Editor’s note: It was a gamble when I left the San Francisco Chronicle after 12 years to go to work at a startup called CNET in the mid-’90s. But it paid off. (“When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” as Yogi Berra said). CNET was an IPO, and I was the Editor of CNET.News com, which we built into an award-winning website. CNET’s original investors included Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. It was part of his Vulcan Venture’s ‘wired world”‘strategy. Allen fascinated me with his investments and his assets — one of them being his 414-foot yacht called Octopus. Now that he has passed on, Octopus is up for sale.
“Want to cruise the high seas in the utmost style? The late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s megayacht is currently on the market for $325.5 million, and the 414-foot vessel features all the amenities one would expect a tech billionaire to have on his boat,” according to Architectural Digest.
“The Octopus is one of the world’s largest yachts, with two elevators (one of which is accessible only by the owner), a private deck with a bar, a hot tub, a dining area, two helipads, a swimming pool, basketball court, movie theater, spa, library, and a glass-bottomed lounge on board. That’s in addition to the 13 guest cabins, which can accommodate up to 26 people, and the 30 additional cabins for the 63 crew members.
“One of the best features of all has to be the seaworthy recording studio. Mick Jagger used the unique space in 2011 to record some tracks while vacationing—and the Rolling Stones frontman is not the only star who has graced the ship. A-list celebrities and supermodels often partied on the yacht when it was docked in the Mediterranean during the Cannes Film Festival, according to reports.
“If the swanky ship wasn’t enough, it also comes with an eight-person submarine, and passengers can explore the ocean’s surface using a remote-controlled underwater vehicle. An onboard hyperbaric chamber is available to alleviate any side effects caused by diving.”
The article is here.
Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report 