Summer 2014 Microsoft founder Bill Gates goes on vacation with his family as a billionaire of his calibre should.
The NY Daily News captured some images of Microsoft tycoon aboard “The Serene,” a $330 million dollar yacht that according to the newspaper Gates and his family are renting for $5 million per week. To us this value sounds like wrong information as the Serene is listed at prices that are well below 2.5$ million per week [2.2 $ to be exact]
M/Y Serene is a Fincantieri built 133 meter yacht designed by Espen Oeino and launched in 2011. With a cruise speed of 15 knots and top speed around 20 knots The Serene has the following interesting interior features which we assume were appealing to Mr Gates as a discerning client
- Indoor climbing wall
- Dedicated children’s playroom
- Two helicopter landing pads
- Fully-equipped health spa and beach club
- Multiple swimming pools [saltwater]
- Underwater viewing room
- Full conference room
Gates as you might imagine doesn’t own “The Serene.” He’s chartering it from Stolichnaya vodka distributor Yuri Scheffler. The Russia-born Scheffler is an interesting figure himself, who became famous for battling with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Putin’s attempt to nationalize and “redistribute” Stolichnaya’s wealth.
Though he does not own a yacht himself, Gates seems to be a fan of them. In 1994, he was married about a yacht belonging to his fellow Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen famous Octopus was built a few years ago with an approximate budget of $200 million by German builder Lurssen Yachts.
Even if Gates doesn’t own his own yacht, although he clearly could, a clear sign of how the most solid representative of the U-HNWI group is often opting for chartering rather than yacht owning.
According to the Daily News, Bill Gates and his family regularly make use of the Serene’s on board helicopter to travel for tennis matches at the “billionaire’s playground” nearby Porto Cervo in Sardenia, while the boat is stationed off the coast. And like Allen’s yacht, the Serene also comes with its own submarine, which in the amenities and toy categories is slowly increasing in popularity.
