The world’s richest people are splashing out on new mega yachts and trying to keep their movements in secret - until the yachts arrive in ports. Last year, once it set sail on its maiden cruise from Palma, Jeff Bezos’s new $500 million superyacht Koru spent nearly two months off the radar as she cruised the Mediterranean with a host of celebrity guests on board before returning to Mallorca and then heading to a French shipyard a few weeks ago.
Bezos’s movements were made public by images posted on social media platforms by some of the guests and snaps caught by members of the general public when he and his guests went ashore in many of the Mediterranean’s most luxurious destinations - but that was the only way his movements were known as he spent all summer on board his new luxury yacht, the second-largest schooner in the world. Koru’s $75 million Abeona support ship was spotted off various ports, but she was not always close to Koru.
And, this week it has been reported that Mark Zuckerberg also had his new yacht’s mandatory location transponders turned off in a bid to hide the movement of his 300 million dollar superyacht Launchpad and 30 million dollar support ship Wingman. According to Luxurylaunches.com, both ships turned off their AIS back in May when left Florida heading south towards Jamaica.
Launchpad left Panama on May 22 and arrived in Gibraltar with Wingman in tow on June 4, perhaps to refuel. The vessels are now moored in Palma’s Club de Mar in Palma and it’s pretty hard to keep their presence in town secret.
Launchpad's The onboard amenities are luxurious and extensive, including a helicopter, beach club area, beauty center, cinema-theatre, Jacuzzis, and a solarium on its teak decks. The vessel boasts oceanic navigation autonomy, can reach speeds of 24 knots, and is equipped with advanced features like geolocation anchoring and underwater lighting.