What really happens on superyachts

[Bloomberg]( Superyachts have always been the cosset-yourself-from-the-world choice for the world’s elite, even before the pandemic. And especially now. “The market’s been roaring,” says Sam Tucker, head of superyacht research at VesselsValue in London. “Second-hand sales are red-hot, and it’s impossible to get a slot in a build yard.” All aboard! Illustration: Cynthia Kittler Charters are through the roof, too. “Our year-on-year business is up over 340% from 2020 up to now,” says Patrick Curley, co-founder of brokerage firm [YachtLife Technologies](.The company has been fielding so many requests, it’s started offering membership services that give priority to repeat renters. Privacy doesn’t exist. Watching a yacht’s cameras can be like blooper TV. Illustration: Cynthia Kittler Which may you have wondering: just what happens on these multimillion-dollar pleasure craft? Perhaps because of [David Geffen’s gaffe]( last spring, the seafaring rich have been more discreet these days, especially as the wealth gap widens further. (See: Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man on earth [and in space](, building a [$500 million-plus]( gigayacht.) Stocking the fridge is a seven-person job. And then you have to account for pets. Illustration: Cynthia Kittler Luckily we have an in: our undercover reporter Brandon Presser [snagged a job]( aboard the 146-foot M/Y Bella (“M/Y” for motor yacht)—a pristine, semicustom, six-cabin, four-deck vessel with a skylight and floating tub in its owner’s suite. Is the fantasy of beachside bottle service and sailing to more than a dozen countries a year while attending to deep-pocketed glitterati true? Sort of. For every moment sunning in St-Tropez—and acting as a human clothes rack on seven-figure shopping sprees—there’s also days-long deep cleanings with Q-tips that give new meaning to swab the deck. If you thought life was always glam aboard a superyacht, here’s proof that it’s super-not: [Wild Superyacht Secrets I Learned When I Became a Deckhand](. Yacht owners lose going in and going out. But then again where else will you stash your Picasso and Fabergé eggs? Illustration: Cynthia Kittler  More Secrets of the Superrich The bad behavior and nickel-and-diming that occurs at the tippy top of the travel scale [Things I Never Knew About Skiing Until I Was a Private Instructor in Aspen]( Slopeside shenanigans, gallons of sprayed Champagne, celebrities behaving badly, and… ski gangs? It’s all in a day’s work at Aspen. [12 Eye-Opening Lessons From Working as a Butler at the Plaza Hotel]( You'll never look at hotel staff the same way again. [Eight Shocking Truths I Learned While Working on Private Jets]( From comforting naked celebrities to cleaning up after pet (and human) accidents, nothing is surprising among those who fly privately for a living. [Ten Things I Never Knew About Las Vegas Until I Ran a High-Roller Suite]( A stint managing premier client relations at the Cosmopolitan revealed secrets that probably should stay in Vegas. Oh well. [Bizarre Rich-People Secrets I Learned Undercover at Canyon Ranch Spa]( Yes, guests lie about being allergic to gluten. No, you can’t take 10 years off your face just by resting. That’s Botox. Let the Games Begin! The 2020 Summer Olympics are finally here… in 2021. [With few spectators](. [A raging pandemic](. [Scandal and controversy](. [And many, many questions](. But hey, if there’s ever a time for a good ol’ global kumbaya moment, this is it. Here’s how you can keep up. Naomi Osaka of Team Japan lights the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 23. Photographer: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images AsiaPac Do you want the news and all the news? Subscribe to email alerts for our [dedicated Olympics Storythread](. You can even [peek into the Athletes’ Village](. Do you only care about your country’s bragging rights? Here’s our handy [Tokyo Summer Olympics Medal Tracker](, nation by nation, updated continuously from now until the games conclude Aug. 8.  Where to watch in the U.S.? Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal will air 7,000 hours of Olympics events from July 23 to Aug. 8 across its two broadcast channels, six cable channels and digital platforms. For the first time, NBC will also show the games on its streaming service, [Peacock](. A full schedule of when each event is taking place can be found at [NBCOlympics.com](. Elsewhere in the world? The IOC negotiates television rights market by market, so check a local news source for your best options. The Olympic Rings on view in Tokyo. Photographer: Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images  Sponsored Content [Pavilion AÂ](at the [Woolworth Tower Residences]( offers the perfect blend of Tribeca loft and historic Penthouse. This sprawling 6,711 sqft residence offers 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, 2,770 sqft of outdoor space and a 52 ft. long great room. With 6 skylights, 22 ft. ceilings and a duplex terrace, there is no shortage of natural light throughout this one of a kind home. [Offered at $25.95M]( The Woolworth Tower Residences In Other News [New York Now Has Better Indian Food Than London]( [Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S Review: A Supercar With Creature Comforts]( [Why Hasn’t Climate Change Put a Dent in Luxury Real Estate?]( [Dance Documentary on Alvin Ailey Can’t Quite Turn Myth Into Man]( [Patek Philippe Has Seven New Aquanaut Watches. Here’s What to Know]( [Travel Nightmares May Scrub Your August Vacation Plans]( Perfectly Imperfect Until the early 1900s, pearls were discovered only by chance in oysters, making any pearl exceedingly rare and valuable, typically reserved for royalty and nobility. When Japanese jewelry company K. Mikimoto & Co. made cultured pearls accessible to the masses, perfection was emphasized: completely round, smooth, unblemished gems with just the right color. [But like teeth](, perfectly imperfect pearls are back en vogue. Gems can come in many colors, whether pure white to vivid gold or deep charcoal, and in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Here are the [five types of pearls to know](. Mish, a New York designer, made this triple-wrap strand necklace from Tahitian baroque pearls in shades from silver to almost black, with an 18-karat yellow gold clasp. $68,600 Photographer: Sarah Anne Ward for Bloomberg Businessweek Baroque pearls were once desirable—any pearl was valuable—but after the invention of perfectly round cultured options, they were deemed inferior and destroyed. Baroques can come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Mikimoto’s Lace necklace of 7.5mm-by-3mm cultured Akoya pearls offsets their rosy sheen with 18-karat white gold and 4.05 carats of diamonds. $60,000 Photographer: Sarah Anne Ward for Bloomberg Businessweek Named after the varietal of oyster they’re farmed in, Akoya pearls have a very high luster and are typically white, with pink overtones that distinguish them from other pearls. They’re also smaller, ranging from 2 millimeters to 11mm. This Verdura X bracelet has 7.94 carats of diamond and 10 twisted strands of beaded Biwa pearls in colors that can fluctuate between eggplant and charcoal. $73,500 Photographer: Sarah Anne Ward for Bloomberg Businessweek Having been created in mussels, not oysters, freshwater Biwa pearls are a protected product from a Japanese lake of the same name. They have a range of unique colors. Maker Assael is noted for unexpected pairings of its top-quality gems. Three strands are joined by a clasp set with 0.85 carat of fancy yellow diamond and turquoise, which has golden veins that highlight the overall warmth of the 18-karat yellow gold necklace. $98,000 Photographer: Sarah Anne Ward for Bloomberg Businessweek Harvested from the warmer waters of Indonesia and the Philippines, golden South Sea pearls vary from a pale Champagne color to a rich gold and have a soft luster.  The best Melo Melo pearls have a porcelain-like finish and a remarkable flame pattern. This one, set in 18-karat yellow gold from Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Book Colors of Nature high-jewelry collection, is more than 95 carats. Price on request Photographer: Sarah Anne Ward for Bloomberg Businessweek Unlike most on the market today, Melo Melo pearls can’t be cultured and are found by chance in a southern Asian sea snail, making them the rarest of all. They take decades to grow and can reach rather large sizes because of the unique shape of the snail’s shell—the biggest ever found weighed almost 400 carats. And if you read just one thing... [How to Give a Modernist Icon a Makeover]( Hiroshi Sugimoto’s renovation of the Hirshhorn Museum’s sculpture garden will bring the Japanese designer’s touch to a space long acclaimed as a modernist landmark. Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Like getting the Pursuits newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access]( to trusted, data-driven journalism and gain expert analysis from exclusive subscriber-only newsletters. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Pursuits newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022