Maltese Falcon ... hit or miss?

[Meanz Beanz]

I think I would just like to see it in the flesh. Must be an awesome sight.

[brian eiland]

Mine's Bigger
by David Kaplan

As a rule books about superyachts are turgid affairs, which can quickly be classified as ’reference’. This one by David Kaplan, a senior editor at Newsweek, is an exception, a rip-roaring, revealing read about the evolution of the most extraordinary supersailing yacht ever built. It’s not just about Maltese Falcon the yacht, but also about her owner Tom Perkins whose quite extraordinary life as arguably the most successful venture capitalist America has ever seen, is a match for even the Falcon’s mesmerizing statistics.

An impressive aspect of Kaplan’s work is that he goes into immense detail, not only about the yacht herself, but also the principles of square-rigged sailing stability and other potentially esoteric, dry subject. The neat thing is he gets the message across in a very clear way.

Kaplan also puts the Falcon into context with the other two monster yachts which played a part in the Mine’s Bigger saga of a couple of years ago, Joe Vittoria’s Mlrabella V , and Jim Clark’s Athena. Kaplan is also the author of The Silicon Boys, so he is well equipped with detailed knowledge about the roles both Clark and Perkins played in the Klondike-style rush for business supremacy in California in the twilight years of the last century.

It makes for scintillating reading and Kaplan has been highly successful in interweaving the story of Silicon Valley business and the vast profits it generated, with stories of the world’s largest and most outrageous sailing boats.

This is a must-read for anyone even vaguely interested in the burgeoning supersailing phenomenon.

David Glenn, Yachting World mag

[brian eiland]

The Maltese Falcon
Art of Innovation
Edited by Martin Redmayne
Published by TRP Magazines

I thought I’d seen all the photographs there were to see of Maltese Falcon but this book has brought to light a fascinating collection of images, which illustrate not only the artistic significance of the yacht, but also the sheer scale and innovative engineering that went into her build. Some of the black and white images, showing the industrial nature of Falcon's build process at Perini Navi in Turkey, are veritable works of art.

The words aren’t had either. Martin Redmayne and the Yacht Report’s knowledgeable Tork Buckley have not only summarized the story of the build, hut also added an effective human angle by profiling some of the key personnel involved in addition to Tom Perkins. They have also produced meaningful captions to the vast number of pictures, which helps take some of the mystery out of what is a very complicated sailing machine — especially her rig.

This could justifiably he classified as a reference book, though it
cannot he regarded as turgid.

David Glenn, Yachting World mag

[RHP]

Maltese Falcon for sale, asking € 115,000,000Tuesday, 25 March 2008

The world’s most spectacular sailing yacht, Maltese Falcon, has been made available for sale. Listed by Perini Navi USA, the 88m superyacht can be yours for an astonishing € 115,000,000.

Maltese Falcon was launched in 2006 by Perini Navi Istanbul and has won many prizes since, including four Showboats International Awards, three World Superyacht Awards and the Award for Best S/Y over 36m from the International Superyacht Society.

Both the interior and exterior of Maltese Falcon were designed by Ken Freivokh,with naval architecture by Gerard Dijkstra & Partners in cooperation with Perini Navi. The yacht is currently cruising the Pacific.
++

Form an orderly queue please lads with your cheque books out.
I'm standing behind Brian.

[Meanz Beanz]

Thats a gobsmacking sticker price! WOW... nup I just want to go for a ride thanks, that'll do.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by Codger

It will be interesting to see how long Maltese Falcon is on the market.

I wonder how 'seriously' it is for sale ...that is quite a price on her. And wasn't he having a 'sub toy' built for onboard?

I suspect Mr Perkins is not in a big hurry to sell. I don't think he has had all the fun yet. And I don't think at his age he wants to do another bigger, more spectacular project...it would be tough to top this one.

