mirabella v yacht

• Ordered by Shipyards & Yacht Brands
• Ordered by Date
• Yacht Designers
• About and Contact
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Tenders & Toys
• Some interesting other sites in the superyacht world

M5 (ex Mirabella V) restyled by Pendennis Shipyard

M5 's stern was remodeled at the  pendennis shipyard in falmouth, uk and completed her sail trials successful..

M5 was originally built in 2004 as Mirabella V . Until she is still the largest sloop with over 75 meters (length of the hull) and an almost 90 meters long mast.

Designed and manufactured by Carbo-Link with OYS making the fittings, the 34 new carbon fiber stays, and titanium fittings with built-in dynamic fiber optics have decreased the weight of the rig by 18 tons. The sail trials not only established the M5 ‘s potential speed but tested the new system and balance of the yacht under sail for the first time. During several hours on the water with challenging sea conditions, the remodeled boat performed well, reaching 17.7 knots in 18-23 knots of wind.

The project, due to be completed over the next month, has seen a collaboration between Pendennis and the original designer Ron Holland , to achieve the Owners idea of extending the stern by 3m which has created a new sleeker profile providing an impressive aft deck area. During the refit, Pendennis has completed extensive engineering works and the interiors have been redesigned by UK company Redman Whiteley Dixon .

M5 carries now a water plane on aft deck

Stepping the huge mast

Close to the wind when she was MIRABELLA V

Main Specifications of Sailing Yacht M5

Sharing is caring - thank you, ranger – a queen is back in her element, ethereal: 58m hybrid sailing yacht by royal huisman (2008), wallywind110, dona francisca // astillero buquebus, 68m ketch // hoek design // vitters, yx7 // y yachts, wally rocket 51 – one design sailing yacht, car brands with influences in yachting.

About Publisher

Using a minimum of third party cookies for YouTube, Vimeo and Analytics.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.

Google Analytics

• THE PRINCESS PASSPORT
• Email Newsletter
• Yacht Walkthroughs
• Destinations
• Electronics
• Boating Safety

Mirabella V: Stretching the Limits

• By Barry Pickthall
• Updated: October 4, 2007

Everything about Mirabella V is BIG.

At 246 feet LOA, she is the largest composite- structured yacht in the world. Her carbon five-spreader rig stands 292 feet high-the tallest mast. Everything about this 740-ton mammoth of the seas is massive-including her charter fee of $250,000 a week.

This megayacht, built by VT Shipbuilding in England at a cost of approximately $50 million, was designed by Ron Holland, but she is very much the brain-child of her American owner, Joseph V. Vittoria, formerly CEO of Avis Rent-A-Car System Inc. He already owns two 40-meter yachts, Mirabella and Mirabella III , and was driven to add to this fleet by the strong desire to develop the ultimate in status symbols. Why did he decide to push existing rig technology to new limits for a cruising yacht, with all the risks that this may encompass? “Very simple, Vittoria replied with a smile. “Someone was going to do it, so why not me? The challenge has been to build the biggest rig in the world.

Now that she has been launched, Guinness World Records will need an additional page to include all the superlatives about this boat. The hull weighs in at a mere 85 tons and draws a little more than 6 feet, but that is without her 150-ton lifting keel, which gives her a maximum draft of 33 feet. Her structure encloses 80 tons of insulation, six luxurious double cabins for guests and a host of less welcome additions determined by the MCA and other organizations that regulate the construction of large yachts slated for the charter trade. These organizations have re-written their rule books for composite superyachts around this project.

“These rules have diluted many of the weight advantages of building in composite”, said Ron Holland. He pointed to the MCA’s insistence that all doors and frames within the yacht have to be made of steel. “We understand their concerns for a fire on board, but unlike powered yachts of this size with their multiple decks, Mirabella ‘s guests and crew have only one floor to climb out on deck.”

“Everything within the boat, including the composite construction, is all made from fire-retardant materials”, Vittoria added. “We think many of these new rules are over-zealous.”

The practicalities are that if a fire takes hold in the galley, for instance, the heat will not even penetrate to the other side of the bulkheads for an hour at least, and should have been put out long before by the yacht’s pressurized fine-spray sprinkler system. Another safety feature: There are no naked flames for the chef to flambé anything. The giant cooktop on which he prepares meals for 12 guests and 13 crew operates on energy induction, so the elements remain cool to the touch and only transfer heat to special magnetic pans.

