A Closer Look at the $450 Million Sailing Yacht A

Boat International revealed details of the magnificent Sailing Yacht A, with a thorough and exclusive look at the boundary redefining superyacht. Now we shall expose some of the facts behind the creation of this superyacht that was commissioned by Andrey Melnichenko. As the rightful owner of Motor Yacht A, a very unconventional yacht, it was clear that the Sailing Yacht A would be very decisive. Melnichenko is one person who delights in redefining the challenging status quo and always pushing the game a notch higher as he introduces new technologies and techniques in his superyacht projects. This magnificent and expensive boat, the Sailing Yacht A, affirms all boxes: at about 142.81 yards long, the boat is the largest and longest of its kind in the globe – many people consider the boat to be the largest sailing yacht around. Andrey Melnichenko assembled a group of experts to move the project from conception to completion with the help of Philippe Starck on the design phase. Andrey selected Dirk Kloosterman, a highly regarded project manager of such creation, to lead the team. Dirk Kloosterman was previously involved in creating the Rising Sun – currently owned by Larry Ellison’s – before he took over Sailing Yacht A for Andrey Melnichenko.

1. Big Undertaking

Sailing Yacht A was Kloosterman’s biggest undertaking. His first obstacle was to get a good shipyard with enough capabilities to create such a massive vessel. Very few shipyards were willing to take the risk of such a project, but the HDW yard in Germany presented just the right opportunity after Nobiskrug’s purchase of the facility. In March 2011, Dirk and HDW signed a treaty for necessary pre-engaging to begin. It was clarified that the yard that members of the team wanted majority control and large input over the process; in this regard, the tender and bid processes, which involved the yard supplying some subcontractors, was removed entirely.

2. Imposing Scale

In case you have not gotten the idea yet: Sailing Yacht A is a three-masted superyacht with huge sailing capabilities. The yacht is built of steel and carbon fiber to keep the overall weight a bit low. The line is seamless, and it does not interrupt any anchors, deck equipment, openings and balconies of any kind. Surprisingly, there are about twenty shell doors in the hull. The vessel’s windows, which were all made in an ovalish shape, seem to be really small from afar. However, they all have a magnifying effect, which makes them look a bit huge from the inside. The yacht’s scale is out of this world: 142.81 yards LOA, with a beam of about 24.88 yards and a draught of approximately eight yards. Moreover, the elegant superyacht has about eight decks, which have all been connected by free-floating staircases and multiple elevators. Other than that, the machine prides in garages for four vehicles, a submarine, and a helipad on the bow. Every other part of the interior has been well designed to be organic and flowing. While in the yacht, there is no mistaking the vast amount of space available for the crew members, the owners, and their guests. The 54 crew members will run a professional hotel large enough to serve two decks simultaneously. Living accommodation might be the most incredible feature included in this superyacht with an underwater pod molded into the keel. To ensure that this vessel was safe for use, the HSVA facility in Germany performed necessary towing tests while the University of Southampton supervised wind tunnel tests. MARIN conducted the last tests on the model with studies on its rudders and keel.

3. The Sail and rig Plan of Yacht A

Three huge unstayed masts, the largest in the world, correctly define the vessel, according to this. The mainmast hovers at about 100 meters above the water. Also incorporated is an enclosed electric gimbaled nest to move a willing soul sixty meters above the waterline for what promises to be one amazing view over nature. Given that it is “sail assisted”, the ratio between the yacht’s displacement and sail area is lower than would be the case in another pure sailing yacht. Dykstra considerably optimized the sailplan with freestanding masts and roach sails that can be rotated at seventy degrees to improve lift-drag characteristics. Magma Structures in the UK manufactured the freestanding spars using carbon fiber – the one material that can cope with the tension and stress involved. This is because masts of this size cannot be made of metals.

4. Glass Technology

GLY built the vessel’s glass including a long piece of curved glass: a 15 yard and 1.8-ton glass on the bridge deck. The designer hoped to make it look as clean as it can be and without any railings and the only way to come up with invisible railings was to use glass. Two other huge pieces of glass are placed on the seventh deck, at eleven yards high and 14 yards long. GLY also made three elliptical shaped pieces of glass for the observation pod that was molded into the keel. The company, by sung MarineCobond interlayers, was able to reduce the glass weight and thickness by about fifty percent.

5. Propulsion

One of the most crucial factors during design was ensuring that the vessel’s weight remained low, so the right choice of propulsion was very important. The main objective was to realize a cruising speed of about sixteen knots and twenty-knot speed while sailing silently. The solution was quite unique: a custom made diesel-electric system. EMS in Germany built this incredible system. The vessel has variable-speed generators. This means that the yacht can enjoy more power out of each generator since they can run to about 2050 rpm. The consequent advantage is that instead of needing five generators, the yacht can still run with four. Moreover, the generators can reduce to about 1050 rpm once the load is insignificant. To make it even better, the SSC – Superimposed System Controller – is used to calculate the highest speed and determine the most optimal combination of generators. According to Kloosterman, there is a wide variety of propulsion modes that suit the general requirements of sailing and cruising. For this reason, the propulsion system can be flexible.