WATCH: Sailing Yacht Koru on Sea Trials

A misty morning greeted the sailing yacht Koru on her first set of sea trials yesterday. She’s therefore that much closer to taking the number-one position among the world’s largest private sailing yachts.

Yacht spotters have been chronicling the developments with the 417-foot (127-meter) sailing superyacht since 2021. Interestingly, none of the yachting media broke the story of who she belongs to—that being Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com and the space company Blue Origin. Instead, Bloomberg Businessweek was the first to reveal his connection. In early 2021, it published an excerpt of a then-upcoming Bezos biography, in which one paragraph mentions the project:

There, outside Rotterdam, a new creation was secretly taking shape: a 127-meter-long, three-mast schooner about which practically nothing was known, even in the whispering confines of luxury boat builders—except that upon completion, it will be one of the finest sailing yachts in existence. Oceanco was also building Bezos an accompanying support yacht, which had been expressly commissioned and designed to include—you guessed it—a helipad.

Also known as Oceanco Y721, she saw her mast stepping last summer. Just as was the case at the time, the naval-architecture studio responsible for her remains confidential. So, too, does the interior designer, plus most companies associated with her design, engineering, and construction. Regardless, the sailing yacht Koru is quite classical in style, with a navy hull and white superstructure. Suitably, she shows off a long bowsprit as well. The superstructure further includes varnished wood, or a painting technique (akin to a trompe l’oeil) meant to mimic wood. Aerial footage, meanwhile, reveals she has customary amenities like pools and/or hot tubs aboard.

As the world waits for more on sailing yacht Koru’s amenities, her name seems to hold special meaning. The term koru is from the Maori, a symbol of new life, growth, and even harmony. When the yacht cruises with her support yacht, Abeona, the word may take on even more significance. Abeona is the Roman goddess who watches over children leaving their parents’ home for the first time. She’s simultaneously a protector of travelers.

Oceanco oceancoyacht.com