bill gates yacht octopus

Inside Octopus: Origin story of the 126m superyacht finally revealed

The barest of details have been revealed about the mysterious  Octopus  over the past 19 years. But with a new owner and on the charter market for the first time, the 126-metre  Lürssen  superyacht is finally ready to reveal her secrets past and present…

One of the best things about flying into the South of France is the view. The brilliant blue coastline is peppered with hundreds of yachts. On this flight, however, just one of the boats below us demands our attention: the 126-metre explorer  Octopus .

The following day, in the port of Marseille where her new owner’s team is wrapping up a refit before  Octopus  departs for the Galápagos, I finally see her up close. Her navy-blue hull and skyscraper decks are incredibly impressive, while on the inside she is welcoming and warm. Although she has been refitted, her history is palpable. There’s much to learn about  Octopus , and everyone involved in her story is finally ready to talk, after decades of silence.

Why was  Octopus  such a secret? In 1998, strict non-disclosure agreements were issued all around to protect the privacy of her original owner, the late American entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft. “It was the first time I was faced with an NDA,” says  Espen Øino , who has gone on to sign hundreds over the years. “NDAs are strict and long lasting and don’t necessarily pass when the client does,” notes  Jonathan Quinn Barnett , who created  Octopus ’s original interior. “I had deep respect and admiration for Mr Allen, so to be able to say even a few words about  Octopus  now is marvellous.”

For builder Lürssen, the story started with a bit of detective work. The German shipyard’s sales director, Michael Breman, heard about a mysterious box that was loaded onto Allen’s 60.6-metre Feadship  Méduse , which supposedly contained a scale model of a new vessel.

“I figured out that something was going on and we ought to be involved,” he says. “So I contacted Paul Allen’s broker, [ Fraser’s ] Stuart Larsen, to ask some questions.”

Some time after, during a trip to the South of France, Breman received the go-ahead to submit a bid and arranged for a fax containing the brief to be sent to Øino’s office in Monaco. “Put that into context, this is 1998!” Øino says with a laugh. “Michael was in our office as the fax came in and going through it, we just couldn’t believe the brief, we thought it was totally crazy.”

The brief called for an industrial-style yacht with the appearance and capability of the Finnish multipurpose icebreaker  Fennica , built in 1993. Luckily, Øino knew the vessel. “I had a photo of  Fennica  from a few years earlier when I visited her while cruising with another client in the fjords,” says the designer. What he went on to sketch in pencil and model for the presentation was a sturdy explorer with two interchangeable options for the bow and the wheelhouse. “What is remarkable is that the original sketches and ideas are so close to what it actually became,” Breman says.

Another key part of the brief was for all toys and tenders, including a helicopter, a submarine and a floatplane, to be carried in a concealed way. So Øino drew a methodical general arrangement that included a two-level 36-metre-long floodable garage opening at the stern. “Launching so many toys over the side of the boat wasn’t the optimum idea and would affect the stability; a lot of heeling would occur,” the designer says.

Instead, working with the rules that oversee subdivisions inside a ship’s hull – and deal with damage stability calculations – he created one very long and tall compartment on the yacht’s centreline with a floodable dock flanked by rows of smaller garages to store the entire toy inventory of what became known as Project Octopus.

“At Lürssen, we give everything a project name, and my daughter came up with  Octopus ,” says Breman. “Along with Paul’s love for diving, plus the fact that his previous yacht was  Méduse  [“jellyfish” in French], we thought  Octopus  was a perfect project name. Little did we know then that  Octopus  would be her name once completed and delivered.” Øino says. “She was our 15th project enquiry in 1998, and so in my office, she was known as 9815.”

The proposal Lürssen created with Øino was successful, but the German shipyard soon had to resolve its first quandary – it didn’t have a shed available. “We ended up having to build her with a partner in Kiel,” Breman says. It also had to solve the matter of the explorer’s floodable garage, which had to be approved by class. “After researching multiple alternatives, the first idea that Espen drew was the one that worked the best,” he adds. “Our in-house model department then built a scale model of the garage to demonstrate how it could work. We even tested it by driving a tender in and out.”

Octopus’ s interior, meanwhile, came from a young American designer who had recently relocated from London where he’d worked with  Jon Bannenberg , to Seattle. The owner’s team chose Barnett from a small pool of interior designers to embellish the complex GA of the largest and most advanced explorer yacht ever built at the time.

“Paul Allen’s team told me the safest route would be to follow the creative direction of the owner’s two previous  Feadship  designs,” the designer says. “I did the opposite!” And the result was what Barnett describes as a “floating laboratory”, a timeless design perfectly suited to a creative genius. Included in the layout were out-of-the-box features such as a fully equipped medical centre, a storm cabin made to keep those who needed it comfortable in bad weather and a professional recording studio. “Back then, no yacht was capable of non-stop circumnavigation, while cutting an album for U2,” he says. Mick Jagger, Usher and Joss Stone are also said to have spent time in the studio – a claim no other superyacht is ever likely to make.

Barnett took a simple approach to the interior decor. While some walls are painted a neutral colour, others are covered in bee’s wing-figured eucalyptus, and it’s this vast amount of wood panelling that gives the hardy explorer the warm, comfortable feeling of a home. For Allen and Barnett, the walls were just another fun puzzle to solve. “The geometry of the panels is elegant mathematics, something Mr Allen really appreciated,” Barnett says. “The handmade veneer arrived on custom-made grids, which fitted within the yacht’s own uniquely built steel frame spacing.” The walls do not just provide insulation and conceal cableways, but originally held the ever-changing art gallery on each deck. What’s on the walls today are snapshots of  Octopus ’s adventures over the years: panoramas of Patagonian icebergs, portraits of local tribe members in Tahiti and landscapes of Asia’s ancient golden temples.

