Jared Paul Stern has written for the Wall Street Journal,…
Jay-Z might have just splashed out on a $70 million superyacht for Beyoncé’s 32nd birthday – and it’s money well spent. The pair of superstars have been spotted celebrating aboard the 213-ft. Galactica Star, the world’s largest fast displacement yacht at the time of its launch in 2013, combining low resistance with high performance and fuel efficiency throughout the full speed range.
It can hit nearly 30 knots while burning 20 percent less fuel than craft of a comparable size. Built by Heesen in the Netherlands it features massive amounts of outdoor space including a sundeck, a duplex beach club covering 25% of the main and lower decks, and a touch-and-go helipad on the foredeck. No mogul worth his salt would buy a boat without one, of course. It also comes with several World Superyacht Awards.
The yacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in custom-built staterooms, including a full-beam master suite with private balcony and a VIP suite on the upper deck, along with a crew of 13 to service them. It also has a swimming pool, sauna, and on-deck Jacuzzi.
The Galactica Star, which cost an estimated $70 million to build, is not on the books as a charter vessel, so some insiders speculate Jay-Z may have dropped the coin to make it his. No doubt he negotiated a good price, and by chartering it out when not in use he may even turn a profit.
The couple apparently fell in love with the yacht, with its knockout interior designed by London-based firm Bannenberg & Rowell, when they first sailed aboard it soon after launch. Something to do with the massive amounts of Macassar ebony, spruce, oak, sycamore, glass, metal, leather and marble, we trust.
Jared Paul Stern has written for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, GQ, WWD, Vogue, New York magazine, Details, Hamptons magazine, Playboy, BlackBook, the New York Post, Bergdorf Goodman magazine and Luxist among others. He is also the founding editor of the Page Six magazine.