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The best pictures of Koru

In 2022, the 125.8-metre sailing yacht Koru made history when she hit the water at Oceanco ’s Alblasserdam facilities. Now successfully delivered, she is the flagship of the Oceanco fleet and the largest Dutch-built yacht in the world. 

BOAT rounds up the best pictures of the three-masted sailing yacht owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos...

Koru unable to dock in Florida

Koru arrived at Port Everglades, Florida in November 2023 following a months-long Mediterranean cruise that included stopovers in Dubrovnik, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer and Calabria (according to BOATPro ). The sailing yacht was too large to anchor in the nearby marina, which has a maximum capacity of 121.9 metres. She was photographed instead docking next to a 297-metre cruise ship named Rhapsody of the Seas .

Koru's helicopter landing

Last summer, Koru was spotted in the French Riveria alongside her 75-metre support vessel Abeona . Delivered by Damen Yachting two months before the mothership, Abeona is equipped with a helipad and hangar for a D14 value helicopter– which is clearly being put to good use. Accommodation is for up to 45 people onboard Bezos' support vessel, including crew, guests and other specialist staff.

Koru in Portofino

Koru and Abeona also travelled to Portofino in the summer of 2023, with both Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez sighted enjoying lunch and taking photographs while on board. 

Koru's figurehead

Throughout construction, it was difficult to get a glimpse of the details on board Koru ; but once handed over, all of her traditional features could be admired up close. As well as the intricate gold paintwork and scarlet bootstripe, the yacht also features an elaborate figurehead made of polished wood. The woman is wearing a necklace with a symbol in the pendant, which some have speculated could be the Māori symbol meaning "koru".

Koru in front of Palma Cathedral

After delivery, the schooner spent some time enjoying the waters of Mallorca. The Balearic hotspot is a magnet for superyachts during the Mediterranean season, but Koru had the quiet anchorage largely to herself after leaving the Oceanco shipyard. Her classic lines could be appreciated in all of their glory against the backdrop of Palma Cathedral. 

Koru delivered to Mallorca

In April 2023. Koru was delivered and undertook her maiden voyage from the Netherlands to Gibraltar. She then headed onwards to Palma, giving the world a first glimpse of her cascading aft decks, mighty masts and elaborate aft deck pool arrangement. She was flying solo in Mallorca, but was later joined by support vessel Abeona .

Koru in Gibraltar

Following her successful sea trials in Rotterdam, Koru embarked on journey to Palma, Mallorca that involved an overnight anchorage in Gibraltar. The sailing yacht was sighted passing through the Strait of Gibraltar a second time on her cross-continental journey from the Mediterranean to the USA in November 2023.

Koru on sea trials

Koru was spotted departing from Rotterdam in the early morning light of February 13 to begin sea trials. The 125.8-metre Oceanco set sail across the North Sea to put her performance to the test after hitting the water for the first time in August 2022. The traditional three-masted schooner yacht has a midnight blue hull, traditional canoe stern and the unique addition of a chair at the very tip of the bowsprit. Her name represents the idea of life’s perpetual movement and is a Māori word closely related to that of an unfurling leaf.

Koru with her masts stepped

The yacht was seen for the first time in her final form on the dock in the Port of Rotterdam. Her trio of masts was stepped here to avoid having to dismantle any bridges to allow the Oceanco giant yacht to pass under. The maximum height of the bridge is 70 metres; the masts on Koru are thought to measure between 65 and 85 metres. The first images of Koru indicate the yacht will have plenty of features for her owner to enjoy, including an aft deck pool and a large, uncluttered sundeck.

Koru launched

The 125.8-metre yacht was moved from Oceanco’s primary facilities at the crack of dawn to enter the final stages of construction. The hull was transported via Dordrecht and Spijkenisse (Oude Maas), and her masts were transported separately via the slightly shorter Rotterdam Centre (Nieuwe Maas).

Koru moves through the Dutch canals

Before she hit the water, the hull of Koru was loaded onto a transport vessel and she made the journey through the Dutch canals for further construction work. The yacht was captured against the backdrop of the quaint Dutch countryside, revealing her classic-looking lines and long rows of windows.

Koru from a bird's eye view

As she was wheeled out of the shed into the light of day, yacht-spotters were able to get their first proper aerial shot of the yacht, without her masts. 