An original feature that remains on the yacht to this day is an unusual timekeeping device. Braided stainless-steel shrouds from a sailing vessel are strung on either side of the grand staircase from lower to upper deck, and they function as a clock. “I combined the old tradition of having a central clock on board a ship with my client’s unique passions for modern sculpture, mathematics, art and music,” Barnett explains. “I subcontracted a 102-year-old German specialist clock company to make it, and – I’ll tell you a secret – I used digital audio software from Apple for the tunes. Sorry, Microsoft!” he says with a laugh. “I thought the clock might become a helpful visual cue to help guests find some critical orientation. Every 15 minutes, the strings could play anything from  The Bells of St Mary’s  to Jimi Hendrix!”

Octopus  was also fitted with an huge amount of onboard electronics. “Of course, the co-founder of Microsoft required more than 54 tonnes of AV and IT equipment on board,” Øino says with a smile. While the bulk of the wiring went to the studio, each cabin was assigned 60 cables for computers, entertainment systems and more, including touchscreens – which in 1998, was an exciting innovation. “They were amazing,” says Øino, “so far ahead of their time.” The touchscreens are still used today by the crew, who also use iPads as infotainment control panels for elements such as lighting and music in guest areas.

When  Octopus  launched in 2003, it was clear she had broken new ground. With diesel-electric propulsion consisting of two ABB electric motors and eight MTU 16V 4000 M50 diesel engines, she was perfectly equipped to travel anywhere in the world. “ Octopus  was always on the go,” Øino says. “Diesel-electric wasn’t commonplace in the early millennium,” he observes, and “ Octopus  was the first yacht with dynamic positioning.”

The project propelled Lürssen into the large-yacht segment and her designers had a huge career boost. “ Octopus  blew everyone away,” Breman says. “The idea and the design are something unprecedented.” What the first aerial photographs of the yacht could make out were her winged wheelhouse, long swimming pool, two helidecks and hangars and a basketball court. Whereas on the inside, areas such as the dive centre with hyperbaric chamber, 12 cabins and private owner’s deck with its own lift, terrace and spa pool were out of sight.

After a decade of extensive travelling,  Octopus ’s engines had to be overhauled. However, her interior had worn well. “There was nothing that required a major redesign or change,” Barnett says. “All the original architecture, spaces, surfaces and design details still performed exceptionally well. Seeing it made me immensely proud.”

Although she was well-maintained and in full working order, in 2019 she was sent for a refit at the Lürssen-owned  Blohm+Voss  shipyard to prepare her for the market several months after Allen passed in 2018. She had spent two decades playing host to many parties, concerts, discoveries and expeditions, and the legacy needed to continue.

In 2021, a new owner came along with plans to make her available for select charters. Transforming  Octopus  into the remarkable charter yacht that he envisioned required a few more changes. The owner’s team enlisted Adriana Monk of  Monk Design  to retouch several spaces. Top of the list was replacing the recording studio.

“Unless you’re really into music, a studio is a niche thing to have,” says Alan Pike, one of two rotational captains. Now in the studio’s prime position – aft on the bridge deck – is a modern bar/ lounge. On either side of the new bar, new guitars hang from the original wall mounts and the grand piano has stayed put. In keeping with the beach bar look Monk created, new bleached oak flooring matches the original weathered teak deck outside.

“The vocal booth is now a DJ booth,” says the captain. “We’ve kept the soundproofing, so this place is perfect for a party, or any kind of dining.” With a new sound system and outdoor lighting, “we can really go for it”. Outdoors, there’s a glass- bottom pool that, at the touch of a button, can be made into an on-water dance floor. There’s also a wood-fired pizza oven, a service bar with a beer tap and three barbecue cooking stations.

On the entertainment deck, the former formal dining room became a wine bar. On the ceiling are scenes from Allen’s 2015 shipwreck dive to the Second World War battleship  Musashi  in the Philippines. “I was granted exclusive access to the ROV footage of the  Musashi  expedition to select shipwreck stills for the backlit ceiling,” Monk says.

Nearby, the guest observation lounge was, and still is, a firm favourite. “To dine here while cruising is a joy that’s hard to describe,” says Barnett. “I like to think of this area’s design as a mid-century sunken living room.” The feeling is created by two large sofas that snake around the room looking out over the bow. The seats look low, but the view is perfect. The rest of the deck is fun and social, as there’s also a 12-seat 4D cinema, the owner’s chef ’s galley, a table-tennis table, gym, smoothie bar, hair and massage salons and a grand library, complete with an ethanol fireplace.

Soft beige and cream carpets with wave patterns have replaced patterned blue and green rugs, and in addition to the new custom-designed pieces, free-standing items of furniture selected by Monk have helped give the interior a feel that suits  Octopus ’s new charter lifestyle. But it’s nothing dramatic. “We have kept as much as possible true to the original,” the captain says. “I strove to respect the spirit of  Octopus  while capturing the new owner’s lifestyle and vision,” Monk adds. “It was an intense and challenging project.”

The yacht’s charter schedule was entrusted to  Camper & Nicholsons .  Octopus ’s range of 12,500 nautical miles and true explorer credentials offer a huge scope for charter, and as the ripples prove on the hull’s strong plating, she is more than capable of going the distance. “She can do anything!” says charter marketing manager Gayle Patterson, who has already booked the superyacht on two excursions to Antarctica. The demand has been equal to the yacht’s renown. “We’ve grown our yacht management team to give her the care she deserves,” she adds.

