacht which can move under sail-power alone.

The masts are so tall that Dutch officials considered dismantling the 95-year-old Koningshaven Bridge to allow the vessel past the 131-foot span on its journey from the Oceanco shipyard in Alblasserdam through Rotterdam to the North Sea.

That controversial plan was scrapped after local backlash, including residents being urged to toss eggs at Bezos’ “latest toy,”  the New York Times reported . The superyacht, previously known as Y721, was instead towed to a shipyard in Rotterdam, downstream of the bridge, without its masts.

Bezos, 59, and the bikini-clad Sanchez, 53, appeared ready for the summer as the pair soaked up the sun aboard Koru, a Māori word for loop or coil that symbolizes new beginnings — possibly a coy reference to their relationship.

Sanchez started secretly dating the Blue Origin founder in the summer of 2018. Bezos then announced in January 2019 he and his wife Mackenzie were divorcing after 25 years , while Sanchez finalized her split from husband Patrick Whitesell later that year.

Sanchez plays a critical role in the Bezos fleet: As a helicopter pilot, she was seen landing on the Abeona. She was also at Bezos’ side when he took the wheel of the Koru.

Koru was first seen under construction in 2021 at Oceano’s yard. The company is owned by a fellow billionaire, Oman’s Mohammed Al Barwani.

As many as 18 guests can enjoy the yacht’s three outdoor decks, including one with two pools. The vessel, which has a crew of up to 36, also boasts a cinema, meeting spaces and lounges,  Luxuo reported .

Every detail is designed for luxury, even down to the masts’ technology.

Bezos opted for high-tech “in-boom furlers,” which store the vast canvases at the bottom of the mast, above the deck. Each weighs nearly 2,000 pounds, but they allow his deck to be kept clear of ropes.

Clearing ropes out of the way maximizes entertaining space, and allows for a hot tub forward of the mainmast.

The yacht is also built for speed. Its three masts provide “one of the largest sail areas ever seen in yachting,”  according to SuperYacht Times .

The Koru’s original designer, and the identity of its captain, remain secret. Boat International noted : “With the elegant curve of the bow and a bowsprit, the lines are certainly classic, but we still have no idea which designer drew them.”

The Cayman Islands-flagged vessel also has engine power like most sailing yachts.

And while other billionaires measure yachts by size, Bezos’ is only the 24th largest.

However, since Koru’s masts rule out a helicopter deck, the billionaire commissioned a support vessel, Abeona, named for the Roman goddess of outward journeys.

In addition to a helipad, the 246-foot Abeona features an extra two staterooms for four guests and as many as 45 crew and support staff.

It’s the largest custom-built support vessel ever manufactured by Damen Yachting. On board in Mallorca were at least four jetskis, two fast launches, and an additional dinghy. Its heavy winch is capable of lifting a small submarine, although Bezos is not believed to have one thus far.

The “classic exterior lines” of Koru, are reminiscent of another billionaire’s boat: Eos, a 305-foot sailing yacht owned by Barry Diller, 81, who may have inspired Bezos after hosting him on the vessel.

Favored by megastars like Katy Perry and Bradley Cooper — who were Diller’s guests during 2019’s Google Camp in Sicily — the German-built Eos can accommodate up to 16 guests and 21 crew.

It was the largest private sailing yacht in the world when it was completed in 2006. Diller, chairman of IAC and Expedia, who is worth $3.9 billion, bought it three years later. Intriguingly, its figurehead is modeled on Diller’s wife Diane von Fürstenberg, the fashion designer.

But the $200 million, 305-foot schooner is now dwarfed by Bezos’ boat.

As Koru sailed in the Balearic Sea this week off the coast of Spain, Bezos’ boat symbolically surges past several other tech billionaires’ vessels – including Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s $80 million, 240-foot Dragonfly, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s, $160 million, 288-foot Musashi.

It will cost Bezos, 59, an estimated $25 million per year to operate Koru, but the world’s third-richest man isn’t likely to need a loan with his $140.6 billion fortune,  according to Forbes .

Bezos’ use of sailpower sets him apart from most billionaires, but others are seeking a hi-tech zero-carbon power source: a Japanese billionaire has reportedly commissioned the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht.

Germany’s Lürssen Yachts announced in March that they had a hydrogen-powered superyacht in advanced construction.

