Luxury for the super rich | DW Documentary

[Music] welcome to our world where the super-rich compete to own the biggest and most expensive yacht this is the Azam the 500 million euro 180 metre long boat is probably the largest privately owned yacht and belongs to the Emir of Abu Dhabi few play in the mega yacht owner league from Dubai to Miami to Monaco where we got special access to this secret world the huge sales swell in the wind the deck the size of a tennis court and a 12 member crew we're off the coast of Miami aboard one of the world's largest sailing yachts the Sybaris the catch is 70 meters long and was built for the American multi-millionaire Bill dukkha the sea is a bit rough today just how he likes it take advantage [Music] this Sunday bill invited some friends along for this day trip crew members in casual sailor outfits cater to the guests every need for lunch at casual selection of sandwiches made from the finest ingredients in fact everything on board is top quality and expensive finished with China glasses sheets things like that you know you've spent more than a million dollars I have a joke if the rest of the world learns what it's like to live on a yacht like this they're gonna bring back the deal the team bill paid 70 million euros for this ketch after a few hours the boat returns to its port in Miami Florida bill dukkha has a luxurious penthouse condominium at the harbour entrance his home covers about 2,000 square meters and has spread out over three floors the interior looks like an art museum there are works by frank stella Manolo Valdez and Jean Dubuffet on the top floor there's a swimming pool the apartment was valued at around 60 million euros bill is proud he developed such a project you're at in the best apartment in the best building in Miami you have the most spectacular views of Miami Fisher Island and the ocean on that side of Miami Beach in the ocean on this side I don't know that anybody else we've done this I don't know that anybody else could have done this I mean I think it's a unique apartment it is in my view the best apartment in Miami Beach it's the best apartment I think on the East Coast like many ultra-wealthy bill has an entourage interior designer Peter Hara Levitch drafted the plans for both builds condominium and the Sybaris he only works for Bill 2009 I learned that I had melanoma and that the melanoma had spread to my lymph nodes and you know you certainly begin to think that life is short in the day or two after that I called Peter and I said that I wasn't going to go forward with this apartment or with the boat and at the end of that week I said to myself I can't live like that I can't however long I have I can't live without a plan and a a reason to do something special and so I called them back and I said forget it we're going to fall over with the boat we're going forward with the apartment no Dukas started out as a business lawyer but was found guilty of fraud in 1997 he started over and has since made a fortune in computer software I enjoy what I do some work enjoy what I do I enjoy my friends in every respect I am regular guy little doesn't go sailing everyday but the crew is always on call and owner yearly salary for example the captain earns between 16,000 and twenty-two thousand euros per month there's a total of nearly 1,000 square meters of living space on board the Sybaris including fitness and wellness room this is the master bedroom there are also five sleeping cabins for guests like the apartment the boat is full of works of art like this fresco inspired by Pablo Picasso's masterpiece Guernica he's especially proud of his custom-made storage trunks bill said what if instead of wood trunks we did alligator come on sounds like ya that could bring so many alligators sexy doll you for 150 alligators farm-raised alligator yeah farm-raised very stressed forward now in Florida there's alligators everywhere they eat our dogs so they were a crocodile killed yeah no no crocodiles are endangered but alligators are not and no it really is this beautiful thing another day and Bill has invited other close friends to visit him on his yacht David Boies is one of America's most prominent attorneys David and his wife Mary also owned a yacht but it hardly compares to this one it's a one-of-a-kind I've never seen anything like it and I've been on 20 Perini's over the years every time Mary steps on board a yacht she takes part in an unusual ritual climbing the mast she's going from chair of the postage here all the way to the top of master well she's done it before I think she's crazy okay the good news is my lawyers here first a little liquid courage when you do this you feel like a bird you're weightless is very high and you see the world in a very different way the way a bird does it's a long way up there a crew member is sent up first then it's Mary's turn for the 73 meter ascent [Music] go sweetheart I've seen her do this so many times I'd never get used to a less strenuous way to climb after 15 minutes Mary is lowered back to the deck she's happy that evening bill