Tom Perkins - The Greatest Sailboat Ever - Maltese Falcon

Tom Perkins, the venture capitalist behind such companies as Google, Genentech, Amazon, and AOL, doesn't do things halfway. When he collected vintage cars, for instance, he had the world's largest collection of Bugatti automobiles. And when he decided to pursue a lifelong dream and build a sailing yacht, he went the whole nine yards: He decided it would be the world's largest yacht--big enough to fit Noah's Ark on its deck. He wanted it to sail at a record 26 knots, under unprecedented physical forces. And, he thought, having built this marine wonder, why not use it to try to smash the 155--year--old world sailing record from New York to San Francisco around Cape Horn?
Thus the Maltese Falcon--the largest private sailing vessel ever constructed--was born.
Perkins is a sailor as well as a dreamer, and he loves the romantic idea of sailing--and the magnificent ships of yore with names like Cutty Sark and Sea Witch that conjured up images of speed and danger. So Perkins set out to build "the perfect yacht"--as long as a football field, 42 feet wide, and with three masts so tall they will just fit under the great suspension bridges of the world. The Maltese Falcon, as he's dubbed his ship (since its home berth will be Malta), will use technology no clipper skipper ever imagined--a rig with no sheets, no stays, no halyards--just free--standing, rotating carbon fiber masts with 18 sails surging freely in the wind. At $87 million, it will be a technological marvel--as complex as the man himself. The famed Perini Navi yard in Turkey put the Falcon in the water in 2006, ready for sea trials.
There is some competition to the title of the grandest yacht of all--the Athena (being built by Netscape founder Jim Clark) and the Mirabella V (being built by Avis Car Rental magnate Joe Vittoria). Athena will be the largest sloop, and Mirabella V the largest schooner. But the Maltese Falcon will be a marvel of mechanics, engineering, and techonology, married with the romance of the age of sail, dressed out in the finest accommodations money can buy and the human mind can imagine. More than just the story of the boat, The Falcon is a broader profile of the combination of ambition, recklessness, bravado, and achievements of a 21st century entrepreneur and his time.

http://www.amazon.com/Mines-Bigger-Perkins-Greatest-Sailing/dp/0061227943
http://www.kpcb.com/

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• Tom
• Perkins
• Maltese
• Falcon
• Sailboat
• Google
• Genentech
• Kleiner
• Caufield
• Byers

[rx8malta]

this is one of the nicest boats ever. who say this is ugly does not know what a nice boat/ship is. i am from malta the tiny island where this ship is registered. alot of yatchs come and go and the largest yatches in the world. i seen this in real life and by far this is one of the nicest ones i ever saw this and pelerus top 2. not largest but prettiest

[micki57]

HA! The Dow was at 13600 when this was shown, now it's at 9000!!!

[MultiFirespark]

i wish he did a galleon instead they are awesome

[stonebridge999]

Well, at least it's not ostentatious. Elitist douchebag...

[gordyspain]

Minging!!! a masterpiece of engineering but leave it at that!!!!

[CorinasMusic]

and children dying of hunger..

[jellybean3264]

mines bigger loololol

[moecat1000]

yeah but can you sail it on a lake..thats what i thought

[captkirkconnell]

beautiful boat, love the sails.

[ragedmaximus]

im sure he has oogle and googles of google stock

[hunsadersrockinranch]

the sails look like crap. Nice inside but make the sails look like a sailboat.

[CowWithShotgun]

Gross!!!