With 113 Meters in Length, Double Helipads, Private Cinema, Spa, and Even a Land Rover on Board, Le Grand Bleu Became Famous After Rumors That Roman Abramovich Had Lost It in a Billion-Dollar Poker Bet.
In 2006, the world learned about one of the most talked-about stories among Russian billionaires. The luxurious yacht Le Grand Bleu, valued at US$ 125 million, gained media attention for a supposed unusual episode: it was allegedly lost in a poker game among friends.
The protagonist of the story was Roman Abramovich, then owner of Chelsea FC in the Premier League.
The yacht, measuring 113 meters in length, features seven cabins, spa, private cinema, beach club, circular swimming pool, and gym. The vessel also includes two helipads, a 20-meter tender yacht, a 22-meter sailboat, and even a Land Rover on board — a setup worthy of a floating resort.
-
Goodbye iron: new technology from Xiaomi promises to revolutionize the way we iron clothes with 500 kPa steam, continuous flow of 120 g/min, heating in 65 seconds, and six smart modes for different fabrics.
-
Rio Pardo, the most mysterious city in Rio Grande do Sul: untouched Pampas castle, the missing treasure of the Devil Boy, bride’s saint, invisible tunnels, and a 200-year curse today.
-
China retires the J-7 fighter after years of military protection and can now transform military items into drones, following more than 60 years of operation of the J-7, derived from the MiG-21, with thousands of units produced and strategic use in the PLAAF and PLANAF.
-
Volunteers are sought to live in the mountains for a month: a study pays people to stay at 2,500 meters, with 24-hour monitoring of sleep, metabolism, and blood pressure.
The Alleged Game Among Billionaires
According to reports released at the time, Abramovich had welcomed his friend Eugene Shvidler on board the Le Grand Bleu.
During a night of fun, they bet on cars, houses, and luxurious mansions. Close sources stated that Shvidler won a poker game in which the superyacht was at stake, becoming its new owner. Abramovich, however, denied the story, and no official confirmation has emerged about the truthfulness of the episode.
The Million-Dollar Exchange Between Art and Luxury
Years later, another nautical mystery caught the public’s attention. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, commissioned the superyacht Topaz in 2012, built by the German shipyard Lürssen Werft in Bremen. The vessel, measuring 147.25 meters in length, was valued at around US$ 450 million.
However, in 2019, the yacht was renamed “A+” with no record of sale or transfer of ownership. The curious detail is that, in 2017, Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud purchased the painting “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci for US$ 450.3 million, an amount equivalent to that of the yacht. Shortly thereafter, the prince gifted the painting to the United Arab Emirates, fueling rumors of a symbolic exchange between the artwork and the vessel — one of the most intriguing mysteries in the world of luxury.

Seja o primeiro a reagir!