For a lot of people who count boating as a hobby, a yacht represents something of an ultimate dream or fantasy. Whether you’re one to rev up a small fishing vessel now and then, someone who enjoys a sport like sailing or water skiing, or you’re keen to take out one of our “Prestige boats” for a relaxing day on the water with friends, chances are you see the appeal of a big, luxurious yacht. Really, it’s a whole different experience. But for those who like to be on the water it’s a desirable one as well.
Of course, most of us will never be able to afford a boat like this (which is no great tragedy). But it’s always fun to daydream, so we thought we’d do some research on those lucky few who can afford their own yachts. Here’s a bit of celebrity inspiration to fuel those lofty high-seas ambitions.
Richard Branson
As one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, Richard Branson has otherworldly wealth, even by the standards of people with yachts. So in a sense, his example is more or less unattainable. On the other hand, Branson’s yacht — at one point named Necker Belle after the entrepreneur’s own private island, Necker Island — isn’t the most extravagant one you’ll see. It’s essentially a gigantic luxury catamaran, and a beautiful one at that, but it is not the sort of miniature cruise ships some billionaires and celebrities wind up collecting. Better yet, a Travel & Leisure write-up on Branson’s yacht reveals that it’s actually available to be chartered! Branson sold it a few years ago, and groups of 10 can now take it out for a cool $70,000 a week (which, boiling down to $1,000 a day, might not be wildly out of reach for anyone wanting to save up for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation).
Bono
We know what you’re thinking: Of course Bono has a yacht. Well, it does make sense, and he does indeed have one! The world-famous U2 frontman and human rights activist can probably afford a vessel like this 10 times over, frankly, but it’s worth noting he’s done a particularly classy job of it. Bono’s yacht — once the CYAN, now the Kingdom Come — is without a doubt an extravagant boat, but not an entirely ostentatious one. It’s sleek, classy, and supposedly packed with amenities from wave runners to a grand piano (because hey, a rock icon has to keep practicing his music!).
Cristiano Ronaldo
Somewhat like Branson, Cristiano Ronaldo’s fortune falls into the “unattainable” category, simply because he amassed it by becoming one of the greatest professional athletes of a generation — not exactly something you can try to imitate. Then again, Ronaldo has supplemented said fortune through side projects, so perhaps there’s hope! He’s made a ton of money modeling, and was also mentioned in a Poker.org piece on athletes who excel at poker. So perhaps if you have some skills at a card table you can work your way up to poker-fueled Ronaldo wealth! Whatever the case, the soccer star has a gorgeous 88-foot yacht named the Azimut Grande, which reportedly cost him about £5.5 million (or about $7.6 million as of this writing). Obviously that’s a huge sum, but it’s not quite global-soccer-icon huge. So perhaps there’s hope!
Billy Joel
Billy Joel can presumably afford just about whatever he wants, having been a musical legend for about half a century now. And yet his yacht, the Vendetta, is perhaps the most understated one we observed among major celebrities. Joel uses the yacht to sail around near his Long Island home, and frankly the boat gives off an almost vintage-luxury vibe. If there’s a yacht on this list that a non-celebrity could hope to one day afford, this would be the one. Here’s to the Piano Man for keeping things a bit more reasonable.
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner rounds out our list. And while her success has come in modeling as the result of a great deal of privilege and (by conventional standards) natural beauty, she may have the easiest fortune to hope to imitate on this list. That’s because on some level she’s essentially a wildly popular social media influencer. According to a write-up on Jenner’s social media at Her, the model is now paid between $125,000 and $300,000 for a single post on Instagram. It’s no wonder she’s made a habit of renting a $500,000-a-week yacht (the Axioma) so often it’s practically hers! Granted, you can’t exactly start posting cute photos of your pet and hope to start earning six figures per Instagram post. But at least in theory, anyone can become a successful influencer of one kind or another. You don’t need Bono’s voice or Ronaldo’s right foot to do it.
As far as we’re concerned, a simple day out on an eight-person pontoon boat, or a morning fishing session on a deck boat, is a perfect way to enjoy time out on the water. There’s something to be said for driving a boat, feeling the motion of the water, and enjoying a simple experience. But all of us who enjoy this sort of thing can at least appreciate the dream of a top-of-the-line yacht, and the famous figures above give us a few examples to aspire to (even if only half seriously).