GIIRA YACHTS - India's First Yacht Blog: SIZE DOES MATTER : Mirabella V

OF COURSE...in the yachting world...SIZE DOES MATTER !....Doesn't it! And this is the largest single-masted yacht in the world. The tallest mast! The largest sail !! (a couple of size-related records in one breath already).

This vision of a yacht became a reality hundreds of years after the first single-masted sea-going vessel (A Viking Boat, used for invasions) in only May 2004. The reason it was possible is ONLY because what appears like another well-designed 'white' yacht, is afterall a revolutionary composite super yacht, that presented unique challenges to the leading designers and engineers involved in her creation.

MIRABELLA V

Mirabella V was designed by Irish-based, New Zealand-born yacht-designer Ron Holland. Technical aspects of the composite construction of hull and rig were supervised by the Hamble-based firm High Modulus Europe Ltd, a subsidiary of a New Zealand company.

The images presented do no justice to sheer magnanimity of this beautiful vessel. It's more of a Beauty in the Beast concept, if we may call it that.

Mirabella V is one of a fleet of super-yachts owned by Joe Vittoria, and used for luxury private charters.

A former Chairman and CEO of the Avis car rental company, Vittoria made his fortune when he helped organise the buyout and resale of the company in the 1980s.

She is available for charter at rates starting at US$275,000 per week !!!

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

The owner's design brief demanded high performance, particularly to windward, with a speed of over 20 knots under sail. According to the designers, the brief was for a yacht which would combine fast sailing with the sort of luxury previously available only in motoryachts. The brief also called for a rig with a single mast. This creates a less cluttered deck than is possible with multiple masts, allowing greater flexibility in the use of deckspace for the leisure activities of passengers.

The owner also specified that yacht must be built in composite materials rather than of wood or metal. (see Composite construction, below).

A further constraint was the owner's requirement that the yacht should be able to use the harbour at Palm Beach, Florida. This required the use of a lifting keel to reduce draft.

Mirabella V was constructed at the VT Shipbuilding (formerly Vosper Thornycroft), yard at Woolston, Hampshire, England. She was the last vessel to be built at Woolston. She was sailed for the first time off Portsmouth on April 14, 2004.

CHALLENGES

Vessels of this size are usually made from steel or aluminium, but a composite structure was chosen for Mirabella for a variety of reasons, including :-

1) speed of construction
2) reduced maintenance (composite materials do not require regular repainting to inhibit corrosion)
3) improved thermal and acoustic insulation

Also, yachts over about 25 metres long used to be built with more than one mast, to allow the required sail area to be divided into smaller and more-easily handled units. However, new technologies have both improved the reliability of larger sails and spars and simplified their handling.

..BUT WELL WORTH IT

Some of the boastability of this super-yacht can include that you can fit in an entire London double decker bus in its hull. It also has a open-air mini-theatre of its own. (Now we can see some smiles spreading across faces.)

Guinness has given world-record status to the Mirabella V's length, mast height and sail size. The Jacuzzi holds 20 soakers, there's a wine cellar, a 21-foot swimming pool and spa, a gym and plasma televisions linked to a central computer - even a movie on a large projection screen under the stars. There's a 30-foot tender and watersports toys from lasers to jet skis, ski boats and kayaks.

The captain, Robert "Johno" Johnston of Sydney, Australia, and his crew of 13 brought Mirabella V from England to the seaport because neither the Town Docks nor other local marinas can accommodate it. The yacht draws 13 feet with the keel up and 33 feet when it's down.

The yacht sleeps 12 guests in six cabins, "and that's the maximum because over that and you're technically a cruise ship." To qualify for that regulation, Mirabella V would have to carry a covered lifeboat, which would spoil its silhouette, Joseph Vittoria said.

The six guest cabins with matching guest robes were named by Luciana Vittoria for their palettes: Topaz, Tiger Eye, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Lapiz and Turquoise. She appointed the yacht with Oriental rugs and a blend of period pieces and contemporary furniture and accessories, from Christofle water pitchers to a 1920s desk, antique mirrors, photos from White Cube in London, and lacquered wood from Italy.

SPECIFICATIONS

Length Overall - 75.22 m (247 ft)

Waterline Length - 61.5 m (202 ft)

Beam - 14.8 m (48.5 ft)

Draught Keel Up - 4.0 m (13 ft)

Draught Keel Fully Down - 10.0 m (33 ft)

Air Draught - 90 m (295 ft)

Displacement Half Load - 765 tonnes

Engines - 2 x MTU 788 kW at 2188 rpm

Propellers & Shafts - Rolls Royce KaMeWa

Design Concept & Detailing - Ron Holland Design

Naval Architecture & Technical Design - Rob Doyle, John Stott

Interior Decoration - Luciana Vittoria

So, when would you like to charter this 'Beauty in the Beast'!?