UPDATE, MAY 12, 2017: Right on schedule, Pink Gin VI slipped into salt water today. The all-carbon, silver-painted sloop awaits her mast stepping. Sea trials occur soon after that. Pink Gin VI then sees delivery later in the summer.
Read on for our original article.
You’d expect a sailing yacht’s maiden voyage to be on the water. Pink Gin VI still plans to do that. But, technically, her first “voyage” was via special trailers on paved roads. Baltic Yachts moved her from her build shed to her final fit-out shed within the past week, a not-so-easy task.
First of all, maneuvering a 176’8” (53.9-meter) sailing superyacht out of a construction shed takes hours of lifting, positioning, and then slow rolling. Add to that the challenge of the local roads. Pink Gin VI then had to travel 13 miles (21 kilometers) from Baltic Yachts’ location in Bosund, Finland to its waterside location in Jakobstad. Throw in some traffic lights and oh, yes, traffic circles. Did we mention the roads are narrow, too? Pink Gin VI has a beam of 31’3” (9.55 meters), which in combination with the trailers exceeds the paved perimeters. So, Baltic Yachts obtained permission to remove (temporarily, of course) some road signs. One railroad-track crossing and other encounters later, Pink Gin VI arrived in her final fit-out shed—after practically crawling along at 6 mph (10 kph).
The silver-hulled Pink Gin VI is notable for being the world’s largest all-carbon-fiber sloop. She’s further her owner’s sixth “Pink Gin,” and largest at that. Displacing 160 tons, she’s thoroughly modern in styling, which comes from Design Unlimited. Still awaiting her 223-foot-tall (67.9-meter-tall) mast, she has two fold-down balconies, quite unexpected for a sailing yacht. Naval architecture is by Judel/Vrolijk & Co. The two companies collaborated with the owner on the previous Pink Gin, too.
Design Unlimited further handled interior design on the owner’s prior yacht, and is doing so again this time. Guests will get to use one of the above-mentioned balconies, while the other benefits the master suite. The balconies are on opposite sides of the yacht, too. Furthermore, Pink Gin VI has a three-zone cockpit, separating relaxing from navigating. One of the zones, in fact, has direct service from the galley, for alfresco dining.
Pink Gin VI should launch on May 12, complete with her 71-ton lifting keel.
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