without crew With or
U2 GUITARIST THE EDGE AND THE REASSURING RHYTHM OF THE SEA WORDS: TOM WESTERN
perennial charge for equality, for justice, for philanthropy and pursuit of fairness.
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Across his lyrics, through positive action and as a spokesman for social and economic change that puts socialism at its core, the U2 frontman has provided a defining voice for the ‘have nots’ for well over three decades.
With that in mind then, it’s somewhat incongruous to see the multimillionaire stepping off one of the most dynamic and domineering yachts you’d expect to see anywhere. In the Cyan, you have a vessel that cost the best part of $22million, and for that fee, it is unrelenting in its pursuit of providing comfort, luxury, a social base and, yes, even a mode of transport, to the wily and the wealthy who board her.
It all led Bono to cop a huge amount of criticism from the global press when the expense, wealth signalling and potential environmental damage of the yacht was juxtaposed against the sorts of campaigns the 59-year-old regularly fronted. Yet then, in a dramatic shift almost straight out of a U2 change of octave, it was revealed that the yacht didn’t belong to the frontman at all, but bandmate The Edge.
Real name David Howell Evans, The Edge is a guitarist of impeccable, chord-crushing talent who has been with U2 right from the start. His inclination for a beanie hat has provided him with a defining visual
icture Bono – or Paul Hewson to give him his proper, rather more conservative name – and an almost
image over the years, as has his rather peculiar name. It is said it originated from members of the Lypton Village surrealist street gang to which Bono belonged, and references the shape of Evans’s head.
Other theories involve a reference to his guitar-playing and a desire to stay peripheral from the main figures in the band. Either way, that mindset of remaining withdrawn from the flashbulbs has certainly patterned the musician’s time with the band across 14 studio albums, nine of which have hit the number one spot in the UK.
A yearning for calm and privacy also explains his decision to club in with a few friends in order to buy the yacht and, as you would expect, he was happy for his band-mate to take the flack! “Everyone always thought that my yacht was actually Bono’s, but he doesn’t know anything about water, boats or sailing!” says The Edge.
“It was one of those stories I was happy to let drift along for a good while and it did make me laugh to see some of the headlines that were coming out about him.
“In all honesty, Bono is used to getting praise and criticism in equal measure – he can handle it. He is someone who has a heart of gold, but despite that he tends to polarise opinion.”
The Edge’s investment certainly ended up paying back for Bono,
ONBOARD | WINTER 2020 | 29
who has borrowed – and subsequently been photographed on – the yacht a number of times over the years. “He definitely likes the feeling of hitting the waves, as we all do. That’s probably why he didn’t rush to refute the claims about who owned it,” he laughs.
“I always did wonder where the story that Bono had a boat came from – perhaps it was from the man himself. What is certain is the fact he would have mentioned it at least once if he had gone and spent millions on something!”
As for the true provenance of the vessel, the iconic guitarist picked it up back in 2008. After a few years deliberating over perhaps the ultimate rock star statement purchase, he insists he has never looked back since splashing out. “It was something I had always wanted to do and yes, you could say that it was something of a dream for me to own one. While I was so excited about the idea, my sea legs certainly didn’t stand up to the challenge and I needed a
Everyone always thought that my yacht was actually Bono’s.
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