At the start of the 2018 season, we had the great pleasure of being able to see two exceptional yachts in our gulf: »Le Grand Bleu» and «Le A».
Click on the image to find out more!
The Big Blue is one of the largest private luxury yachts in the world.
With a length of 113 metres, more precisely 112.80 metres, it was classified 12e world's largest yacht in 2007 (by May 2011, it was «only» 20e).
It was built at the Vulkan shipyards in Germany and launched in 2000. It was first owned by an American businessman (Paul Allen, Bill Gates's business partner) who sold it to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2002. The latter had it refitted at the HDW shipyards in Kiel with an interior redesign and the addition of a 5-metre swimming platform (originally The Big Blue measured 106.39 metres).
The Big Blue It is powered by 2 Wärtsilä engines of 3,600 horsepower. Details about the interior layout are little known. It is known, however, that the interior of the ship was partly designed by Terence Disdale.
The yacht has ecological equipment like a wastewater treatment system. The Big Blue also owns a mini-yacht: the Sirius A, a sailboat: the Bellatrix and a helicopter. The crew consists of 65 people.
At 142.81 metres long, the sailing yacht A is one of the largest sailing yachts in the world and features numerous innovations. Like its motor-powered counterpart – the motoryacht A – this sailing yacht bears the name of the first letter of the alphabet. The reason for this is reportedly to appear first on the maritime registry.
It would be the largest private sailing yacht in the world and is reported to have cost £360 million (€417 million). Its ultra-modern design breaks with the conventions currently in vogue in the world of superyachts, particularly sailing ones. This «sailboat» is distinguished by its very voluminous and tall hull, which gives it more of a motor yacht appearance. Without its three carbon masts, it would, in fact, be difficult to identify as a sailing yacht.
The touch of French designer Philippe Starck, who also designed the motor superyacht A, also for the Russian billionaire, is unmistakable.
With an interior volume of 12,600 gross tons and an area of 8 decks, the A's main features are its underwater observation lounge, its diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system, and its state-of-the-art navigation systems. Also noteworthy are its bomb-proof glass and its 40 security cameras.
The construction was carried out in the utmost secrecy, even though it is known that the Dutch firm Dykstra Naval Architects designed the rig and keel, and that Magma Structures in the UK designed the carbon masts, which stand at 100m above the waterline, a height greater than that of Big Ben in London.
Two MTU diesel engines of 4,827 hp will give it a maximum speed of 21 knots. Its cruising speed will be 16 knots and should allow it to cover 5,320 nautical miles.
Whether one likes its design or not, it will, in any case, have the merit of causing a stir!
In the video below you can observe one of the annexes of the sailing yacht A in the port of Saint-Florent:
We thank Antoine Barbarisi and Charles Felicelli for their photos and videos.