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£196million superyacht owned by Microsoft billionaire spotted near Oban

The 295ft luxury vessel is owned by tech tycoon Charles Simonyi.

A £196 million superyacht has been spotted off the coast of Oban.

Norn, owned by billionaire businessman Charles Simonyi, is anchored near Kerrera Marina in the Sound of Kerrera .

Mr Simonyi, 75, is the mastermind behind several of Microsoft’s programs including Word and Excel.

According to Forbes , he has a net worth of around £6.1 billion.

The exact reason for their visit to the west coast is unknown.

On board Norn, the luxury superyacht anchored near Oban

The 295ft luxury vessel was built by German shipbuilder Lurssen in 2023.

The top deck has a helipad and there is an outdoor cinema plus pool.

Inside it has eight cabins with room for up to 16 guests and 20 crew.

There is also a beauty salon and gym onboard.

The annual cost to run the vessel is more than £12 million.

Norn is believed to be the businessman’s second luxury yacht, replacing his 230ft yacht Skat – which he sold to a company owned by Swiss entrepreneur Eugenio Losa in 2021.

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Billionaire's $250m superyacht spotted off Isle of Man coast

The impressive vessel visited Manx waters this week

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A tech billionaire’s superyacht has been spotted off the Manx coast.

The $250m superyacht Norn is owned by tycoon Charles Simonyi, 75, the software pioneer who joined the Microsoft Corporation in 1981 and is credited with being the chief architect of Word and Excel.

His fortune is estimated at $7.8bn.

In 2007 he became the fifth paying traveller to be sent into space, spending 11 days on board the International Space Station.

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Two years later he made history as the first tourist to go into space twice with a second trip to the ISS, once again launching from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in a Soyuz spacecraft.

The 295ft megayacht Norn was delivered new to Dr Simonyi last year.

It was built by German shipbuilder Lurssen and boasts an open-air cinema and a pool that can be converted into a dance floor.

The Norn had travelled from Dublin and was seen moored in Douglas bay yesterday (Monday).

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Heads turn for superyacht

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Drawing all eyes – and a fair number of camera lenses – over the weekend has been on the £196 million superyacht Norn, which left Harris this morning (Tuesday 16 July) after a weekend touring from Castlebay to the Sound of Harris.

Built by German shipyard Lürssen and delivered to its new owner in June 2023, Norn is reportedly owned by tech billionaire Charles Simonyi, a Hungarian-American software architect credited with building the first versions of Microsoft Office.

The Cayman-flagged yacht is 90 metres long and boasts a dynamic positioning system, which enables electronic anchoring in sensitive and remote areas, protecting the seabed and allowing for safe mooring regardless of water depth.

Her exterior design has been described as ‘like a battleship’, with flat surfaces, straight lines, and angular corners, and she’s capable of 18 knots at full speed.

Inside she’s equipped with zero-speed stabilizers for smooth and comfortable travel and has entertainment options including an outdoor cinema and two pools, one of which has a liftable base which converts to an illuminated dance floor.

She also has a helicopter for convenient embarkation, fittingly for a billionaire who has reportedly been into space twice as a tourist.

Norn’s name translates to ‘fate’ or ‘witch’ in Icelandic, while the owner’s previous yacht was named ‘Skat’, meaning ‘treasure’ in Danish.

She’s been spotted throughout the isles, from Vatersay to Amhuinnsuidhe, with islanders expressing a range of opinions, from a chorus of ‘obscene wealth’ to those who said at least the owner was showing taste by spending time in the Western Isles.

The show has now moved on to Skye and Islay.

Pictures of the Norn in the Sound of Harris are by Angus Stan Macleod (Sound of Harris Shipping Traffic) and the track of Norn’s route from marinetraffic.com.

Microsoft billionaire’s $60 million superyacht is a warship on vacation. Known as the father of MS Word and Excel, Charles Simonyi once worked as a night watchman in a computer lab. His yacht has a helipad and when cruising the massive ship is quieter than a Rolls Royce Phantom.