This design has really pushed the industry to new levels of sophistication in her rig. Mirabella ‘s reacher sets a record as the world’s largest sail-20,450 square feet (the equivalent of almost three tennis courts). Existing sailcloth, including the famed Cuben Fiber, proved too fragile, so Doyle Sailmakers worked with Warwick Mills to develop a special Vectran cloth specifically to meet the challenge. The furling system controlling this sail tips the scales at 3.3 tons, but this is dwarfed by the main headstay furler, which weighs a hefty 5.4 tons. Sheet sizes were another limiting factor to be overcome. No ropes on the market could cope with the loadings on the sails, so Gleistein Ropes developed a buoyant 12-strand 34-millimeter rope to provide a 110-ton safety margin. “That left us having to re-design all the winches and deck blocks to cope with the potential loading, Holland said.

Among the most innovative aspects of this megayacht is her mainsail. Weighing 1.4 tons, it was too heavy to be lifted onto the boat in one piece, so Doyle designed a clever seven-section segmented sail, in which six compression-sprung full-length battens act like curtain rods to link one loop-edged segment with the next. Because of its weight, final assembly had to take place when the sail was bent onto the rig, but should one panel require repair, this can be taken off the yacht with relative ease, leaving the rest of the sail in place.

And the cost of these sails? “Well, I’ve already told my skipper that delivery trips will be made under power. It will be cheaper to replace Mirabella ‘s two engines than to think of buying new sails”, Vittoria jokes.

This project began to form in Vittoria’s mind five years ago, but he says that his wife, Luciana, who manages the family’s charter fleet and strongly influenced Mirabella ‘s interior design and styling, vetoed everything he came up with. In the end, Vittoria called Ron Holland, whom he’d first met in 1974 when he bought one of the designer’s race boats. “He came around to our house with four drawings and asked the family to vote on them”, Vittoria said. “My three sons and I voted for the most racy-looking design. My wife and daughter chose the final design with the dark blue line along the coachroof…. I’ve got used to it now.”

The design began as a 60-meter yacht, and simply grew as the project developed. Holland and Vittoria chose VT Shipbuilding (formerly Vosper Thornycroft), because it specializes in very large composite structures. “They build 65-meter minesweepers here so they had the expertise in composite engineering, and they think big”, Vittoria explained.

Ron Holland’s Vision

Prior to Mirabella ‘s launch, we had the opportunity to sit down with her designer, Ron Holland, for a little technical talk, and came away with a deeper understanding of just how groundbreaking this yacht is, and what a design and engineering challenge she had been. Holland said the first design discussions took place in 1999, and it seems that was none too early, for there was a great deal of detailed engineering to do before construction ever started.

Very little on Mirabella is off the shelf, from the top of her mast, whose height prevents her passage through the Panama Canal, to the tips of her twin rudders, designed as a pair to get enough surface area for steering without excessive draft. The main boom is 90 feet long and big enough to allow the sail to drop into it for storage, dimensions which qualify it for superyacht status on its own. The intermediate booms-what Holland calls “mega-battens”-are bigger than many masts.

In order to carry the anticipated 40-ton loads, the running sheets had to be designed for 110 tons breaking strength and still be pliable enough for self-stowing. Once that hurdle was overcome, then the custom winches could be designed, and only then, finally, the deck layout.

Mirabella is the first composite yacht to achieve MCA 500-ton certification, and is the largest composite structure ever to be classed by Det Norske Veritas. Because her parameters exceeded all the published rules, design calculations had to be done from scratch, entirely by “proof of concept,” and approvals gained by negotiation with the regulators.

Finally, there were the many little things not ordinarily in a yacht designer’s brief. As an example, custom watchmaker Arnold & Son is handmaking Mirabella watches, one model for the charterer and a different one for his guests. The design, of course, required input from Holland and his approval of the finished product.

-Dudley Dawson

Initial sailing trials saw Mirabella sailing upwind at 8 knots in 14 knots of apparent wind. “It took a bit of time to get her up to speed, but once in the groove, she sails very easily”, Vittoria reported. Holland predicts that she will reach 20 knots broad reaching in a good breeze, but Mrs. Vittoria, who has a dislike for sailing at any sort of angle, has insisted on a safety system that pays out the sheets automatically whenever the yacht exceeds 20 degrees of heel.

