The support ship is a marvel in its own right, too.
The Bezos brigantine is now on the high seas.
Ok, it's not actually a brigantine, but it is the world's tallest and most expensive sailing yacht ever built.
The predominantly private Bezos has kept details of the build mostly under wraps, save for a few unexpected public appearances that left clues regarding its elusive new new owner.
The 417-foot long three-masted sailing vessel began sea trials in August 2022. Since then, its presence has raised quite the fuss with both local and international media. Due to its size, the Oceanco shipyard in the Netherlands where it was being built requested a bridge in Rotterdam be temporarily dismantled to allow its passing. The Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as 'De Hef,'is a historic post-WWII landmark. The original bridge was bombed by Germany in 1940, and was subsequently rebuilt in earnest as part of the Dutch economic recovery post- war.
The request met with major publish backlash, including threats of it being pelted with eggs as it passed through the city, In response, the unfinished ship was shuttled out of Rotterdam under darkness, and without its masts, so it could be completed at a secondary shipyard.
Now finished, the newly christened Koru is setting sail. Koru is a Maori word meaning 'new beginnings' and is often symbolized through the sprouting of new plants during springtime. Good timing for the founder of Amazon.
Not much is known about Koru, but choosing Oceanco as the builder was a wise choice. The Dutch company built the similarly shaped Black Pearl, an award-winning 350 foot three masted sailing yacht, for Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov in 2016. Oceanco also built the Bravo Eugenia for Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, which carries a similar shape and design to Koru.
Bezos' new sailboat is now the second longest sailing yacht in the world behind the 469 foot Sailing Yacht A owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. However, it will be the tallest with its three masts measuring more than 230 feet high. It's also reportedly the largest superyacht ever built in the Netherlands. The impressive engineering feat Bezos back a cool $485 million, which shockingly is peanuts considering the Amazon founders wealth jumped by $75 billion in 2020 alone.
Koru is currently on her maiden voyage to Gibraltar, according to the Superyacht Times.
One of her most notable features, aside from the massive sails, is that unlike most superyachts she does not have a helipad. Due to the masts and the inability to land a helicopter near moving sails, a secondary 246 foot (75 m) 'support yacht' was launched in early February to support Koru. With the apropos name of Abeona, the Greek goddess who presided over travelers, the support ship was built by Damen Yachting. Designed to carry a massive array of tenders, toys, and various accessories, Abeona also has accommodations for uo to 54 crew and additional guests. Abeona reportedly added an extra $75 million to the cost.
You can get the first look at Koru in the video from Superyacht Times below:
