The Maltese Flacon, the world's largest sailing yacht (289 ft) has been sold for $100 million, only a week after a drop in price (from $140m to $100m), but after a full year of patience. Her previous owner, the venture capitalist Tom Perkins estimates that “it is not the best time to sell it”...

Her history started in 1994 when Italian yacht builder Perini Navi signed an order to build an 88m sailing yacht order cancelled a few months after the hull and superstructure were built. It stayed six years at the Turkish shipyard of Perini Navi (Yildiz) before Tom Perkins decided to set up the most innovative project ever done on sailing yachts. Innovation often implies complexity, but everything got cleared when naval architect G. Dijkstra proposed a furling system called DynaRig developed from searches made in Germany in the 60s, during the oil crisis, to provide a complementary propulsion system to merchant ships.

The result is a carbon fully automated three-mast rigging system that allows this impressive unit to be sailed by only one man. The sails (with a total surface of approx. 26,000 sqm) are stored inside the masts and can unfurl in six minutes.

The Maltese Falcon is the biggest modern sailing yacht, she has the most expensive rigging system, the most unique and impressive contemporary interior, she is directly inspired by space vessels. A yachting, technical and aesthetic piece of art which has six guest cabins, eight crew cabins, three decks, a five meters long monopod dining table, and an impressive number of contemporary pieces of art from Dick Lethem, Robert Baribeau, Kazudo Inoue, Squeak Carnwarth...

Tom Perkins decided to sell the Maltese Falcon, but to keep her submarine (estimated $2.5m) manufactured by Hawkes Ocean Technologies (Graham Hawkes), designed to “fly” under water like jet airplanes fly in the air. This submarine does not have ballast tanks, but it dives because of its forward speed. With an operating depth of 400 ft, a speed of five knots and an autonomy of four hours, it behaves like a plane that does rolls and loops underwater.