Let’s talk about a billionaire

Let’s talk about a billionaire you might not know by name, but you definitely recognize if you live anywhere near the Bay of Banderas.

Dennis R. Washington is one of those low-profile American industry legends. Montana guy. Built a massive empire in mining, construction, rail, and marine operations. Net worth around seven to eight billion, but that’s not the headline.

What’s interesting is how he spends his money when he’s off the clock.

Because in the superyacht world, Dennis Washington doesn’t play like everyone else.

Most billionaires buy the newest, shiniest thing floating in Monaco and call it a day. Washington? He buys a great yacht with good bones, rips it down to the studs, and rebuilds it like a mad scientist who happens to own his own shipyards. It’s not about flexing. It’s about engineering, obsession, and making something already elite turn into a legend.

Attessa IV is the perfect example. This yacht used to be called Evergreen. When Washington bought it, he didn’t just freshen it up with new fabrics and fancier champagne glasses. He sent it into full surgery for almost four years. Picture a yacht disappearing into a shipyard and coming out as a completely different creature.

We’re talking more than 200 craftspeople and engineers working full time. New exterior. New interior. Hull extended. Bow and stern rebuilt. An extra deck added. She literally grew into a bigger, longer, taller yacht. That’s not a remodel. That’s a transformation.

And the details are wild in the best way.

He enclosed the sundeck and built a custom glass dome just to house a massive Dale Chihuly chandelier. Imagine designing part of a yacht around a single artwork because you love it that much. That’s a different level of taste and commitment.

Add in the cinema, spa, gym, helipad, and an owner’s suite that’s basically a floating penthouse, and you start to understand why yacht people still talk about this rebuild like it was a once-in-a-generation move. Not “nice refit.” More like “how is this even possible.”

Then there’s Attessa V, his newer masterpiece. About 95 meters of Blohm plus Voss craftsmanship, with interiors by Michael Leach, room for 24 guests, and the kind of layout that makes you feel like you’re walking through a luxury hotel that happens to be cruising the Pacific. She’s widely valued around 200 million, and yes, running a yacht like that costs serious money every year. In their world, annual ops are usually about ten to twenty percent of the yacht’s value, so you do the math and your eyes water a little.

Now here’s the part that makes this extra fun for us.

Attessa IV has been spotted in Puerto Vallarta and around the Bay of Banderas before. If you’ve ever been on the water and seen a massive, quietly elegant yacht sitting out there like it owns the horizon, there’s a decent chance you were looking at one of his. And I love that. Because PV isn’t just a stop on the map. It’s a place people like this choose when they want real coastline, real beauty, and a city that still knows how to live.

Why does Dennis Washington go viral every time one of these boats pops up? Because he’s not just wealthy. He’s a builder. A tinkerer. A guy who looks at something extraordinary and thinks, “Cool. Now let’s make it better.”

And honestly, I respect that so much. There’s something very satisfying about a person who doesn’t settle for brand new when he can create never seen before.

So next time you spot a giant white palace floating off our coastline, take a second to appreciate the story behind it. Some yachts are purchased. These were reinvented. And Dennis Washington is the reason they’re legends.

That is exactly why I love telling stories like this. Because whether it is a yacht or a home, the people who fall in love with Puerto Vallarta are not just buying a thing. They are buying a life. They are choosing the water, the sunsets, the energy of this bay, and the feeling you only get when you wake up here and realize you are exactly where you want to be.

So if spotting Attessa out in the bay makes you daydream a little, good. Let that be your reminder that PV is for big dreamers and smart buyers at every level. When you’re ready to turn the daydream into your own place here, I’m your guy. Will Hutt, Coldwell Banker La Costa, the PV Insider. Find me at @BeachPleasePVR on instagram and let’s go find your perfect spot in paradise.

Will Hutt

Coldwell Banker La Costa