hosts a cocktail party his sumptuously appointed yacht shows the world that he is once again become financially successful and he enjoys sharing his good fortune with his inner circle this is an opportunity for them to see a piece of art and it makes you happy but bill doesn't only have friends in America there are also those in Europe so he's having the Sybaris sail to Monaco Monaco is located on the French Riviera and has been a playground for the ultra-rich since the late 19th century some of the world's largest yachts are moored here at this marina in Monte Carlo most of them cost at least 50 million euros this is Espen I know one of the world's most renowned yacht designers he's Norwegian but his office is here in Monaco it's great to have an office that's right here on the harbour there are ships as far as you can see Monaco is home to a lot of yachts and also the shipping industry in general more than 300 companies have their offices here also City q Ariana Victor your thing follow me this is our design office lots of different projects here Aspen designs yachts that often costs several hundred million euros he employs about 20 engineers and designers his career was launched by this boat the octopus the first mega yacht in history the 126 metre long boat was once owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen the ship has two landing pads for helicopters and three mini submarines more recently it's been designed the dilbar which was built at the luerssen shipyard in bremen and delivered in 2016 [Music] it's considered the world's largest yacht by volume [Music] the dilbar is owned by russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov when Espen has an idea for a new yacht design he first makes a sketch just like other designers do we start with a general plan of the boat which I do by hand and then we make a 2d image on the computer and then a 3d model the parts come together like a puzzle it takes between three and five years to complete a project from the first meeting with the client to the actual delivery is a little like the Karl Lagerfeld of yachting he manages to give classic design a modern twist do you have to hunt for customers no they find us we don't even have a website this is really a small world with a lot of word-of-mouth it's like a pyramid the closer to the top you are the fewer people there are and they all know each other in a week Espen will travel to the Dubai International Boat Show not far away in Monaco interior designer Sabrina Monteleone a was also getting ready for the same event are the plates ready yes and the leather samples as well Sabrina sells accessories and furniture for luxury yachts her brand is simply called Sabrina Monte Carlo if you took a boat and flipped it over we do everything that falls out everything that isn't fixed from teaspoons to sofas to curtains Sabrina started out in the fashion industry before switching to luxury decoration over 20 years ago she's learned all the codes it's the men who choose it's funny because with houses usually women pick but boats are male domains 80% of our clients are men they're often the only ones who have the money to buy a yacht and they want complete control over it it's their baby that makes my job a lot easier next stop Dubai situated on the shores of the Gulf Dubai is the financial center of the Middle East when we meet Espen he's working as usual I can't because I have a client meeting in Cap d'Antibes on Thursday 5 o'clock I'd love to but I unfortunately I can't I'm flying to London on Thursday nights at 20-something and then I'm flying to Geneva in the afternoon we could have a late lunch in London perhaps on Friday if he's in London on Friday all right thanks get back to you as I cost you sorry that was a broker who's trying to set up a meeting for me with a client but it's always been like I'm here when he's there or vice versa mush really bad eyes Espen will be in Dubai for just 24 hours but he couldn't miss the big Boat Show everyone who's anyone in the yachting industry will attend for more than a quarter of a century the super-rich have come to Dubai to check out the yacht market at least half of the world's largest yachts are owned by wealthy Arabs the Emir of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum arrives with his usual contingent of advisors and bodyguards this is the aft deck Espen doesn't need to rent an exhibition hall he simply welcomes potential clients on board one of his yachts this one is called the silver fast when you sit here you can look out over the water boat shows give us a chance to show our know-how so we're very happy we could show this boat here today it's not always the case because the bigger the boats are the more private their owners are there's honest people don't really want to show them an affair also because it's their home box echoing Mizzell the owner of this yacht a German multi-millionaire wants to sell it so he asked Espen to put it on display here the silver fast is powered by two 3,600 horsepower diesel engines and can reach a top speed of 27 knots 50 