Take a look at the superyacht the Jefferies CEO just bought from the Houston Rockets' billionaire owner
27.04.2024 - 13:59
/ insider.com
Earlier this week, Jefferies CEO Rich Handler sold $65 million worth of stock in the investment bank — enough to warrant a press release — partly to buy a yacht from his friend and client, hospitality billionaire and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.
"My sale of shares today was a gift to myself and my family," Handler said in the release.
It's a pretty good gift. The boat in question is a 50-meter superyacht named Boardwalk.
According to the yacht's shipyard, Westport Yachts, the off-market deal was pending as of last month. The sale price isn't public.
Boardwalk, which is currently moored in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was originally delivered in 2010. She features a spa pool and helipad on her sun deck, as well as multiple bars and 15 bathrooms, of which at least one has a television. The master cabin has a dressing room and a private study, and there are scooters on board to make getting around easier — and more fun.
She can fit 12 guests and 12 crew members, according to industry source SuperYacht Times.
"It isn't cheap, I can tell you that. I just love it," Fertitta told a local ABC affiliate in 2017, referring to Boardwalk's $40 million price tag.
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While Boardwalk is technically part of "a series" — one of a fleet of boats built by the shipyard of this size and general design — Fertitta made many custom adjustments, adding lights throughout and opening up spaces to create a less formal feel, he told Yachts International in 2011.
Handler has been a guest on the yacht before, landing on its deck via helicopter when it was moored in St. Barts, according to a video posted on Fertitta's Instagram account in 2018.
"It's a shame when you have to pick your friends up to come see you. This is @handlerrich roughin' it to the @boardwalk164," he wrote in the caption.
A post shared by Tilman J. Fertitta (@tilmanfertitta)
"It's one of those things that I've always wanted and I'll always have," Fertitta said during the 2017 interview.
While he won't always have this exact boat, Fertitta, who is worth $9.3 billion, per Forbes, will likely always have a yacht and appears to have traded up.
He teased his new, fully custom vessel — a 77-meter giant built by Dutch shipyard Feadship — in 2019. It was delivered in 2021 and is also named Boardwalk.
A post shared by Tilman J. Fertitta (@tilmanfertitta)
The new Boardwalk has a more modern design. The gym has a Peloton and a Mirror; there's a sauna and beauty salon; and there are six sit-down bars — appropriate for a hospitality billionaire.
"This takes it to a whole new level," his son, Michael, told Boat International.
Looks like Handler still has something to aspire to.