Since  Octopus  was delivered, many more superyachts have adopted technologically forward designs and groundbreaking engineering and have undertaken impressive expeditions. But none have achieved what  Octopus  has. As she continues to move around the world, more people will get the opportunity to step on board. And when they do, perhaps they will feel the undeniable magic that seems to linger. One thing is for sure: wherever  Octopus  carries her guests, it is a journey they will remember for the rest of their lives.

The Toy Chest

Built to explore,  Octopus  has an incredible fleet that revolves around the cavernous 36-metre internal wet dock where the two main tenders are stored and launched through a giant transom door. Today the main tender is an 18-metre Delta 54, built in carbon with an impressive range of 450nm at 30 knots; the original was  Man-of-War , an 18-metre custom Vikal, later replaced by a 13-metre Hinckley. Sharing that space was a yellow 10-person custom submarine, named  Pagoo . A new Triton 3300/6 will take that spot when it is delivered in early 2023. Most of the other tenders have dedicated garages on either side of the wet dock. They are a 9.3-metre custom Vikal limousine and two 8.7-metre custom Zodiacs, one for diving, the other for guests. Two 5.8-metre Zodiac Milpro MK-V are also available for watersports, as is an array of WaveRunners, jet skis, kayaks, surfboards, wakeboards, kitesurfers, windsurfers and electric foil Fliteboards, plus plenty of diving equipment, The icing on the cake is a remotely controlled submarine (ROV) able to dive to 2,700 metres. To conclude this impressive list,  Octopus  has two helipads and a helicopter hangar for two. Moving forward, helicopters will be chartered as needed.

The Voyages

Octopus  is one of the most active superyachts ever built. Multiple circumnavigations, the  Northwest Passage , the High Arctic,  Antarctica , Papua New Guinea and Challenger Deep were all on the menu. One of Paul Allen’s passions was naval history. A few missions that offered the opportunity for great discoveries were well publicised, like the discovery of the Japanese warship  Musashi  in the Sibuyan Sea in March 2015 after eight years of intense work. The largest battleship ever built (aside from her sistership) sank in October 1944, but the exact location was unknown.  OctoROV  took the first photos of this lost wreck in a depth of 1,000 metres. Later that year, in August, after two attempts, another expedition recovered the bell of HMS  Hood , sunk by the Germans off Greenland in 1941.

And it looks like the story will continue.  Octopus , according to BOAT Pro data, has already cruised 9,047 nautical miles since leaving Marseille after her refit in December. In less than three months, she had already crossed the Atlantic and visited Panama including Coiba, Costa Rica and Cocos Island and the Galápagos. This winter, Camper & Nicholsons has announced that she will be heading south to test her ice-class capabilities in the frozen landscapes of Antarctica once again.

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Legendary 126m explorer yacht Octopus completes nine-month refit

The 126.2-metre Lürssen explorer yacht Octopus has been sighted for the first time following a nine-month refit at Lloyd Werft 's facilities in Bremerhaven, Germany. According to BOATPro , Octopus arrived at the shipyard in September 2023.

While full details are to follow, confirmed works include her 20-year survey, full paintwork and AV/IT upgrades. 

Octopus was delivered in 2003 for the late Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975. Allen was an avid researcher and historian who made several seminal discoveries on board the explorer, including the shipwrecked Musashi , an imperial Japanese Navy battleship from World War II .

Espen Øino is responsible for the exterior design and was briefed by Allen to create an industrial-style yacht with the appearance and capability of the Finnish icebreaker Fennica , built in 1993. Her original interiors are by Jonathan Quinn Barnett .

The superyacht is decked out with every conceivable amenity, including a heated swimming pool that can convert into a dance floor, a former music studio, a grand cinema, a dedicated owner's deck with a private observation lounge and a unique float-in tender garage . Accommodation is for up to 12 guests and 45 crew.

Octopus was sold in August 2021 with a last known asking price of €235,000,000. She is available for charter with Big Blue Expeditions and will be operating in Antarctica and the Pacific for the 2025 winter and summer season respectively.

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Late billionaire paul allen’s yacht on sale for $326 million.

(Bloomberg) -- The late Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen’s 414-foot super yacht “Octopus” is on the market.

At 295 million euros ($326 million), the 414-foot vessel where the billionaire partied with U2 and Mick Jagger, and sailed to destinations from Venice to Shanghai, is listed at brokerages Fraser and Burgess.

Allen, who died in October at 65, co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975 and left in 1983. He turned his stake into a $26 billion fortune over the next three decades, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Through his family office Vulcan Inc., Allen acquired sports teams, real estate, art and invested in startups. Allen had no spouse or children to inherit his empire, though his sister, Jody Allen, is Vulcan’s chair.

He had a deep affinity for the German-built super yacht. When it was first delivered in 2003, Allen was overwhelmed by its size -- a third longer than a football field, according to his 2011 memoir “Idea Man.” At the time, it was the fourth-largest in the world, with the top three built for heads of state, he said.

‘A Spaceship’

“When I first stood on the bridge, I felt as though I was on a spaceship,” he wrote, adding that with features including a pool, basketball court, movie theater, a recording studio with ocean views, “all my passions come together in one moveable feast.”

The vehicle, currently anchored off Antibes, France, was far more than just a pleasure craft. Capable of scientific research voyages, Octopus was designed to venture into remote places.

The super yacht has gone through an eight-month refit, according to Fraser. There’s space for 26 guests in 13 cabins, and room for 63 crew members. It has two elevators, an eight-person submarine, two helipads and garage space for helicopters and an SUV, according to Burgess.

