Sailing Yacht A Turns Heads During Sea Trials

All eyes in the superyacht world last week were on Sailing Yacht A, which completed its sea trials alongside Blohm Voss’ Motor Yacht A. Both megayachts were designed by Philippe Starck and are owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.

The 468’6″ (142m) sailing yacht, built at the Nobiskrug Shipyard in Germany, turned heads in Gibraltar as all three of her sails were showcased. S/Y A, the largest private sailing yacht in the world, has 300 ft. masts that are taller than Big Ben.

The £360 million vessel also boasts eight stories with a massive swimming pool, underwater observation pod and hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system among its many stunning features, according to the Daily Mail.

Denison Superyacht Broker Glynn Smith saw S/Y A twice while it was in build, including during Dension’s superyacht shipyard tour, and touched the top of one of the masts when it was lying down. 

“You often hear the phrase you either love it or hate it, but either way you have to admire the engineering boundaries that were pushed in the design,” Glynn said. “She’s something that’s never been done before, which highlights the capabilities of what can be done by our industry.”