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Rising Sun yacht: The luxurious world of Larry Ellison and David Geffen’s nautical retreat

Rising Sun is a notable super yacht known for its size and high-profile owners. Here are some key details about the Rising Sun yacht.

Brief Overview

Rising Sun was originally built for American business magnate Larry Ellison , the co-founder of Oracle Corporation. However, Ellison later sold a significant portion of the yacht to music and film producer David Geffen. Today it is co-owned by Larry Ellison and David Geffen.

Rising Sun is approximately 454 feet (138 meters) in length, making it one of the largest yachts in the world at the time. Its impressive size allows for a wide range of amenities and luxuries.

Design and Features

The yacht boasts a stunning exterior design and a luxurious interior. It’s equipped with multiple decks, a swimming pool, a basketball court that can be converted into a helipad, and a variety of dining and entertainment spaces. The interior features opulent staterooms and lounges.

Cruising Range

Rising Sun is powered by powerful engines, which give it a a top speed of around 28 knots (about 32 mph or 52 km/h). This allows the yacht to cover vast distances on the open sea.

Part 1: Ownership of Rising Sun

Who are the notable owners of the rising sun yacht.

The Rising Sun yacht is co-owned by two prominent figures in the world of business and entertainment: Larry Ellison and David Geffen.

Who is Larry Ellison?

Larry Ellison is a renowned American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Oracle Corporation, one of the world’s leading software and cloud computing companies. With his immense success in the tech industry, Ellison has amassed substantial wealth and has used some of it to indulge in a life of luxury, including the ownership of Rising Sun.

Who is David Geffen?

David Geffen is a prominent figure in the entertainment industry. He is a music and film producer, co-founder of Asylum Records, and a co-founder of DreamWorks SKG. Geffen is known for his influence in the world of entertainment and, like Ellison, enjoys the opulent lifestyle provided by the Rising Sun yacht.

Part 2: Size, Design, and Features

How large is the rising sun yacht.

Rising Sun is a colossal super yacht, measuring approximately 454 feet (138 meters) in length. Its vast dimensions are a testament to its opulence and the array of amenities it offers.

What are the design and features of Rising Sun?

Rising Sun is an architectural marvel, featuring a stunning exterior design and an interior that exudes luxury. Onboard, guests can enjoy multiple decks, a lavish swimming pool, a basketball court that converts into a helipad, and a variety of dining and entertainment spaces. The interior is adorned with opulent staterooms and lounges, making it a floating palace on the seas.

Part 3: Cruising Range of Rising Sun

What is the cruising range of the rising sun yacht.

Thanks to its powerful engines, Rising Sun has an impressive cruising speed of approximately 28 knots, which translates to about 32 miles per hour (52 kilometers per hour). This remarkable speed allows the yacht to cover vast distances during its journeys across the ocean, providing its passengers with access to a wide range of destinations.

Part 4: Notable Guests of Rising Sun

Who are some of the notable guests who have been aboard rising sun.

Rising Sun has been a favored choice for hosting celebrities and high-profile events. Some of the notable guests who have had the privilege of experiencing the yacht’s luxury include:

• Oprah Winfrey : The iconic talk show host and media mogul has been spotted aboard Rising Sun, enjoying the yacht’s lavish amenities.
• Steven Spielberg : The renowned filmmaker and director has also graced the decks of Rising Sun, adding a touch of Hollywood glamour to its guest list.
• Tom Hanks : The beloved actor Tom Hanks has enjoyed the yacht’s hospitality during his time on the open seas.
• Bruce Springsteen : The rock legend Bruce Springsteen is another famous personality who has been a guest aboard Rising Sun, making his voyages truly unforgettable.

What makes Rising Sun a preferred choice for such guests?

Rising Sun’s opulent interior, world-class amenities, and exceptional service make it a sought-after destination for celebrities and high-profile individuals. Its spacious decks and luxurious accommodations provide the perfect backdrop for relaxation and entertainment, ensuring that every voyage is a memorable experience for its guests.

In conclusion, the Rising Sun yacht, co-owned by Larry Ellison and David Geffen, represents the epitome of luxury on the high seas. With its impressive size, breathtaking design, remarkable cruising range, and a list of notable guests that includes some of the biggest names in entertainment and business, it continues to be a symbol of opulence and indulgence in the world of super yachts. Whether you’re interested in its ownership, design, or the celebrities who have graced its decks, the Rising Sun yacht is a true icon of maritime luxury.

Technical specifications and additional details about the Rising Sun yacht

Length: Approximately 454 feet (138 meters)

Rising Sun has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure with a beam of 18.5m (60.70ft) and a 5m (16.40ft) draft.

Estimated to be around 7,500 tons

Cruising Speed: Approximately 28 knots (32 mph or 52 km/h)

Maximum Speed: Around 30 knots (34.5 mph or 55.5 km/h)

Crew Members

The Rising Sun yacht typically employs a large crew to ensure top-notch service and maintenance. The exact number can vary but may range from around 45 to 55 crew members, including officers, chefs, stewards, and technical staff.

Positions of Crew Members

The crew members on Rising Sun are organized into various departments, including deck, engineering, interior, and more. Specific positions can include captain, first officer, stewardesses, engineers, deckhands, and chefs, among others.

Number of Rooms

Rising Sun boasts an impressive number of rooms and accommodations, including numerous staterooms and suites for guests. While the exact count can vary, it typically offers accommodations for around 16 to 18 guests.