Fugitive Financier

One of the most prominent sales this year was the yacht formerly known as Equanimity, which was seized by Malaysia’s government from fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, a central figure in the 1MDB scandal. It was bought by local gaming giant Genting Malaysia Bhd., which paid $126 million. It’s since been renamed Tranquility and was rented last month by Kylie Jenner for her 22nd birthday.

Other than Octopus, Allen’s estate also owns the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks and the National Basketball Association’s Portland Trail Blazers. The teams are worth more than $3 billion combined, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

At least half his assets were probably earmarked for charitable purposes after he joined the Giving Pledge, and an estate tax bill will apply on much of what remains as they’re liquidated.

Anyone buying Octopus is also getting a piece of popular cultural history. Jagger and Dave Stewart recorded tracks on the yacht, and U2’s preview for an album was so loud it burned out the speakers. Allen also has taken it for adventures that included what he described as his most memorable dive onto the deck a sunken aircraft carrier, as well as exploring an ancient Roman wreck in the Tyrrhenian sea.

“It’s less a Bentley than a Range Rover,” Allen said in the memoir, adding that “Octopus has realized every mission I had in mind for her.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Hailey Waller in New York at [email protected]

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at [email protected], Linus Chua, Steven Crabill

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Octopus- Paul Allen’s Luxurious Super Mega Yacht

Built by one of the international shipbuilding giants Lurssen, the Octopus is one o f the most expensive super yachts in the world. The ownership of the vessel rests with Paul Allen, one of the founding fathers of Microsoft alongside Bill Gates.

Mega yacht Octopus was put into operation in the year 2003 and boasts of being ranked as the world’s eighth biggest yacht. The vessel is customised according to the specifications of its owner and comes with features completely dissimilar to any of its other peers contemporarily.

This aspect makes the vessel, the best private vessel to be owned by an individual.

Luxury Yacht Specifications

• The yacht measures 414 feet lengthwise with a beam of almost 69 feet
• The vessel has a draught of 18.5 feet and offers a maximum speed of 20 knots with an ambit of 8000 miles nautically
• 26 patrons can be opulently accommodated within the yacht
• A crew of almost 60 members ensure that all the needs and requirements of the voyagers are more than adequately met
• Superyacht Octopus is registered with the George Town port of registry

An Espen Oeino architectural marvel, the designing of the vessel’s inner domain has been carried out by Jonathan Quinn Barnett. The core materials used to construct the vessel are steel and aluminium which add to the lustre of the vessel in terms of its utility.

The yacht functions on eight diesel engines. Each engine generates a power of about 2,400 horse power, which comes to 19,200 horse power in totality. Recreational equipments aboard the luxury yacht include Jet Skis and submarines .

The latter is used for observation and analyses of the underwater intrigue of the sea. Superyacht Octopus underwent a major re-equipping in the year 2008, following which its allure has further accentuated.

There are vessels that take the word ‘luxury’ to an altogether different level. Octopus is one such vessel: a crown jewel amongst the possessions of Paul Allen while enriching the lives of other individuals as well.

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Legend Status: Paul Allen’s Octopus Superyacht is for Sale for $325M

Paul Allen was a business magnate and philanthropist best known as the cofounder of Microsoft alongside his childhood friend, Bill Gates. When he died in 2018 he was ranked by Forbes as the 44th wealthiest person in the world. After his death many of his iconic and extravagant belongings went up for sale, such as the world’s largest aircraft built by his aerospace company Stratolaunch to put satellites into orbit, his two-seat UB model Mig-29 jet fighter, and his beloved Octopus , a superyacht of enormous proportion.

Octopus in Numbers

Built in 2003 by the German-based shipyard Lurssen, with its 414 feet, Octopus was the largest yacht in the world. In 2021, it doesn’t make it in the top ten, but it’s still considered one of the heaviest with its almost 10,000 tons. Octopus can hold 26 guests accommodating them in 13 cabins (suites) and 63 crew members in 30 cabins. Eight diesel generators power two electric motors providing six megawatts allowing Octopus to cruise 12,500 miles at 12.5 knots on a single tank of gas.

More Than A Yacht

Fraser and Burgess, the two top yacht broker companies in charge of the sale, listed it for $325,000,000 which seems a pretty high price considering it was built in 2003, but Octopus is one of a kind. Its timeless exterior makes it more appealing than many of the new exotic yachts, and it’s a pleasure yacht and an expedition boat as well.

Burgess confirms that Octopus handled many rescue missions and research trips, for example in Antarctica and the Arctic, thanks to the Ice-class 1A, and in the Philippines where a WWII battleship’s wreck was discovered.

Where Octopus shines like no other is in the interior design and additional toys.

Interior Design

Seattle-based designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett of JQB Design realized Allen’s dream to put together “all my passions in one moveable feast.” The yacht is equipped with a large pool that can be turned into a dance floor due to a retractable glass system. Many celebrities and musicians like Mike Jagger, Bono, and Johnny Cash have recorded their music in the yacht studio. While a gym, a movie theater, a bar, a library, a glass-bottomed underwater observation lounge, and a dive center with a hyperbaric chamber are available to guests, an entire deck is reserved to the owner featuring a lounge with a full bar, dining area, jacuzzi, and a private elevator.

Additional Toys

On the rear of the boat there is a large floodable well-deck with a yellow submarine called Pagoo, which can hold ten people for an eight-hour adventure diving as deep as 1,000 feet. Additionally, the superyacht houses a remotely operated vehicle that can dive thousands of feet deep, the ship’s primary boat also known as Man Of War, a landing pad, a huge helicopter hanger with two helicopters, and a basketball court.