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Selfmade Canadian billionaire John Risley is getting himself one of the world’s largest and most innovative yachts. The Lurssen-built $350 million ‘Project Icecap’ is 351 feet long. It will have a powerful hybrid propulsion system, an infinity pool, and a fold-out beach club.

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The superyachts owned by tech moguls

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is set to join the exclusive club of yacht-owning tech tycoons as the rumoured owner of Oceanco's mighty 127m sailing yacht . Though it should come as no surprise - other big names in tech such as the late Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison and Paul Allen have been responsible for some of the biggest and most ground-breaking superyachts in the world...

The 127-metre Oceanco sailing yacht Koru, formerly Y721, was launched and reportedly delivered to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in April 2023. This three-masted schooner, meaning “new beginnings” in Maori, with an expected 33000 GT and a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, is the largest in the world and the longest built in the Netherlands at Oceanco. Knocking Lürssen's Eos , owned by Biller and Diane von Furstenburg, off the top spot, Koru harnesses design similarities with her black hull, white superstructure and classic lines. However, the intricate gold paintwork, scarlet bootstrap and elaborate figurehead on the bow particularly set her apart.

Larry Ellison

American business magnate Larry Ellison is the co-founder of the billion-dollar computer tech corporation Oracle. In 2004, he commissioned the 138-metre Lürssen superyacht Rising Sun (pictured), which stands today as the 15th largest yacht in the world. It was also the last yacht that ever came from the drawing boards of legendary designed Jon Bannenberg, sporting a military-esque profile with a lean destroyer-type hull and extensive use of structural glass . Rising Sun boasts 8,000m² of living space including a wine cellar and basketball court, with a crew of 45. One of her tenders, a catamaran, even carries the yacht’s 4x4 vehicle ashore. 

Ellison later sold the yacht to media mogul David Geffen and has since hosted a parade of Hollywood's glitterati on board including Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen and Oprah Winfrey – to name a few. 

In 2011, Ellison appeared to downsize and took delivery of the 88-metre Feadship Musashi . Not unlike Rising Sun in its appearance, structural glass features heavily throughout with a central glass lift, surrounded by a stainless steel and glass staircase that passes through every deck.

More about this yacht

The late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is responsible for two of the most iconic superyachts in the world. At 126-metres in length, Octopus is perhaps his most famous. Built by Lürssen in 2003, this ice-classed superyacht was designed for extended cruising to the most remote locations on earth with a range of 12,500 nautical miles. Home to a helicopter garage, drive-in tender garage, six tenders, and a submarine, she packs a serious punch within her 9,932GT – not to mention the cinema, swimming pool, recording studio, basketball court and spa. At the end of 2019, she joined the market for the very first time , having completed an eight-month refit at Blohm+Voss, and remains the benchmark for exploration yachting.

Tatoosh is another honourable mention and was built by German shipyard Nobiskrug in 2000, three years prior to the delivery of Octopus . At 92-metres, she's smaller than her successor, but to describe Tatoosh as "small" would be a severe understatement. Highlights include a six-foot-deep swimming pool, a pair of helipads, a crew of 30, and a custom 12-metre Hinckley powerboat that she carries on her top deck. Tatoosh is also listed for sale following a refit earlier this year. 

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The 78-metre Feadship Venus was built for the late Apple boss and founder Steve Jobs. Built under the codename Project Aqua, Venus was launched to international fanfare in 2012, heralded for its extensive use of glass and pared-back design courtesy of Philippe Starck . Innovative features include a false top deck that conceals the communication and television receivers from view and a passarelle that, when opened, looks like the charging port of an iPhone. Venus ’s interior details have been closely guarded since its launch. Sadly, Jobs died a year before the yacht was delivered.

Charles Simonyi

Charles Simonyi led the team that built the first edition of the Microsoft Office software suite and was rumoured to have previously owned Lürssen’s iconic 71-metre SKAT .  Nearly two decades after her launch in 2002, she joined the market for the first time and now Simonyi is thought to have upgraded to the 89-metre Lürssen Norn . Both yachts, penned by Espen Onion, share similar design features. Standout features include an alfresco cinema and adapted depth pool floor with dance floor. Norn was delivered in May 2023.