Other Amenities

Rising Sun offers a wide range of luxurious amenities, including:

• Multiple dining areas for formal and casual dining experiences.
• A stunning swimming pool with jacuzzi features on the deck.
• A basketball court that can be converted into a helipad.
• A dedicated cinema room for entertainment.
• An on-deck bar for social gatherings.
• A gymnasium and spa facilities for guests to relax and stay active during their voyage.
• A high-quality audio-visual entertainment system throughout the yacht.
• A library and study area for quiet moments.

Support Vehicles

Super yachts like Rising Sun often come equipped with support vessels, such as smaller boats and jet skis, for various recreational activities and transportation to and from shore.

Additional Information

• Rising Sun is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems to ensure safety and efficient travel.
• The yacht’s interior is designed with opulent materials, including marble and rare woods, adding to its luxurious atmosphere.
• It has a range of environmental and sustainability features, including advanced waste management and energy-efficient systems.

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Inside The Rising Sun: David Geffen's $590 Million Superyacht

David Geffen's superyacht 'The Rising Sun' is certainly a playground for the rich.

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Details of the yacht, interior and exterior details, the rising sun’s onboard comfort and entertainment.

Billionaire and entertainment mogul David Geffen reportedly purchased the superyacht for $590 million from the Oracle founder Larry Ellison. It was reported that wealthy people love spending money on yachts, and about 88% of the luxury market can be associated to spending on yachts. For this reason, it is not at all surprising that billionaires are spending so much money buying yachts . Yachts can be considered as the pinnacle of luxury and decadence and about $22 billion annually are spent on Yachts by the wealthy people. The Rising Sun has hosted numerous famous celebrities including American talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio on board and even Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was seen hanging out in the superyacht.

Geffen has cruised everywhere using the Superyacht from St. Bart's in the Caribbean to Portofino to Italy and even Ibiza, Spain. He loves travelling using his yacht but not without his friends and some high profile celebrities. Among the guests in his massive yacht are Julia Roberts, Maria Shriver, Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, Karlie Kloss, Peter Harrington-Cressman, Paul McCartney and even Michelle and Barack Obama. Take a look inside the majestic yacht of Geffen.

RELATED:  Inside The Flying Fox: Jeff Bezos' $400 Million Mega Yacht

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The Rising Sun is a motor yacht which was designed by Jon Bannenberg and was built and constructed in 2004 by German shipbuilder Lürssen. The yacht reportedly costs $200 million to build. The yacht was built at Lürssen’s Bremen shipyard for the founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison. It was delivered to Ellison in June 2004. Since 2010, David Geffen has owned the yacht. Geffen bought half of the share of the 454-foot megayacht in 2007 and decided to buy the yacht in full in 2010 which totaled his payment for $590 million. The exact estimated value of the yacht is still unclear but as of 2019, the yacht was valued for $300 million. After Geffen bought it, he had the yacht refitted in the period of just six months.

The motor yacht has a tonnage of 7,841 GT and has a length of 138 m that is about 452 ft 9 in. It utilizes the installed power of the diesel engine of 4 × MTU 20V 8000 M90 with 36,000 kW. It also has 4 propellers as its propulsion and has the speed of 28 knots that can comfortably run at the speed of 26 knots but can run at the maximum speed of 30 knots. It was built with steel hull and an aluminum superstructure that includes a teak deck. It also features an anchor stabilizer which provides the people on board an exceptional comfort. Unlike some other luxury yachts, the Rising Sun is not available for private charter.

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The superyacht has about eighty two rooms and has the ability to accommodate about 18 guests and 55 staff and crew members. The eighteen guests can comfortably stay in the nine suites at the yacht which can ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience . The massive yacht even has a basketball court on board. The top deck is entirely dedicated to the owner which includes a double-height cinema. Aside from the basketball court, there is also a wine cellar and a movie theater which can be found among the eighty two rooms of the yacht.

The interior design of the yacht was designed by design house Seccombe Design. The exterior design on the other hand was designed by Bannenberg & Rowell and was refitted in 2011 after David Geffen has requested for it. The builders of the Rising Sun have experimented with the extensive use of some structural glass that gives off a clean and stripped-down profile for the yacht. This includes the builders extensively working on the engineering and systems of the yacht. The exposure of the yacht’s structure is one of the overarching themes in the superyacht’s design.

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There is a reason why a lot of famous celebrities and public figure enjoy hanging out at the superyacht. For the added comfort and entertainment, there is a sauna, underwater lights, beauty salon, elevator and gym at the superyacht. It offers the luxuries of the land space on a secluded area which gives them the privacy that they need. The general arrangement of the layout of the Rising Sun has given the guests spacious cabins which have a direct access to the exterior side decks of the yacht. With the use of the 45-degree indents in the yacht’s superstructure, the guests are also protected from the weather.

The yacht has so much space that the guests can roam around and just party. The top deck was designed entirely for the owner’s entertainment. The guests can also enjoy the double-height cinema which was embedded just like the stone of the avocado.

READ NEXT:  Inside SYMPHONY: Bernard Arnault's $150 Million Yacht

Sources: Business Insider , Luxury Launches , Yacht Charter Fleet , Boat International

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David Geffen’s Yacht: Everything You Want To Know

David Geffen is a businessman most famous for his work running record labels and a film studio. His net worth is estimated at around $7.7 billion and he’s also been the owner of one of the world’s largest yachts for some years now. He owns a second yacht as well, one called Pelorus that clocks in at 115 meters in length. That means Geffen is the owner of at least two megayachts

What is David Geffen’s Yacht Called?

