THE COLD WINTER OF THE UGLIEST SAILING YACHT IN THE WORLD

We had already talked about her on the occasion of her first technical launch and we had defined her the biggest and ugliest yacht in the world. A definition largely shared by our readers. Now, A is back in news for a bloop where she’s the major player . She has in fact got stuck in the Baltic Sea ( in Nobiskrug, Germany) where she was passing the final works before the definitive launch, scheduled in early 2017.

The Russian mega yacht has, in fact, a 10-metre draught (yes, 10 metres!) and her masts are 90 metres high. This is why she can’t get under Oresund Bridge and Great Belt neither cross channel Drogen. In short, A is condemned to pass a long cold winter.

A is owned by the Russian billionaire Igorevich Melnichenko: 142 metres long, 90 metres high, 8 decks and a total price of 400 milion euros. These are the crazy numbers of Sailing Yacht A, called this way in order to be the first boat on all registers.

Designed by Philippe Starck and built in Germany, A is the worth heir of Motor Yacht A, the controversial motor yacht launched in 2008 and owned by the same Russian fat cat.

Fitting out and keel are designed by the Dutch Studio Dykstra Naval Architects while the English studio Magma Structures has conceived the carbon masts.

The yacht was built with high-quality materials: carbonfibre mast, aluminium hull with carbonfibre elements, teak decks and bulletproof glasses. The keel is provided with one of the biggest curved glass sheet never built, with a 18-square-metre surface: an excellent underwater observation point.

“A” is equipped with a steerable propeller and two hybrid-diesel engines which ensure a maximum speed of 21 knots. The captain can control the yacht directly from the bridge thanks to a black touch-screen glass sheet, while a helicopter pad is located on one of the 8 teak decks. A can receive 20 passengers and 54 crew members.