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Bill Gates Yacht: Everything You Want To Know

In 2020 the yachting world was abuzz with news that Bill Gates had bought as stunning and advanced yacht known as Project Aqua. The massive, 370-foot concept yacht was revealed in 2019 at the Monaco Yacht Show and news soon followed that billionaire Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world and the founder of Microsoft, had commissioned the construction of his own hydrogen-powered Aqua. But that never actually happened and, in fact, as near as anyone can tell for real, Bill Gates doesn’t own a yacht at all. 

So where did the story come from? What’s the deal with the Aqua? And hasn’t Bill Gates been pictured on a yacht before? Let’s get some answers.

How Much Did the Aqua Yacht Cost at the Monaco Yacht Show?

According to the stories online, Bill Gates paid $600 million for the hydrogen powered yacht. But that’s not true at all. According to the yacht makers, the Dutch company Sinot, the price tag is $645 million but no one bought it after it was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and that includes Bill Gates. It’s expensive but definitely not the most expensive in the world.

How Fast is the Aqua Yacht?

Aqua is a unique yacht in the yachting world which is why it garnered so much attention in the first place. It’s the first mega yacht that runs on a fully operational liquid hydrogen and fuel cell system that features two hydrogen engines that can produce 1,341 horsepower. The top speed is 17 knots and  the Aqua has a cruising speed of 12 knots. The total range is 3,750 nautical miles. The liquid hydrogen is stored in two 28-ton vacuum sealed tanks where it can be held at -253 degrees C. The only exhaust is water.

What Does the Interior of  the Aqua Yacht Look Like?

The Aqua has 7 suites meant to house up to 14 guests at any given time. Two of those suites are larger VIP cabins. The ceilings throughout are 9 feet and stretch as high as 12.5 feet elsewhere thanks to the luxury Sinot yacht architecture. The vessel has room for a crew of 31 as well. The beach deck lounge aboard the boat alone looks like a luxury hotel space.

The Aqua features a bow observation room which is surrounded by windows to give a panoramic view of the ocean which has been described as the “ultimate superyacht owners lounge.” In addition, there’s a movie theater on the upper deck. It also includes a wellness center with a hydro massage room. You can also do some yoga in a workout space. There’s a fully equipped gym, a beauty salon, and even a hairdresser.

Up on the main deck there’s a luxury swimming pool that even includes a waterfall. One of the yacht’s defining features is the spiral staircase that covers all five decks and is covered by a skylight. On the way up it also offers a view of the interior of the hydrogen fuel tanks so you can see just what 56 tons of ultra cold liquid hydrogen looks like as you move between decks. 

The tender garage has an array of toys such as jet skis while the main deck features a beach club with a dining area designed for all 14 guests and a lounge that converts into the cinema space.

What Yacht Has Bill Gates Actually Been On?

Bill Gates does seem to like yachts, just not enough to spend his money owning one, and that’s fair. Yachts cost millions to maintain every year. No one got rich spending millions to maintain a boat.

That said, Bill Gates has not only vacationed on yachts – he spent his 66th birthday on one – he also got married on a yacht.

In 2021, Gates made the news when he celebrated his 66th on board a luxury yacht called the Lana alongside Jeff Bezos. He spent $2 million to charter the yacht for a week and flew 50 guests out to celebrate with him. 

The Lana is a 351 foot yacht with room for 12 guests and a cruising speed of 12 knots with a max speed of 18 knots. The master suite is 1,184 square feet. The room features his and hers walk-in dressing rooms and a private terrace.

Elsewhere on board you’ll find a piano in the lounge area as well as a full gym for working out. There’s both a sauna and a well-appointed spa as well. On deck you can head to the beach club or take a dip in the pool. 

There are three tenders in the garage alongside a bunch of toys including various jetskis, a seabob, wakeboards, WindSurfers, fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment and more. 