Geffen named his yacht the Rising Sun and it was built back in 2004 and then refitted in 2007. The yacht was originally built by German yacht maker Lurssen and originally it belonged to Oracle founder Larry Ellison, but Geffen purchased it in 2010. Word is that Ellison thought it was just too big and ended up buying a smaller yacht that he felt was more manageable. That said, Geffen apparently owned a percentage share of the yacht since 2006.

How Big is the Rising Sun?

With a gross tonnage of 7,841 GT, the yacht is not as heavy as you might think for one of its size. The Rising Sun length clocks in at just under 453 feet with a beam of 60.7 feet. The yacht features a steel hull with an aluminum superstructure. It ranks as one of the largest yachts in the world .

How Much Did David Geffen Pay for the Rising Sun Yacht?

It’s been reported that Geffen paid Ellison a staggering $590 million for the Rising Sun however other reports suggest the vessel was $200 million. Given the size of the yacht and the time it was built plus various amenities it seems more likely the true price is closer to $200 million. That’s speculation and also some educated guessing as a $590 million motor yacht sale in 2010 would likely have raised more flags in the media. It would make the Rising Sun one of the most expensive yachts ever, and that’s simply never been claimed by many sources.

The value of the luxury yacht has been speculated to currently be between $300 million and $400 million after various refits and upgrades that have been added over the years. Despite the cost there is no yacht charter available to offset that for Geffen.

How Fast is the Rising Sun Yacht?

The Rising sun has a maximum speed of 28 knots and a cruising speed of 16 knots. This is achieved by 4 MTU 20V 8000 M90 diesel engines producing 48,000 hp.

What’s the Interior of the Rising Sun Like?

A crew of 45 is needed to keep the Rising Sun operating and that includes taking care of the up to 18 guests in 9 staterooms. That includes one master suite and then 8 double suites. 

Geffen has numerous amenities on board to ensure a luxurious stay for guests who, in the past, have included people like Tom Hanks, Barack and Michelle Obama, Mariah Carey and even Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey. For a short time there were stories that this was, in fact, Oprah’s yacht because she had been spotted on board in 2013 when she was on holiday. However, she was just borrowing the yacht and does not own a yacht of her own.

There is both a sauna and a beauty salon on board as well as a large swimming pool and an elevator to travel between the five decks. There are 8,000 square meters of living space available between those decks which include teak decks and bathrooms finished in onyx.

The top deck of the yacht serves as a master suit and features a double sized cinema screen. The layout has been described as being like the pit of an avocado, meaning the movie screen is embedded in the wall in a way that creates an archway that can be traveled around it. A normal sized theater exists elsewhere on the yacht for the rest of the passengers to enjoy.

In addition to movies, there’s also a full size basketball court on board if anyone is looking to get into a game. The court also doubles as a helicopter landing pad. Of course there’s a well-equipped gym for working out as well. When it’s time to relax, the yacht features its own fully stocked wine cellar. 

Unfortunately, Geffen has not welcomed media onto the yacht so images of the interior are few and far between. As you can imagine, he’s a man who enjoys his privacy and doesn’t want to share his space very openly. In fact, mentioning it has backfired on him in the past.

Back in 2020, sometimes after he was spotted refueling at Sea Fuels Marine in New Bedford, Geffen made an Instagram post about how he was self-isolating on his yacht in the Grenadines during Covid. The post went over poorly with people pointing out it was a little tone deaf to the average person who doesn’t have a multi-million dollar yacht to escape on. He deactivated his Instagram shortly thereafter. 

The Bottom Line

David Geffen is a billionaire businessman known for is work in the music industry such as running Geffen Records and Asylum Records. His superyacht Rising Sun was built for $200 million though it’s been reported he paid as much as $590 million for it. The yacht is one of the largest luxury yachts in the world at 453 feet and features many amenities including a massive, double sized cinema screen, a basketball court, and a large pool.  The motor yacht is a notorious hot spot for celebrity visitors that range from Paul McCartney to Bruce Springsteen to Chris Rock, Leonardo DiCaprio and Katy Perry among many others.

My grandfather first took me fishing when I was too young to actually hold up a rod on my own. As an avid camper, hiker, and nature enthusiast I'm always looking for a new adventure.

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Motor Yacht

Rising Sun is a 138,4m (454'1''ft) motor yacht, custom built in 2004 by Lurssen Yachts. The yacht's interior has been designed by Seccombe Design. She was last refitted in 2007.

Rising Sun has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure with a beam of 18.5m (60.70ft) and a 5m (16.40ft) draft. Performance + Capabilities Rising Sun is capable of 28 knots flat out, with a cruising speed of 26 knots. Rising Sun Accommodation Rising Sun offers accommodation for up to 16 guests. She is also capable of carrying up to 45 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

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RISING SUN Yacht – Exceptional $400M Superyacht

RISING SUN yacht is currently the 16th largest motor yacht in the world at a length of 138.6 meters (454 ft).

She was built by Luerssen in Bremen, Germany, and launched in June of 2004.

RISING SUN yacht interior

The interior of the RISING SUN yacht was styled by Seccombe Design, a small and highly specialized design company. The 138.6 meter-long vessel was their largest project to date. She was last refitted in 2011 and fully updated to fit modern standards. The interior of RISING SUN is classically styled with lots of dark elements and wooden features.

She comes with a gym, a grand piano, multiple swimming pools, a beauty salon, and a spa which includes a sauna.