It declined to identify the future owner of the unnamed superyacht, but specialist publication FuelCellsWorks reported Japanese billionaire tech Yusaku Maezawa, worth an estimated $1.7 billion, commissioned the innovative effort.

Dubbed Project Cosmos, the 374-foot superyacht is designed by Apple’s legendary Marc Newson and was first unveiled in early March at Lürssen’s facility in Rendsburg, Germany.

Once completed as soon as next year, the vessel is expected to utilize emission-free fuel cell technology to generate power lasting up to 15 days while anchored or to travel as far as 1,000 miles at slow speeds.

Three other major shipyards, including in Italy and the Netherlands, are likely to launch their own hydrogen started outfitting newly constructed vessels with hydrogen fuel cells as of March 2022, with the first models reportedly expected in 2024.

Other megayachts expected to soon join Bezos’ Koru in the water include two Lürssen models, the 475-foot Luminance and the 400-foot Jag, and Feadship 821, a 389-foot offering from the Netherlands manufacturer.

But even those won’t best the biggest megayacht in the world, the 593-foot Azzam, which launched in 2013 after being commissioned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates who died last year.

Azzam, which means determination in Arabic, reportedly cost more than $600 million and is nearly 60 feet longer than the world’s second-largest yacht, the 533-foot Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Those monster vessels are expected to be surpassed next year by REV, a 600-foot yacht under construction in Norway which will have space for 36 guests and 54 crewmembers, according to Boat International .

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Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez says she's 'flattered' — but the female figurehead sculpted on the front of his superyacht isn't her

• Jeff Bezos' fiancée is debunking speculation that a sculpture on his yacht is her.
• Lauren Sanchez told Vogue the figurehead on the yacht is actually of Norse goddess Freyja.
• Sanchez said she was "flattered" by the comparison, but joked it'd need larger breasts to be her.

It turns out the female figurehead on Jeff Bezos' yacht isn't his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez.

Bezos ' yacht — named "Koru," which refers to a symbol of new beginnings in the Māori language — boasts a statue on its prow of a woman with long hair and a flowing dress.

The figurehead has drawn comparisons to Sanchez, but Sanchez set the record straight in a Vogue article published Monday.

"I'm very flattered, but it's not," she told Vogue. The sculpture is apparently of the Norse goddess Freyja, one of Bezos' favorite figures from mythology.

The article continues: "'If it was me…' Sánchez joked, and made a gesture of having larger breasts."

Bezos and Sanchez have had quite the summer adventure onboard the yacht since they were first spotted onboard in May.

The 417-foot vessel is believed to be the largest sailing yacht in the world and reportedly cost $500 million.

Sanchez also told Vogue about Bezos' proposal . He hid the ring under her pillow after a starlit dinner, according to the article.

News broke in May that Bezos and Sanchez were engaged after four years of dating.

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Lauren Sánchez clarifies Jeff Bezos’ yacht figurehead isn’t her – would’ve had bigger breasts

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Lauren Sánchez debunked the widely held thought that the figurehead mounted on Jeff Bezos $500 million yacht is her.

“I’m very flattered, but it’s not,” Sánchez told Vogue in a lengthy feature published Monday.

Instead, the sculpture at the prow of Koru, which is Maori for “new beginnings,” is one of Bezos’s favorite mythological figures: Freyja, the Norse goddess of love, fertility, war and gold. 

“If it  was  me…,” Sánchez joked to the glossy before making a gesture of having larger breasts.

Sánchez, 53, and the Amazon founder, 59, sailed around on Koru all summer long.

The mega-yacht features three towering masts as well as three decks, one of which features a sprawling swimming pool, according to  Boat International .

Koru costs Bezos a cool $25 million per year to run and can accommodate 18 guests — and requires a crew of 40 sailors.

The yacht also has a 250-foot support vessel that includes Bezos’ helicopter landing pad.

Koru is just one of Bezos and the helicopter pilot’s vessels in a fleet of super-yachts , helicopters and planes.

Over the summer, Bezos and Sánchez hosted a star-studded engagement party aboard Koru while it was anchored in Portofino, Italy.

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A source exclusively told us at the time that the nautical fête was “intimate” with only a “small crowd” in attendance.

VIP guests included Bill Gates and girlfriend Paula Hurd, as well as Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and more.

Although they’ve been engaged since the summer, Sánchez told Vogue she and the billionaire haven’t started planning their nuptials.

