Back in the water
MICROSOFT cofounder Paul Allen is cruising around on his 414foot megayacht Octopus, just weeks after his other megayacht, the 300foot Tatoosh, accidentally destroyed a large area of coral in the Cayman Islands. Octopus, which according to reports was bought for $200 million in 2003 and costs $20 million a year to operate, was spotted sailing the waters of the Maldives this week near the island Thulusdhoo. Sources tell us that the billionaire has friends on board and will be cruising around the Indian Ocean and to Vietnam. The yacht has a pool on the upper deck, plus two helicopter pads and two submarines. Prominent philanthropist Allen, who donates large sums of money for ocean conservation, has allowed researchers to use his ship for operations including studying species thought to be extinct, and for rescue missions. Allen has funded a number of projects to protect coral, but unfortunately, recently added to the problem of its destruction. The $162 million Tatoosh wiped out 80 percent of a 13,800squarefoot area of coral reef in the Cayman Islands on Jan. 14. The incident is still currently under investigation and the billionaire faces a fine and possibly having his precious yacht confiscated. Allen’s firm, Vulcan Inc., stated that they were “directed by the local Port Authority, [to anchor in that area]” and “are cooperatively working with local authorities.” They chose not to comment on the whereabouts of Octopus, but did again stress Allen’s support for ocean conservation.