Sixteen guests can be welcomed aboard the super yacht’s eight suites. A further 45 crew members find space in 30 cabins below the deck.

Specifications

The RISING SUN yacht is powered by four MTU engines which allow her to reach top speeds of up to 30 knots although her cruising speed lies at 26 knots.

She was built by Luerssen , one of the most famous shipyards for luxury yachts in the world. Her total volume lies at 7841 tons making her one of the largest motor yachts in the world not only by length but also weight.

Her beam measures 19 meters (62.4 ft) and her draft is 4.85 meters (15.1 ft). The built-in at-anchor stabilizers allow her guests to be comfortable even during rough seas.

The exterior of the RISING SUN yacht was developed by the superyacht designers Bannenberg & Rowell.

Dickie Baneberg’s father was one of the most legendary designers of all time in the industry, sometimes even called the father of yacht design.

His son is continuing his legacy and elements of Jon Bannenberg’s style can still be recognized in this work. With her many separate windows RISING SUN almost looks like a small cruise ship.

She is all-white, in classical yacht design with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. In addition to her covered decks, she features a large open-air space at the bow as well as one at the aft of the vessel.

The RISING SUN yacht originally cost an estimated US $200 million when she was launched in 2004. However, due to refits and sales RISING SUN is now valued at a price of US $570 million.

Her annual running costs lie somewhere between US $25 and 40 million.

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Iconic yachts: Inside the design journey of the 138m Lürssen superyacht Rising Sun

Rising Sun was the last yacht that ever came from designer Jon Bannenberg’s drawing board (literally, as the office was then an almost CAD-free zone), and one that he was destined never to see completed.

To a degree, Rising Sun represented a back-to-basics approach and a final opportunity to work with Lürssen’s lean destroyer-type hull, which had been the platform 30 years earlier for Carinthia V and Carinthia VI (now named The One ). The similarities ended there. Rising Sun experimented with extensive use of structural glass for a clean and stripped-down profile that involved Lürssen and its sub-contractors working on engineering and systems.

Jon Bannenberg’s appointment to design Rising Sun came out of the blue after Larry Ellison had commissioned a number of studies from different designers. None seemed to have the impact that he wanted until Jon Bannenberg unveiled his initial study model one morning in London over a couple of lattes. Things moved quickly after that, and they reached an agreement in two emails without even a hint of a lawyer being involved. LE120 became the project’s codename but it did not need Enigma codebreaking skills among the yachting community to work out the vessel’s length and who had commissioned her.

Jon Bannenberg worked on many study models in the early months, including a colossal version that was shipped to Lürssen and used for an initial presentation meeting with the principal sub-contractors. The basic form did not change much from his first drawing. Among the spectacular concepts was a suspended, tube-like walkway through the main machinery spaces for visitors to see exactly what drove her at speeds of 30 knots, and an exposed Z frame structure separating the tender launching areas. This was monumental in scale but sculptural and simple to fabricate.

The exposure of structure was one of the overarching themes of his Rising Sun design – no more clearly apparent than in the web frames of the superstructure, into which the full-height glass panels were set. The initial intent was to have these in raw finished aluminium, but this subsequently got ‘value engineered’ into a metallic paint finish.

His general arrangement layouts of Rising Sun gave spacious guest cabins direct access to the exterior side decks, protected from the weather by 45-degree indents in the superstructure. There was so much space to play with that the top deck was given over entirely to owner use, while a double-height cinema was embedded like the stone of an avocado, with the corridor arcing gently around it. And, of course, a basketball court was obligatory.

All in all, Jon Bannenberg’s original concept for Rising Sun survived relatively intact after his death. The yacht divided opinion, like many of his designs, and her sheer scale – eventually growing to 138 metres – made even Larry Ellison pause for thought. But she is certainly a Bannenberg original, and somehow neatly completed the circle that started with Carinthia V and Lürssen some 30 years earlier.

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A Closer Look at the $200 Million Rising Sun Superyacht

There are a few different categories of yachts in the world. As a yacht enthusiast you might hear a few different terms being thrown around in the descriptions, such as Super yacht up to 100 feet in length or Mega yacht up to 300 feet. These are the larger water craft and there is even a giga yacht which are those that are over 300 feet in length. With this in mind, the Rising Sun, which is often referred to as a Super yacht far exceeds the parameters set for the classification, so if we're going to be particular about the classification, we'd call it a Giga yacht. However it's categorized, the Rising Sun is one of the most amazing private yachts afloat and we're going to take a closer look at the features which make this multi-million dollar ship so special.

Rising Sun Yacht built by Lurssen: A Celebrity Choice

This yacht has hosted some of the most celebrated personalities in the film and record industry as well as the political arena. Barack and Michelle Obama were seen vacationing on the Rising Sun in 2017, and it's also hosted Hollywood stars including Oprah Winfrey , Julia Roberts , Leonardo DeCaprio, Tom Hanks and others. The co-founder of Dreamworks, film producer and record executive David Geffen is the owner of the Rising Sun, which ranks as the 9th largest yacht in the world, currently. Depending on which source you consult, the cost to build this giant is estimated to be $200 million and some have it as high as $400 million but we believe that the base cost was the latter and the extra figures come from upgrades .

