This beautiful maiden, 'The Maltese Falcon', was the brain child of the Perini Navy. Created for multimillionaires, the yacht was sold for $100 million. This boat uses the innovative sailing system DynaRig.
It is one of the largest privately-owned sailing yachts in the world at 88 meters (289 ft), similar to Royal Huisman'sAthena and Lürssen's Eos.
It consists of three constantly rotating masts, which hold 15 sails. The maximum speed of the boat is of about 21 knots. The Maltese Falcon is able to cross the Atlantic in just 10 days! But as beautiful as it is on the outside, its insides are just as brilliant.
The ship has fifteen square sails (five per mast), stored inside the mast; they can fully unfurl into tracks along the yards in six minutes. The three carbon fiber masts, which are free-standing and able to rotate, were manufactured and assembled by a company financed by Perkins at the Perini Navi Istanbul "Yildiz Gemi".
The yacht is easily controlled and has been seen to sail off her anchor and away from berths within harbors. The yacht's sophisticated computer detects parameters such as wind speed automatically and displays key data. An operator must always activate the controls, yet it is possible for a single person to pilot the yacht.
The Maltese Falcon was registered in Valletta, Malta in 2006. It completed its trial sail in the Sea of Marmara to the Bosphorusstrait on 12 June 2006, and made its maiden voyage from Turkey to Italy via Malta in July 2006. The Maltese Falcon currently charters for between €400,000 to €420,000 per week, plus expenses.
