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Steve Jobs' Apple yacht freed after family settles the bill

Philippe Starck gets his money's worth

Venus, the yacht that Steve Jobs planned but never got to sail in, has been freed by bailiffs after the settlement of an outstanding bill from co-designer Philippe Starck.

Steve Jobs yacht Venus

The good ship Venus at launch

The iconic French designer worked with his friend Jobs on the design of the 70m motor yacht, which is controlled via seven 27-inch iMac systems and has an angular design with floor-to-ceiling windows built into the hull. Jobs was still working out the final details of the fixtures and fittings with Starck and Jon Ive at the time of his death.

The yacht was launched in October, with the team that worked on the custom-build project receiving a specially engraved iPod from the Jobs family. Starck, however, had been promised nine per cent of the estimated €150m cost of the boat as a commission, but the Jobs family claimed that Venus had not been as expensive as first planned and disputed the charge.

After the yacht completed sea trials and arrived the Port of Amsterdam earlier this month, Dutch bailiffs boarded her and put Venus in chains until the legal dispute was settled. The impounding order has now been lifted and a settlement achieved on Christmas Eve, Le Monde reports.

"The Venus is not under arrest," said Gérard Moussault, the Dutch lawyer representing the Jobs family. "A solution has been found and a guarantee has been deposited in a bank account so that the boat can leave." He declined comment on the exact amount. ®

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