Dyna Rig Yacht Concept & Maltese Falcon Reality
Dyna Rig Yacht
The concept of the Dyna Rig yacht was developed in the 1960s by Wilhelm Prolss, a German naval architect, to provide increased propulsion for commercial ships in response to a projected energy crisis. When the crisis did not materialize until the 1970s, the Dyna Rig yacht concept was once again brought back to life with further testing, however, no Dyna Rig yachts were ever built and eventually the idea was archived.
In essence, the Dyna Rig yacht would be fitted with a square rig system. The mast would be completely free standing while the yards were to be tightly connected to the mast. The most prominent difference from a standard square rig was that a Dyna Rig yacht had a designed curvature of the yards which was calculated at twelve percent of its cordage.
The sails on a Dyna Rig yacht were configured between the yards so when they were deployed they would stack upon one another with virtually no gaps in between which would enable the sails to act as if they were one. When the sails were not in use they furl back into the mast. Since there would be no rigging, the yards would be able to rotate without any restriction and in conjunction with the curvature and the uniformity of the sails, the Dyna Rig yacht was an unproven combination in aerodynamics.
Until 2001, that is. American billionaire Tom Perkins commissioned “the world’s most spectacular sailing yacht” to be built. Following the Dyna Rig yacht designs of Prolss, naval architect Gerard Dijkstra & Partners (Holland) and builders Perini Navi (Italy/Turkey), produced the statuesque Maltese Falcon in 2006. The luxury 290’ sailing yacht, which cost between a reported $150-300 million USD to build, features three twenty-storey tall carbon-fibre masts covered by 28,500 square feet of canvas.
The exterior/interior design of the Maltese Falcon was developed by Ken Freivokh Design (UK) and features accommodations for twelve that include one master cabin and five guest cabins, plus eight cabins for crew. The modern spacious interior offers up a fully equipped gymnasium, plasma screen televisions and a Bang & Olufsen surround sound system throughout. Extra amenities onboard the Maltese Falcon include four Laser sail boats, two 32’ Pascoe rigid inflatable tenders, a Castold 14’ jet tender, water skis, snorkel gear, and six sets of scuba diving gear.
Powered by two 1,800 HP Deutz diesel engines, the Maltese Falcon can attain a top speed of 24.9 knots, allowing the passengers and crew to enjoy smooth sailing all the way. The ingenious Dyna Rig yacht design has enabled the Maltese Falcon to spend an estimated 55-60% of her time under sail cruising at a comfortable 20 knots during her first 72,000 nautical miles at sea.
With all of its success due to the Dyna Rig yacht design, Tom Perkins sold his beloved Maltese Falcon in August 2009 to an unknown, but obviously wealthy private buyer, for a reported $103 million USD. The Maltese Falcon remains under both charter and full operations management by Burgess Yachts of the United Kingdom.
Sources:
The Maltese Falcon
Wikipedia
Sailing Ships
Yachting Magazine