Back in 2014, Gates rented an even more expensive yacht, the $5 million per week Serene, to go on a vacation with his family. The Serene, once owned by  Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shelfer before being purchased by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, clocked in at a massive 450 feet making it one of the world’s biggest and even had its own on board submarine

The Serene features 7 decks, a saltwater pool, a climbing wall, a surprisingly large library, health spa, outdoor cinema and a nightclub. This is all spread across 48,000 square feet.

It’s also been confirmed that Gates met his wife Melinda on a yacht owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, all the way back in 1994. 

Why Do People Think Bill Gates Owns the Aqua?

It’s easy to see why people may have thought Gates owned the Aqua when you consider a handful of factors. First, as mentioned, we have lots of evidence that Bill Gates really does enjoy luxury yachts. The extremely high price tag was something that only a few people in the world are going to be able to afford and Gates, who doesn’t own a yacht, seems like a likely candidate for those reasons. 

In addition, Gates has spent several years now as a climate activist and has supported a number of green technologies. A yacht that runs on hydrogen seems like something he would support as well. So, with no real evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough to easily convince people. Once it’s presented as fact on the internet, and it was in many articles and videos, few people had reason to question it. 

The Bottom Line

The mega yacht known as the Aqua has a price tag of $645 million and it runs on clan burning hydrogen fuel. The only byproduct of its operation is water, making it a very environmentally friendly yacht. It made waves, so to speak, when it debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019. Rumors soon began to spread that billionaire and known climate activist Bill Gates had ordered one for $600 million. However, despite many videos and articles that refer to him as the owner, the truth is no one bought the Aqua at the yacht show and, as of 2023, Bill Gates does not own a yacht at all. He is know to charter extremely luxurious yachts for vacations and parties, such as the Lana and the Serene, but he does not own any just now.

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5 years in the making, eco-warrior Bill Gates’ hydrogen fuel-cell-powered megayacht is finally ready. A first of its kind in the world, the 373 feet long vessel has stealth balconies that pop out with the press of a button, multiple libraries, fireplaces, a private elevator, and a hospital

Bill Gates’ megayacht is equal parts clean and smart –

The stunning five-decker is a win-win vessel for an eco-conscious billionaire . From being innately clean, it even flaunts an efficient waste heat recovery system. It heats everything from the pool, Jacuzzi, and steam room to the ambient air temperature and towel bars and floors in the guest bathrooms. A Smart AC system includes sensors that automatically reduce air conditioning or heating in unoccupied guest spaces. Talk about a smart superyacht, and it could have only come from the genius of a tech tycoon! Back in 2020, rumor mills went abuzz with reports that Bill Gates pledged well over $600 million to build a 376-foot-long, hydrogen-powered superyacht concept. Guess there is no smoke without fire, and the result is now out of dry dock for all to see.

[All images of the Feadship Project 821 provided by Feadship]

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Inside world’s first ever $1 billion hydrogen superyacht – and it’s linked to Bill Gates

The world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht has been unveiled in Amsterdam. It has taken Feadship 5 years to deliver Project 821, reportedly commissioned by Bill Gates.

Project 821 features 12 guest staterooms, two staff cabins, accommodation for 44 crew members, a hospital, library, elevator, cinema, pool with a moveable glass bottom, multiple hot tubs, steam room, a gym, separate owners deck with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two offices, and fourteen slide-out balconies.

What makes the Project 821 Feadship superyacht truly exceptional, however, is it is hydrogen-powered.

Jamie Edmiston, the CEO of yacht brokerage company Edmiston, represents the owner and is brokering the sale for a reported $1-billion. Edmiston says no expense was spared to build the groundbreaking vessel.

“The brief was to build the greenest and most environmentally advanced yacht ever built, without compromise,” says Edmiston. “It was a huge challenge, but one that the team has embraced and delivered on. The yacht we see today, designed by RWD and built by Feadship is without doubt the best yacht ever built. I am proud to have been involved since the inception of this idea.”