What do you get for $250,000 a week? Apart from the six-star accommodations and a crew who among them speak five languages, the yacht has two swimming pools sunk into the foredeck, one filled with sea water, the other doubling as a freshwater Jacuzzi. Then there is the giant open-air movie theatre on the main deck and an entertainment and barbecue area aft. The stern garage houses a 29-foot Hinckley launch, personal watercraft and diving equipment, but the pièce de résistance is a ride in the three-man crow’s nest that whisks you at elevator speed, 200 feet up the mast.

The toughest task during this three-year project was,”convincing the wife”, Joe Vittoria said emphatically.

How Big is Mirabella V ?

Compared to a J-Class yacht, above, the scale of Mirabella V is obvious. Just consider the size of the mast. At 290-feet, and taller with antennas and instruments, she can not fit under the Golden Gate Bridge, which stands 220 feet above the water. A Hudson River cruise is off limits since she will not make it under the Verrazano Narrows bridge either.

The mast is more than half the size of the 555-foot Washington Monument, one of the tallest masonry structures in the world, and would reach to about the 24th floor of the Empire State Building. It supports nearly 40,000 square feet of sail, or nearly an acre. That’s canvas, not grass. From the keel tip to the top of the mast, she measures 328 feet.

Mirabella ‘s mast isn’t the only item that will drop jaws. Consider that the keel alone weighs nearly as much as 100 SUVS! And the hull has so much volume that you could drop in several double-decker buses. That’s big.

• More: Sailboats
• More Yachts

Top Five Common Marine Generator Issues

Hargrave 116 Reviewed

Lomac’s Supersize RIB

Royal Huisman to Build 264-Foot “Noir”

For Sale: 2020 Azimut Yachts 60 Fly

For Sale: Huckins 45 Sportfisherman

10 Used Express Cruisers Available Now

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

Cool San Diego Sights!

Colorful photos of San Diego places and events.

World’s largest single-masted yacht returns!

The world’s largest single-masted yacht has returned to San Diego!

The M5 , originally called the Mirabella V, is now docked on the Embarcadero near the Maritime Museum of San Diego. You can find it directly across from the County Administration Building.

I spotted the towering mast while walking nearby, so I had to go take a look. That mind-blowing mast, over 290 feet high, is visible from many streets downtown!

I first saw the M5 in San Diego eight years ago behind the convention center and blogged about it here . Read that old blog post (including its comments) to learn more about this incredible sailboat.

It took these photographs this morning. It’s hard to depict the staggering size of this sloop-rigged super yacht. Suffice it to say, the mast rises higher than many downtown San Diego buildings!

You can see the mast from the other side of the County Administration Building in the next photo. (The exterior of the historic building is being painted.)

The first weekend of October I noticed the M5 had moved to a spot behind the San Diego Convention Center–where I first saw it eight years ago…

Yes, it’s enormous!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter !

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Published by

Richard Schulte

Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography. View all posts by Richard Schulte

One thought on “World’s largest single-masted yacht returns!”

I love my hometown of San Diego! I lived in an old Victorian at 5th & A St as a child, but was raised 4 blocks from the beach in Imperial Beach. The photo shot from behind the county building gives a great perspective of the height of that impressive mast!! I love to sail so I can only imagine being on that boat! Thanks!!

Like Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• Mirabella Video
• Inspiration

Featured Yachts

RAPTURE | From EUR€ 45,000/wk

Mirabella v news.

93m Innovative Sailing Yacht RIPPLE by ...

LADY M | From EUR€ 88,200/wk Special

• Yacht Videos

In video: Luxury mega yacht PROJECT ...

• Advice Charter Articles >
• Yacht Videos >

Yacht 'Mirabella V' video.

Here is a video of sailing yacht 'Mirabella V' by the Travel Channel from 2007.

Mirabella V  was the largest sloop in the world at the time of her launch and one of the largest sailing yachts in the world .  If you are interested in chartering this magnificent yacht, that is still one of the most beautiful and outstanding vessels around,  please contact us here .