The history of the Rising Sun

The Rising Sun is the commissioned craft of its first owner Larry Ellison, who partnered with David Geffen and is the current CEO of the Oracle Corporation. He ordered the building of the ship from the German shipbuilding company Lürssen . The Rising Sun is the design of Jon Bannenberg, who has since passed away. The ship was delivered to Mr. Ellison in 2004, who shared ownership with David Geffen until 2010, when he decided that it was too large, so he sold his share to Geffen, who is now the sole owner of the yacht and Ellison bought a smaller yacht.

Specifications and details

The Rising Sun yacht is constructed of a strong aluminum superstructure with a displacement steel hull and teak decks, in accordance with Germanischer Lloyd classification society rules. The ship requires 4 MTU 12,061 horsepower diesel engines to propel it though the water. The average cruising speed is 26 knots and the top speed of the ship is 30 knots. To make the yacht more comfortable and safe in rough waters, it is fitted with zero speed stabilizers for times when she is at anchor. The Rising Sun measures 453.97 ft in length with a 62.34 ft beam, a draft of 16.08 ft and gross tonnage of 7841 tons. The exterior was designed by Bannenberg & Rowel and the interior by Seccombe Design. It was built by Lurssen and refit in 2004 and 2011. At the time of the sale it was the 6th largest yacht in the world, but other new superyachts have displaced it to the 9th position.

Luxury amenities

It takes a crew of 45 to maintain and operate this massive vessel and they are housed in 30 cabins. The guests are housed in 8 cabins which can accommodate between 16 and 18 guests comfortably. The yacht has been designed with more than 8,000m² of living space, allowing for larger gathering areas as well as plenty of places to find privacy from the crowd of guests. There are a total of five decks with 82 rooms aboard the yacht. Some of the luxury amenities include a spa and gym so guests don't need to miss out on their daily workout routines. The Rising Sun is also quipped with a lift/elevator to take guests between the five decks. For practicality so guests/owners can come and go from any location, there is also a helipad on board. For fun in the sun there is a swimming pool as well as underwater lights for excellent illumination, and a sauna for relaxation. The ship also features air conditioning throughout the 82 rooms so guests can achieve the optimal room temperatures, even on hot days at sea, and there is also a Tender Garage, as well as a Cinema large enough to accommodate all guests for entertainment.

Final thoughts

The Rising Sun has only had two owners since it was built in 2004. Co-owners Larry Ellison and David Geffen shared it for a period of time, then Ellison sold his share to Geffen who is now the sole owner. The yacht was once the sixth largest yacht in the world, but is still considered a wonder coming in at ninth place. It's packed to the hilt with luxury amenities and there is plenty of space aboard with five decks and 82 rooms. The ship which cost $200 million to build is now valued somewhere between $3 and $4 million, and it has only increased in value with the passage of time and no doubt numerous upgrades to suit the preferences of the owner. It's served as the vessel that provides a source of recreation for some of the most famous people in the world including some of our most beloved Hollywood stars and even a former president and first lady. The Rising Sun is truly one of the most magnificent yachts that has ever been created, and those who are fortunate enough to be invited on board are in for a top notch luxury experience.

Written by  Dana Hanson

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RISING SUN yacht NOT for charter*

138.6m  /  454'9 | lurssen | 2004 / 2011.

• Amenities & Toys

Special Features:

• Elevator for easy access between floors
• Comfortable Movie Theatre
• Inviting pool
• Germanischer Lloyd classification
• Cruising speed of 26 knots

The 138.6m/454'9" motor yacht 'Rising Sun' was built by Lurssen in Germany at their Bremen shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Seccombe Design and she was delivered to her owner in June 2004. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Bannenberg & Rowell and she was last refitted in 2011.

Guest Accommodation

Rising Sun has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 18 guests in 9 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 45 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Her features include a movie theatre, beauty salon, elevator, underwater lights, gym and air conditioning.

Range & Performance

Rising Sun is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by 4 x diesel MTU (20V 8000 M70) 20-cylinder 11,149hp engines running at 1150rpm, she comfortably cruises at 26 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 30 knots. Rising Sun features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels. Her water tanks store around 100,000 Litres of fresh water. She was built to Germanischer Lloyd classification society rules.

*Charter Rising Sun Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Rising Sun is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Rising Sun Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Rising Sun Photos

Rising Sun Awards & Nominations

• International Superyacht Society Awards 2019 Best Refit Finalist

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

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Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to Rising Sun yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

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97m | Feadship

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136m | Lurssen

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A Brief History of Superyachts

And how they explain the world..

Tim Murphy January+February 2024 Issue

James Clapham

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When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires. In the  January + February 2024  issue of our magazine, we investigate the rise of American Oligarchy—and what it means for the rest of us. You can read all the pieces  here .

The luxury yacht may be the world’s most exclusive form of transportation. But there are only a hundred-some that meet the definition of a gigayacht—a pleasure craft 295 feet or longer. Their opaque ownership records offer a glimpse of modern wealth and power: Over two dozen are linked to Gulf royals, businessmen, or states, and 20 to citizens (past or current) of the former Soviet Union. At least 23 have reportedly belonged to Americans, including founders of Microsoft, Netscape, Amazon, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. The widow of a German retailer who thrived under Hitler owned one; a UK tax exile and a Formula 1 dad still do. Yugoslav strongman Tito’s old yacht makes the list; Dominican dictator Trujillo’s does too. Take a cruise through the history of the vessels and their—somewhat—more modest sister ships.

1895: Nineteen years before World War I, the future King Edward VII of England punches his nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II, in the face, after the German’s 121-foot yacht, Meteor II , defeats the royal Britannia in a race off the Isle of Wight.