kilometers an hour the original asking price for this yacht was about 80 million euros Espen says it was designed for a new generation of yacht owners for about 10 years now we've been designing boats that are more contemporary and that reflects that ship owners are getting younger these days it seems that a lot of people are getting rich more quickly the average age of yacht owners has dropped significantly 30 years ago when I got started in this business all the owners were at least 60 today our customers are more like 30 to 40 years old haunts haunts [Music] Espen continued to meet with potential customers well into the evening hi Misha I brought some friends with me Michele Bremen is the sales director at the world renowned luerssen shipyard in Bremen in northern Germany one of three mega yachts comes from this yard the company has established a solid reputation for the quality of its boats and for maintaining the privacy of its clients we've built I don't know how many boats together let's not tell everyone more than 20 I'm sure we need to talk this is business so no microphones you're wearing a mic how come you're taking off the mic we're talking business business Espen and Michele know that in this world discretion is key the Dubai International Boat Show is an annual event the world's leading shipyards engine manufacturers designers and decorators are represented here and that includes Sabrina Monteleone a she enjoys meeting new clients and old friends miss Edwina Nasir Ibrahim Al Rashid is a wealthy Saudi businessman and he owns one of the world's largest shots this gentleman owns the lady Moro which is usually docked at Monaco but I think it's at a German shipyard right now for refitting the lady Mura was launched in 1990 it's 105 meters long and cost over 200 million euros al-rashid has made his fortune in the saudi construction sector he also serves as an advisor to the royal family so you are boatless now we are missing the boat on the bay in Monaco it's very strange your boat is a part of a phonic of the port there is this time she's in 2013 monaco issued a postage stamp that featured the lady mora this morning Sabrina's waiting for another important client he's from Kuwait we can't find him he's out there somewhere I don't know what happened to him he's been going around in circles but I guess he'll get here eventually this customer visits me in Monaco all the time he heard that I was here so he wants to stop by and see me he's a very good customer but now he's lost he's been trying to find us for 90 minutes I can't figure it out after an hour the qat is finally located he's here with me now great Michelle found him perfect the man flew all the way from Kuwait to buy furniture from Sabrina she set up a showroom on one of the yachts everything you can see there are our items every thinking piece on this boat ok so you remember that you have the same at home and we send you something like this this kind of for sure we would sit in and we will see here's what we the client comes from one of Kuwait's wealthiest families he turns up every year and by his loads of stuff I ship it to him and then he sends me photos of all the new things he wants to buy now he wants to order some more he's a very nice man but he's disappeared again lady there is her client ended up placing an order worth more than two hundred thousand euros well worth the wait thank he also Betty he's a great customer he's always happy he sends me whatsapp photos of what he wants and if the customer is happy I'm happy Alex Jimenez isn't rich and he doesn't own a yacht and yet everyone here knows him pretty soon yeah absolutely hey how's it going good so you're the yacht guy staying busy busy show yes that's not you've been busy oh yeah we got oh I'm doing great yourself good essential requests this is they off good I know from Instagram is very famous [Music] alex is a social media star and goes by the name the yacht Connie born in Brooklyn he's turned his passion for these luxury boats into a profession and now has nearly a million followers on Instagram his photos and videos of yachts are popular with people who fantasize about living the good life brands and yacht companies pay him to post content promoting them so I'm here thanks to dibs Dubai International Boat Show who has brought me in all the way from Boston to come and bring exposure to the show I'm selling exposure I'm selling exposure the majority of the people that follow are probably dreamers right and probably young kids but there's if 1% of 1 million people were potential clients that's still a huge number so they actually this is how I earn my living this is exactly how I earn my living and it's not a bad living I mean it's it's great I mean how often you get to travel the world you know visit all these amazing places stay spend time onboard yachts and and get paid for it right now alex is meeting with Mahmoud attorney marketing and communications manager at an emirate yacht builder hey I've got to go on board and do my thing which boat do you want me to put bar to show on Facebook