The very first photos of Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko’s new superyacht have emerged, and the vessel (only known as superyacht ‘A’, part of the White Pearl Project) is believed to be the world’s largest sailing superyacht measures a ridiculous 468-feet in length with a 300-foot-high mast. As photos of the world’s largest sailing superyacht begin to circulate throughout the web so too is information regarding this asinine boat, including the fact that it is designed to accommodate 20 guests with a crew of 54, that the vessel boasts eight floors AND has an underwater observation room (because why the fuck not?).
The radio station NDR 1 Welle Nord was able to grab what they’re calling ‘drone footage’ of superyacht A on its first test drive (but what really looks like high quality CGI), and I gotta say that this ship is a straight up panty dropper:
Superyacht ‘A’ is believed to have cost somewhere around $400 MILLION DOLLARS to build (£260million), and as the DailyMail reports it was built by one of the world’s most esteemed designers:
Built for Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, superyacht ‘A,’ simply named after its owner and also known as the ‘White Pearl’ project, is taking its test voyage in Kiel, northern Germany.
At 468ft in length, with ship masts nearing 300ft high, the ‘mega-yacht,’ has eight floors and includes an underwater observation room.
Superyachtfan.com reports that the boat is powered by a ‘hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers,’ and is designed to accommodate 20 guests and a crew of 54.
The yacht was designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck and Martin Francis from the UK and built by German Naval Yards, Nobiskrug. Francis is a Furniture Design graduate of Central St Martins College of Art and Design in London.
Melnichenko, who amassed his fortune from working in banking, also owns a Boeing 737. The 43-year-old was born in Belarus and is married to a former Serbian model. He was named as the 97th wealthiest person on the planet by Forbes, and the ninth richest in Russia.
Cruise speed of the ship is 18mph, with a top speed of 24mph. The hull is made of steel, with a teak-finish deck.
The world's LARGEST £260m luxury superyacht is revealed (and it's just monstrous) http://t.co/NXfxovdjAM pic.twitter.com/toKGtw0cNH
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) September 21, 2015
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Furthermore, from the moment superyacht ‘A’ first sets sail it will COMPLETELY DEMOLISH the existing world record for longest sailing superyacht. That record is currently being held by the Sea Cloud, a superyacht that’s been on the water since 1931 and measure a formidable 96.35 meters (316 feet). As I mentioned before, superyacht ‘A’ measures 468 feet in length (142.646 meters), so from the moment superyacht ‘A’ sets sail she will be a record breaker.
You might not ever be able to own a superyacht (and some of you out there might not ever even see one up close), but you can buy a new pair of Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes today, which is kind of the same level of gratification if you really think about it. I’m 99.999% certain I’ll never own a superyacht (I’m confident I’ll at least rent one), but I do love my Top-Siders, when I wear them I am a happy man. So I invite you bros to join me today in buying a new pair of Sperry Top-Siders and improving the quality of your life.