In his 2011 biography Allen referred to Octopus as “less a Bentley than a Range Rover,” adding that it “has realized every mission I had in mind for her.” The next Octopus owner will not only buy the superyacht but also the iconic allure and history that comes with “her.”

View the renowned world-class cruiser in this video .

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Paul Allen: Microsoft co-founder, philanthropist and superyacht visionary passes away

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By Rebecca Bradbury   16 October 2018

Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his high school friend Bill Gates, has died aged 65 from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He will be remembered in the yachting industry for owning one of the world’s first go-anywhere expedition yachts: the 126m/300ft  superyacht OCTOPUS .

Allen’s company Vulcan said in a statement that he died on Monday. Earlier this month Allen revealed the cancer he was treated for in 2009, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, had returned.

Allen and Gates founded Microsoft in 1975. He served as the company’s executive vice-president of research and new product development until 1983, when he left for health reasons. He stayed as a major shareholder and member of the board.

His Microsoft co-founder said: “I am heartbroken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends… Personal computing would not have existed without him.”

As well as playing a vital role in developing the PC, the technology pioneer also gave more than $2bn to a wide range of interests, including ocean health, homelessness and advancing scientific research.

He owned the Lurssen superyacht OCTOPUS which, at 126 metres, was the largest yacht in the world at the time of her launch in 2003. Alongside being equipped with every luxury imaginable, she also features state-of-the-art technology for music recording and research expeditions.

Indeed, he was the first superyacht owner to view his vessel as more than just a pleasure palace. He tapped into the opportunities the yacht could bring for ocean research and conservation and, for this, he can be considered as an early pioneer of the expedition yacht, which today is in vogue among new owners.

Highlights of the yacht, which is now the 14th largest in the world, include a swimming pool, a basketball court, and interior styling from award-winning Jonathan Quinn Barnett. While, for research and exploration, two helicopters are stored in the hangar on the main deck, and the tender garage houses a 10-person submarine.

As a research vessel, the motor yacht and her expert crew were involved in the 2015 discovery of the wreck of Japanese ship MUSASHI, one of the biggest warships of the Second World War.

OCTOPUS was also a member of the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) and played an important part in a number of rescue missions.

Equipped with every luxury imaginable, OCTOPUS also features state-of-the-art technology for music recording and research expeditions

In July 2012, Allen loaned the yacht to the Royal Navy free of charge, so they could attempt to retrieve the bell from the wreck of battlecruiser HMS Hood which sunk during World War II in the Denmark Strait.

Four months later, she rescued a sailor who got into difficulties 645 miles south-west of San Diego. Read OCTOPUS recovers bell from HMS Hood and  Paul Allen unearths WW2 Japanese battleship Musashi for more information on these two missions.

The billionaire also hosted a number of parties aboard OCTOPUS at the Cannes Film Festival . The lavish celebrations will be remembered for their themes, such as ‘Bollywood’ and ‘Shakespeare’, as well as their star-studded guest lists.

In May, at the 2018 festival, Gates hosted one of his legendary parties aboard his other yacht, the 92m/303ft superyacht TATOOSH . The theme was ‘An Evening in Casablanca’ and he even took to the stage with his band to entertain the A-list guests in attendance (see Instagram gallery below).  

Built by Nobiskrug in 2000, TATOOSH features elegant interior styling from Terence Disdale alongside a host of cutting-edge entertainment and leisure facilities designed to offer the ultimate in at-sea living.

Back in 2016, the superyacht made headlines when her anchor damaged a coral reef the size of an Olympic swimming pool in the Cayman Islands. But Allen led an emergency restoration plan to help speed the recovery of the injured coral, restoring over 1,592 hard and soft corals and sponges.     

M/Y OCTOPUS and M/Y TATOOSH are not available for charter. But for more information on chartering a large yacht, speak to your preferred charter broker .

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Incredible $335m superyacht used by George Lucas and Bill Gates is now for sale

• Kara Godfrey
• Published : 10:12 ET, Jun 9 2020
• Updated : 16:50 ET, Jun 9 2020
• Published : Invalid Date,

A 414-FOOT superyacht formerly owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is now on sale for $335million (£263million).

The megayacht, called the 'Octopus', has docked in the city of Malaga in the where it will remain for a month.

The yacht, which weighs 9,932 tonnes, has the capacity for 26 passengers who can be fitted in 13 cabins along with a 60-person crew.

Reports say the yacht has two heliports, seven boats and a small yellow submarine that can host eight people for two weeks underwater as well as another robotic submarine that can explore the sea bottom.

The boat also has a nightclub, a cinema, a basketball court and a recording studio on-board - used by Mick Jagger.

A glass-bottomed observation deck, swimming pool, hot tub, and a library can all be found on board.

You'll need some extra cash to run it after buying it too - it costs $16.5million (£13.4m) a year to operate.

However, you can also brag about having the largest explorer yacht in the world, measuring 126.2m.

The only one bigger is Solaris, which will launch later this year and measures 138.96m.

Several celebrities have reportedly been seen on the yacht over the years.

Star Wars director George Lucas as well as Bill Gates have all been spotted on the boat, the latter of which during business meetings with Mr Allen.

Other famous faces include U2, as well as Mick Jagger while recording part of the album SuperHeavy in 2011 with the one-off supergroup project of the same name consisting of Jagger himself, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, AR Rahman, and Damian Marley.

The boat has reportedly been on sale in an operation managed by the company Fraser Yachts since Microsoft co-founder Allen died in October 2018 at the age of 65.