Neither Edmiston nor Feadship have revealed who commissioned the superyacht. eSysman Superyachts reported in April that it belongs to Bill Gates.

Jan-Bart Verkuyl, the CEO of Feadship Royal Van Lent shipyard, says pushing green superyacht technology as far as it could go was the mandate to develop of the vessel.

 “The aim has been to develop a new, clean technology not just for this project, but for the world,” Verkuyl says. Feadship has pledged to develop ‘net-zero’ yachts by 2030 and has an R&D team researching hydrogen and other fossil-fuel-free alternatives.

“The size of the proposed yacht – 100-metres-plus – made it a good candidate to explore pure green hydrogen as the fuel-cell source,” a Feadship statement reads.

“Even a yacht the size of  Project 821  cannot carry enough liquid hydrogen to power a crossing, but Feadship could impact a yacht’s carbon footprint where it is largest — generating electricity to serve the hotel load,” according to Feadship.

A yacht’s hotel load represents 70-78 per cent of a yacht’s annual total energy and heating and air conditioning make the largest demands, Feadship states. Air conditioning is a significant energy consumer on yachts, according to research from a maritime industry body .

“Supplying that electrical power via non-polluting hydrogen fuel cells has a swift and significant impact,” according to Feadship.

“Although there are hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars, and fuel cells have been used as the primary source of electrical power on human spaceflight for more than six decades, nothing existed in the maritime sector. There were no regulations for hydrogen storage and fuel-cell systems at class, flag-state or even the International Maritime Organisation level,” Feadship states.

Feadship, Edmiston and Lloyd’s Register developed new equipment, protocols and regulations for hydrogen to be used in the maritime industry. Feadship states that hydrogen fuel cells have water as their only exhaust, and are a combustion-free way to generate electricity.

“Project 821 features the most efficient waste heat recovery system yet developed, a system heating everything from the pool, Jacuzzi and steam room to the ambient air temperature and towel bars and floors in the guest bathrooms. Further savings in the hotel load will come from a Smart AC system linking sensors to an energy management system that automatically reduces air conditioning or heating in unoccupied guest spaces,” Feadship states.

When pure hydrogen is not available, electricity is generated by MTU generators combusting a biofuel said to reduce emissions by 90 per cent.

The work that has been done to deliver the no-expense-spared Project 821 superyacht is now being used for other vessels.

“The value of the research as well the development of class and flag safety regulations for an entirely new type of energy generation is an advancement we are proud to have made available to all,” says Verkuyl.

In 2025, two Norwegian ferries will operate using the system developed for Project 821.

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Bill Gates bought super yacht Aqua

Bill Gates just purchased a $650 million environmental-friendly super yacht Aqua

Bill Gates , the second wealthiest man of the world after Jeff Bezos , has apparently bought the most fashionable super yacht which is totally driven by liquid hydrogen. Gates frequently shares his fortune accompanying ecosystem responsive enterprise in addition to establishments occupied for better world health.

Jeff Bezos, the 4th richest person in the world, has also a new boat under cosntruction. You can find news about it here:  Jeff Bezos is constructing a 127-meter sailing yacht at Oceanco

Bill Gates, who is the founder of Microsoft , is a routine superyacht traveler but has not formerly purchased his own yacht and has chosen to charter during summer voyages around the Mediterranean.

He is now participating seriously in a totally environmental friendly superyacht in the faiths that many other entrepreneurs track his indication.

This fresh yacht was firstly seen at the Monaco Yacht Show. The yacht was built by a Dutch firm Sinot Yacht Design .

Dutch design company Sinot is occupied in a boat which completely run by hydrogen, in the sense that its single emission will be water. It is expected to work at a maximum speed of 17 knots, with maximum range of 3,750 nautical miles. 

The construction period of the yacht Aqua will be under supervision of Lateral Naval Architects. The length of the yacht Aqua is 112 meters and be motorized by liquid hydrogen delivering electrical energy to the fuel cells.