Koru rolls out of the shed

When Oceanco completed the work on the hull, the yacht was rolled out of the shed to reveal a crisp navy hull and white superstructure. Koru ’s exterior design immediately drew a comparison to Lürssen’s 93-metre sailing yacht Eos , which was designed by US-based Langan Design . This was the world’s first sighting of the already iconic superyacht.

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Dit is wat experts vinden van het superjacht van Amazon-baas Jeff Bezos: "Een belachelijke boot"

De meningen zijn verdeeld; dit is wat deskundigen te zeggen hebben over de 127-meter lange Koru

Het is inmiddels alweer bijna een jaar geleden dat Koru, het enorme jacht van Jeff Bezos, voor het eerst op het water gezien werd . En dat betekent dat de hele wereld inmiddels van de foto's, video's en soms zelfs in levenden lijve heeft kunnen genieten van dit 127-meter lange staaltje Nederlands vakmanschap. Het jacht is gebouwd door Oceanco en deed vooral in het begin nogal wat stof opwaaien, vooral bij het 'gewone' volk dat rijksmonument De Hef in Rotterdam liever niet ontmantelt zag worden voor de reus. Maar de vraag is: wat denken de experts uit de wereld van de jachtbouw nu eigenlijk van dit kolossale jacht? Business Insider deed navraag bij verschillende makelaars, jachtbouwers en superjachtexperts.

Het kon ook bijna niet anders maar over het algemeen is iedereen behoorlijk te spreken over dit specifieke werk van Oceanco. "Absoluut beeldschoon" zei Federico Rossi, de COO van luxe jachtbouwer Rossinavi. Een andere expert noemde het jacht "geweldig" en "heel goed gemaakt". Wat vooral verbaasde was het feit dat het jacht, ondanks haar lengte, nog steeds klassiek is: "Toen ik in 2018 hoorde dat er een klassiek zeiljacht van 125 meter gebouwd werd, dacht ik: dat kan nooit een klassiek zeiljacht zijn. Maar dat is het wél." Eerlijk is eerlijk: het jacht vaart voornamelijk op haar motoren en de zeilen zijn voornamelijk voor de show, maar ze heeft zeker de look van een klassiek jacht. In de woorden van een kapitein van megajachten: "Prachtig".

Toch zijn er natuurlijk altijd mensen met een andere mening; sommige mensen vinden het jacht namelijk een beetje too much . Zo vertelt een jachtmakelaar: "Het is echt over de top. Een verschrikkelijk belachelijke boot." Ook een van de experts die over het algemeen te spreken was over het jacht, noemde het royale gebruik van teak aan boord "bizar" en met het oog op duurzaamheid is een enorme hoeveelheid aan teak aan boord natuurlijk ook steeds minder goed te verantwoorden. Al helemaal niet wanneer men ook het geld heeft om te investeren in – misschien duurdere – alternatieven.

Geen update meer missen? Meld je dan aan voor de nieuwsbrief!

Toch is het grote deel van de jachtwereld onder de indruk van het luxe jacht. En met een jachtbouwer als Oceanco kan het ook bijna niet anders. Anders Kurtén, CEO van Fraser Yachts, voegt toe: "Ik ben blij voor de mensen die de mogelijkheid hadden om aan dit jacht te mogen werken."

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• NL Beeld / The Photo One

Om te voldoen aan wet- en regelgeving rondom kansspelen zouden we graag eenmalig willen weten of je 24 jaar of ouder bent.

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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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Schitterend zeiljacht van Jeff Bezos kiest ruime sop (video)

Het door het Nederlandse Oceanco gebouwde zeilschip waarvoor Jeff Bezos naar verluidt $500 miljoen betaalde, heeft haar eerste nautische mijlen gemaakt. En uiteraard cirkelden de botenspotters daar met hun camera’s omheen.

Zelden is er meer commotie geweest rond een in ons land gebouwd zeilschip, dan om het nieuwe varende speeltje van Jeff Bezos. Het gigantische ding paste namelijk niet onder een monumentale Rotterdamse brug. Die moest daar dus maar even voor wijken, zo was de aanvankelijke gedachte . Een gedachte die al snel overboord werd gezet, door te besluiten de drie masten pas later op de romp te plaatsen. Daar werd het project wel iets duurder van, maar ach, goedkoop is het project toch al nooit geweest. En weliswaar is Bezos niet langer de rijkste man op aarde, op de kleintjes hoeft hij nog altijd niet te letten .

