Russian Mogul's Yacht Headed to SF Bay

By: Elizabeth Lesly Stevens

Looking like something out of a Bond film, the 392-foot "mega yacht" owned by thirtysomething Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko is powering its way up the California coast, heading to San Francisco. The yacht, christened simply "A," recently left San Diego, NBC Bay Area reported last night. 

The Philippe Starck-designed behemoth, with 23,600 square feet of living space, was built in 2008 for $300 million, the Wall Street Journal's Thomas Frank wrote after he toured the boat in April. Its unusual submarine shape has made it "the most talked-about yacht on the seas," Frank wrote. 

The "A" has three swimming pools, a helipad, three 30-foot speedboats, lots of mirrors and white upholstery, and two full-time laundresses. There is a "secret white-padded room hidden behind two glass panels that the crew has dubbed the 'nookie room,'" the WSJ reported. The master suite features bomb-proof glass and a bed on a platform that rotates 360 degrees.