If superyachts are your thing, it doesn’t get much better than the Octopus.
The late Paul Allen’s floating party boat is a thing of beauty.
When we last checked in on it, it was docked in Cape Town, and yacht fan Seth was very happy to see it.
He even got a little nostalgic about all the other times he’d run into the boat during his travels.
You never forget your first superyacht…
During its stay at the Waterfront, Paul Allen passed away, after losing his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, at the age of 65, leaving the yacht ownerless and us wondering what would become of it.
The latest update? It’s for sale, and for a cool $325 million, it could be yours.
Here’s The Drive:
The Microsoft co-founder and legendary entrepreneur’s death has led to the liquidation of many of his most prized, but eccentric belongings. From the world’s largest aircraft that was built to put satellites into orbit, to his mint and very flyable MiG-29UB Fulcrum jet fighter, much of the contents of Allen’s incredible toy chest are being sold off to the highest bidder. His beloved Octopus is now part of what is something of the world’s most outlandish estate sale.
Built by Lurrsen and delivered in 2003, at that time she was the world’s largest yacht, but she quickly lost that crown as part of an ongoing competition among the world’s yachting billionaires to have the biggest boat.
Today she doesn’t even make the top ten list in terms of length (414 feet), but she certainly does in terms of displacement, which sits just shy of 10,000 tons—eclipsing the displacement of a Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser.
Octopus can accommodate 26 guests in 13 cabins, many of which are suites. If you’re keen for a look at the interior, skip ahead to 4:21 for a slideshow of the suites, bars, and party areas.
Octopus is more than just a party boat, though. She has had a number of adventures on the open seas.
The ship’s hull opens up in multiple places to deploy beach clubs and water toys, along with Octopus’s myriad tenders—seven are embarked including Man Of War. Octopus also has missionized spaces that can be reconfigured for different exploration voyages.
Its well-deck can also accommodate specialized gear depending on what the goal of the mission is and what partners are embarked aboard, or on nearby on support and scientific vessels, to accomplish it. And it has accomplished some very high-profile missions indeed.
It found the USS Lexington at the bottom of the Coral Sea and the USS Indianapolis as well as the Japanese battleship Musashi near the Philippines. It even recovered the ship’s bell from the sunken HMS Hood.She has also executed Arctic and Antarctic expeditions with the help of her hardy steel hull that is Ice Class 1A rated, including traversing the Northwest Passage.
She did all of this in style. Here she is docked in Singapore in 2017:
Paul Allen described his love for the boat in his 2011 autobiography:
“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.”
“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.”
Even though the superyacht is now 16, she remains one of the most spectacular in the world.
If you’re among the world’s richest super-elite, and have the deep pockets necessary to keep her running, then this is a rare opportunity to own a vessel that has stood the test of time, is uniquely capable of grand discoveries and adventure, and can throw a mean party on the French Riviera.
Who doesn’t love a party on the French Riviera?
[source:thedrive]
