Sail of the century
A true sea monster, the 468-foot (142m) Sailing Yacht A made its first pelagic prowl with sea tests off the German coast of Kiel a few weeks ago. Designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug, the three-mast monolith (with a beam greater than 24.6m) is the largest vessel in the world to be powered by sail, featuring the following:
• A steel hull with a composite superstructure
• Eight decks dressed in teak
• Three carbon-fibre masts, each about 91m in height
• More than 4,450 square metres of sail
• A propulsion system comprising two MTU 3,600 kW diesel engines and two 4,300 kW electric motors
• A cruising speed of 16 knots, top speed of 21 knots, and range of 8,512 nautical miles
• Capacity for a crew of 54
Commissioned by Russian tycoon Andrey Melnichenko for a reported price of approximately $318 million (RM1.34 billion), A is a follow-up to his 119m motor yacht of the same name. Melnichenko is expected to take delivery of his latest aquatic acquisition in the spring of 2017.
