Media mogul David Geffen’s gigayacht turns heads in Portland

It has played host to countless A-listers, voyaged all over the world, and served as inspiration for a classic “Schitt’s Creek” bit.

And this week, David Geffen’s massive yacht “Rising Sun” made its way to Maine, where the $400 million vessel has been turning heads and drawing curious onlookers.

The 82-room yacht docked in Portland Monday night and quickly became the talk of the town, the Portland Press Herald reported. 

“It’s friggin’ big,” Owen Dionne, a deckhand at Portland Discovery Land Sea and Tours, told the newspaper.

“It’s just unbelievable to see a private yacht that big,” Portland Discovery manager Jack Coggeshall added.

Geffen is a legendary media mogul who co-founded DreamWorks Animation and has worked with hundreds of big-name musical artists, ranging from John Lennon to the Eagles and Joni Mitchell. Forbes estimates his net worth at $7.6 billion, though Bloomberg puts him at $9.14 billion. Both estimates, however, place him within the top 300 wealthiest people in the world. 

In recent years, Geffen’s yacht has drawn almost as much media attention as the billionaire himself. Originally built for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison in 2004, the yacht features multiple swimming pools, as well as a gym, spa, beauty salon, movie theater, wine cellar, and basketball court, according to the Robb Report, a luxury-lifestyle magazine.

The vessel, which has its own Wikipedia page, can reportedly accommodate 18 guests at a time, plus up to 46 crew members. At 138 meters, or 454 feet, the yacht stretches into “gigayacht” territory, a category unofficially reserved for some of the biggest status symbols.

“There is no standard definition of what a gigayacht is,” SuperYacht World editor Paul Ashton told CNN in 2011. “A gigayacht I would say is anything that is over 220 feet (67 meters) where the majority of the yacht is customized and bespoke.”

While “Rising Sun” has caused a stir in Maine this week, it’s not the yacht’s first time in New England; the vessel has also been spotted in Provincetown and Block Island. 

In 2020, Geffen faced controversy after a “tone deaf” Instagram post about isolating on “Rising Sun” in the Caribbean during the early days of the pandemic, according to The Guardian. 

“Isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus. I’m hoping everybody is staying safe,” he reportedly captioned the picture-perfect photos.

Geffen has also hosted a wide range of celebrities on his yacht over the years — Jeff Bezos has spent time onboard, as have Oprah, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Karlie Kloss, and a host of other celebs. 

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have also been spotted on board. 

And then, of course, there’s Alexis Rose from “Schitt’s Creek.”

“Do I have to remind you of the time that I was taken hostage on David Geffen’s yacht by Somali pirates for a week and nobody answered my texts?” the fictional socialite asks in one memorable clip. 

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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