James Packer’s first day on his new $200m luxury yacht with girlfriend Kylie Lim
Billionaire James Packer, his girlfriend Kylie Lim and their dog have been spotted on his new $200m luxury yacht which is named after his children. SEE THE PHOTOS
The name is Packer, James Packer.
The billionaire has cashed in his casino chips and taken delivery of a $200 million yacht built in Tuscany.
His purchase was sealed with a kiss from girlfriend Kylie Lim. Their dog, which had its own supply of food and toilet training mats, came along too.
Mr Packer, who sold out of his Crown Resorts business for $1.76 billion in May, smiled as he sipped champagne and enjoyed lunch on the upper deck of his yacht.
He then walked around the boat, before catching a lift to the top deck and testing out a sun lounge for a few minutes before he escaped the 30 degree heat.
The IJE left Livorno port at 4.59pm Sydney time yesterday for an undisclosed port.
The 108-metre yacht has been named IJE, in honour of Mr Packer’s children Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle, whom he had with his former wife Erica Baxter.
The delivery came after Mr Packer flew into Tuscany to the port of Livorno, where it was built by the Benetti shipbuilders over six years.
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Proud workers who spoke to News Corp Australia said they had rushed to finish it in time for his daughter’s birthday.
“It’s named after his children, the daughter’s birthday is on Saturday,” he said in a translated interview (by photographer Ella Pellegrini) referring to Indigo, who turned 11 yesterday.
They also claimed that Mr Packer had two Rolls Royce cars delivered and parked in the hull, that there was a $160,000 chandelier inside and that the bathroom taps were made of gold.
The yacht held 130,000 litres of diesel, they added.
The price tag came with no expense spared; there was a hair dressing salon on board, a swimming pool and a spa.
The mogul, who has been recovering from health problems spoke to a group of 30 guests late on Friday local time, who were enjoying drinks on the boat ahead of its first voyage since Mr Packer, 51, took control of the vessel.
Later in the evening local time, or early morning yesterday Australian time, a woman arrived at the boat with luggage.
She was warmly welcomed and it appeared that there were preparations being made for the party to share a meal.
Ms Lim, 38, was seen later in the night, early yesterday Australian time, walking her dog again, but with a security guard as there were a few dozen people looking at the boat before it was due to leave.
News Corp watched as final preparations were made late into the night on Thursday local time (early Morning Friday Australian Time), with Sutherland furniture delivered and put into place almost on the stroke of midnight.
The work continued the next day with teams of workers polishing the ships deck and handrails, removing plastic protective coverings and cleaning windows.
A crane was used to bring some furniture across.
Gym equipment was later craned into the hull through its opening doors.
Shoes were not allowed and a pile of them were place on the gangway as workers furiously completed their tasks.
The captain, who arrived just before midday on Friday local time, was ordered to wear coverings over his shoes before he went aboard.
There were countless deliveries over two days, as champagne crates came in alongside flowers, sprite and what appeared to be orange soft drink in a nod to Fanta, the favourite drink of Mr Packer’s late father, Kerry.
Crates of Fiji bottled water were also delivered, along with sacks of vegetables and other food.
They had the loo covered, with giant packets of toilet paper also coming on board.
Workers groaned as they lifted on boxes of dog food and toilet training mats for the couple’s pet.
Mr Packer arrived after flying in from Corsica, France, where he had sailed on a rented boat, Mischief.
News Corp also saw a speed boat slip out of the hull, which had side doors that raised above sea level.
A Benetti boss declined to comment when approached on the Livorno dock about the delivery of the yacht, or its specifications.
Ms Lim was earlier seen taking the dog for a walk on the dock, in what appeared to be an attempt to toilet train it, while a staff member was given the job later in the day on Friday local time.
The couple has been together since they were first seen publicly together in Aspen in 2017.
She has been a calming influence on Mr Packer, who has been battling serious mental health issues.
He stood down from the board of Crown Resorts to look after his health in March last year (2018).
The new yacht for Mr Packer comes as one of the 19 Crown staff in China in 2016, which included three Australians, has spoken out about her ordeal.
Jenny Jiang has told 60 Minutes, in a program to air tonight, said she was devastated at the four weeks she spent in a Chinese prison because of her work at Crown.
Ms Jiang, who lives in China and now has a criminal record, said when she was arrested Crown treated its staff like a “used napkin you throw in the trash can.”
“Money is way more important than staff,” she told 60 Minutes.
Mr Packer’s lawyers told 60 Minutes that he was not a director at the time of the China arrests and only played a “passive role” at the company during that period.
China targeted Crown as part of a crackdown on gambling. The company and its staff were accused of trying to illegally lure high roller gamblers to Australia.
Gambling and it’s promotion are banned in mainland China, with punters funnelled to the island of Macau where it is legal.
Melbourne father of two Jason O’Connor was also among those arrested and was only released in 2017 after serving a 10 month sentence in jail in China.
A spokeswoman for Crown said they had no comment.
Mr Packer has been hitting the headlines for his personal life in recent years, with his Bondi street brawl with Nine boss David Gyngell in 2014, and his disastrous relationship with Mariah Carey dominating the news cycle.
He has previously said he was “terrified” of his debt levels at Crown and wondered whether he would go broke.
His company also faced headwinds when China cracked down on gaming, including the arrest of 19 of his staff there over gambling crime accusations.
Mr Packer was also cleared of any wrongdoing with his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He retains a 26 per cent share in Crown and will be taking a keen interest in the work on its $2.4 billion Barangaroo hotel and casino in Sydney, which is due to be completed in 2021.
Mr Packer has previously said that he did not want life in the fast lane any more like when he was rubbing shoulders with Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Di Caprio.
However, they might be calling him though and asking for a ride through the Mediterranean Sea over the European summer.
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