A-list aboard! Why David Geffen’s yacht is this summer’s superstar hotspot
Boat with the most … David Geffen sets sail.Composite: Getty Images/Guardian imaging
If you feel a pang of envy whenever a friend shares a photo of the seafood in Sardinia or their sun-tanned legs in Santorini, just be thankful you’re not friends with David Geffen. The entertainment mogul has spent the entire summer cruising the Med on his 450ft megayacht, Rising Sun, hosting a raft of A-list acquaintances and posting the holiday pics on Instagram.
In June, the film and music producer parked the $200m vessel in Majorca, where he visited financier Howard Marks, a fellow billionaire, and hung out with Scooter Braun, the talent manager who has shaped the careers of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. The yacht sailed on to Ibiza, where Geffen welcomed Jerry Seinfeld and friends onboard.
In July and August, Rising Sun cruised the Italian coast, while the mogul entertained a group including: Oprah Winfrey and her friend Gayle King; Disney chairman Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay; designer Diane von Furstenberg and her husband, media exec Barry Diller; US journalism giant Diane Sawyer and Russian fashionista Dasha Zhukova. Finally, it was back to Majorca for a selfie with supermodel Karlie Kloss.
Originally built for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, Rising Sun is the world’s 11th-largest superyacht. According to Marinetraffic.com, it is now moored at Malaga in Spain.
In past summers, celebrities also flocked to Eclipse, the world’s second-biggest yacht, owned by Roman Abramovich. Before the Chelsea owner and Zhukova announced their divorce this year, Eclipse guests included Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom and Kendall Jenner. But last month, Abramovich was pictured alone at sea near the former couple’s home in Antibes.
Geffen isn’t the only Hollywood mogul with a megayacht. His Dreamworks co-founder Steven Spielberg has a 282ft vessel, The Seven Seas, which the director took on a 30,000-mile world tour in 2013. Recently, however, Spielberg has been trying to sell it and build a new, 300ft yacht, after deciding he needed a bigger boat.
