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.
