People who work or live around the San Francisco Bay are all are abuzz about a huge yacht docked in Sausalito. It came through the Golden Gate on Saturday afternoon and is now docked in Richardson Bay off Bridgeway and Main Street.
It's been there for a week now and each day seems to get more and more attention.
The massive 225-foot megayacht, complete with helipad, is called the Attessa III.
The Attessa is the 14th largest yacht in United States and the 71st largest in the world.
Not only does it have a place to land a chopper, the Attessa III includes helicopter that seats seven.
The yacht even has its own fan website.
The San Jose Mercury News is reporting the ship is owned by a Montana man named Dennis Washington who's worth about $4.2 billion. Washington is No. 88 on last year's Forbes list of richest Americans.
He made his money by starting a group of companies in mining, transportation, aviation and real estate development. He also owns a mansion in British Columbia that includes a fishing lodge and golf course.
While its owner is no longer a mystery, we still don't know why he's here.
Here are a few more facts about the yacht:
- It was built by Feadship/Royal Van Lent Shipyard in the Netherlands in 1998
- It cost $50 million
- It has a movie theater, a gym and two hot tubs
- It takes 135,000 liters of diesel to fill the tank
- A fire caused extensive damage and a remodel of sorts in 2001
The last time a water vessel got this much attention was last fall when Tom Perkins sailed his famous Maltese Falcon under the Golden Gate during the Leukemia Cup Regatta.
The QE2 cruise ship also brought thousands of people to the shoreline to witness its maiden voyage to San Francisco.
No one knows how much longer the Attessa will be here, so if you want to see it, head to Sausalito.
