photo courtesy of the Daily Mail.
Eclipse, which has said to have more than doubled in cost to £724 million, glided out of Hamburg a week or so ago on its maiden voyage. It will be put through its paces over 10 days. under the watchful eye of 150 engineers and maritime experts.
Eclipse has 2 helipads, 2 swimming pools - the biggest doubles up as a dance floor when drained - and 6ft-wide cinema screens in 24 guest cabins.
The master suite has a retractable roof, so its owner can sleep under the stars.
With piracy on the high seas becoming a problem, Eclipse has a hull and windows able to withstand a missile attack. And just in case, it has a mini-sub for emergency get-aways.
It will also be fitted with a missile defence system. What can I say but 'Wow'.
Roman is due to take delivery of Eclipse on December 22 - and what a Christmas present that will be!
The definitive size of Eclipse cannot be confirmed owing to a confidentiality clause, but a spokesman for the shipyard says "It will be the largest private yacht of all time.' Rumour says it is 557 ft.
(The current record for a large yacht is held by - surprise, surprise - Dubai, in the shape of a 524 foot vessel owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashin al-Maktoum, the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.)
Abramovich also own the world's biggest private jet, a Boeing 767 nicknamed 'The Bandit'.
Eclipse is likely to need a crew of at least 60 people, said to include a security team of former veterans of the French Foreign Legion.
The most unusual feature of Eclipse is the anti-paparazzi shield. Infrared lasers detect the electronic light sensors in nearby cameras. When it detects such a device, it fires a focused beam of light at the camera, disrupting its ability to record an image.
More, and somewhat less frivolous, comments on all this to come on my next post.
No comments:
Post a Comment