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The superyacht of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is in Reykjavík harbour

By Staff | Jul 23 2015

The Octopus Paul Allen's superyacht is ranked the ninth largest privately owned yacht in the world. No word whether Paul Allen is on-board or not. Photo/Anton Brink.

Travellers in Reykjavík might have noticed a giant yacht parked in the sound outside the old harbour. The superyacht, named The Octopus, is one of the largest privately owned yachts in the world and belongs to Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen. It is not known whether Allen is visiting Iceland along with his yacht. Allen, and his yacht, have previously visited Iceland on several occasions.

The first visit by the Octopus to Iceland was in 2010. Allen and his girlfriend flew to Iceland in a private jet and stayed on-board the yacht to celebrate her 30th birthday. The ship will remain in Iceland until mid-August.

Two helicopters, two submersibles The Octopus ranks as the ninth largest privately owned super-yacht. It is 126 meters (414 feet) long, making it 50-60 meters (164-197 feet) longer than the largest trawlers in the Icelandic fleet. It is equipped with a helipad and two helicopters as well as two submersibles. Allen has used the yacht as a base to pursue his passions, which are the study of marine archaeology and shipwrecks, but especially underwater volcanism and geothermal activity on the seabed.

“The yacht is a dream come true for scientists. It is the best equipped ocean research vessel in the world,“ argues Icelandic volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson who has worked closely with Allen in the past. Haraldur has travelled with Paul Allen around the world to study volcanoes, both above ground and those on the seabed. Recently he accompanied Allen to Papua New Guinea and the Salomon Islands to study underwater geothermal vents.

In an interview with the local news service Visir.is Haraldur refuses to say whether or not Allen is on-board the yacht. He also stresses that none of the studies which will be undertaken from aboard the yacht require permits, since the submersibles will not touch or disturb the seabed.

Marine archaeology and the Battle of the Atlantic Haraldur tells Visir.is that the Octopus has not only studied geothermal activity or underwater volcanoes:

“The Octopus has also studied the Battleship Hood, which was the largest battleship of the British Navy in the Second World War. It sank between Iceland and Greenland in the second half of the war, after being attacked by the German Battleship Bismarck. The wreck of Hood has now been found, and the Octopus has participated in studies of the wreck which lies at a depth of 3 km (1.9 miles).“ 

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Partner Of Yacht OCTOPUS Owner To Become World’s First Trillionaire

Reports have been coming out in the mainstream news today that Bill Gates, the often wrongly assumed owner of 126m Lurssen yacht OCTOPUS, is set to become the world’s first trillionaire within the next 25 years (the yacht is owned by his partner Paul Allen). This mind-blowing news comes from a report recently released by Oxfam, which cites ‘exponential growth of his existing wealth’.

Becoming A Trillionaire: The Logistics

Gates, the 61-year-old Microsoft co-owner, will be 86 by the time he surpasses the Trillion-net worth mark. Oxfam noted that there were 793 billionaires in the world in 2009. Total net worth of these crazy-rich individuals added up to an eye-watering $2.4 trillion. In 2016, the richest 793 individuals achieved a collective net worth of $5 trillion – that’s an annual growth of 11%.

The report states:

“If these returns continue, it is quite possible that we could see the world’s first trillionaire within 25 years”.

To Summarise

To sum up, the report concludes that if the current trend continues, Bill Gates – who is top of Forbes’ billionaires ranking – may become the only occupant of the world’s trillionaire list. Madness.

For the record, Bill and Melinda Gates are some of the world’s most charitable individuals. A massive portion of their wealth is put back into philanthropy, meaning it’s unlikely that it will be Mr G who commissions that first highly-anticipated 200m+ yacht. Best leave that to the billionaires, eh.

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Not just for mingling in the Mediterranean or cruising in the Caribbean but Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen used his ultra luxurious $325 million Octopus megayacht and its submarine to find the wreck of the deadliest World War II warship at a depth of 3,280 feet.

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Bill Gates Yacht: Everything You Want To Know

In 2020 the yachting world was abuzz with news that Bill Gates had bought as stunning and advanced yacht known as Project Aqua. The massive, 370-foot concept yacht was revealed in 2019 at the Monaco Yacht Show and news soon followed that billionaire Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world and the founder of Microsoft, had commissioned the construction of his own hydrogen-powered Aqua. But that never actually happened and, in fact, as near as anyone can tell for real, Bill Gates doesn’t own a yacht at all. 

So where did the story come from? What’s the deal with the Aqua? And hasn’t Bill Gates been pictured on a yacht before? Let’s get some answers.

How Much Did the Aqua Yacht Cost at the Monaco Yacht Show?

According to the stories online, Bill Gates paid $600 million for the hydrogen powered yacht. But that’s not true at all. According to the yacht makers, the Dutch company Sinot, the price tag is $645 million but no one bought it after it was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and that includes Bill Gates. It’s expensive but definitely not the most expensive in the world.

How Fast is the Aqua Yacht?

Aqua is a unique yacht in the yachting world which is why it garnered so much attention in the first place. It’s the first mega yacht that runs on a fully operational liquid hydrogen and fuel cell system that features two hydrogen engines that can produce 1,341 horsepower. The top speed is 17 knots and  the Aqua has a cruising speed of 12 knots. The total range is 3,750 nautical miles. The liquid hydrogen is stored in two 28-ton vacuum sealed tanks where it can be held at -253 degrees C. The only exhaust is water.

What Does the Interior of  the Aqua Yacht Look Like?