• Megayacht Video
• Technomar 95
• Ferretti 630
• Pershing 115
• Superyacht Cup 2008
• Sunseeker 90 motor yacht
• Super Yacht Video
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Valencia Americas Cup
• Antigua Superyacht Cup
• Swimming With Dolphins
• Luxury Catamarans
• Mediterranean Charter
• Antigua Race Week
• Llliade Yacht Video
• Yacht Share Video
• Team New Zealand Alinghi
• Do You Like Speed?
• Palmer Johnson
• Performance Power
• Yacht Pelorus
• Yacht Utopia Video
• Feadship Utopia Video 2
• Yaretti Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yacht Sojana
• Sailing Yacht Ghost
• Wally Power
• Riva Yachts
• Superyacht Cup Video

Quick Enquiry

News related to s/y mirabella v.

The Finest British Superyachts

Sailing yacht M5 (ex Mirabella V) ...

Successful sea trials for Ron ...

Golden horizon | from eur€ 910,000/wk.

SEA EAGLE | From EUR€ 550,000/wk

MALTESE FALCON | From EUR€ 490,000/wk

LE PONANT | From EUR€ 483,000/wk

LE PONANT | From EUR€ 455,000/wk

86M SAILING YACHT | From EUR€ 450,000/wk

90M CUSTOM SAILING YACHT | From US$ 294,000/wk

SEAHAWK | From EUR€ 250,000/wk

SPIRIT OF THE Cs | From EUR€ 245,000/wk

Latest News from the World of Sailing Yachts

25m sailing catamaran AGAVE is launched ...

Nautor Swan launch 24m sailing yacht ...

Sailing yacht SCORPIOS shortlisted for ...

42m sailing yacht LEGATO (NB108) ...

Transportation History

Finding the unexpected in the everyday.

2003: The Launch of the World’s Largest Single-Masted Yacht

November 27, 2003

The yacht Mirabella V was launched at the VT shipbuilding company’s shipyard at Woolston in the city of Southampton in southeastern England. With a length of more than 245 feet (74.7 meters) and a height of 290 feet (88.5 meters), Mirabella V is the largest single-masted yacht (sloop) ever built.

The designer of Mirabella V was Ronald John Holland, a naval architect who has specialized in the design of large sailing yachts. Mirabella V was built by VT specifically for Joseph Vittoria, who served as chairman and CEO of the Avis car rental company from 1987 to 1997 and helped facilitate that company’s acquisition by Hospitality Franchise Systems, Inc. Vittoria had Mirabella V created as part of his fleet of charter yachts, and he named her after previous vessels that he owned. Vittoria had developed a love for sailing while growing up in Long Island and working as a “launch boy” at a yacht club in the village of Sea Cliff on the western region of that island.

Hundreds of people lined up along the banks of River Itchen to watch the launch of Mirabella V. After Vittoria’s wife Luciana christened Mirabella V with a bottle of champagne, a hydraulic ram helped push the yacht down the wooden slipways and into the water.

“The event was historic in more ways than one,” reported Yachting World magazine. “Not only is Mirabella V the largest sloop in the world but it is the last vessel ever to be launched at VT’s Woolston yard, which has been sold and will shortly be demolished.” Phil Rood, VT’s press officer, told Yachting World that more than 600 ships had been launched at that location during the company’s 100-year existence. Rood also noted, “It seems fitting that the last vessel to go down the ways is the biggest of her type. It’s an historic moment.” Mirabella V remained a part of Vittoria’s fleet until 2013, when she was acquired by a new owner and renamed M5.

For more information on M5 (formerly Mirabella V), please check out   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabella_V

Additional information on this yacht’s 2003 launch is available at https://www.yachtingworld.com/mirabella-v/historic-launch-of-worlds-largest-sloop-mirabella-v-38969

Photo Credit: ArnoWinter (Creative Commons)

Share this:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Mirabella V – Vosper’s super-sloop

• November 10, 2003

When news of Joe Vittoria's plans to build a 246ft (75m) sloop with a 300ft (91m) carbon fibre mast permeated the superyacht industry...

When news of Joe Vittoria’s plans to build a 246ft (75m) sloop with a 300ft (91m) carbon fibre mast permeated the superyacht industry there were those who said it simply couldn’t be done. Mirabella V will be the biggest sloop in the world by far when she is launched in August 2003 but observers are still trying to get their heads round her amazing vital statistics and the fact that almost every fitting will have to be custom-designed and built. And as for that mast – well, 300ft of carbon? It’s impossible, said some pundits.

