U2 guitarist splashes out on £12m yacht
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
U2 guitarist The Edge has revealed how he has fulfilled a dream by buying a £12m luxury yacht.
It was recently claimed that Bono had splashed out a small fortune on the Cyan, a 140-foot yacht with six cabins and accommodation for 12 guests.
But Edge spoke out last night to the Irish Independent to put the record straight.
"It's not Bono's yacht at all, it's mine. Bono doesn't know a thing about boats," he said.
"For years it was a dream of mine to own a yacht, but to be honest, it was a bit out of my league. So myself and a few friends got together, chipped in, and bought the Cyan. I don't know where the story that Bono owns it came from."
And Edge's wife Morleigh Steinberg has spent the past few months in the south of France overseeing a total redesign of the yacht, which included a new paint job.
Edge added: "She's now been totally refurbished and we're really happy with her. Morleigh has totally overseen all the work onboard and it's great. So it's now a really hip ship!"
The Cyan has a long list of luxuries, including an on-deck jacuzzi, a state-of-the-art music system, a swimming platform, large dining area and a luxury bar. It was built in 1997 by Codesca Yachts and commanded a charter price of between e140,000 and e175,000, depending on how long it was being hired for.
Edge and Bono own a luxury villa beside the beach in Eze-sur-mer on the French Riviera, where neighbours include superstars Elton John, Tina Turner and Michael Flatley.
While Bono has often been snapped on the beach or entertaining friends during his annual break, Edge and his family are very rarely pictured on their holidays there.
Edge also owns a home in Killiney in south county Dublin, as well as a property near Malibu in America.
And the guitar ace, who recently starred in a documentary film with guitar greats Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Jack White of The White Stripes, is now dividing his time between enjoying the yacht and finishing the next album.
A spokeswoman for the band revealed: "There won't be much public activity from the band until next year. They're still perfecting the album, which won't be released until next year."
And she said that their office was receiving constant queries from fans and reporters alike over whether the band would play Croke Park, the Phoenix Park or the O2 venue as part of next year's world tour.
"The tour plans haven't been confirmed at all, but they certainly will be playing Dublin. It is their hometown after all," she added.