the hundred the 100 I haven't done them what's another hundred right and we are now live what's up everybody we are live from the Dubai International Boat Show so we are gonna take a tour on the majesty 100 it's one of their newest lines they just they just launched it and I am here with Mahmoud one of the big guys here he's gonna give us a tour and walk us to the boat right sound good let's do it I'll spin you guys around and we're gonna follow them up mood for a live 15 minute visit on instagram alex charges nearly three thousand euros on social networks you can check viewer numbers straightaway so charge your form it's charging do you want me to catch back up at you i want to go and do a whole full photo shoot of this boat and then i want to post it on facebook but then i'll catch me with you another laura all right perfect so now I get to do it all over again for Facebook so this is the probably sister thing so everybody thinks oh you got such a great life you know you're out there just hanging out I'm not I'll get on a boat and I have to spend time on the boat right so I have to go through and take photos for one social media thing and then I got to go through we take photos for the next social media thing so this is work Alex will probably never be as rich as the owners of the yachts that he photographs burn he loves his job so this is the lifestyle for the 1% not everybody can do this and if you're blessed enough to be able to do it well then you're blessed that's just it after sunset Dubai turns into a party zone and once again Alex was on the job well thank you they call me I'm Alex the Yak I supposed to be arriving today with two gasps oh good we're good to go thank you very much [Music] all right so we are here coming on board check it out stinks pretty crazy supposed to be one of the biggest party boats here in all of the UAE huge will take you around Ilona the owners Russian wife gave Alex a tour of the yacht called the Lotus it has room for up to 1,000 people and features a nightclub cinema and dining room we're on board Lotus it's gotta be the largest voyage in all of Dubai right yeah this one the biggest one in the world then yeah in the middle of the city these guys take party bars to another level the consumption of alcohol is forbidden in Dubai but the Lotus has a special permit [Music] one last selfie and Alex's working day came to an end he left the ship before it set off on a mini cruise back to Monaco where we found Bill dukkha as well as his sailing yacht Sybaris there's a special event scheduled for today at the local Yacht Club you guys didn't know I had paparazzi's vision bill transfers to a smaller boat to get to shore he paid nearly a million dollars for this craft arrived on the dock he was welcomed by an old acquaintance Bernard Alessandra the Yacht Club's manager nice to see you everything's good yeah hang up good I'm ready yeah this is the the Komondor of the Monaco Yacht Club no I'm not to come at all but there's new audiences secretary-general same thing I do you don't have to own a boat to join the Yacht Club but you do need to be sponsored by two members and able to afford the annual fees rumored to be approximately 9,000 euros the Monaco Yacht Club has only a few female members one of them is pilot referral an attorney from Milan this is the official presentation ceremony for her new sailing yacht called the ribbon reports say the boat cost around 30 million euros the rebel is about 32 meters long and was delivered by the manufacturer to the Yacht Club marina the hull and superstructure are made of lightweight carbon fiber which makes the ship perfect for competitive racing or vacation cruises bill is the boat's unofficial godfather who is the proud owner of this beauty this is all camera and tech Daniel as my friend told me it was quite a nice adventure but also in her adventure anyway we are here happy and proud Paola has invited friends from all over the world to the ship's inauguration and she takes a few of them on a guided tour let's go see your galley a lot of space down a key for wines the fridge for the day from sub-zero afterward bill invites Paula and some of her guests or cocktail party aboard the Sybaris sorry I'd love to give us needed to tour but maybe first it's important to start with a toast absolutely this little get-together gives bill another opportunity to show off his yacht the guests are impressed as bill knew there would be this is a street artist in New York called the running bill likes to talk about the real estate he owns york miami mostly they put an apartment in Rome now I'm resident in Miami Beach but I have a department in New York as well and I have a house upstate New York and then I have apartment in Rome after about an hour the party breaks up and the guests head back to shore Bill's yacht was delivered in 2016 after just six months he began daydreaming about a bigger one and put the Sybaris up for sale price tag some 19 million euros it's not unusual for the super-rich to arrive somewhere by helicopter this group of visitors is being flown to their