With three masts all taller than the Statue of Liberty and as long as one-and-a-half American football fields, the latest boat from Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko looks set to make waves. 43-year-old Melnichenko, whose estimated fortune is $9.2 billion, has used a reported $450 million to fund the building of "Sailing Yacht A."
The 142.81 metre superyacht is being completed at the Nobiskrug yard in Germany and was spotted heading out for sea trials.
The sail-assisted motor yacht is set to claim the title of "world's largest sailing yacht" when she's completed next year.
A spokesman for Melnichenko told British newspaper the Daily Mail: "The project was a considerable financial risk for him as he had to fund massive research and development to see if he could achieve his vision. But he is a man to always push the boundaries and to challenge the industries he works with to think out of the box so he can achieve something new and exciting as well as beautiful. Sailing Yacht A is a monument to invention."
The yacht was technically launched this year, and the build has been shrouded in secrecy.
The design work, rig and keel were done by Dutch-based Dykstra Naval Architects, with the masts constructed by British firm Magma Structures and the sails by Doyle Sails in the United States.
The first aerial images of Sailing Yacht A appeared in March, giving us a glimpse of the gigantic dimensions and unique form.
Like Motor Yacht A, it is expected to be very costly to run on top of the considerable initial outlay. Motor Yacht A costs $500,000 to refuel which for Sailing Yacht A has to be done every 5,320 nautical miles.
While other yacht owners like to blend into the background, Andrey Melnichenko wants his superyachts to push the boundaries of design, creativity and technology. Though his last creation was ridiculed by some in the boating world saying it was more comparable to "a cruiser for Darth Vader's navy than a family pleasure boat for the Mediterranean".
The 142.81 metre superyacht is being completed at the Nobiskrug yard in Germany and was spotted heading out for sea trials.
The sail-assisted motor yacht is set to claim the title of "world's largest sailing yacht" when she's completed next year.
A spokesman for Melnichenko told British newspaper the Daily Mail: "The project was a considerable financial risk for him as he had to fund massive research and development to see if he could achieve his vision. But he is a man to always push the boundaries and to challenge the industries he works with to think out of the box so he can achieve something new and exciting as well as beautiful. Sailing Yacht A is a monument to invention."
The yacht was technically launched this year, and the build has been shrouded in secrecy.
The design work, rig and keel were done by Dutch-based Dykstra Naval Architects, with the masts constructed by British firm Magma Structures and the sails by Doyle Sails in the United States.
The first aerial images of Sailing Yacht A appeared in March, giving us a glimpse of the gigantic dimensions and unique form.
Like Motor Yacht A, it is expected to be very costly to run on top of the considerable initial outlay. Motor Yacht A costs $500,000 to refuel which for Sailing Yacht A has to be done every 5,320 nautical miles.
While other yacht owners like to blend into the background, Andrey Melnichenko wants his superyachts to push the boundaries of design, creativity and technology. Though his last creation was ridiculed by some in the boating world saying it was more comparable to "a cruiser for Darth Vader's navy than a family pleasure boat for the Mediterranean".