1954: Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis ushers in an era of postwar one-upmanship with his 325-foot Christina O . It features a pool that converts into a dance floor, furniture made from whale foreskin, and pornographic carvings.

1963: During his final birthday party aboard the presidential yacht Sequoia , JFK chases future Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee’s wife, Antoinette, into the bathroom and gropes her. “I guess I was pretty surprised, but I was kind of flattered, and appalled, too,” she says later. The ship’s visitor logs are destroyed after Kennedy’s assassination.

1984: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia builds the record-breaking 482-foot Prince Abdulaziz .

1987: Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.) drops out of the presidential race just before photos emerge of him with model Donna Rice aboard the yacht Monkey Business .

1988: Donald Trump acquires Nabila , which previously belonged to the Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and was featured in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again . He renames it Trump Princess , adds a disco, and changes the helipad’s “H” to a “T.”

1991: After one of Trump’s casinos files for bankruptcy, he sells Trump Princess to his bank—which flips it to a Saudi prince. A new yacht, the Trump Princess II , which he boasted would be “something in excess of 400 feet long, closer to 500 feet,” is never built.

British publisher Robert Maxwell’s body is found in the Atlantic Ocean, where he had been cruising on a 180-footer named for his daughter—the Lady Ghislaine . The vessel is eventually resold to Anna Murdoch, Rupert’s second wife.

1994: At a cocktail party on the oligarch Petr Aven’s yacht in the Caribbean, Boris Berezovsky meets Roman Abramovich, calling him a “nice boy who wanted to discuss commercial projects.” He and Abramovich begin working together to acquire Sibneft, a Russian state oil company.

1997: Construction ends on The Limited and Victoria’s Secret owner Les Wexner’s ­316-foot Limitless . The project was overseen by his good friend Jeffrey Epstein.

1999: Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison buys the 191-foot Izanami from a Japanese seller. He changes the name to Ronin , he said later , after “the local newspapers started pointing out that Izanami was ‘I’m a Nazi’ spelled backwards.”

2001: Months before Enron files for bankruptcy, former CEO Jeffrey Skilling asks a company executive for advice on finding a yacht broker. “This industry is known for crooks and thieves,” he warns Skilling.

2002: House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) promises to strip “corporate kingpins of their ill-gotten gains,” after scandals rock Enron and WorldCom. “We’re coming after the yacht.”

2003: DeLay charges donors $500,000 a pop for tickets to a yacht cruise.

2005: Ellison shoots down rumors he issued orders midconstruction to have his newest yacht, the 454-foot Rising Sun , extended to outdo Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s recently launched 414-foot Octopus .

Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) pleads guilty to federal bribery charges after being caught living rent-free on a yacht, called the Duke-Stir , that was moored in Washington, DC, and owned by a defense contractor.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s 531-foot Dubai surpasses Prince Abdulaziz as the world’s longest yacht.

2006: Media mogul Barry Diller reveals the world’s longest sailing yacht, the 305-foot Eos , whose prow features a 9-foot-tall sculpture of his wife, Diane von Furstenberg.

2007: Diller opens a Manhattan corporate headquarters­­ at a Frank Gehry­–designed building that itself has been likened to a sailboat . It’s across the street from where Eos ties up.

2008: George Osborne, the No. 2 official in the UK’s Conservative Party, relaxes on Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska’s yacht while vacationing with his family in Greece. He denies an accusation that he solicited funds, explaining in a statement that they discussed “Russian history” and drank tea.

2009: As his marriage falls apart, Tiger Woods retreats to a 155-foot yacht called Privacy .

2010: Abramovich’s new ship, Eclipse , surpasses Dubai as the world’s longest yacht. The 533-foot vessel features a submarine, anti-missile systems, and lasers to thwart paparazzi .

2011: During an unsuccessful suit seeking $5 billion he believed Abramovich owed him from the sale of Sibneft, an exiled Berezovsky claims that his former partner helped purchase the yacht Olympia for Vladimir Putin. When the BBC publishes a supporting account from another Russian businessman five years later, Abramovich’s lawyers dismiss the allegation as “a rehash of speculation and rumours.”

2012: As GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney faces criticism for holding investment funds in the Cayman Islands, his campaign invites donors to party on Cracker Bay . The ship, owned by the founder of The Villages retirement community, flies the Cayman Islands’ flag.

2013: UAE leader Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan launches the 593-foot Azzam , surpassing the Eclipse .

2014: The Wall Street Journal reports that Ellison has basketball hoops on “at least two of his yachts” and had someone follow in a smaller boat “to retrieve balls that go overboard.”

2016: Allen’s Tatoosh drags its anchor through a protected zone in the Cayman Islands, destroying 14,000 square feet of coral.

2017: After leaving office, Barack and Michelle Obama retreat to the South Pacific aboard David Geffen’s yacht, where they’re joined by Oprah, Tom Hanks, and Bruce Springsteen.

Abramovich’s business partner, Eugene Shvidler, blocks views of the Statue of Liberty while anchoring his 370-foot Le Grand Bleu in New York Harbor for a month.

Addressing the national Boy Scout Jamboree, Trump tells an anecdote widely assumed to allude to sex parties on a yacht belonging to the developer of the Levittown suburbs. “You’re Boy Scouts, so I’m not going to tell you what he did,” he said. “But you know life.”

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) buys a yacht and on the same day votes to cut taxes on yachts.

2018: Rupert Murdoch is airlifted to UCLA after collapsing on a yacht trip with his fourth wife, Jerry Hall. “He kept almost dying,” a source tells Vanity Fair .

Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott designates a billionaire donor’s marina as a special anti-­poverty opportunity zone.

Someone unties Seaquest , a superyacht belonging to Trump administration Secretary of Education (and billionaire) Betsy DeVos, causing it to crash into a dock on Lake Erie.

Businessman Jho Low, who financed The Wolf of Wall Street , is accused of taking part in a $4.5 billion scheme to siphon Malaysian state development funds and using some to purchase a $250 million yacht.

2019: Actress Lori Loughlin is arrested in a college admissions bribery scheme . Her daughter, USC student Olivia Jade, is vacationing in the Bahamas— on a yacht belonging to USC board of trustees chair Rick Caruso.

Following an investigation into corruption in the Nigerian oil industry, the US government auctions off businessman Kolawole Aluko’s Galactica Star , six years after Jay-Z rented out the vessel for Beyoncé’s 32nd birthday. A former Enron unit attempts to claim a portion of the proceeds.

Clarence Thomas visits an Indonesian preserve for Komodo dragons with billionaire Harlan Crow on the conservative megadonor’s Michaela Rose .

ArtNet reports that a $450 million (reputed) da Vinci that was supposed to be in an Abu Dhabi museum has been spotted hanging in Mohammed bin Salman’s personal yacht, Serene .

Kylie Jenner holds her 22nd birthday party on Low’s yacht, now under new ownership.

2020: “[I]solated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus,” Geffen writes on Instagram from Rising Sun , which he purchased in 2010. “I’m hoping everybody is staying safe.”

Steve Bannon is arrested off the coast of Connecticut by US Postal Police while aboard the fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui’s 150-foot Lady May .

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. dresses up as a character from the TV show Trailer Park Boys for a costume party aboard a NASCAR mogul’s yacht. He later posts a photo of himself to Instagram with his fly unzipped and his arms around his wife’s assistant.

2021: NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre testifies that he took refuge on Illusions , a Hollywood producer’s yacht, after the Newtown and Parkland mass shootings. “I remember getting there going, ‘Thank God I’m safe, nobody can get me here.’”

During a bitter divorce, the Daily Mail reports that Tatiana Akhmedova, wife of the Russian Azerbaijani billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, hired a team of British special forces veterans to seize his yacht, Luna , in an effort to enforce a Marshall Islands court ruling. They settle instead, and he keeps the boat.

Port Azure , dubbed the world’s first harbor designed exclusively for megayachts, opens in Gocek, Turkey. It bills itself as a place where “problems big and small go away.”

2022: Amid reports a historic bridge will be dismantled so Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ newly built Koru can leave Rotterdam’s shipyards, residents threaten to pelt the sailboat with eggs . The city changes plans.

A Ukrainian mechanic is arrested in Mallorca for attempting to sink a vessel owned by his boss, a Russian arms dealer.

Biden promises oligarchs he’s going to “take their ill-begotten gains” after the invasion of Ukraine. “We’re going to seize their yachts.”

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder avoids a congressional subpoena on the team’s misogynistic culture while cruising the Mediterranean on his yacht, Lady S .

Missing Russian superyachts are spotted waiting out sanctions at Port Azure.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) criticizes Joe Biden for vacationing in Delaware while vacationing on a luxury yacht in Italy.

After sailing through Fiji on his yacht Aquarius , briefly retired Disney CEO Bob Iger tells friends he misses his wife and is bored with life.

New York Republican congressional candidate George Santos brokers a $19 million deal to sell a superyacht called Namaste to a Long Island car dealer.

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX reveals in court filings that founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund once spent $2.5 million on a yacht, which a top executive named Soak My Deck .

2023: Bezos takes possession of Koru . The $500 million, 417-foot sailboat comes with a bust that resembles his fiancée Lauren Sánchez—and its own second, 246-foot “shadow” support yacht with crew quarters and a hangar for the helicopter she pilots.

After divorcing Jerry Hall, Rupert Murdoch vacations on the Christina O with Abramovich’s ex-mother-in-law.

As TV and movie writers and actors strike, the Wall Street Journal reports that Iger, now back at work, has been regaling visitors to his Burbank office about the new, longer yacht he’s building.

Measuring Contest

Iconic gigayachts through the years

1931: Sea Cloud , Marjorie Post: 359 ft.

1981: Atlantis II , Stavros Niarchos: 380 ft.

2003: Octopus , Paul Allen: 414 ft.

2005: Rising Sun , Larry Ellison: 454 ft.

2010: Eclipse , Roman Abramovich: 533 ft.

2013: Azzam , Sheikh Khalifa: 593 ft.

Illustrations by Anthony Calvert

The Few, The Loud

Some famous faces aboard gigayachts

Steven Spielberg reeled out his anchor off Cannes.

A part of Katy Perry got stuck exiting a dinghy on her way to Barry Diller’s yacht.

Mohammed bin Salman purchased his yacht, Serene , just hours after he saw it.

Jerry Jones made a draft pick aboard his Bravo Eugenia to deepen the Cowboys’ bench.

Mariah Carey was engaged to a gigayacht owner, before the fantasy ended.

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Business | South Florida yacht brokers hit with lawsuits…

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Business | south florida yacht brokers hit with lawsuits that claim 10% commissions violate antitrust laws.

Two newly filed federal lawsuits claim that 10% sales commissions required by South Florida’s yacht broker industry are anticompetitive and violate antitrust laws.