Sergey Brin

Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly owns the high-speed SilverYachts superyacht named Dragonfly , after Google’s once-secret project to launch a censored search engine in China. Delivered in 2009, the 73.3-metre Dragonfly was hailed as the fastest, most fuel-efficient long-range cruising superyacht on the water with a transatlantic range at 22 knots and a fuel consumption of only 360 litres per hour at 18 knots, extending her range to 4,500 nautical miles. Dragonfly is said to have a dance floor and open-air movie theatre on board. The vessel was applauded for its contribution to the disaster relief effort in Vanuatu after Hurricane Pam devastated the island in 2015. The crew reportedly moved 62 metric tons of freshwater ashore, treated over 250 patients, facilitated three medical evacuations, and built shelters in multiple villages and cleared numerous helicopter landing zones for ongoing support.

Yachts for sale

Google’s billionaire co-founder Larry Page purchased the 60-metre explorer yacht conversion Senses from a New Zealand businessman Sir Douglas Myers back in 2011. The globe-trotting superyacht features interiors by Philippe Starck and can accommodate a total of 12 guests on board, with primary guests reaping the benefits of the master suite's gyro-stabilised bed. Senses also houses an exceptional toy box with three high-speed tenders, six wave runners, a jet board and a JetLev. According to the New Zealand Herald, Senses is currently undergoing a refit in Whangārei, New Zealand, after being sold to an unknown buyer in 2020. 

Barry Diller

The world’s largest three-masted schooner – also the third largest sailing yacht in the world – is owned by fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and her husband Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Expedia Group. The 92.92-metre sailing yacht, named Eos , was built in Germany by Lürssen and delivered in 2006 with a trio of masts that stand 61-metres tall. The sailing yacht has hosted the couple's star-studded group of friends including Andy Cohen, Gayle King, Bradley Cooper, Harry Styles and Karlie Kloss. The interiors were designed by Francois Catroux, who Vanity Fair named as “the super-rich's favourite interior designer" in 2016.

Mark Zuckerburg

The 107-metre Kleven superyacht Andromeda was built for serial superyacht owner Graeme Hart and delivered under the name Ulysses . In 2017, a year after its launch, rumours began circulating that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg had purchased the rugged, six-deck explorer (although a Facebook spokesperson was quick to stamp out the rumours and released a statement denying the claims). Andromeda can carry 36 guests and is equipped with an impressive inventory of toys and tenders, including six motorbikes, two ATVs, a helicopter and an amphibious rib. Five years after her launch, Andromeda still ranks among the largest explorer yachts in the world . 

Eric Schmidt

The former Google ceo Eric Schmidt backed out of the purchase of the abandoned 81.3-metre Oceanco Alfa Nero but has been said to have moved onto become the new owner of a 95-metre Lürssen. Kismet was sold in September 2023 to the billionaire as part of one of the biggest brokerage deal of the year. With the details shrouded in secrecy the yacht is now aptly known as Whisper . Espen Onio was responsible for her iconic exterior while inside was thanks to  Reymond Langton , achieving the original brief from the previous commissioning owner Shahid Khan of “caviar and champagne.” Standout details include the hi-tech, art deco saloon, a private observation platform and the Persian-inspired spa area.

The co-founder and former ceo of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, has been rumoured to own the 99.9-metre Feadship , Moonrise. The yacht’s clean and strong lines, penned by Chris Bottoms from Studio de Voogt , won the highly competitive class of best displacement motor yachts above 3,000 GT in the World Superyacht Awards 2021. Features include the helicopter landing deck and modern interiors by Remi Tessier . Accommodation is for up to 16 guests, and there are 32 crew members onboard Moonrise to attend to the guests' every need. The Ukrainian-American mogul is also said to own the accompanying support vessel Nebula.

Evan Speigel

The Silicone Valley ceo, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel has been reportedly said to own the 94.8-metre Feadship Bliss. Delivered in 2021 the motor yacht penned by Feadship's Studio De Voogt Naval Architects has most recently been spotted cruising Auckland in September 2023. Spiegel is rumoured to be Feadship's younger client. Bliss can accommodate up to 18 guests across nine staterooms; however little else is known about the 2983 GT yacht.