Everything including captive winches, which can pull 40 tonnes, a 1.5 tonne mainsail with 85ft (26m) battens, 15 tonnes of 76mm (3in) thick rod rigging, a 150-tonne lifting keel and the composite hull itself, will challenge accepted wisdom to handle loads and stresses never before experienced in a single-masted sailing yacht. The mast step alone is designed to withstand 1,500 tonnes. ‘M5’ technology Some suppliers have invested seven-figure sums just to accommodate M5 technology, as it is now known, and any company in the superyacht arena worth its salt has been determined to secure a slice of the action.

Tabloid-style superlatives have been flowing thick and fast from this gargantuan project. Mirabella’s keel weighs as much as 100 family saloon cars; from truck to keel she is twice as high as Nelson’s Column in London and the hull is six times longer than the Editor’s 42ft yacht Firefly; you could park several double-decker buses inside the hull and the next tallest mast in the world doesn’t even come close at 213ft (65m). J Class yachts will be dwarfed by this monster.

But from a technical point of view, Mirabella is pushing out design boundaries and redefining the superyacht. So how are designer Ron Holland, structural engineers High Modulus and builders Vosper Thornycroft tackling the prospect of creating the biggest sloop the world has ever seen? And why does someone need a yacht this big?

At 246ft 8in (75.2m) LOA Mirabella V is not just the biggest sloop ever built but the biggest by a considerable margin. John Williams’s Georgia, designed by Paulu Scanu and Butch Dalrymple Smith and built in aluminium by Alloy Yachts in Auckland in 1999, is the next biggest at 159ft (48.4m) LOA and Jim Clark’s German Frers-designed Royal Huisman-built aluminium-hulled Hyperion at 155ft 6in (47.4m) was the biggest in 1998. The Dave Pedrick-designed Zeus at 150ft (45.7m), built in wood epoxy, was considered the biggest in 1994.

Even more extraordinary is Mirabella’s mast. The tube will be 285ft (86.8m) long but once cranes, aerials and other paraphernalia are mounted atop, the overall height will be very close to 300ft (91.44m) above the waterline. From keel tip to the top of the burgee staff she will measure 100m, or 328ft.

US$200,000 a week charter yacht Mirabella’s vital statistics blow away all the ‘opposition’ and now stand seemingly unassailable in the ‘I’ve got the biggest one in the world’ stakes. And to do the whole thing in composites (of which more later) makes it even more audacious. But there’s more to it than size and status.

This is a serious commercial undertaking and Vittoria is developing sail power for the floating high-performance five-star hotel business of the future, also known as luxury yacht charter. She will be available at US$200,000 per week for 14 guests.

Joe Vittoria, an American, returned to the USA in 1980 from the UK, where he had headed up Avis International, to become chairman and CEO of Avis Inc. In 1986 he organised the purchase of the company and their resale a year later, which put him in a position to buy his first superyacht. Vittoria is a very experienced yachtsman who has owned boats all his life, including a succession built by Camper & Nicholsons. He took delivery of his first yacht, a Nicholson 43, in 1971 and his success with a Nicholson 33 in 1974 introduced him to the talents of New Zealand designer Ron Holland.

But his first really large yacht was the 131ft (40m) Bruce Farr/Pekka Koskenkyla-designed Mirabella C launched in 1992 followed by the 134ft 6in (41m) Mirabella C III two years later. They were famously towed across a beach in Thailand by a team of elephants before being launched. Both were built in composites and both used project management and building expertise from the UK, including Paul Johnson’s knowledge.

Johnson is an ex-Camper & Nicholsons man and is Joe Vittoria’s representative and project manager for Mirabella V. Together with Mike Carter at Vosper Thornycroft, he is masterminding this mega rubic-cube of a project. Paul Johnson told us, with a wry smile, that his last job was building the new Gosport ferry but quickly added that Victoria of Strathearn, Cyrano de Bergerac (both Camper & Nicholsons builds) Mirabella C III and Philanderer (similar to Mirabella and also built in Thailand), are also on his CV.

