With more than 30 years on the front line of daily American journalism, I'm currently a staff writer with the San Jose Mercury News, covering Apple and writing people-centric business stories from Silicon Valley.
Apple’s super-yacht ahoy? Not so fast
Yet another chapter has been written in the saga of Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs’ superyacht - already the subject of more rumor-mongering and blog-fodder than even the iPad mini enjoyed before its release.
According to wire-service reports, the big boat has been impounded in Amsterdam because of a battle royale over an unpaid bill to designer Philippe Starck.
Starck had already raised a superyacht-sized fuss last April when he publicly announced that Apple would be releasing a “revolutionary” new product of his design within eight months. Apple denied the report and Starck had to do damage-control, publicly admitting that the “product” in question was the sleek sailing vessel he’d designed for Jobs.
Now Starck’s apparently stepped in it again, likely incurring the wrath of Jobs’ estate lawyers, who could not be reached for comment.
A lawyer representing Starck’s company Ubik told Reuters his client had received only about $8 million of the $11.8 million commission for his work on the minimalist vessel and was now seeking to recover the rest of what he was owed.
The yacht was impounded on Wednesday evening, the lawyer said, and will remain in Amsterdam’s port pending payment by lawyers representing Jobs’ estate.
“The project has been going since 2007 and there had been a lot of detailed talk between Jobs and Starck,” Roelant Klaassen, a lawyer representing Ubik, said.
“These guys trusted each other, so there wasn’t a very detailed contract,” he said.
“Venus” was officially launched in late October in Aalsmeer by Dutch custom ship builder Feadship, with Jobs’ family on-hand for the unveiling.
It’s unclear whether future bonhomie between Starck and the Jobs clan is in the cards.
With more than 30 years on the front line of daily American journalism, I'm currently a staff writer with the San Jose Mercury News, covering Apple and writing people-centric business stories from Silicon Valley.
11 comments
Apple's super-yacht ahoy? Not so fast - San Jose Mercury News | Rushville Bytes | Rushville Pc Repair
[...] Apple's super-yacht ahoy? Not so fastSan Jose Mercury NewsYet another chapter has been written in the saga of that superyacht built for Apple late co-founder Steve Jobs – already the subject of more rumor-mongering and blog-fodder than even the mini iPad enjoyed before its release. According to wire-service reports …Steve Jobs' Yacht Impounded in AmsterdamWall Street Journal (blog)Steve Jobs' high-tech yacht impounded over bill disputeBBC NewsLate Steve Jobs' Dream Yacht Impounded for Money DueNewsmax.comTechRadar UK -Los Angeles Times -PC Magazineall 353 news articles » Share this:ShareEmailFacebookStumbleUponGoogle +1TwitterDiggRedditPinterestTumblrLinkedInhttps://news.google.com/news/feeds?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&topic=tc&output=rss [...]
Dec 21, 2012
whitehat
Without a doubt the ugliest boat I have ever seen! Tell the designer to stop littering the world’s oceans with his ugly designs.
Dec 21, 2012
crapboat
This is just a glorified houseboat. It looks completely unseaworthy.
Dec 21, 2012
jethromayham
The yacht looks so ugly as soon as I saw the photo. It s/b left in the shipyard for the boat designer to sell.
Dec 21, 2012
Dean Smith
I could have designed that POS for only five million dollars.
Dec 21, 2012
An
That was designed to Job’s taste, by the way.
“The project has been going since 2007 and there had been a lot of detailed talk between Jobs and Starck,” Roelant Klaassen, a lawyer representing Ubik, said.
Dec 21, 2012
fairplay
It doesn’t look so bad. Aside from the top-sides windows, it looks very seaworthy compared to the stack-a-deck mini cruise ship designs that blight the waterways – giant doghouses, no decks and a helipad sort of thing. This design has abundance of deck area. The above deck superstructure is sort of boxy, but it is relatively small to the over all vessel and certainly she could not be called top heavy, which is the case for so many mega-yachts that are all stacked cabins and no decks. Underway, or even at anchor, it gets boring inside, you want to hang out on the deck providing there is proper shade, I wonder if the designer contemplated various dodgers and such on the huge foredeck for people to hang out under. jThe topsides windows common to what must be a nice interior under deck is a seaworthiness accommodation one might say, instead of the usual stack a deck , rolls like a drunken sailor mini cruise ship type.
The superstructure is sort of FLW looking, or craftsman style, not so bad really compared to the disnyland superstructures on some megayachts, looks clean. The hull shape is definitely not, from this picture, one that would lend to criticism of unseaworthiness. A little bit of a blast from the past actually, with some obvious contours that are more in keeping with modern hull design. I would like to hang out on that foredeck while underway, screw the pool bar and the landlubber furniture galore with gold plated toilet flush handles, although I’m sure this vessel has some of that, but don’t think Jobs would have liked that sort of fluff. Overall cool design. Would like to see pics of the below decks area common to those topsides windows running almost full length of vessel. np
Dec 21, 2012
mdoweht
I hope he bought the applecare warranty because this apple idea will certainly break (sink) with the first storm.
Dec 21, 2012
chris hackney
looks like the jerk forgot the bow. what a piece of junk !
Dec 21, 2012
Jeff
That is one of the ugliest boats ever seen. Phillippe Starck should pay them to keep his name off of it. I think he usually just does the interiors…so what was Jobs thinking?
As usual, money is not a sign of taste.
Dec 21, 2012
Steve Jobs' high-tech yacht impounded over bill dispute – BBC News
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Dec 24, 2012