Enfin, afgelopen week maakte het 127 meter lange schip, dat Bezos Koru zal dopen, op de Noordzee haar eerste proefvaart. Daarbij werden nog niet de zeilen gehesen, maar uit de beelden die Superyacht Times maakte valt al wel te concluderen dat het echt een plaatje is.

De Koru, een naam waarvoor Bezos inspiratie opdeed bij de Maori , is het langste schip dat ooit in Nederland werd gebouwd, en het op één na langste schip ter wereld dat zich door de wind kan laten voortstuwen. Ook het hulpschip, waarop bijvoorbeeld zijn helikopter kan landen, werd in Nederland besteld. Beelden daarvan hieronder.

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Sailing yacht KORU: What we know so far about Jeff Bezos’ 127 meter yacht

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By Nina Done   15 December 2022

Recent footage showcasing the vast proportions of the Amazon founder’s new 127m (417ft) Oceanco sailing yacht KORU , known throughout her build as Project Y721, has provided some valuable insight into one of the yachting industry’s best-kept secrets.

The megayacht’s specifications and amenities had been kept completely under wraps until she was forced to move from the Dutch yard’s primary facilities in Alblasserdam to get her masts fitted elsewhere in order to avoid dismantling the Koningshaven Bridge after huge public backlash. 

In August, the yacht was spotted in the Port of Rotterdam after her trio of masts had been successfully stepped, with pictures barely doing justice to the monolithic proportions of the sailing spars, reportedly up to 70-80 meters tall.

World yacht rankings

KORU will replace Oceanco’s BLACK PEARL for second place in the world's largest sailing yacht rankings behind Nobiskrug's 143m (469ft) sailing yacht A .

Oceanco's newest yacht is understood to have an internal volume of 3,300 GT and will undoubtedly offer a wealth of luxurious accommodation and amenities. Although we have scant information about the yacht's features, we do know that she will have an aft dip pool along with a further Jacuzzi on her sundeck and variety of alfresco social spaces. She also has a crow's nest attached to her central mast, offering lofty panoramic views for her more adventurous guests.

From the pictures we can see KORU also benefits from full-length windows across her superstructure allowing plenty of light to infuse her interiors. 

Design inspiration

Built with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure with teak decking, she reportedly takes her design cues from the 93-meter Lürssen sailing yacht EOS , perhaps inspired by the entrepreneur’s visits to this yacht in previous years. 

Showcasing a midnight-blue hull with a distinctive red stripe running along her waterline, KORU’s exterior styling mirrors this traditional schooner style, with an elongated bowsprite and canoe stern. Another similar style yacht is the 90m (295ft) Royal Huisman sailing yacht ATHENA . 

Kinetic energy technology

As expected from a tech entrepreneur, known for pushing boundaries and driving innovation, sailing yacht KORU will be trialing a prototype for a new kinetic energy recovery system. This is based on a conversion of wave induced motion, heave, pitch and roll into electric energy, with initial tests showing early promise. 

With a nod to her green credentials, this will provide an additional power source for the yacht allowing for more sustainable cruising.

Tenders and toys

Access to sailing yacht KORU will be via folding passerelles, discreetly hidden in the yacht's hull on either side. Rescue and work tender launches will likely take place further forward, as per regulations. Recent pictures show a large hatch opening in her lower deck aft, which may contain further tenders and toys, but may also double as a beach club. 

Sailing yacht KORU comes complete with a support vessel built by Damen Yachts, reportedly known as 75 meter (247ft) yacht WINGMAN .

Once delivered, it is understood that she will act as an official support boat for the sailing yacht , carrying the larger toys, including a submarine for thrilling excursions beneath the waves, plus a helicopter and landing pad. She is also believed to play host to an array of PWCs, with rumors of a speed boat and luxury car adding to the fleet, as well as providing accommodation for additional crew and staff.

When is sailing yacht KORU expected to be delivered?

From here she will undertake the all-important rounds of sea trials before being delivered to her owner sometime in the new year. It is understood that the yacht will be officially christened KORU upon delivery, and will operate under the Cayman Islands' flag. It is not believed that superyacht KORU will be available to charter. 

If you'd like to learn more about chartering a yacht, please get in touch with your chosen yacht charter broker . Alternatively, view all superyachts available for charter .

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