787 balloons rose into the foggy and cold Kiel Baltic Sea sky above the Nobiskrug site "German Naval Yards" on Friday afternoon. It was the signal for the handover of the "Sailing Yacht A" (build no. 787) to her client Andrey Melnichenko. The Russian had already had his 118 metre long motor yacht "A" built at the shipyard, then still HDW/Thyssen Krupp.
At 143 metres long, 25 metres wide and with a volume of 12,600 gross tons, "A" is the largest sailing yacht in the world and is also one of the largest yachts in the world. The Nobiskrug shipyard built the extraordinary format at its Kiel site (German Naval Yards) for around five years under the project name "White Pearl". The exterior design is a collaboration between Dölker+Voges from Hamburg and the Parisian star designer Philippe Starck. Inside, however, Starck worked alone - as on the motor yacht "A". Owner Melnichenko had initially commissioned another designer with the interior, but changed his mind during the construction phase and returned to the proven Starck.
The highlights of the yacht include the masts from Magma Structures, which rise up to 100 metres into the sky above the waterline. According to Nobiskrug, the main mast is said to be "the tallest single, loaded composite structure in the world". Other unusual features include an underwater lounge, a large pool on the foredeck framed by two curved staircases and, allegedly, an atrium complete with an art gallery in the massive superstructure.
With its German captain and crew of around 50, "A" will set off for Spain this Sunday at around 17:00, where the finishing touches will be applied. The only way to get there from Kiel is via Drodgen Sound at Copenhagen Airport. There, the Öresund link runs as a road tunnel and "A" can leave the Baltic Sea without having to pass under any bridges. However, the depth of the sound is only eight metres, which is close to the draught of the "A". For this reason, only a minimum amount of diesel is to be stored in the tanks to keep the yacht giant as light as possible.
As the "Kieler Nachrichten" reported, Andrey Melnichenko did not even turn up for the handover. According to "Küstenfunk", he is allegedly planning a big celebration this spring to take delivery of his new ship. Although the "A" is not supposed to stand for the first name of Melnichenko's wife Aleksandra, it has been rumoured that her birthday is being targeted as a very possible date for this party.
An addendum on our own behalf: We would have liked to report on the handover ceremony on Friday in more detail. Unfortunately, after being invited last Tuesday, all the media were disinvited again on Thursday. If I may say so, this has never happened to us before in the 29-year history of BOOTE EXCLUSIV.
