Given the increased attention on Russian oligarchs' megayachts, their enormous size and equally high price tags, it does feel like there's no way for other custom leisure crafts to stand out. If that's the case, the 2012 Feadship build Venus would like a word.
Venus is not the biggest superyacht out there, and it's not even close to being the most expensive. But it has something no Russian-owned vessel can ever boast of: a design partly authored by visionary Apple founder Steve Jobs, a man for whom aesthetics were just as important as function, if not more, in certain situations.
Steve Jobs commissioned luxury shipyard Feadship with the construction of Venus in the mid-2000s, and while designer Philippe Starck is named as responsible for the exterior, Jobs himself was involved in the early stages of the design. He wanted a boat that fit his personal aesthetic, with clean, minimalist lines, a low profile, and the promise of complete privacy.
Venus offers accommodation for 12 guests and 22 crew, with every room onboard completely sound-proofed because Jobs thought this would guarantee complete privacy. According to Starck, guests can use the internal communications system to chat with each other if they don't feel like walking. No sound escapes their room, no matter how loud.
Photo: Feadship
Venus was delivered in 2012, one year after Jobs' death, so he never got to set foot on it as a complete, tested craft. It's now owned by Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, and it remains completely shrouded in secrecy that goes beyond Feadship's refusal to share the details of the brief or photos of the interiors or the fact that it was never offered for charter: Venus can sail under the radar for months in a row, without as much as a single spotting.
This kind of secrecy and the Steve Jobs association make Venus one of the most iconic and, ironically so, instantly recognizable vessels around. Megayachts be damned because when this angular, oddly-shaped vessel does pop up, it's bound to get everyone's attention.
That's exactly what's happening right now. Earlier this week, Venus docked in Gold Coast, Australia, where it instantly became a tourist attraction. Local media says that Venus is the largest vessel ever to dock in the marina, dwarfing neighboring vessels with its total length of 256 feet (78.2 meters).
The report doesn't bring any new details about Venus, except for the mention that Mrs. Jobs has been vacationing on it since last August and a few close-up shots of the exterior. But if anything, it proves that interest in this $120 million superyacht (though it could have been as expensive as $230 million, depending on which report you believe) is yet to dwindle.
The late Steve Jobs' superyacht is the biggest boat ever to dock in our City, with locals flocking to check out the $170 million 'Venus' vessel. #9News@JakobJFunkpic.twitter.com/Nu48GnIpdc
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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