“We’re still thinking about the wedding,” she shared, “what it’s going to be. Is it going to be big? Is it going to be overseas? We don’t know yet. We’ve only been engaged five months!”

When they do finally tie the knot, the former reporter intends to take his last name, saying, “I am looking forward to being Mrs. Bezos.”

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Jeff Bezos’ New Yacht Is Finally Ready to Set Sail

Amazon’s founder has been spotted on Koru, a massive schooner with a design that evokes the golden age of sailing in the early 20th century.

By Kevin Koenig

Just in time for the high season of yachting in the Mediterranean, when multimillion-dollar megayachts descend on ports like Monte Carlo and St. Tropez, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has been photographed with his partner Lauren Sánchez on his new boat, Koru, off the coast of Spain.

Mr. Bezos’ vessel is a sailing yacht, a departure from the diesel-powered, floating palaces popular with other billionaires. But it is still massive. At 417 feet, Koru is the world’s largest sailing yacht, according to Boat International , and it cost an estimated $500 million to build, Bloomberg reported . (Parsifal III, the boat featured on Bravo’s reality series “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” is 177 feet long — less than half the length of Koru — and cost $18 million , according to the website SuperYachtFan.)

A spokesperson for Mr. Bezos did not comment for this article; neither did Oceanco, Koru’s builder. Here is what to know about the boat.

For traditionalists, Koru is refreshing. At a time when yacht design skews outrageous — see the lizardlike, 262-foot Artefact or the otherworldly 463-foot Yas — Koru stands out as a schooner, a sailing vessel with two or more masts. Photos reveal a large sailboat with three masts, an on-deck pool and a voluptuous mermaid on the bow, that bears a resemblance to Ms. Sánchez. But otherwise, the sleek, classic lines suggest the patrician age of yachting in the early 20th century, said Robert B. MacKay, author of “The Golden Age of Newport Yachting: Between the Wars.”

“With the clipper bow and the dark hull and the masts,” Mr. MacKay said, referring to Koru’s concave, pointy forward section, “it reminds me of a boat built in 1930 for J.P. Morgan Jr., Corsair IV. It is almost like a reincarnation. It’s certainly at odds with the stuff the oligarchs are building — those look like bloated Clorox bottles.”

Compared with the world’s very largest motor yachts — built for sheer size and the accompanying bragging rights — Koru could almost be considered quaint. Azzam, one of the world’s largest motor yachts, is nearly 200 feet longer.

The Experience

Koru will be propelled primarily by the wind. “Sailboats are usually greener than most powerboats,” said Don Anderson, a former captain of M5 , the world’s largest single-masted sailboat, at 256 feet. “I’d like to think that Koru will be one of the most ecological yachts out there, with its sails and also with the technology that will be aboard.”

“When you’re on a sailboat, you’re more in touch with the wind and the waves than on a powerboat,” he continued. “You’re more susceptible to the elements, too. But you can leave California, and once you get past the Catalinas you can basically surf downwind all the way to Hawaii. All you need to do is run with the waves.”

Mr. Bezos has been a guest on similar boats, according to Bloomberg: In 2019, he was spotted on Eos , a 305-foot sailing yacht owned by Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg.

Bill Tripp, a Connecticut-based naval architect, said the appeal of this type of boat is clear: “When you are on a powerboat, you ask, ‘Are we there yet?’ and on a sailboat, you’re enjoying the ride and the ocean so much that you don’t ask that question.”

Koru will be trailed by Abeona, a 246-foot support vessel. Superyachts often have support vessels following along behind them. These “shadows,” as they are colloquially known, are for the “toys” — the ATVs, supercars, seaplanes, motorcycles, smaller boats, scuba gear, personal submarines and even helicopters that pleasure boaters might bring on a trip. According to its builder, this model of boat can carry these gadgets along with dozens of crew members. (Ms. Sanchez flies helicopters, and the couple was recently photographed taking a helicopter to board Abeona and then Koru.)

Abeona, a motor yacht, will have enough range to follow Koru from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean — a common course for yachts — on a single tank of gas.

The Kerfuffle

Koru set off a controversy last year — before it was even completed — in a face-off with the Dutch city of Rotterdam. The boat was built at Oceanco’s facility in Alblasserdam, the Netherlands, and needed to pass the historic Koningshaven Bridge, known as “De Hef,” in Rotterdam, to undergo testing in the North Sea.

