The Maltese Falcon and Amerigo Vespucci will inaugurate the 52° edition of the Salone Nautico di Genova
The finest in Italian shipbuilding is the guest of honour
Perini Navi announces the exceptional twinning of the Perini Navi flagship, The
Maltese Falcon, and the historical tall ship, Amerigo Vespucci. Together,
representatives of these vessels will cut the ribbon of the 52nd edition of the
Salone Nautico di Genova during the opening ceremony that will be held tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM in the presence of the Italian vice-minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Mario Ciacca.
The two largest Italian sailing ships will meet for the first time during their
function as guests of honour of the most important Italian boat show. Both
vessels are over 80 M, with The Maltese Falcon measuring in at 88 M and the
Amerigo Vespucci at 82, and represent the height of Italian sailing of yesterday
and today.
The Maltese Falcon, launched by Perini Navi in 2006, is 88 M LOA, has 12.60
M maximum beam, displaces 1,240 tons and has a sail plan of 2,400 square
meters that comprises 15 sails. Her rigging technology is unique. Known as
Dyna Rig, this system mounts three rotating, self-supporting carbon fibre masts
each if which mounts five panels of square sails. This yacht and her rigging
represent a quantum leap in the history of sailing technology. Thanks to
innovative hydraulic systems her 2,400 square meters of sails can be
manoeuvred by a single person in just six minutes. The Maltese Falcon
performs well on the water and can sail at over 20 knots. She can cruise by
motor at a maximum of 19 knots.
The Amerigo Vespucci was launched by the Castellamare di Stabia shipyard in
1931. She measures 101 M including her bowsprit, has 16 M beam and
displaces 3,700 tons. She too has three masts and a sail plan that counts 24
sails for a total of 2,800 square meters. Her main mast is 54 M high and she
requires a crew of 270. She is the oldest and most widely admired vessel in the
Italian Navy.
The Vespucci has recently concluded her 78th training course. During this
course cadets from Leghorn’s Naval Academy spend a total of 68 days, 45
aboard, learning to sail a vessel of this size and type. They cover 6,000 nautical
miles, motoring for 1,000 hours and sailing for 400 and make stops at all of the
principal European ports.
The twinning of these two exceptional vessels will be celebrated tomorrow
evening at the Yacht Club Italiano in Genoa during the ceremony that will be
held to assign the Yacht Capital Marina Yachting Award for 2012.
With a fleet of 54 yachts on the water- 52 sailing yachts and two motor yachts-
the Perini Navi Group is the world leader in the design and construction of large
sailing yachts. In 2007 the Group also began to build motor yachts with the
brand name Picchiotti and the series name Vitruvius, thus re-launching the
historic Picchiotti shipyard acquired in the early 1990’s. The Group is made up
of the Perini Navi shipyard in Viareggio, founded in the 1980’s by Fabio Perini
who invented and developed a revolutionary automatic sail control system.
Another division is the Picchiotti shipyard in La Spezia where the Group
constructs its motor yachts and concentrates most of its refitting work, and the
Perini Istanbul shipyard in Yildiz, Turkey where its hulls and deck structures are
produced. Perini Navi USA is a commercial division of the Group through which
owners of Perini Navi Group yachts can arrange charters and find brokerage
services for both new and previously owned Perini Navi Group yachts.
