Jeff Bezos, Girlfriend Lauren Sanchez Take To The Seas On Opulent $500M Koru: All You Need To Know About The Superyacht

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' super expensive, superyacht is finally being put to use by its new owner.  Superyacht Koru, which carried a price tag of a whopping $500 million, was handed over to Bezos in early April.

What Happened: Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez were photographed on the new boat off the coast of Spain's Mallorca island, TMZ reported. Unlike the diesel-powered ones usually used by billionaires, Koru is a sailing yacht.

One thing that drew everyone's attention was a wooden carving of a mermaid with long hair and angelic wings on the prow of Koru. The internet quickly pointed out the figurine’s similarity to Sanchez, suggesting it was the billionaire's tribute to his girlfriend.

Primer On Koru: Bezos' Koru is 127 meters long, the world's largest sailing yacht and the largest one built in the Netherlands, according to Boat International.

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Sea trials of the vessel had taken place since February, marking the final phases of construction. Construction of the yacht, which previously went by the code name Y721, took about five years. 

At one point last year, Oceanco, the Dutch custom yacht builder responsible for Koru, found itself mired in controversy when it requested the dismantling of a historic bridge in Rotterdam to allow for Koru's three tall masts to pass under the bridge.

Locals protested against the dismantling, forcing Oceano to tow the boat under the cover of night to another shipyard without its masts. The masts were installed later.

The yacht is reportedly the tallest in the world, with a height of 230 feet, and requires a crew of 40 sailors to operate. Apart from its $500 million price tag, it also involves an annual operating cost of $25 million.

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