Of course, it is still not 100% certain whether Jeff Bezos will be operating the 127-metre-long three-masted schooner from this year. However, US journalist Brad Stone speculates this in his book "Amazon Unbound". It seems certain that Oceanco's Y721 project will be christened "Koru". At least the Automatic Identification System (AIS) has since sent position data with the Maori name, which means "new beginning". The build number is currently appearing again on services such as Vesselfinder and Marinetraffic, along with new technical details. The interior volume is said to be 3,300 gross tonnes. By way of comparison, all the rooms on the 94-metre schooner "EOS", the third largest sailing yacht in the world, add up to 1,517 gross tonnes. The width of the "Koru" is given as 17 metres.
Oceanco launched the Y721 in August at its site in Alblasserdam, a municipality south-east of Rotterdam. This is where the three carbon masts and the former railway bridge "De Hef" was dismantled in order to reach the North Sea. After protests - the lift bridge built in 1878 is considered a landmark of the city - and the threat of a concerted egg-throwing campaign, the procedure, which envisaged dismantling the bridge back to its original state, was abandoned. Instead Oceanco had the 127-metre-long steel hull towed to the city harbour of Pernis, 15 nautical miles away. An impressive jib boom with a massive water stay and two attachment points for the outer and inner jib was also added there.
Radar domes as big as regatta buoys
The extra-long mizzen boom and six radar domes on a total of three pairs of spreaders were revealed, four of which are each as large as an impressive regatta berth. The tender garages are located in the forward hull, the pool aft and the open squares of the cockpit and flybridge roofing suggest that they are fitted with solar panels. More recent photos show lowered gaff booms. This type of rigging is both classic and unusual and suggests a very similar rigging package to that on "Athena". It is quite possible that Bezos sailed on the 90 metre long Royal Huisman built by Silicon Valley veteran Jim Clark (Netscape). In the meantime, "Athena" also sailed the charter market and offered crow's nests on both sides of the mizzen mast.
On "Koru" there will be a movable lookout at the front of the main mast, from which the 75-metre support can be looked down on. YS 75 is the construction number of the support format from Damen Yachting, which developed this type from the parent company's commercial expertise in the offshore sector. In keeping with its intended use, YS 75 is to bear the name "Wingman" on the transom and serve as a haven for various tenders and water toys or helicopters with rotor diameters of up to 14 metres. This would correspond to a maximum of one H160 from Airbus Helicopters. With a volume of 1,900 gross tonnes and 45 overnight accommodations, "Wingman" would not only accommodate additional crew, but also guests who cannot find a place on "Koru". After all, suppliers work on the principle of outsourcing.
