For years St. Bart’s has been the favorite destination of every celebrity during the holidays. This year too, the Caribbean island has seen an influx of famous people for the post-Christmas bash. Michael Jordan is one of those who enjoy throwing it back in sunny St. Bart’s clear waters. Like other billionaires, he arrived in style too.
Celebrity watchers spotted the MJ daysailer, Joy, anchored in the St. Barts shoreline signaling his presence. He’s not the only one around. Jeff Bezos, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Mets owner Steve Cohen, Jennifer Lopez, and also honorary Kardashian Scott Disick were spotted on the island.
Jordan and Joy are the big attractions of St Bart’s this year. The yacht is a 230-foot vessel worth $80 million. Although it falls short compared to Dreamworks titan, David Geffen’s $400 million monstrosity, it’s still impressive. Other than a 19-person crew, one of the highlights of this boat is the presence of a basketball court on the deck.
Contrary to popular assumption, it is not clear whether Jordan owns Joy. It is rumored that Indian billionaire, Sameer Gehlaut is the real owner of this yacht and he charters it to the likes of His Airness for a cool $840,000 a week. The yacht-lord had the interiors designed by Studio Indigo. It boasts a spa, its own club, trampolines, an elevator, a games deck, jacuzzi, gym, and more. Jordan owns two other yachts but when it comes to jetting off to Saint Barthelemy, he has a clear favorite.
Michael Jordan also frequently uses a more humble vessel named ‘Mr Terrible.’ It’s priced at $21 million and boasts a length of 154 feet. One of his vessels, ‘Catch 23,’ is a sportfishing yacht and its name is a play on the phrase “catch 22”, with 23 the number of his jersey during his NBA days. The Chicago Bulls legend entered his ‘Catch 23’ in the 32nd MidAtlantic fishing Tournament but fell short of first place and the prize money of 10 million dollars.
MJ’s Catch 23 lost out on $10 million dollars
Michael Jordan owns Catch 23 and uses sports fishing tournaments. It was designed by Viking Yachts in 2018 and its design was influenced by MJ’s Air Jordan 3 sneakers. This year, Jordan was spotted with Catch 23 at the White Marlin Open in Maryland. MJ’s team caught a 75-pound behemoth but failed to win this tournament as they finished third netting a $462,318 prize. The amount isn’t even half of what it costs to operate and maintain Catch 23. The $8 million sports yacht reportedly needs $1 million annually to maintain its power, speed, and luxury.
This was a challenging year for Jordan as his NASCAR team, 23XI dropped in the ranks and he’s also completing his $3 billion exit from the Charlotte Hornets ownership group.