Billionaire lived on superyacht to avoid land taxes

Charles Simonyi, the Microsoft engineer behind Word and Excel, commissioned the 233-foot superyacht Skat in the 1990s, delivered in 2002.

Simonyi lived on Skat for up to six months each year to avoid paying property taxes on land in California and New York.

Skat was built by German shipyard Lürssen and designed by Espen Øino with a steel, military-style appearance.

Simonyi used the yacht as a traveling home and office, docking in cities like Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm.