The end of the year is often a time of reflection. With six days ‘til the start of 2018, we decided to take a look back at the biggest megayacht deliveries of 2017. If you’re an avid yacht watcher, you’ll remember at least a few of these quite well. What you may be surprised by, though, is the disparity in sizes. The difference between the yachts ranked #1 and #6 is astounding: about 145 feet (44 meters).
1. Sailing Yacht A. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve read about Sailing Yacht A (below). You may even be among those who’ve seen her in person. Humongous, enormous, ginormous: the list of suitable adjectives for Sailing Yacht A goes on and on (and on). Measuring 468’5” (142.81 meters), she’s not just one of the biggest megayacht deliveries of 2017; she’s among the largest deliveries of all time. In fact, she’s within the top 10 biggest boats to date. Yacht watchers went nuts this summer when Sailing Yacht A appeared with her sibling, the equally distinctive and unusual-looking Motor Yacht A. Naturally, they share an owner: 45-year-old Andrey Melnichenko, who has holdings in coal and fertilizer.
PHOTO: Feliz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
2. Al Lusail. One of two megayachts on our list from Lürssen, Al Lusail comes in at 403’5” (123 meters). Similar to several super-size superyachts, she carried a code name during construction: Project Jupiter. While the owner’s identity is not confirmed, most yachting media and yacht watchers believe him to be Qatari royalty, due to the flag of Qatar adorning the yacht. What is confirmed, however, includes a central atrium topped by a skylight. In addition, H2 Yacht Design penned her exterior lines. Furthermore, she has an eclectic interior decor featuring nautical elements, by March & White. Unfortunately the owner hasn’t permitted release of interior photos. However, you can see plenty exterior angles in the video farther down this page.
3. Jubilee. A new owner (or set of owners) awaits Jubilee (top). While her asking price is not public, some guesstimate it’s in excess of $300 million. Coming in at 361’2” (110.1 meters), Jubilee catches your eye with her metallic-blue, curving superstructure. Lobanov Design incorporated some faux decks within that structure, too. Inside, she accommodates 30 guests, 20 of whom can stay in 10 staterooms on the main deck. Even more noteworthy, though, is the aquarium in the beach club. It nestles into the pool one deck above. Besides being one of the biggest megayacht deliveries of 2017, Jubilee is Oceanco’s largest delivery of the year.
Posted by Al Lusail – Yacht on Friday, September 1, 2017
4. Black Pearl. While at press time, Black Pearl was not officially delivered, her hand over was expected prior to year’s end. Therefore, we’re including her. She’s the second Oceanco on our list, and at 350 feet (106.7 meters) officially the world’s largest sailing yacht. (Despite Sailing Yacht A’s name and appearance, she’s technically a sail-assisted vessel. She relies on diesel engines primarily.) As for Black Pearl, solar panels play a large role onboard. Her overall design comes from a powerhouse combination of Dykstra Naval Architects, Ken Freivokh Design, Nuvolari-Lenard, and the owner.
5. Amadea. Known during construction as the secretive Project Mistral, Amadea marked a busy year for Lürssen. The German builder unfortunately cannot say much about the yacht, other than that styling comes from Espen Øino. In addition, according to the yard, the owner has “a fleet of other yachts.” On a separate note, while some media reports have her LOA at 341’2” (104 meters), AIS data puts her at 347’8” (106 meters).
Aviva. It may seem crazy that a yacht measuring 322’8” (98.4-meter) is the “smallest” on our list of the biggest megayacht deliveries of 2017. That makes her no less impressive. She’s certainly head-turning, due to a sky-blue paint job accentuating her Reymond Langton Design styling. Surely, this pleases her owner, British businessman Joe Lewis. Interestingly, Aviva is his second superyacht from Abeking & Rasmussen in 10 years. She’s his first project with hybrid propulsion, which affords her a reported 11 knots on electric power alone. For pure pleasure, Lewis has a paddle tennis court onboard.
Honorable mention, for just missing the cut: Faith. Launched in November 2016 by Feadship as project Vertigo, Faith saw delivery early this year. We’re giving her an honorable mention because a nearly 317-foot (96.55-meter) megayacht is still one of the biggest megayacht deliveries of 2017, by any measure. Faith stands out for having a glass pool—glass sided and glass bottomed. She also has a two-sided fireplace, with each side benefitting the saloon and dining area.