The locals don’t call her “The Big One” for nothin’: the 67.2-meter (220-foot) Vertigo slipped into the water at Alloy Yachts last week. Not only is she the shipyard’s largest project to date, but also she’s the biggest sailing yacht ever constructed in the Southern Hemisphere.
Interesting enough, Alloy Yachts holds the previous record for the largest sailing yacht built in the region. That honor goes to Kokomo, coming in at 58.4 meters (192 feet).
Construction started on the ketch-rigged Vertigo, originally referred to as project AY41, in October 2008. Besides the megayacht’s sheer size, there are a few other notable aspects. For one, she’ll be voluminous, at 837 gross registered tons. Sail area will measure 5,330 square meters (57,372 square feet), and beam is 12.53 meters (41 feet). She’s expected to be capable of 20-knot speeds when the sails are unfurled. And if you look closely at her bow in the launch photo above and the rendering below, of what she’ll look like upon completion, you’ll see an essentially vertical bow, from naval architect Philippe Briand. To keep the teak decks and profile clean, two tenders will be stowed forward beneath hatches.
The owner tapped Christian Liaigre to create an “urban at sea” interior design, emphasizing light tones rather than the wall-to-wall dark, rich woods that have been so prevalent in recent years. Liaigre is renowned for using white and light tones to contrast with black and deep-tone accents. Judging by the abundance of windows along both sides, the saloon, on-deck master, and other areas will benefit from plenty of natural light. So should the four guest staterooms below decks. (On a side note, Liaigre may be better known for his high-end home and hotel furnishings and overall decors, but he has also designed yachts previously, notably the Perini Navi-built Rosehearty.)
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