When the city announced it would dismantle the bridge to allow the boat and its mainmast — an estimated 230 feet tall — to pass through unscathed, locals were angry. They planned a protest to throw eggs at the yacht as it cruised by. In the end, the bridge was not taken apart, and the yacht was towed to a different location to have its masts attached.

Koru is Maori for “coil” or “loop” and refers to the unfurling of a fern frond. The koru design is common in traditional Maori art, where it symbolizes new life, growth and peace. Mr. Bezos included a photo of a koru frond in an Instagram post on Jan. 1, 2022.

Brad Stone, who was the first to report on Koru, in his 2021 book “Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire,” said the name was “consistent with where we see him today.”

“He is no longer this single-minded tech guy,” Mr. Stone said. “He’s in media and Hollywood and has a new relationship.”

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Jeff bezos superyacht figurehead compared to gf lauren sanchez, jeff bezos superyacht's figurehead ... wooden replica of lauren, 101 5/18/2023 3:02 pm pt.

Jeff Bezos isn't dropping half a billion on a superyacht without including a sexy homage to his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez ... or, at least, that's what the internet thinks he did with a beautiful sculpture on the front of the ship.

Check out the wooden carving on the prow of Bezos' new nautical toy -- it shows a busty woman with long hair in a flowing gown and angel wings.

Some observers see a whole lotta Lauren in the figure's face, while others think it's a stretch to say it's a shrine to his boo.

Whether it's her or not ... Lauren was rocking a pink bikini -- not featured on the sculpture -- aboard the swanky ship, dubbed the Koru, this week with Jeff.

This is their maiden voyage aboard the Koru ... which has plenty of room for them to stretch out and soak up some rays.

As they vacay, the debate continues about Jeff's lady of the sea, so the question must be asked ...

Tribute to Lauren?

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Has the World Finally Had a Glimpse of Jeff Bezos’s $500 Million Mega-Yacht?

By Shivani Vora

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is appears to be getting closer to welcoming the superyacht he reportedly commissioned in 2018: a fancy toy fitting for the world’s second-richest person, given that it costs a reported $500 million and breaks one world record after another.

Called Y721, this vessel of all vessels is being custom designed by Dutch builder Oceanco and was spotted at a shipyard last week in Zwijndrecht, a town in the western Netherlands. It’s reportedly heading to another Netherlands town, Alblasserdam, for a final fitting. With a length of 417 feet, Y721 is the biggest sailing yacht in the world and the longest vessel to be built in the Netherlands. Features include a black hull, classic shape, three large decks, and three masts.

Superyacht Bravo Eugenia , belonging to the U.S. billionaire Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, was built by Oceanco, which is also rumored to be behind Bezos’s new massive vessel.

Y721 is going to totally change the world of yachting with its design and innovation, says Fernando Nicholson, a luxury yacht sales broker with the yachting company Camper & Nicholsons. “It’s a boat with the latest technology and bells and whistles that have never been seen,” he says. “This will be the standard for all superyachts to follow, but in years to come, when its features become more affordable. Right now, only someone with Bezos’s wealth can swing the cost.”

The superyacht is said to be modeled after Oceanco’s famous yacht, the Black Pearl , which the company site says , “is one of the largest and most ecological sailing yachts in the world. She can cross the Atlantic without burning even a liter of fossil fuel.” Y721 will go through sea trails following its fitting-out in Alblasserdam and is expected to be ready sometime next year.

The Flying Fox , allegedly owned by Bezos.

However, it’s only one of two new boats for Bezos: He has also commissioned a shadow vessel called YS 7512 from builder Damen Yachts. This support ship measures 246 feet in length and accommodates 45 additional crew and guests. It will also feature a helipad and meeting space and have a vast amount of storage for Bezos’s endless number of water toys, with diving and snorkeling gear, jet and water skis, waterslides, and surfboards among the bunch. Shadow vessels are a growing phenomenon in the superyacht industry and one more extra toy that their owners want to have at the ready, says Nicholson. “You see them more and more now as an add-on to a superyacht purchase,” he says. “They’ve almost become a must.”

There’s no doubt that Bezos will be sailing the high seas in full panache and style come 2022. But really, is there any other way when you have more money than almost anyone else in the world and attract an endless amount of attention too?

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