The Aqua has 7 suites meant to house up to 14 guests at any given time. Two of those suites are larger VIP cabins. The ceilings throughout are 9 feet and stretch as high as 12.5 feet elsewhere thanks to the luxury Sinot yacht architecture. The vessel has room for a crew of 31 as well. The beach deck lounge aboard the boat alone looks like a luxury hotel space.

The Aqua features a bow observation room which is surrounded by windows to give a panoramic view of the ocean which has been described as the “ultimate superyacht owners lounge.” In addition, there’s a movie theater on the upper deck. It also includes a wellness center with a hydro massage room. You can also do some yoga in a workout space. There’s a fully equipped gym, a beauty salon, and even a hairdresser.

Up on the main deck there’s a luxury swimming pool that even includes a waterfall. One of the yacht’s defining features is the spiral staircase that covers all five decks and is covered by a skylight. On the way up it also offers a view of the interior of the hydrogen fuel tanks so you can see just what 56 tons of ultra cold liquid hydrogen looks like as you move between decks. 

The tender garage has an array of toys such as jet skis while the main deck features a beach club with a dining area designed for all 14 guests and a lounge that converts into the cinema space.

What Yacht Has Bill Gates Actually Been On?

Bill Gates does seem to like yachts, just not enough to spend his money owning one, and that’s fair. Yachts cost millions to maintain every year. No one got rich spending millions to maintain a boat.

That said, Bill Gates has not only vacationed on yachts – he spent his 66th birthday on one – he also got married on a yacht.

In 2021, Gates made the news when he celebrated his 66th on board a luxury yacht called the Lana alongside Jeff Bezos. He spent $2 million to charter the yacht for a week and flew 50 guests out to celebrate with him. 

The Lana is a 351 foot yacht with room for 12 guests and a cruising speed of 12 knots with a max speed of 18 knots. The master suite is 1,184 square feet. The room features his and hers walk-in dressing rooms and a private terrace.

Elsewhere on board you’ll find a piano in the lounge area as well as a full gym for working out. There’s both a sauna and a well-appointed spa as well. On deck you can head to the beach club or take a dip in the pool. 

There are three tenders in the garage alongside a bunch of toys including various jetskis, a seabob, wakeboards, WindSurfers, fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment and more. 

Back in 2014, Gates rented an even more expensive yacht, the $5 million per week Serene, to go on a vacation with his family. The Serene, once owned by  Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shelfer before being purchased by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, clocked in at a massive 450 feet making it one of the world’s biggest and even had its own on board submarine

The Serene features 7 decks, a saltwater pool, a climbing wall, a surprisingly large library, health spa, outdoor cinema and a nightclub. This is all spread across 48,000 square feet.

It’s also been confirmed that Gates met his wife Melinda on a yacht owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, all the way back in 1994. 

Why Do People Think Bill Gates Owns the Aqua?

It’s easy to see why people may have thought Gates owned the Aqua when you consider a handful of factors. First, as mentioned, we have lots of evidence that Bill Gates really does enjoy luxury yachts. The extremely high price tag was something that only a few people in the world are going to be able to afford and Gates, who doesn’t own a yacht, seems like a likely candidate for those reasons. 

In addition, Gates has spent several years now as a climate activist and has supported a number of green technologies. A yacht that runs on hydrogen seems like something he would support as well. So, with no real evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough to easily convince people. Once it’s presented as fact on the internet, and it was in many articles and videos, few people had reason to question it. 

The Bottom Line

The mega yacht known as the Aqua has a price tag of $645 million and it runs on clan burning hydrogen fuel. The only byproduct of its operation is water, making it a very environmentally friendly yacht. It made waves, so to speak, when it debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019. Rumors soon began to spread that billionaire and known climate activist Bill Gates had ordered one for $600 million. However, despite many videos and articles that refer to him as the owner, the truth is no one bought the Aqua at the yacht show and, as of 2023, Bill Gates does not own a yacht at all. He is know to charter extremely luxurious yachts for vacations and parties, such as the Lana and the Serene, but he does not own any just now.

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Bill Gates’s superyacht is in Mallorca and up for sale

One-of-a-kind luxurious support and exploration vessel, facebook boss likes his toys in mallorca, from superyachts to helicopters, mark zuckerberg tried to sneak his new superyacht into palma in secrecy, the kardashians celebrate mallorca holiday with spanish beer.

The Wayfinder moored in Palma. | Julian Aguirre

The superyachts of some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world have begun to arrive in Mallorca and the latest belongs to Bill Gates , who has a stake in the Four Season group which is about to reopen the famous Hotel Formentor near Puerto Pollensa in August. The Wayfinder docked in Palma on Sunday although there has been no sign of its owner.

The Wayfinder is a luxury auxiliary and exploration support vessel that is about 68 metres long and was commissioned by the Galician shipowners’ company Armón in 2021. The yacht may have a simple design on the outside, but contains all kinds of luxuries on the inside. The yacht which was decorated by the Basque firm Oliver Design, contains a Scandinavian theme with bright, open spaces, light oak and colourful touches, which manages to create a timeless and welcoming feel. Although one of its great attractions is the helipad with hangar at the stern of the yacht.

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In fact, she is a treasure trove of toys kitted out with the usual trappings – Jet Skis, water skis, wakeboards, Seabobs and snorkelling equipment – as well as diving equipment located in its dive compressor. She is also capable of carrying five large tenders. And, a fold-down transom reveals a fully equipped gym with direct access to the sea ; images revealing free weights, machines and a punching bag for boxing. Located on the lower deck portside, the fold-out beach club allows guests to work out by the water’s edge with impressive sea views.

