TwistedSifter

Photograph by Doyle Sails

If you have an affinity for yachting and $100+ million in disposable income, the Maltese Falcon is all you. Should your preference lean towards a modest one week rental of the mega-yacht, it should only set you back about $600,000. For the rest of us aspiring mega-yacht owners that may never have the pleasure of boarding such a beautiful specimen, there are plenty of pictures to nod in disbelief at. Enjoy!

Photograph by Amory Ross

Photograph by Giuliano Sargentini

THE MALTESE FALCON

- Although the Maltese Falcon is the largest sailing yacht in the world when measured on deck (LOD - Length On Deck), at 305 feet in length, Eos is the largest private sailing yacht in the world overall (LOA - Length Over All)

- The Maltese Falcon sports what is called a DynaRig, which means it is effectively a square rigger, and each of the three freestanding masts support six yardarms, which are connected rigidly to the mast

- The yacht’s 25,791 square feet (2,400 square meters) of sails are set between the yards in such a way that when deployed there are no gaps to the sail plan, enabling each spar’s sails to work as a single airfoil

- Unlike a conventional square rigger, the yards have a built in camber of 12%, and the sails are trimmed to the wind direction by rotating the entire mast, which is operated by a sail control system on the bridge. When not deployed, the mega yacht’s sails furl right into the mast itself

- It is also efficient, reaching nearly 20 knots under sail alone

- The Maltese Falcon’s interior is as luxurious as you’d expect, of course, with the main feature being the atrium. Here, the three decks are united by a circular stairway, surrounding the main mast, and creating a spiralling effect.

- This is all enhanced by natural light streaming in from the top to the lower decks through transparent floors.

- The main deck of the Maltese Falcon is a big open space with a main saloon, a huge aft-cockpit, two studio areas and an impressive dining room.

- For sleeping there are five lower deck staterooms and one passage cabin on the upper deck with a private sun bathing area, and direct access to the mega yacht’s wheelhouse.

- Her revolutionary sailing system - the DynaRig - set a new milestone in yachting history: three self-standing and rotating masts hosting 15 sails for a total sail area of 25,791 square feet for unrivaled, performance maneuverability and record-shattering speed; she can complete Atlantic crossings in ten days.

Photograph by Bugsy Gedlek

Photograph by Bugsy Gedlek

THE CURRENT OWNER

- Originally built for wealthy venture-capitalist Tom Perkins, it was recently listed on Yachtworld.com for $166.67 million before eventually being purchased by Elena Ambrosiadou for $97.36 million

- Elena Ambrosiadou created one of the most successful hedge funds in the world (Ikos Partners), and became Britain’s best-paid woman in the process

- Ambrosiadou, 47, paid herself $25.8 million in 2004. With a fortune estimated around $322.8 million, she was Britain’s wealthiest woman entrepreneur in 2006

- A chemical engineer by training, she achieved early success at BP, becoming its youngest-ever senior international executive at 27

- Husband and business partner, Martin Coward was the architect of Ikos’s unique trading structure. A Cambridge-educated mathematician, he eventually hit the big-time at Goldman Sachs

- Ambrosiadou will use the yacht for only a few weeks a year — “I work 16 hours a day, seven days a week. I doubt if I’ll be spending much time on her”. Otherwise, the yacht can be chartered for $607,000 a week. “This is an enterprise,” she says

- With 70 professionals and an asset base of approximately $1.5bn, IKOS is listed among Europe’s 30 largest single manager Hedge Funds

- In December of 2009, Martin Coward, who co-founded Ikos with his wife 17 years ago, has mysteriously quit, telling friends he wants to start another hedge fund that fulfils his “vision”.

- Mr Coward, who created and developed the investment strategies at Ikos, told Albourne Partners, an online community for the hedge fund industry: “I have decided to leave Ikos to recreate my vision of a research focused team with talented, experienced professionals. I plan to establish a smaller investment management company to manage family and other assets”

Photograph by Giuliano Sargentini

THE TOYS

- For fun, the Maltese Falcon carries two 32 foot Pascoe RIB Tenders (with water skis), four Laser sailboats, and a 14 foot Castold Jet tender
- In addition to dive gear, the Maltese Falcon also carries a private submarine for exploring the deep, which was one of former owner Tom Perkins’ favorite toys, and is strangely was one of the reason he says he sold the Maltese Falcon
- “My pleasure comes from the technical and aesthetic challenges of new yacht projects more than from cruising aboard the finished boat. I would now like to indulge my interest in ‘sports’ submarines and maybe to build a specialized boat to use as a sub carrier”

Photograph by Giuliano Sargentini

Photograph by Giuliano Sargentini

THE SPECS

Maltese Falcon Builder - Perini Navi
Mega Yacht Built - 2006
Maltese Falcon Naval Architect - Gerard Dijkstra & Partners and Perini Navi
Exterior & Interior Styling for the Maltese Falcon - Ken Freivokh Design
Maltese Falcon Hull Material - Steel
Maltese Falcon Superstructure Material - Aluminium
Maltese Falcon LOA - 289 ft (88 m)
Maltese Falcon Beam - 42.2 ft (12.6 m)

Fuel storage on Maltese Falcon - 81,300 liters
Water storage on Maltese Falcon - 30,000 liters
Engine: The Maltese Falcon has two 1,800 horse-power Deutz engines with a top speed of 20 knots running at 1,800 rpm
Maltese Falcon Main Mast Height Above DWL - 179.9 ft
Maltese Falcon Sail Area - 25,791 square ft

Maltese Falcon Main Saloon and Wheelhouse Area - 3,111 square ft
Maltese Falcon Owners and Guest Area - 4,650 square ft
Maltese Falcon Crew Area - 3,154 ft
Total Area: Flybridge and Cockpit - 3,649 square ft
Maltese Falcon Number of Guests: 12
Maltese Falcon Number of Crew: 16 (Up to additional 4)

Photograph by Bugsy Gedlek

SOURCES
- All Boat Information via http://yachtpals.com/maltese-falcon-7053 I highly recommend you check out their site for any information on yachts
- Authored Book, great info and pics: http://davidakaplan.com/
- Great Pics: http://www.symaltesefalcon.com
- Great Pics: http://www.doylesails.com/gallery/index.php?gallery=./Maltese%20Falcon
- http://www.moneyweek.com/investments/elena-ambrosiadou-the-woman-who-launched-her-own-hedge-fund-and-made-200m.aspx
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/6812992/Elena-Ambrosiadous-husband-leaves-Ikos-to-start-his-own-fund.html
- http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article6898116.ece

Photograph by Bugsy Gedlek

Photograph by Bugsy Gedlek

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