"For improvement of Aqua we grabbed creativeness from the life of a selective, open-minded owner, the liquid adaptability of water and front-line expertise, to joint this in a 112-meter superyacht with really pioneering characters," creator Sander Sinot reported.

"Our task was to apply entirely effective fluid hydrogen and power units in a real mega yacht that is not only revolutionary in expertise but also in project and overlooking," the prime designer, Sander Sinot, told in a media announcement.

The huge yacht Aqua combined with five decks and is able to accommodate up to 14 guests and 31 crew. The project has been stimulated by the ocean and Aqua’s curved outside shapes flow from the stern thru a 360-degree watching shell.

Aqua has 4 guest cabins, 2 VIP cabins and 1 owner suite. In order carry 31 crew, the yacht moreover has 14 double personnel rooms, 2 officer cabins and 1 captain's quarter. 

Moreover, round stairway is one of the yacht’s major characters, curving down from the highest deck to the lower deck. The key architectural attraction of the staircase is at its lowest flat where two enormous watery hydrogen containers can be perceived in their hexagonal rough exterior. 

Aqua also has an interior health and wellness facility including a gym, a jacuzzi room, and a yoga studio. 

On top of being innovative, the boat is also very comfortable, with an infinity pool, heliport, spa, and indoor pool. The design of the yacht took over 6 months to realize and display a high-tech project. However, notwithstanding that the gossips of a Gates’ property, the Aqua is still just a model. The yacht is unlikely to be on the sea before 2024.

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A look at the $600 million hydrogen-powered superyacht that Bill Gates did not order

The liquid hydrogen-powered propulsion system gives it a range of 3,750 nautical miles, with a top speed of 17 knots..

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No, Bill Gates is not buying this multimillion-dollar, hydrogen-powered superyacht

The claims seemed alluringly possible — a superyacht gets sold to the super-rich.

But despite the headlines, billionaire Bill Gates is not buying a space-age, hydrogen fuel-powered yacht that has never been built before.

Media reports surfaced over the weekend claiming that the Microsoft founder has a business relationship with the design firm Sinot. Sinot showed a 370-foot concept yacht called Aqua in 2019, and the reports said Gates pledged over $600 million to "order" one.

"Aqua not sold!" Sinot stamped on its website early Monday morning. "These articles are factually incorrect." Sinot made it clear that all information pertaining to Gates purchasing the yacht is incorrect, adding that there is no business relationship between the startup and the American business magnate.

USA TODAY reached out to Gates' reps for comment on the matter. 

'Even Facebook is hackable': Social networking website's Twitter page was compromised

So what's all the hype about?

Sinot developed an innovative luxury ship concept that is powered entirely by liquid hydrogen. That means its only emission is water. The goal was to be "environmentally sensitive," the company said on its website.

The yacht also has five decks and enough space to accommodate dozens of people. Big boats are known to dump waste into oceans and spew pollutants into the air, damaging the environment, according to the advocacy group Friends of the Earth.

At face value, it seems like a project that Gates would get behind, seeing as though many of his philanthropic efforts include ways to reduce waste. While the second-richest person in the world is not buying the concept, Sinot is inviting "any visionary client to show their interest."

Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown. 

Bill Gates to sell £600m green megayacht – before it’s even set sail

B ill Gates had previously been a rarity among his fellow billionaires by opting against owning a megayacht, instead preferring to rent during summer trips around the Mediterranean.

That all changed in 2020 when the retired 68-year-old commissioned the world’s first hydrogen-powered vessel of its kind, splashing out more than £500m on what became known as Project 821. 

Gates’s interest in a green yacht was first reported by The Telegraph, when rumours swept the highly secretive industry.

Four years and a pandemic later, the vessel is nearly complete. But Gates, who co-founded Microsoft and is the world’s fourth richest man, has put it up for sale via a specialist before it has even been delivered.

Brokers at Edmiston have been tasked with finding a buyer for the yacht, which is still housed at the Feadship yard in the Netherlands.