The Mirabellas were the biggest sloops of their time but their primary function was, and still is, to provide state of the art charter aboard a sailing boat. In addition to conventional tenders, Vittoria provides a twin-engined seaplane which flies guests to the charter yachts. This service will also be provided for Mirabella V’s 14 guests who will be accommodated in ultimate luxury in the yacht’s seven sleeping cabins. Skydeck cinema Motor yachts used to be the only serious option for chartering because they are fast, voluminous and easy to use. But the ease with which a sailing boat can now be handled, even one Mirabella V’s size, and the fact that this yacht is projected to sail at more than 20 knots and motor at 16, puts her into the big-time charter market alongside the seriously large motor yachts. And Mirabella has the volume to accommodate everything from an open air ‘skydeck’ cinema and swimming pool to a gymnasium and sauna, three motor boats, wave runners, dive gear and 12 crew to pamper the guests. Another benefit is that sail as motive power has that low cost, added eco-value that no gas-guzzling, exhaust-emitting motor yacht can match. So for $200,000 a week she’s all yours. Like ants in a pudding basin The other question which exercises Vittoria’s mind is, just how big can you go with sail? In terms of the hull, one visit to Vosper Thornycroft’s extraordinary FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic) facility in Woolston, lying in the shadow of the Itchen Bridge near Southampton, will convince any sceptic that this is a project very much within the builders’ ability. Their experience in building FRP mine hunters and their large multi-skilled workforce mean they can take the M5 project in their stride.

Stand on the sheer line of the vast hull mould and I guarantee you’ll get vertigo as you look down into the amphitheatre of her hull. Workmen laying up the glass and positioning the foam core look like ants in a pudding basin. The place is almost clinically clean, organised and library quiet, quite unlike any steel or alloy fabricating plant. In fact, unlike any boatbuilding yard.

Vosper Thornycroft are more used to working with navies than ex-car rental bosses and in 30 years have built 270 ships for 34 countries. Frigates, patrol boats and mine hunters are their business. But VT’s unique selling point is their experience with FRP, which they first used for building Mine Counter Measure vessels when wood as a hull building material was no longer viable. Mike Carter recalled that the MOD originally insisted that FRP frames had to be fastened to the hull shells with thousands of metals bolts (‘just in case’), each bolt tested and bedded in with special cotton.

But the introduction of ‘compliant’ resins and the design of the 52m Sandown Class mine hunter, which was dramatically (and successfully) tested for strength by exploding a massive mine just yards from the hull, signalled a major leap forward in FRP technology. They built 12 Sandown Class mine hunters and to do it they erected four vast building halls in which parts of Mirabella are now taking shape. “We’ve built train carriage roofs, pedestrian footbridges and special FRP protection for valves in the offshore oil industry post the Alpha Piper disaster but this is the first sailing yacht any of us can remember,” said Mike Carter. Even so, VT have had to extend their yard by 40ft (12m) to accommodate Mirabella’s enormous hull mould.

A gigantic scaffold supports the mould which is shaped by laser-cut MDF (medium density fibre) forms bolted to the framework every two or three feet. Thin sheets of MDF are laid over the forms and the mould is then fared. “That’s one thing VT aren’t used to – mine hunters could have lumps and bumps but this finish has to be perfect,” said Carter.

Julian Smith of High Modulus, the company responsible for the structural engineering, explained that there is nothing unconventional about the lay-up of the hull shell which accounts for more than 100 tonnes of the yacht’s overall predicted 750 tonnes. The outer skin of Mirabella is just 7mm thick (out of a total hull thickness of just 2.5in/63mm) and is made of layers of Kevlar and stitched bi-axial mat which absorbs resin well and helps prevent show through of the mat.

Polyester resins are used through the hull mould and the whole thing is laid up by hand. Then a layer of Herex foam is vacuum-bagged to the outer skin before the inner skin is applied. A vacuum-assisted resin injection technique is used once the foam has been baked to stabilise the gases in its structure. Carbon capping is used in ringframes and stringers for stiffness.

Another ‘plastic fantastic’ Smith’s structural engineering background is interesting. He made a famous breakthrough with the New Zealand ‘plastic fantastic’ 12-metres KZ 3,5 and 7 for the 1987 Fremantle America’s Cup and then went on to engineer Michael Fay’s extraordinary rule-busting winged K boat for the 88/87 Cup match against the Stars & Stripes catamaran.

