Over the weekend, the sailing superyacht A, a.k.a. project White Pearl, had the first of her three cantilevered masts stepped in Germany.
The eight-deck (yes, eight-deck) A is being outfitted at a commercial shipyard, German Naval Yards in Kiel. Previously known as HDW Gaarden, German Naval Yards is the sister facility to Nobiskrug. In June, the three masts were delivered to the yard by their manufacturer, Magma Structures of the UK. Designed by Dykstra Naval Architects, the masts are said to be the tallest freestanding ones made of carbon fiber and composite. (We don’t doubt the claim, given how massive A is. Unfortunately, though, Magma Structures has not divulged their dimensions.) The masts weigh about 50 tons apiece and will rotate.
A project of A’s dimensions exceeds the infrastructure capabilities of many yacht yards. Take her LOA, for example. Previously, many of us in the media believed it be 482’3” (147 meters), but it’s actually 468’5” (142.81 meters). Meanwhile, her beam is equivalent to the length of some megayachts: 81’6” (24.88 meters). In turn, her volume will be impressive, to say the least, with gross tonnage in excess of 12,000.
Technically, A is considered a sail-assisted vessel, even in the Lloyd’s classification standard that she’s being built to achieve. She’ll run on diesel-electric propulsion, particularly for long distances. Cruise speed, for example, should be 16 knots under power. Regardless, the sail-assisted categorization makes her no less interesting to continue to watch. If you think about it further, nothing about A is typical. Not her styling, not her LOA. Even her hull material, steel, is unusual.
Then, of course, there’s her name. A is the same name as a motoryacht (an atypical one at that) belonging to the same owner, Andrey Melnichenko. Rumors have circulated for some time that the 43-year-old Russian billionaire commissioned this sailing yacht. He and his design team, which includes Philippe Starck, have officially confirmed it. We requested additional commentary from his representatives, but for now they have decided to just reveal the details presented here. They do, though, plan to continue providing information on sailing superyacht A as she nears completion.
Sea trials should start in the coming weeks. One news report claims the first trials will be done with the single mast in place. Stay tuned.
Leave a Reply