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Billionaire flips over his home in space

Two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. billionaire bringing a gourmet meal arrived at the international space station Tuesday — to a warm welcome from current crewmen and the earthbound applause of Martha Stewart.

The lifestyle guru was among Russian and American officials and visitors monitoring the docking at Russian Mission Control, on Moscow's outskirts, as onboard TV cameras showed the Soyuz nearing the station and then jerking to a stop. Stewart is a friend of Charles Simonyi, the American who shelled out $20-25 million to be the world's fifth paying private space traveler.

The Soyuz capsule docked automatically with the ISS and Simonyi and two Russian cosmonauts floated into the space station about 90 minutes later.

A video linkup at Russian Mission Control in Korolyov, on Moscow's outskirts, showed the three smiling and getting hugs and backslaps from the three-member crew already on the station.

"How did the launch look?" Simonyi asked spectators at Mission Control.

"The launch was beautiful, Charles," Stewart told Simonyi. "I just want to say that we are happy for the safe and beautiful trip and I want you to know that we all think that you are a true pioneer.

"And guess what, Charles? You are now truly out of this world," she said.

"Martha, it is really an honor to be here at this outpost," Simonyi said.

Simonyi has brought books for the space station's small library, and an extra treat for his shipmates: a gourmet dinner. The meal is to be eaten on Thursday, which Russia marks as Cosmonauts Day, the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin making the first human spaceflight in 1961.

The menu, including quail marinated in wine, was selected by Stewart, who was also on hand at Baikonur for the rocket’s launch Saturday.

Simonyi returns to Earth on April 20, along with Russian Mikhail Tyurin and the American astronaut Miguel Lopez-Alegria, who have been on the station since September. The other U.S. astronaut, Sunita Williams, will remain on board with cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov.

Simonyi, 58, was born in Hungary but now lives in the United States, where he amassed a fortune through his work with computer software, including helping to develop Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. (MSNBC.com is a joint venture involving Microsoft as well as NBC Universal.)

Simonyi was bringing with him a sample of the paper computer tapes that he used decades ago when he first learned programming on a bulky Soviet machine called Ural-2.

While at the space station, Simonyi will be conducting a number of experiments, including measuring radiation levels and studying biological organisms inside the lab.

In space, on Earth, life is full for Simonyi

During a break in his training regimen Wednesday, Charles Simonyi called from Russia and gave an update on his next flight to space, married life and plans to remodel his Medina mansion.

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Excerpts from the blog

Simonyi, the former Microsoft executive known as “the father of Word,” is scheduled to make his second trip to the international space station next month, becoming the first commercial space traveler to make multiple trips.

Hungarian-born Simonyi, 60, announced in September that he’d fill an open spot on a trip arranged by Space Adventures, the Virginia company that also arranged his 2007 trip.

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It contracts with the Russian space agency to fly well-heeled tourists aboard Soyuz rockets to the space station.

Simonyi’s trip may be the last for a while because Russian space officials last month said they’re going to start using all the seats for crew members instead. Space Adventures hopes to continue with private flights in 2011 and has reservations from the likes of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Meanwhile, Simonyi’s been busy. In late November he married Lisa Persdotter, a 28-year-old Swedish socialite and investment manager, then began space training Jan. 10 at Star City outside Moscow.

“I decided on flying before we got engaged, and she said yes to both,” he said.

When he gets back, he’ll have a honey-do list: Persdotter is fine living at his house on Lake Washington, Simonyi said, but there will be some remodeling. They’ll also live part time at a new house she’s building in Sweden.

Training continues until March 26, when he’s scheduled to lift off at 11:48:53, Moscow time. The trip will be 13 days long on Spacecraft No. 13, but Simonyi said he’s not superstitious.

Simonyi expects the Russians to stick to their schedule. While watching the last launch, in November, he bet a friend $1,000 (“for charity,” he added) that they’d take off within 2 seconds of the scheduled time — and won.

