Boasting five spacious suites, several luxurious salons, a gym and the king size bed in which Rupert Murdoch enjoys his own holiday naps; from just €210,000 (£181,000) a week, you too can vacation like a media mogul, accompanied by nine lucky guests, and attended to day and night by ten exceptionally solicitous staff.
The Australian tycoon may head a $33bn (£20bn) global newspaper and television empire, but even billionaires can do with a little extra pocket money now and then. It has been discovered that the News Corporation chairman has made his yacht, Rosehearty, a 183ft (56-metre) “aluminium masterpiece”, available for vacaton rental – at a very high rate.
The charter company CharterWorld.com is listing the three-year-old yacht for hire in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, featuring “magnificent” performance and “a stunning interior by famous French designer Christian Liaigre” that includes “full beam owner’s suite with king bed and sitting area”. The yacht’s two tenders, reportedly named Grace and Chloe after Murdoch’s young twin daughters, are included, along with two dinghies complete with instructor, six sets of dive gear, and nine plasma TVs.
Photographs on the company’s site of the interior reveal the 78-year-old to have a minimalist taste in interior design that one might suggest (though not in any outlet owned by NewsCorp) borders on the bland. The spacious main salon features a large sofa in beige, the same color as featured in the internal reception rooms, and, for the sake of consistency, the bedrooms. A similar approach to color characterizes its exterior – hull and masts are a brilliant, uninterrupted white.
Hugo Andreae, editor-in-chief of the magazine Superyacht World, said at 56 metres the Rosehearty was certainly “up there” in terms of luxury and scale, but was by no means among the flashiest of vessels favored by the super-rich. “A few years ago that would have been a pretty sizeable yacht, but these days you regularly build up to 100 metres.”
With even Murdoch’s relative tiddler costing an estimated €30m, however, Andreae said it was not unusual for the super-wealthy to offer their yachts for charter “to offset the enormous costs. There are certainly bigger and more luxurious boats available.” He added that those hiring a boat would not be made aware of its owner’s identity. “It’s a very discreet world, for obvious reasons.”
According to enthusiasts who have posted sightings on the web, the Rosehearty has recently sailed around Alaska, where Murdoch has reportedly been holidaying with the actor Mel Gibson, according to Gawker.com. One spotter on the site yachts.monacoeye.com reported that she arrived two days ago in British Columbia, Canada, commenting: “What a beauty!”
Others who have first-hand experience of the Rosehearty are the Conservative leader, David Cameron, who in October took a private jet to the Greek island of Santorini where the yacht was moored in order have drinks on board with the NewsCorp chairman. Singer Billy Joel, a sailing enthusiast, has also reportedly spent time on board with Murdoch and his wife, Wendi Deng.
The billionaire has been a yachting fan for some time, marrying Deng on board the Morning Glory in New York harbour in 1999. At 48 metres, however, that boat was evidently not large enough for his growing second family; happily, Murdoch found another media tycoon on whom to offload it – the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi.
Source: Guardian
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