Talk about yacht rock!
Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs’ super-yacht, the Venus, was in a minor crash with another mega-vessel, the Lady Moura, owned by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, we hear.
The accident between the big ol’ boats — both reportedly worth upwards of $120 million each — happened on July 22nd in Italy.
A source familiar with the situation told Page Six that both yachts were actually anchored when the incident occurred.
Said our seaworthy source: “The Venus came into contact with the Lady Moura — which was also anchored,” adding that on Jobs’ boat, “No family was on board, only crew.”
The insider said the accident happened when, “The wind changed very suddenly, picking up from a breeze to 55 knots over the course of a few minutes.”
The source said, “Neither boat ‘dragged anchor,’” but alleged that the Lady Moura was, “on a chain double the length [to be] expected in the depth of water they were in… Both captains were in discussion immediately following the incident about minor repairs needed.”
According to the site Boat International, Pliego’s side recorded the incident, and there’s video of the nautical fender-bender on Instagram.
The outlet reported that the billionaire could be heard saying in Spanish, “I would like to know what the captain and crew were doing that they didn’t see a yacht the size of mine in front of me. Good thing nothing but a scratch happened, but it’s a big scratch that’s going to [cost] a lot to fix.”
The 256-foot Venus was custom created for Steve Jobs, and designed by Philippe Starck. But the late Apple founder never got a chance to use the boat before his 2011 death and it went to his widow.
At 344 feet, the Lady Moura was previously owned by a Saudi businessman and cost $200 million before it was reportedly bought for $125 million by Pliego, the third richest person in Mexico.
Pliego is a billionaire businessman who runs banking, telecommunications and retail companies.