However, it is unlikely that the American tycoon will be using her - he has put it up for sale for an estimated 59 million dollars. Several media and specialised portals in this sector have indicated that yacht brokers Edminston is in charge of managing the sale of Wayfinder, which they define as “a boat designed to serve as a support vessel for a mother ship and capable of operating all over the world”. The vessel can accommodate more than 15 crew members, as it has 12 cabins and well as space for 12 guests.

So, anyone looking for a military-inspired, rugged, and very competent catamaran that can be either a shadow vessel to a much larger superyacht or a superyacht on its own can have Wayfinder, as long as they can afford the €55 million asking, which is $59 million at the current exchange rate.

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Bill Gates preaching to common folk about climate change, useless vaccines and pushing for the world to eat bugs. And has a massive yacht and private jets. Animal Farm springs to mind.

• Mit Luxusboot verunglückt: «Britischer Bill Gates» Mike Lynch wird nach Jacht-Unglück in Italien vermisst

Luxusjacht sinkt vor Sizilien – «Britischer Bill Gates» unter den Vermissten

Tech-Tycoon Mike Lynch und fünf weitere Menschen werden nach einem Jachtunglück vermisst. Mindestens eine Person kam ums Leben.

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Mike Lynch: Tech-Tycoon ist mit seiner Luxusyacht verunglückt. 

Bei einem Unglück einer Luxusjacht vor Sizilien ist ein Mensch ums Leben gekommen, sechs weitere Menschen werden vermisst. Das bestätigte die Küstenwache in Porticello bei Palermo auf Anfrage der Nachrichtenagentur DPA. Wie britische Medien übereinstimmend berichteten, handelt es sich bei einem der Vermissten um den Tech-Unternehmer Mike Lynch. Ihm soll die gesunkene Luxusjacht «Bayesian» gehören.

Zuvor hatte die italienische Nachrichtenagentur Ansa gemeldet, dass am frühen Morgen ein Unwetter mit starkem Wind das Boot vor Porticello im Norden Siziliens zum Kentern gebracht hatte. Zunächst wurden sieben Menschen vermisst, später fanden Einsatzkräfte eine Leiche im Wasser. Die Nordküste Siziliens wurde in der Nacht von einem schweren Gewitter mit starkem Wind heimgesucht.

An Bord der etwa 50 Meter langen Jacht, die unter britischer Flagge fuhr, waren insgesamt 22 Menschen, wie die italienische Küstenwache mitteilte. Dabei handelte es sich um zwölf Passagiere sowie zehn Besatzungsmitglieder. 15 Menschen konnten von Küstenwache und Feuerwehr gerettet und an Land gebracht werden. Bei den sechs Vermissten handelt es sich nach Behördenangaben um vier Briten sowie je einen US-amerikanischen und kanadischen Staatsangehörigen.

Deutscher Kapitän berichtet von Rettung

Die Überlebenden wurden von der Besatzung eines anderen Schiffes, das unter niederländischer Flagge fuhr, an Bord genommen. Der deutsche Kapitän schilderte italienischen Medien den Moment des Unglücks: «Zuerst kippte das Boot auf die Seite, und innerhalb weniger Minuten war es gesunken. Es ging alles sehr schnell.»

Rettungskräfte suchen vor der Küste bei Palermo nach Vermissten des Jachtunglücks. 

Rettungskräfte von Küstenwache und Feuerwehr suchten noch nach den sechs Vermissten. An der Suche waren vier Schiffe sowie ein Helikopter der Küstenwache und ein Taucherteam der Feuerwehr beteiligt. Das Wrack der grossen Segeljacht liegt in einer Tiefe von 49 Metern auf dem Meeresgrund. Nach italienischen Medienberichten haben Rettungstaucher durch die Bullaugen mehrere Leichen in den Kabinen ausgemacht.

«Britischer Bill Gates» wird vermisst

Der vermisste Tech-Tycoon Lynch wird von Boulevardmedien in seiner Heimat als «britischer Bill Gates» bezeichnet. Der 59-Jährige ist Mitgründer der Softwarefirma Autonomy, die 2011 für elf Milliarden Pfund (aktuell 12,9 Milliarden Euro) an den US-Konzern Hewlett Packard verkauft wurde. Erst vor wenigen Wochen wurde Lynch in einem Betrugsprozess in den USA rund um den Autonomy-Deal freigesprochen.

Die Yacht gehört laut «shipspotting.com» einer Firma von Lynchs Frau Angela Bacares. Der Name des Schiffes deutet auf Lynch hin. Er hatte seine Doktorarbeit über die Bayesianische Erkenntnistheorie geschrieben, auf der auch die Software beruht, mit der er reich wurde. Die «Bayesian» war 2008 als «Salute» gebaut und 2020 überholt worden. Nach Angaben der italienischen Werft Perini ist ihr Mast mit 75 Metern der höchste Aluminium-Mast der Welt. Die Yacht hatte am Mittwoch der vergangenen Woche (14. August) den Hafen in Milazzo auf Sizilien verlassen. 

Während des Unglücks spielten sich laut Augenzeugenberichten chaotische Szenen im Wasser ab. Eine der Überlebenden, eine Britin namens Charlotte, berichtete der Zeitung «La Repubblica» sie habe ihre einjährige Tochter im Wasser kurzzeitig aus den Augen verloren, es dann aber geschafft, sie über den Wellen zu halten. «Alles war dunkel. Im Wasser konnte ich meine Augen nicht offen halten. Ich rief um Hilfe, aber um mich herum hörte ich nur die Schreie der anderen.»

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