Because he has traveled to space within the last two years, Simonyi’s going through abbreviated training, plus a refresher course in Russian.

Here are some excerpts from our conversation:

Q: Are you ready for the trip?

A: I’m looking at this as a continuation of the previous one. You learn to ride your bicycle, you get your driver’s license and what you really want to do is drive. There’s a lot of difference between people who have been to space and have the experience and people who are new to space. There’s a learning curve that’s a week or more.

Q: So you’ll be able to do more scientific experiments on the space station?

A: I think I’ll be able to be efficient, and be able to do the experiments well from day one as opposed to fumbling through, learning to get around, learning the simple acts of performing tasks, holding things down and not letting things get lost all the time. I think I’ll be able to do a much better job than the first time.

Q: Are you nervous, or feel that you’re taking more chances with a second trip?

A: No, certainly not. I think there’s a certain amount of pressure of doing things faster, doing things better, but no, I’m not nervous.

Q: Will yours be the last commercial space trip?

A: I haven’t had time to follow it in great detail. I feel very fortunate. There are certainly other doors that are closing for me — the most important being the wife saying no to future spaceflights.

If I don’t fly now, it would be a much bigger training schedule. I’m not getting any younger.

Really, I think that these pronouncements (about Russia ending space tourism this year) are relatively short-term, for the next decade or maybe the next few years.

For the long term, I think it’s pretty obvious that civilian spaceflight will be a key part of the space effort.

Q: Are you concerned about debris from the recent satellite collision?

A: No, it’s in a different orbit. The airspace, so to speak, that is occupied by the space station is watched very carefully. These other satellites were in uncontrolled airspace.

It points out that the airspace that is important to us should be watched very carefully.

Q: I understand this trip will cost you more than $35 million, versus around $25 million the last time.

A: The costs are going up — both the manufacturing costs and the demand are going up. It’s a short-term phenomenon.

Q: Will you continue living in Medina, now that you’ve married a Swede?

A: We have to do some changes in the interior of the house, but I think yeah, it’s a very attractive place. She started to build a house (in Sweden) before the engagement. We’ll continue to have another place.

Q: Your Medina house was the ultimate bachelor pad …

A: I’m disappointed how much of a bachelor pad it really turned out to be. But it’s never too late to fix it.

Q: Will you take more books to the space station?

A: I decided not to. I want to see if the old ones are still there. It’s really a Kindle the space station needs.

Q: So you have a Kindle?

A: I do, but it’s not qualified for the space station — they’re very nervous about electronics and especially software. I’m not going to be the one that pays for qualification.

Q: What will you do to make a mark this time?

A: I’m not trying to make a mark. I will be a little bit more prepared and leave my personal patch on board. Last time I didn’t leave a patch — didn’t know you should take a patch.

Q: You have a personal spacesuit patch?

A: Yes. It quotes Goethe, from “Faust”: “The eternal feminine draws us upward.” The space station is the eternal feminine, of course.

This material has been edited for print publication.

Brier Dudley’s blog appears Thursdays. Reach him at 206-515-5687 or [email protected] .

Charles Simonyi

Time in space: 25 daysAbout Charles and his spaceflight

Dr. Charles Simonyi began dreaming about spaceflight at an early age. Charles’ boyhood interest in space resulted in his selection as Hungary’s Jr. Astronaut at age 13, for which he won a trip to Moscow and met one of the first cosmonauts, Pavel Popovich. Today, Dr. Simonyi is a trained pilot in multi-engine aircraft with current licenses in jets and helicopters and more than 2,000 hours of flying time.

Dr. Simonyi’s goals for both his missions was to advance civilian space flight, assist space station research, and involve the world’s youth in the science of space travel. He is convinced that one day, humans will travel and live comfortably in space. Charles documented both his spaceflights extensively on his mission website, www.charlesinspace.com.

“You know, every part had its highlights, and they just kept coming and coming. Arriving at the space station, for example. I knew that that would be magic, and it was beyond my wildest dreams.”

— Dr. Charles Simonyi

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U.S. Billionaire Set For 2nd Trip to Space

American billionaire Charles Simonyi is gearing up for hissecond trip to space as a paying civilian.

