April Fool’s gag for a good cause
Russian superyachts are all the rage at the moment, especially for these seeking to attach the floating assets of Putin-linked oligarchs.
Which is why prospective superyacht-buyers may have been surprised to see a 140m “Oligarch Megayacht” advertised last week for just R10m, priced down from R100m.
And unlike the recent case of Summit One in Cape Town, this latest vessel really was worth around R100m – a bargain if ever there was one.
Sadly it was too good to be true. The advert was a clever April Fool’s gag by online retailer OneDayOnly, which poked fun at the current oligarch frenzy brought about by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The story was picked up by Bizcommunity.com.
The ad read: “It’s 140m long and jam-packed with the kind of luxuries only autocrats can dream of. If you’re not welcome in Europe, no problem, with a range of 7000 miles you can sail the world with 40 of your closest oligarch mates in this floating resort.”
“You could even host them for a ‘not an invasion or a war at all’ party (BOYB)” the advert read.
The ad also notified potential buyers that they could collect their vessel in Marina di Carrara in northern Tuscany “if you can find a morally-ambivalent crew”.
The cheeky prank was more than just a laugh, however; online shoppers were encouraged to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine by making a donation to NGO Gift of the Givers. “This is a gag deal in celebration of April Fool’s Day. Instead, by purchasing this deal, you will be making a donation to a good cause,” the ad stated.
Well done to OneDayOnly for a much-needed smile, and well done to Bizcommunity.com for sharing it on their platform. And bad luck to anybody who thought they’d stumbled onto the deal of a lifetime. Better luck next time.