Jeff Bezos is Reported to be Selling the World's Largest Sailing Yacht

His three-year-old megayacht Koru is the largest yacht currently capable of running under sail alone

Gossip column Page Six has obtained confirmation that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is selling is megayacht, the $500 million sailing vessel Koru. The reason, according to the outlet's sources, is that the vessel has become "too recognizable" for the multibillionaire tech executive.

Koru is among the world's most distinctive yachts - and not just because of her imposing three-masted silhouette, her 417-foot length or her elegant counter stern. Famously, the yacht's prow features a life-size bust of Bezos' second wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, carved from wood and adorned in gold trim.

The yacht is among the largest vessels operating under sail, and has a massive sail plan. Koru is normally attended by a support vessel, the Damen-designed Abeona, itself valued at $75 million. As sailing yachts are incompatible with helicopters, Abeona provides a helipad and a way for Sanchez - a helicopter pilot - to exercise her skills. It is unclear whether Abeona is also for sale, either separately or as a package with Koru.

The Koru's sheer size is notable for a sailing yacht, and also comes with limitations. Annual upkeep is in the eight digits, and the ship is too large to fit into many of the specialized port terminals that cater to yachts, most vessels of this type being smaller and of shallower draft. For this reason, Koru has often been spotted at less glamorous parts of the working waterfront, near warehouses and freighters rather than boutiques and clubs.

The vessel's scale was a challenge even before delivery. The Koru was built at one of Oceanco's yards a few miles upriver from Rotterdam. To reach the sea, it needed to fit under the historic Koningshaven Bridge - a locally-beloved reminder of the WWII era. With masts stepped, Koru's air draft was too high to pass. When the yard proposed that the bridge be partially dismantled to permit passage, some residents arranged plans to throw eggs at the vessel as it went by. Instead, the yacht quietly departed the yard in the night, without masts, and the passage was completed without altering the bridge. The masts were stepped afterwards at another site.