Mossel Bay Advertiser

The World mega yacht in Mossel Bay

- Linda Sparg

The largest privately-owned residentia­l mega yacht on the planet, called The World, dropped anchor in Mossel Bay at about 19:00 on Monday, 4 March.

The yacht remained far out in the bay that evening, as high winds and rain whipped up the sea.

But it neared the coast in the morning on Tuesday which was a blustery, rainy day.

Wednesday dawned sunny and clear for the passengers to enjoy all the Mossel Bay area has to offer. The World spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the bay, leaving for Durban on Wednesday afternoon.

Many photograph­ers shared photograph­s of the vessel on social media.

Excursions

Mossel Bay Advertiser enquired to Mossel Bay Tourism as to what type of official welcome it had planned for The World and which types of excursions the passengers would undertake. A tourism office spokespers­on said that for security reasons, she could not divulge these details.

Also, the London public relations company which does media liaison for The World was vague about the details of the passengers' plans and the date of the arrival of The World, for security reasons, it noted.

Apartments on The World cost millions of rands and are owned by the mega rich.

Mossel Bay is one of only three ports the ultraluxur­ious yacht is visiting in South Africa this year. The other two are Cape Town and Durban. The World arrived in Mossel Bay from Cape Town. It had docked at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

Exact dates

For security reasons, exact dates are not provided for The World's port stopovers. The vessel is spending almost two weeks in South African waters.

The World has 165 homes on board and on average 200 residents and guests.

Speaking about the stopover in Mossel Bay, the public relations spokespers­on for The World said: "Residents and guests will use this opportunit­y to explore the town and local beaches, learn more about the history of Mossel Bay, play golf at the Mossel Bay Golf Club, visit a game reserve, and enjoy a mussel and wine pairing."

A press release noted that snorkellin­g in Mossel Bay was also a popular activity for residents.

Norwegian Dawn

Also, the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship arrived in the bay on Wednesday morning, with several passengers disembarki­ng to enjoy exploring town, so there were two stately cruise ships in the bay. The Norwegian Dawn has visited Mossel Bay previously, this cruise season.

 ?? ?? Amid the rain and wind, there was a rainbow over Santos Beach on Tuesday.
Amid the rain and wind, there was a rainbow over Santos Beach on Tuesday.
 ?? ?? A seagull went to greet the Norwegian Dawn on Wednesday.
A seagull went to greet the Norwegian Dawn on Wednesday.
 ?? ?? The World. Photos: Johan Swanepoel
The World. Photos: Johan Swanepoel

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