The claims follow an October finding by a federal jury in Kansas City, Missouri, that the National Association of Realtors conspired with brokers to artificially inflate commissions paid to real estate brokers. The ruling, and a March 15 settlement by the Realtors, is expected to radically change how homes are sold in the United States.

Both lawsuits involving yacht brokers name as defendants the International Yacht Brokers Association, based in Fort Lauderdale, the Yacht Brokers Association of America, Boats Group LLC and YATCO LLC.

Also listed as defendants in both suits are a who’s who of South Florida-based yacht brokers, including Denison Yacht Sales, MarineMax Inc., Galati Yacht Sales Inc., Allied Marine Inc., Tournament Yacht Sales LLC and Northrop & Johnson Yacht Ships, among others.

Nearly all of the defendants are headquartered in South Florida.

The most recent suit, filed on March 22, proposes a class of plaintiffs that includes anyone who listed vessels on certain Multiple Listing Services using a listing agent or broker affiliated with one of the defendants and paid a buyer’s broker commission since March 22, 2020.

The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is Kip Lamar Snell, identified as an Alabama resident. Snell entered into an agreement with Galati to sell a 41-foot Express Cruiser Sea Ray in July 2020 and ended up paying a $12,000 commission on the $120,000 sale price, the suit states. The lawsuit lists as defendants 15 brokers and six organizations that promote the yacht trade or operate Multiple Listing Services.

That lawsuit follows one filed on Feb. 29 that proposes a class of plaintiffs that includes anyone who paid a commission to a listing broker affiliated with the defendants since Feb. 19, 2020. It lists as defendants 11 brokers and five organizations that promote the yacht trade or operate Multiple Listing Services.

The lead plaintiff in that suit is Ya Mon Expeditions, a Wyoming company that paid a “substantial broker commission” when it sold a vessel in January 2023 while represented by Tournament Yacht Sales of Tequesta.

The most recent complaint accuses the trade associations of colluding with brokers to “enforce an anticompetitive restraint that requires (sellers of pre-owned yachts and boats) to pay a brokerage fee to the buyer’s broker and a total aggregate commission fee that is inflated as a condition for selling their yachts.”

The complaint states the typical commission is 10% and is shared between the seller’s broker and the buyer’s broker under terms spelled out in Central Listing Agreements provided by the brokers associations, including the International Yacht Brokers Association and the Yacht Brokers Association of America.

Only boat brokers are able to list boats and yachts on such Multiple Listing Services as YachtWorld.com, BoatTrader.com and Boats.com, and the Multiple Listing Services will not accept listings from owners who want to sell their vessels themselves, the lawsuit states.

Yacht owners are “severely disadvantaged” if they do not list their boats for sale on the listing services, while buyers suffer because their brokers are “financially incentivized” to show boats that will earn them standard “and inflated” commission rates of 4% to 5% through co-brokerage transactions, the complaint states.

None of the defendants contacted for this story responded to a request for comment, and no response has been filed yet in either case.

Robert Allen Jr., whose Miami-based law firm Robert Allen Law represents the International Yacht Brokers Association, did not respond to emails or return a phone call.

A woman who answered the phone at the International Yacht Brokers Association said, “We have no comment on that,” and hung up after a reporter asked for her name.

Of six brokers contacted for comment about the lawsuits, only Tournament Yacht Sales responded to emails. “No comment,” the company’s response stated.

Overall commissions have increased faster than the rate of inflation in recent years as the price of larger boats and yachts have increased, according to the lawsuit that lists Snell as lead plaintiff.

The result is that boat owners pay “hundreds of millions of dollars” in inflated commissions each year, the suit alleges.

Both lawsuits allege violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act that are upheld by “brokers who should be competing with one another but, instead, cooperate with each other to the detriment of pre-owned boat sellers.”

Some brokerages represent both buyers and sellers and retain the entire 10% commissions, the suits state.

The trade associations enforce rules requiring brokers to offer their boats through a listing service and to share commissions, the suits state, adding that they can impose significant penalties on members who do not comply with their rules.

Yacht purchasers are disadvantaged by the current system, the lawsuit alleges, because their agents would otherwise negotiate for their business by decreasing their commission rates.

But buyer brokers’ commissions have remained constant despite their diminishing role, the suits state. Many buyers today find boats they are interested in purchasing through online searches and enlist the services of a buyer’s broker only after identifying the yacht they want to buy, the suits claim.

The lawsuits seek an order declaring the commission structure to be illegal, a permanent injunction outlawing what they describe as anticompetitive conduct, plus damages and/or restitution, pre- and post-judgment interest, and attorneys’ fees.

Paul Geller, an attorney for one of two law firms representing the class that includes Snell, acknowledged “parallels between the allegations relating to commissions in the real estate and yacht markets.”

In the real estate matter, the National Association of Realtors on March 15 agreed to a $418 million proposed settlement that would free home sellers from paying commissions to brokers for both sellers and buyers.

After a jury ruled for the plaintiffs in the case against the National Association of Realtors in October, numerous lawsuits were filed across the country with similar allegations, including one in December against the Florida Association of Realtors and 16 brokerages.

“At bottom, the goals of (the suit against the yacht brokers) are similar: protecting consumers by challenging what we allege to be anti-competitive conduct,” Geller said by email. “We believe in the universal truth that consumers benefit by increased transparency and the competitive pricing that results from negotiated terms, including commissions.”

Geller is a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, which specializes in securities litigation on behalf of investors. The firm has offices in 10 cities, including Boca Raton.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at [email protected].

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