Dallas billionaire Jerry Jones isn’t the only wealthy Texan who belongs to the yacht club. Others from the Lone Star State are in the same luxury boat — including one very wealthy Austinite.
The Cowboys owner recently coughed up an estimated $250 million for a 357-foot superyacht — nearly as long as a football field. Jones’ vessel, Bravo Eugenia, appears to be the most valuable yacht owned by a Texas resident, research shows. In fact, Bravo Eugenia now easily ranks among the most expensive yachts in the world.
Despite the stratospheric value of Jones’ boat, it’s definitely not the only yacht making waves among Texas’ rich and famous. Here’s a look at super swanky yachts owned by six of Jones’ wealthy counterparts in the Lone Star State.
Note: Our findings are based on various media reports. It's unclear whether some of these yachts remain anchored at the docks of the listed owners, but no reports could be found that indicate they’ve sailed away to someone new.
John Paul DeJoria
Austin billionaire, hair care baron, tequila tycoon, owner of high-end boat maker
Yacht:Pryat (named after owner’s ultra-premium Caribbean rum brand)
Estimated value: Not available
Length: 60 feet
Amenities: Viking range in the kitchen, heated towel racks in the master bathroom, “more oiled mahogany than a lumberyard.”
Description: Pryat is a “sleek and regal plaything.”
Quotable: Asked in 2016 about his massive fortune, DeJoria shot back: “You mean, ‘Why aren’t you sitting on a 300-foot yacht right now?’ Because I have no need for that. This is the coolest boat.”
Noteworthy: Another vessel associated with DeJoria — the M/V John Paul DeJoria (an anti-poaching boat operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society) — was the first ship to ever be christened with a bottle of Patrón tequila.
Carl Allen
Dallas millionaire, trash-bag magnate, private investor, environmental warrior
Yacht:Gigi (named after owner’s wife)
Estimated value: $40 million (yacht only)
Length: 164 feet
Amenities: Six guest cabins, two outdoor bars, port-side balcony, Jacuzzi, elevator. Other craft in Allen’s fleet are an Icon A5 seaplane; the 180-foot support vessel Axis, complete with a deep fryer and smoker grill; a 52-foot powerboat, Frigate; and a Triton deep-sea submersible submarine.
Description: The design of the yacht provides “an interior with [a] somewhat traditional yet crisp style, while [the] slightly contemporary exterior features create an impressive, exclusive resort appeal on all decks.”
Quotable: “Gigi is a true note of sophistication in yachting.”
Noteworthy: When not in use, Allen’s yacht and the rest of his armada are kept at Walker’s Cay, a Bahamian island that he purchased in 2018. Gigi can be chartered for around $225,000 a week.
Doug Barnes
Dallas millionaire, founder and owner of Eyemart Express eyewear chain
Yacht:Azzurra II (formerly Neninka II)
Estimated value:$20 million
Length: 156 feet
Amenities: Five guest cabins, including master suite with 21 large windows and private sundeck; six-person Jacuzzi; gym; gas grill; outdoor theater; 10-seat formal dining area
Description:Azzurra II is “a modern and luxuriously appointed superyacht.”
Quotable: “Azzurra II is kept in meticulous condition by her [owner] and has been continuously upgraded.”
Noteworthy:Azzurra II can be chartered for an estimated $181,500 per week (low season) or an estimated $210,000 per week (high season), plus expenses. The yacht is a certified dive boat.
Charles Butt
San Antonio billionaire, chairman and CEO of family-owned H-E-B grocery chain
Yacht:Rebecca
Estimated value:$15 million
Length: 139 feet
Amenities: Cabins with room for about a dozen guests and crew members
Description:Rebecca is said to be “one of the finest-looking modern sailing yachts in the world.”
Quotable: The yacht is “certainly everything and more than I ever dreamed of when I started the project,” Butt says. “I appreciate greatly the time and painstaking care … put into creating Rebecca.”
Noteworthy: With Rebecca, Butt sought to “combine all of the best elements of yachts from the mid-19th century to the modern day, in a stylish, eye-catching yacht which would give high performance under sail.”
Rod Lewis
San Antonio billionaire, oil and gas mogul
Yacht:M5 (formerly Mirabella V)
Estimated value: More than $50 million
Length: 247 feet
Amenities: Master suite, six guest cabins, two helipads, Carbon Cub lightweight seaplane, gym, sauna, Jacuzzi, movie theater, 20-seat dining room, barbecue area, saloon, swimming platform, “dip” pool, spa pool, array of water toys
Description: Largest single-mast yacht ever built
Quotable: The 292-foot mast is so tall that “the yacht can’t fit under the Golden Gate Bridge or through the Panama Canal.”
Noteworthy: Joseph Vittoria, former chairman and CEO of the Avis rental car company, previously owned the yacht.
Tilman Fertitta
Houston billionaire, owner of restaurant and entertainment company Landry’s and NBA’s Houston Rockets
Yacht: Boardwalk (named after owner’s Kemah Boardwalk)
Estimated value:$40 million
Length: 163 feet
Amenities: 12 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, chef’s kitchen, helipad, assortment of water toys
Description: The yacht “reflects a mix of spaces meant for grown-up fun and family-friendly gatherings.”
Quotable: Asked whether his jet is his favorite “toy,” Fertitta said in 2018: “The jet’s really not a toy. That’s just a way to get somewhere. The Rockets aren’t a toy, either. It’s big business that I paid $2 billion for! I guess I’ll say my yacht. I like it a lot. I’m on my fifth one and building my sixth one.”
Noteworthy: While growing up in Galveston, Fertitta dreamed of owning a yacht.
Jerry Jones is making waves with his recent purchase of the Bravo Eugenia.
