A $100 million superyacht drew some renewed attention after it was spotted on the Chicago River, attracting huge crowds while also highlighting the environmental impact of luxury.
According to Supercar Blondie, which put a spotlight on the sighting last month, the 243-foot boat floated into Burnham Harbor before making its way down the river.
A Reddit user shared the original photo of the superyacht, which was identified as "New Secret," back in 2022, and commenters did their best detective work to figure out what the boat was doing in the Windy City — which is about 800 miles from the nearest ocean waters and well over 2,000 miles if making the journey by water.
"If I had to guess, they were likely in town for the Sueños Music Fest in Grant Park," one user suggested.
Reportedly owned by the Lopes Family of São Paulo, Brazil, according to Big Frog 104, the superyacht first set sail in Norway and the Mediterranean in 2017 and has more recently been spotted in the Thousand Islands in Upstate New York.
The Redditor called the superyacht "absolutely massive," which isn't an understatement. There are certainly bigger vessels out there, but it stood out in Chicago, as the river isn't exactly suited to large boats because of its size and depth limitations, per the Skydeck.
New Secret has all the bells and whistles, including accommodations for 12 guests and 19 crew members, a spa, helipad, several pools, and a cutting-edge entertainment center, according to Supercar Blondie. All those features don't come cheap, though, as its annual operating costs are estimated at a cool $10 million.
Superyachts are also among the worst offenders when it comes to damaging the environment, as even most of the more "sustainability-minded" ones burn massive amounts of diesel fuel.
The Guardian reported that the average superyacht emits over 770 tons of pollution each year, which is 1,500 times that of the typical family car.
An Oxfam report found that 50 of the world's wealthiest billionaires produce more carbon pollution with their private jets and yachts in just 90 minutes than the average person will in a lifetime.
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Definitely 👍 The massive vessels also degrade habitats from anchoring in the wrong spots, pollute waterways with accidental leaks and plastic waste, and disrupt wildlife with noise.
"Eat the rich," one user commented in the Reddit thread. Another asked why they felt that way, to which someone else replied, "Because, as Mario Puzo once wrote, 'Behind every great fortune is a crime.'"
Whether or not a crime helped to afford this yacht is not really at issue, but many might say that the burning of fuel required to operate it is a crime on its own.
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