The asking price is understood to be a cool €675m euros (£579m), with reasons for the sale unclear. 

In decades gone by, finding a buyer for a megayacht of this size may have been easy, as the super-rich have long desired their very own palace at sea . 

However, the sale of Gates’ vessel comes at a rocky time for the yacht industry, which has been in decline ever since Vladimir Putin’s war started in Ukraine two years ago. 

According to analysts at Berenberg, a recent drop-off in sales is “linked to the perception that yachting is significantly exposed to Russian clientele”, such as former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. 

Meanwhile, a reduction in orders could also indicate that even the wealthiest 0.1pc are facing the consequences of economic turmoil. 

Project 821, as it is still known, is 119m long and 19m wide – putting it among the world’s largest pleasure cruisers, such as the 117-metre Koru owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos .

However, unlike other superyachts, Gates’ vessel is unique in that it contains a hydrogen power system, including a heavily insulated cryogenic tank containing 92 cubic metres of liquefied hydrogen at minus 253°C. 

This is used to generate electricity in a bank of 16 compact fuel cells. The only exhaust from this process is water vapour, signalling Gates’ long-standing interest in alternative fuels. 

The software tycoon, who has pledged to give most of his estimated $129bn fortune to good causes via the Gates Foundation, has been a leading advocate of decarbonising the energy system in recent years. 

His green ambitions have led to him backing a series of clean energy start-ups through his multibillion-dollar fund Breakthrough, although Project 821 appeared more of a personal project for Gates, who was divorced from his wife Melinda in 2022.

According to Feadship, the space required for the hydrogen system added four metres to the yacht’s length.

Project 821 is not entirely hydrogen-powered, however, and is unable to make a long sea voyage running on green fuel alone .

Instead, hydrogen power can be used to help the yacht make shorter journeys, for instance leaving and entering harbour, travelling at speeds of up to 10 knots, propelled by two electric thruster units. 

Feadship says that the vessel’s “hotel load” – the electricity for air conditioning, heating, cooking, lighting etc – can be run for a week on hydrogen only. 

For longer journeys, or in the event that supplies of liquid hydrogen are not available, the yacht also has diesel generators with enough power to achieve top speeds of 17 knots. 

These can be run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), described by Feadship as second-generation biofuel – that is, biofuel which is not made from food crops.

Clean energy aside, there is no doubt about the levels of luxury on board the superyacht . 

For whoever can stump the cash, the new owner will be given access to an entire deck of their own, 37m above the waterline. 

This is arranged as an apartment with two bedrooms, twin bathrooms and dressing rooms, a gym, a pantry, two offices each with a fireplace, and a living room. 

Feadship doesn’t specify what type of fuel is burned in the yacht’s fireplaces, but it does go on to say: “The owner accommodation extends beyond a single deck. 

“A unique and completely private vertical corridor extends to the lower deck. This includes both a spacious staircase lined with bookshelves and display nooks and an owners’ elevator. 

“At each deck level, there are inviting private lifestyle destinations to savour such as a coffee corner and games niche on the bridge deck, a library on the main deck, and a private dining room with a sea terrace and adjacent ensuite stateroom on the lower deck. 

“It creates, in essence, a secluded four-level townhouse-by-the-sea within the much larger yacht.”

The yacht also has twelve staterooms for guests, two cabins for members of the owner’s personal staff, accommodation for 44 crew and “a dedicated hospital”.

Guests aboard will no doubt be impressed by the “towering atrium staircase that wraps around a circular elevator” and the 8.2m pool with “contraflow” and two hot tubs, one on the upper sun deck and one in the pool area.

Other features include a spa, swim platform, beach club, library, cinema and a “cosy” underwater “Nemo lounge”.

The yacht has no fewer than 14 retractable balconies.

“The balconies are unnoticeable when closed but slide out at the touch of a button, carrying with them their side railings or walls,” according to Feadship. “When fully deployed, their floors rise to become perfectly level with the interior room.”

