For most people, anything that costs millions of dollars would be the largest purchase of their lives. For one American man, it was simply another purchase.
The man, whose identity has remained anonymous, purchased the luxury yacht Vivace in 2022 for over $13 million, according to AutoEvolution. It's not quite a superyacht, but its 102-foot-long space boasts five staterooms, multiple VIP suites, a full dining room and bar, and a heated plunge pool that converts into a dance floor.
But what truly set this yacht purchase apart — what AutoEvolution called "the craziest part" — is that the owner never intended to use it. That is, he didn't plan on using it personally; he bought it to rent it out exclusively as a charter, essentially as an investment yacht.
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Definitely 👍 Most yacht owners use their boats personally at least once a year, and they charter them with other high-paying boaters during the other months of the year to recoup some of the exorbitant operating and maintenance costs of the vessels. But even this doesn't change the reality that yachts are, essentially, money pits. As AutoEvolution reported, "some of the richest superyacht owners have admitted that this is no more than an ultra-expensive hobby, no matter what others might say."
This behavior has enraged many people, who argue that superyachts — much like private jets — are not only egregious symbols of wealth disparity but also extreme polluters from a disproportionately small group of the uber-wealthy.
For example, the people who regularly fly private make up approximately 0.003% of the global population of adults, per Nature, yet they generate more planet-warming pollution in a two-hour flight than the average person does in an entire year. Even more frustrating, the rates of private travel are increasing despite knowledge of its pollutive consequences.
This is why there has been increasing public scrutiny and calls for fines for these high-profile celebrities, politicians, and businesspeople.
To add even further irony to the situation, Vivace's owner decided to sell the yacht after not even owning it for three years. AutoEvolution estimated that due to a drop in market value, the owner likely lost several million dollars in the sale.
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