In front of you the 88 meter yacht Maltese Falcon (the Maltese Falcon) was a single technological class, and the second* length among sailing yachts in the world (third after launching in 2015, the 143-metre yacht “Sailing Yacht A” of Andrey Melnichenko). A dream, ready to become someone’s property for $ 100 million or to rent for 540 thousand dollars a week. Its value to a greater extent is unique DynaRig sailing rig, which has 15 direct sails automatically retract the mast. With just one button, the Maltese Falcon will raise its sails in 6 minutes.
Ideas vs. reality
The DynaRig concept was born in Germany in 1957 as an alternative driving force for merchant vessels before the face of the energy crisis, which at that time was expecting the whole of Europe. The author of the project was the engineer William Press.
He proposed a completely new idea of the direct sail armament in the form of a solid sail panel along the entire length of the mast with the exception of any gaps between the sails. The project involved semi-elliptical concave Rhea, which gave the masts kryvobrody profile and added aerodynamic effect. Sami mast was motionless, devoid of standing rigging. Running rigging, as well as all manual work on the masts, were also excluded. > The management of sails, by design engineer, became fully automated: they were removed by winding on a built-in mast drums. At least the teams and fuel.
The project aroused interest among the Industrialists and brought Pressu a good starting investment. To promote the idea of were opened from two firms in the USA and Denmark. As an “experimental vessel” was chosen as the bulk carrier (cargo ship to transport bulk cargo – approx. ed.) with a displacement of 17,000 tons. It was planned to install six-mast DynaRig. Work began on a large scale. The first results were more than promising. However, the most difficult of that time the technical part of the project required more financial investments, and, on the contrary, became less: the much anticipated energy crisis came not – the faith of investors in the engineering plan was failing.
Ten years later, a terrific idea William Prilissa was deposited in the archives indefinitely. And even when, on 17 October 1973 happened the largest ever energy crisis, dubbed the “oil embargo”, the sail still increased, there was no one who could believe in the project DynaRig. Only after more than half a century he had found his regenerators in the face of ambitious 70-year-old American millionaire Tom Perkins.
Falcon spreads its wings
In 2003, Thomas James Perkins, co-founder of venture Fund Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, gave the idea of William Prilissa second life and first showed the yachting world, what it means to go beyond reasonable. The cost for ordered project of a sailing super-yacht based on the DynaRig concept was about 150 million dollars (according to Forbes – approx. ed.).
So in 2006 by Turkish shipyard Yildiz Gemi, owned by Italian shipbuilding company Perini Navi, under the supervision of a team of engineers of the English company Insensys and the German company Gerard Dijkstra & Partners construction was completed on the 88-meter clipper Maltese Falcon is the only in its technological class and the second in length among sailing yachts in the world (first place is schooner Eos with Bermuda sail plan length 92,92 feet, built in 2006 by the order of media Mogul and billionaire Barry Diller at the German shipyard Lürssen – approx. ed.).
The design of the sailing system of the Maltese Falcon based on the DynaRig concept was directed by the engineer Damon Roberts. Development costs totaled about $ 80 million. Departing from the original idea, which was installed on the ship stationary masts with rotating rays who Roberts offered to make the mast, which can be freely rotated 180 degrees with the keel bearing and Rei – rigidly mounted, with a slope of 12%.
Each of the three masts of Maltese Falcon consists of 120 layers of carbon fabric with built-in it optical fibers to transmit information to more than 40 optical sensors. This system in real time transmit information about any critical loads from the sails to the bridge. As a material for making the most of the sails used dectron density 4 sailing oz (170 g/sqm), and top –only sailing 2 ounces (85 g/sq. m). However, as stated, due to the design of the masts, the sails on Maltese Falcon can easily withstand wind gusts up to 80 knots (40 m/s). The total area of rig of a yacht is 27 791 sq ft (2,400 sq m).
But the mast and sails are only part of the splendor and uniqueness of the Maltese Falcon. Installed on the sophisticated computer system will make it easy to manage the entire boat by one person. The time it takes the computer to raise or remove all yacht sails, is only 6 minutes. According to Tom Perkins, he wrote some codes for the main computer the Maltese Falcon.
Interior design yachts, designed by architect Ken Pravaham provides 11,000 square feet (3 352, 8 thous sq. m) of living space. Here with maximum comfort in a spacious five cabins on the lower deck and one VIP cabin on the upper deck accommodate 12 guests and four people subservient. In addition, the yacht provides space for 18 crew members, chefs and stewards.
In addition to various high-tech equipment that a yacht carries on Board a submarine for deep-sea divers (one of my favorite “toys” Tom Perkins – approx. ed.), two 32-foot and one 14-foot tenders, and four sailing boats.
The maximum speed of the Maltese Falcon under sail is 25 knots (46 km/h) cruise speed by two Deutz diesel engines 1800 HP at 1800 rpm 20 knots. Vibration and engine noise at these speeds is completely absent.
Proud bird in female hands
In 2009, the owner of the Maltese Falcon was Elena Ambrosiadou, founder and CEO of the Cyprus Fund Ikos. She became the first female winner of the super yachts in the world. The purchase price according to various reports, amounted to about $ 100 million.
The Maltese Falcon today is in excellent condition and literally does not know the word “simple”. In no time for cruises to the owner, the yacht is rented for 540 thousand dollars a week and, as they say, is having a bit of trouble with the queue for booking. Tenants – the global elite. Among the most frequent customers called Larry Gagosian, the collector and superdealer works of art, as well as Peter Stordalen, owner of the Scandinavian hotel chain Nordic Choice.
However, the Maltese Falcon is busy not only on business and leisure routes. Since 2006, each year he participates in regattas and exhibitions, and won many awards. 26 Sep 2013 the yacht received the first prize BACCARAT Superyacht World at the Monaco Boat Show and became the winner in nomination “the best 50 ever built super yacht”.
The company Perini Navi declares that it is working on a draft of the new 102-metre super-yacht with the same sail plan, which is in all respects a few steps ahead of the Maltese Falcon.
All the news Perini Navi to read
Perini Navi in ruYachts Catalogue: link
- © Photo-materials: Perini Navi
Constantine Kuhlow
Author ruYachts
Editor, co-founder of the portal ruYachts.com.
All articles/Write the author
What do you think?