[brian eiland]

But come to think of I do know where someone might be able to do a smaller, MUCH less expensive 'DynaRig project' ....say $3M

http://www.runningtideyachts.com/dynarig/

[masalai]

But if he had Hugh Heffner & the bunnies for guests, look at the lean... Us old codgers would be forever falling off the..... but she sort of looks pretty? - I would be more impressed by a 36m x 20m sailing (cruising) cat...

[RHP]

Originally Posted by brian eiland

But come to think of I do know where someone might be able to do a smaller, MUCH less expensive 'DynaRig project' ....say $3M

http://www.runningtideyachts.com/dynarig/

Sorry Brian, I couldnt possible consider anything under 75 metres......

[brian eiland]

An interesting paper presented at Hiswa in 2004. Somehow I missed seeing this before.

“THE MALTESE FALCON: THE REALISATION”
Hiswa Symposium 2004

You need to go HERE, and click on "THE MALTESE FALCON: THE REALISATION”

[brian eiland]

Recently there has been some interesting model testing with DynaRigs on Proas at YouTube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NO385N9sqU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIm3DpxDzJ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYLkV4yOBcA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJBzk5b3b7o

[rob denney]

G'day,

Thanks to the results we gleaned from the models in the videos. it looks like I will be putting a dynarig on my 16'/5m proa, currently being built in the garage. Originally designed for a windsurfer rig, I will set it up for both and let you know the results, hopefully before Xmas.

regards,

Rob

[brian eiland]

That will be exciting...looking forward to it

[brian eiland]

If you love big boats and spectacles, you're going to love the this news from Tom Perkins of Belvedere:

"I want to let you know that Maltese Falcon will be arriving in San Francisco in late September, and will be on the Bay most of October. I will email you with the most likely time of day for our arrival under the bridge, when our ETA is clear. Atlantide will also be there."
(Atlantide is Perkins' 122-ft motoryacht that was built in 1930 and completely restored by Perkins in '99.)

Trust us, no sailor is going to want to miss that event.

Falcon, of course, is the 289-ft Maltese Falcon, which by most forms of measurement is the largest sailboat in the world. While Jim Clark's Athena and Barry Diller's Eos are both slightly longer, they are longer thanks to bowsprits, and have significantly shorter waterlines. In any event, thanks to Falcon's unique Dyna-Rig — she has three free-standing masts — she's been the most celebrated sailing yacht in memory.

"I am hoping to use Falcon to assist in the Leukemia Cup charity event on October 4 and 5," continues Perkins. "My friend Rupert Murdoch will be the guest speaker the evening of October 4."

Murdoch is, of course, the owner of News Corp, which recently purchased The Wall Street Journal.

"You may have heard that Falcon has been for sale," Perkins writes. "She is now off the market, as I am taking on a 50% partner in the boat. The new co-owner requests confidentiality, so I can't share the name."

Falcon had been listed for sale at $180 million. And that's not a typo.

[brian eiland]

"I read with interest your story last month about Tom Perkins' 289-ft Maltese Falcon coming to San Francisco, and hoped to see her on a trip there at the end of the month," writes Mark Hazlett of Honolulu. "So I was startled this morning when I looked out my office window and saw Maltese Falcon motoring into Honolulu Harbor! Laurie Kilantang, my secretary, who is also a part-time photographer, took the accompanying photo. Compare the height of the Aloha Tower, which until the mid-'60s was the tallest structure in downtown Honolulu, with the height of Falcon's mast."

Tom Perkins sent an email with the latest plans for Falcon:

"We just arrived in Honolulu after a fast passage from Papeete. Unfortunately, we had to motor for a couple of days through the doldrums, so I gave up the plan to break the clipper record. Still, we had a good sail. Falcon will set sail on Sunday or Monday for San Francisco. She'll probably anchor in Drake's Bay to clean up after the passage before coming into the Bay. She'll then sail under the Golden Gate at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 27."

So mark you calendars, as it's going to be a tremendous sight. The pedestrian path on the east side of the Golden Gate Bridge would make an excellent viewing point.

Perkins adds that Falcon will be sailing the Bay in support of the Leukemia Cup on October 4 or 5.