The yacht’s partial hydrogen power system is a new departure for the superyacht industry, but hydrogen has already been deployed at scale in the automotive sector. 

More than 20,000 Toyota Mirai fuel cell cars have been sold around the world, which store their hydrogen as a high-pressure gas rather than a cryogenic liquid.

Road vehicles with liquefied hydrogen tanks have also been built. 

These, like most liquefied gas storage systems , gradually lose their fuel to “boil off” when left parked, an issue which will also affect Project 821. 

The process of liquefying the gas is also energy-intensive, meaning hydrogen is not always a low-carbon fuel.

The normal method of manufacturing hydrogen is by making it from natural gas, a process which produces carbon dioxide.

Almost all hydrogen produced today is made using this method, and as such is classed as “grey” hydrogen.

The aspiration is that vessels like Project 821 would be powered by “green” hydrogen, made by using zero-carbon electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. 

Alternatively, if the carbon dioxide is captured and stored during the production of hydrogen from gas, it becomes “blue” hydrogen , almost as eco-friendly, though this is not yet done on a wide scale.

Feadship has plans to develop technology which could produce hydrogen from methanol. 

Tanks for methanol would be much simpler and would store more energy than liquefied hydrogen alternatives.

These bold proposals are exactly what Gates is pushing for in his bid to save the world from a climate disaster, with or without his £579m megayacht.

As he said in an article for The New York Times earlier this year: “Very wealthy individuals should be making changes to their lifestyles to bring their emissions close to zero. 

“If you fly in a private jet, as I do, you can afford the extra cost of sustainable aviation fuel made from low-carbon crops and water.

“Wealthy investors have the capital to take risks, and indeed, should be taking more of them.”

The Gates Foundation was contacted for comment. 

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Yacht maker denies Bill Gates has purchased world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht

The billionaire had reportedly comissioned the 112-metre eco-friendly vessel with a beach deck, yoga room, cinema, observatory and infinity pool.

10 February, 2020

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Bill Gates buys the most luxurious yacht in the world for $600 million: WATCH INSIDE!

The Microsoft co-founder has bought the world's most luxurious hydrogen-powered yacht for the astronomical price of $600 million

Bill Gates has bought the world's most luxurious hydrogen-powered yacht for the astronomical price of $600 million . The yacht is 112 meters long and was designed by the Dutch firm Sinot Yacht Architecture and Design. This spectacular vehicle moves thanks to water.

The yacht, which is only a prototype, is powered by a system that uses liquefied hydrogen, stored in the hold at -253 degrees in two sealed tanks of 28 tons each. According to her creators she is able to reach 17 knots of speed, and have a range of over 6000 km.

She features an impressive five decks offering space for 14 guests and 31 crew, a gym, yoga studio, beauty salon, massage room and waterfall pool.

Below the pics

The Wealth of Bill Gates

Gates held the title of richest person in the world from 1995 to 2017, except for four years, and held it continuously from March 2014 to July 2017, with an estimated net worth of US$89.9 billion as of October 2017.

However, the July 27, 2017, and as of October 27, 2017, he was surpassed by Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who at the time had an estimated net worth of US$90.6 billion. According to Forbes, as of November 17, 2022, Gates is worth an estimated $104 billion, making him the sixth richest person in the world.

In the 1980s, Microsoft would develop the ultimate operating system: Windows, which is still the company's main source of revenue. Bill Gates left Microsoft nearly 15 years ago. His net worth at the time was $58 billion. He had been the richest man in the world for 13 consecutive years.

Today, Bill Gates owns just 1.3% of Microsoft, even though his net worth has continued to increase over time. In 2015, Bill famously advocated for more investment in healthcare and vaccines. He is one of the greatest founders of the World Health Organization.

This aspect has attracted several criticisms against him, as he is not a public official nor does he have any previous medical experience. In recent years, he has purchased large swathes of private American land, becoming the largest landowner in the United States. His properties extend over 242,000 acres in 19 US states.