yacht because it's tied up in a rather out-of-the-way location just off the west coast of Greenland near the city of Italy set thank you there are nine guests on board today an experienced crew is here to look after them the yacht is owned by yarn for Kirk a Dutch boat builder who also owns a charter cruise company the ship is called The Legend and is just under 78 meters long the legend is actually a converted icebreaker and yarns supervised most of its refitting work himself over a period of two and a half years the advantage of such an expedition yacht is that it allows access to hard-to-reach locations which are growing number of the ultra-wealthy are seeking out the former icebreaker now looks like a five-star hotel complete with a fireplace the legend has 13 cabins timeless styling and beautiful furnishings create an elegant and comfortable atmosphere on board the yacht also features impressive leisure and entertainment facilities yarn wants people to feel comfortable on board his yacht whether they're private guests or passengers who've signed up for a charter cruise simply to fill to feel home and the people come on board and I put the shoes out and they're gonna say twister feet on the couch that means I help and that's the whole idea friend I think has a perfect holiday and has a perfect time on about over the past 25 years yarn has owned several luxury yachts boats get bigger but it's obvious the boats are about four times bigger five times bigger even 120 140 meter so the whole scale is completely different down in the ship's hold there's a special piece of equipment a mini submarine that guests can use to explore the ocean depths one of the guest sons is receiving instructions turn it on to see yes good the young man in the cockpit is taking a certification test yarn flew in the instructor from the Netherlands to make sure he'll be safe it's completely different than the scuba diving just sitting inside and we're comfortable this is around two and a half million euros it takes six people to lift the mini-sub out of the hold and lower it into the water this Arbor is powered by six thrusters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 meters [Music] check please now today how do you read me diving can begin but there's not much to see the waters pretty murky yeah we're now at 5 meters accessibility is really really poor here [Music] this is a plant or just a rock the student pilot continues his test they will build up any pressure check a few pressure relief which one are there what pharmacy one and he's passed the test he's now certified to pilot a mini-sub back on the surface his parents surprised him with champagne to celebrate [Music] on the last day of the trip yarn has organized a special dinner on the deck the service manager marilyn is scrambling to get everything ready napkins water okay a lighter meanwhile the chef is prepared to deal with any spontaneous requests that yarn might have everything has to be perfect it's a real challenge for Marilyn but she's up to the job she's from South Africa and speaks four languages can we have a bread knife I'm coming to fetch it Germans Clemens Marilyn [Music] a bread nice Clemens Clemens Maryland the staff members talk to each other via radio but there's just one frequency and that can cause chaos we all talk on the same Channel right now people are just babbling away jet ski ship captain so you really have to keep it short a little more bro Fitz anything else the guests are already waiting in the lounge but there's no sign of the host we had planned to start dinner around 6:00 but the boss decided to go diving so we're just waiting around on standby the party won't start until Yann gets here he's the host and all his friends are here so they should all celebrate together after 30 minutes Marilyn finds out that yarn is on his way back to the yacht [Music] communication is the key when you hear we'll be there in two minutes everyone knows what to do the staff have to talk to each other so that we'll have towels ready for the boss and we can start the barbecue on time it's important for everyone to work as a team welcome back [Laughter] [Applause] time to start serving dinner and there was a lot of different foods to choose from it was the perfect way for yarn to wrap up his trip to the Arctic the guests are enjoying eating outside in the cold and having a barbecue in four degree weather that is absolute luxury yarn for cake has since sold the legend but you can still charter it for around five hundred thousand euros a week [Music]

Channel: DW Documentary

Views: 2,700,744

Rating: 4.6343942 out of 5

Keywords: Documentary, Documentaries, documentaries, DW documentary, DW documentary 2019, full documentary, documentary 2019, DW, super rich, luxury, yacht, mega yacht, billionaire, designer, money, rich, the yacht guy, private yacht, Monaco, Miami, Dubai, luxury yacht, expensive, luxurious, wealth, billionaires, rich and famous, VIP, luxury lifestyle

Id: qG0RLz1Y12I

Length: 42min 25sec (2545 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 02 2020