Set to launch Thursday at 7:49 a.m. EDT (1149 GMT) on aRussian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Simonyi willbecome the firsttwo-time space tourist . He is to ride along with the International SpaceStation (ISS)'s new Expedition 19 crewmembers, NASA astronaut Michael Barrattand Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka.

Simonyi paid about $35 million to the Russian Federal SpaceAgency, through the U.S. firm Space Adventures, for his13-day trip to the orbiting laboratory. He plans to conduct scientificexperiments, take pictures of Earth and talk to students around the world viaHAM Radio. He said he hopes to accomplish even more than he did during hisfirst trip in 2007.

"The efficiency of working in space is just increasedso much by having had the prior experience," Simonyi told SPACE.com ina recent interview. "It's a little bit like riding a bicycle. When you getto space it?s a different environment. Weightlessness has all kinds of effectson how you work and how you feel. It's much more efficient to do it the secondtime."

Simonyi made his fortune as a computer software executive,working for Microsoft and later founding his own company, the IntentionalSoftware Corp. He said he's been a space enthusiast his whole life, and evenrepresented his native Hungary as a Junior Cosmonaut at age 13, when he won atrip to Moscow to meet one of the first cosmonauts. He is an avid pilot and haslogged more than 2,000 hours of flying time.

One big change between Simonyi's upcoming flight and hislast is that this time he'll be leaving behind his wife, Lisa Persdotter, whomhe married last year.

"I'm very happy that my wife supports me in this,"he said. "It just makes it that much more precious."

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Simonyi will be thefirst repeat customer for Vienna, Va.-based Space Adventures, which beganorganizing space missions for private citizens in 2001.

"I think he's going to continue to work towards achievingthe objectives he laid out originally, but he's going to go a little more indepth," Eric Anderson, Space Adventures president, told SPACE.com . "It'slike seeing a movie for the second time, or going back to a city you?ve visitedonce before, and knowing what to do."

Simonyi paid an extra $5 million to be part of SpaceAdventures' Orbital Missions Explorers Circle, an elite club that allowed him to skip ahead of others on the waiting list for trips tospace.

During his mission, Simonyi plans to blog about hisexperiences on a daily basis at his Web site www.charlesinspace.com .

He will be visiting a much-changed space station, comparedto the relatively smaller ISS he stayed on in 2007. Since that trip, the hugeJapanese Kibo lab module, the European Columbus module, and final sets of solararrays - the last of which were unfurled last week by shuttle Discoveryastronauts - among other things, have been added to the orbiting outpost.Simonyi said he's looking forward to seeing the station again in all its glory.

"It's such an unexpected jewel in the emptiness ofspace," he said. "It?s a bit theatrical in its shape, its appearanceand colors."

If Simonyi is unable to fly at the last minute, entrepreneurEsther Dyson could fill in. Dyson, daughter of eminent physicist FreemanDyson, paid $3 million to train as Simonyi's backup, and hopes to travel to spaceeventually.

Simonyi?s second spaceflight comes on the heels of NASA?s shuttleDiscovery mission to complete the space station?s power grid.Commanded by veteran spaceflyer Lee Archambault, Discovery?s crew is due toundock from the station on Wednesday and return to Earth Saturday to complete a13-day construction flight to the orbiting laboratory.

SPACE.com will provide full coverage of Simonyi?s secondspace tourist flight and the Expedition 19 mission with reporter ClaraMoskowitz and senior editor Tariq Malik in New York. Clickhere for mission updates and SPACE.com's live NASA TV video feed.

• Video - Space Tourist Charles Simonyi in Zero G
• Images - Charles Simonyi in Space!
• Video - Space Station Acrobatics

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Clara Moskowitz is a science and space writer who joined the Space.com team in 2008 and served as Assistant Managing Editor from 2011 to 2013. Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She covers everything from astronomy to human spaceflight and once aced a NASTAR suborbital spaceflight training program for space missions. Clara is currently Associate Editor of Scientific American. To see her latest project is, follow Clara on Twitter.

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