He explained that Mirabella’s unusually low length to depth ratio has meant careful studies into how the structure might bend. As a result the deck mould is constructed of carbon fibre and foam to provide a stiff and relatively light structure which acts as a sort of strongback for the hull. Ironically, once complete it will have to be cut into five pieces so that it can manoeuvred out of one shed and into another before being bonded to the hull some time in July.

According to Ron Holland, the decision to go down the composite route (as opposed to alloy) was driven entirely by the owner. “Essentially he wanted a modern yacht and he’s been used to composite yachts. We save about ten per cent in weight over an alloy boat,” said Holland but the MCA requirements for fire insulation have nullified any major weight saving.

Because Mirabella weighs more than 500 tons and is more than 50m LOA, her safety requirements are like those of a ship. “We had to match the fire resistance of insulated metal which meant adding 40 tons of material to the composite surfaces,” said Ron Holland. Interestingly, VT’s own tests showed that the glass in composite provided remarkably good heat resistance. In addition Mirabella will be fitted with a three-stage water mist fire-fighting system fed by a distilled water tank – distilled water if free of particles which would clog the misting system. Sea water can also be pumped for fire fighting.

The spar will be built in at least three sections, one full length half and then the other half split into lengths, the top one of which will be tapered. Openings in the tube will be engineered into the carbon fibre matrix and once the internal fittings are in place the three pieces will be glued together. The entire rig, including standing and running rigging will weigh 35 tonnes.

At one stage ‘textile’ rigging like PBO and similar synthetic materials was considered but, despite the weight saving, it was felt that the technology was not far enough advanced to be applied to such a massive mast and that twisting and friction on the furling stays could pose problems. So Ocean Yacht Systems of Christchurch got the job to provide the longest rod rigging sections ever made. The forestay alone is 295ft (90m) long.

VT and OYS, who have installed new head pressing equipment to form the rigging ends, even studied the effects of thermal expansion on stainless steel rod to see if would cause problems in the Tropics but the changes were negligible. The standing rigging alone weighs 15 tonnes and the V1 is 3in (76mm) in diameter.

So that individual rod sections can be serviced and even removed from the rig without the mast being unstepped, a special pin and toggle system attached to moulded carbon fibre spreader tangs has been designed. Conventional terminal cups would have weighed more than 100kg (220lb) each (that’s ten for the five sets of spreaders) so there’s also a weight saving issue.

The boom is 6ft 6in (2m) wide at the mid-point. It’s a Park Avenue shape with troughs either side of a central spine designed to take the six full-length mainsail battens, the longest of which is 85ft. Harken batten cars will be used on the mainsail track and a specially designed series of track ‘sidings’, sending cars either side of the mast, will be used so that the main stack can be reduced to a manageable height above the gooseneck. Reefing is of the slab variety.

The Doyle main will be built of Vectran and weigh about 1.4 tonnes. There’s a remarkable amount of roach now designed into the head of the sail and, not unlike the modern Open classes, Mirabella will have to drop her main to tack. In practice, she will sail most of the time in the working position with one reef in. A hydraulic halyard lock with full hoist and reefing positions will be fitted and to reduce weight and compression loads, headsails will be lashed in position and halyards removed once they are hoisted.

There are three stays forward, one for a Cuben Fibre reacher which can be used in winds of up to 18 knots apparent, another for a working jib and an inner forestay or baby stay on which a storm sail (specified by MCA) can be set. There’s no trysail but the storm jib can be set in 50 knots apparent.

One of the biggest challenges for Peter Powell, who is in charge of sourcing the hydraulic winch systems, has been finding units able to cope with the massive sheet loads which at times could be in excess of 38 tons.

Mirabella V is designed to sail efficiently at a maximum angle of heel of 15°. Above this angle sheet loads start to become excessive. The biggest automatic captive winches on board will be able to pull 38 tons but if the yacht reaches a heeled angle of 20° the winches will automatically start paying out to reduce loads.

Mirabella should be able to sail comfortably at well over 20 knots in wind speeds of about 15 knots. Like a modern multihull, though, the apparent wind angle will be pulled forward and Mirabella’s skipper will have to compensate for this effect in sail trim and sail area. The M5 team have abandoned any thoughts of an asymmetric and will instead use the vast Cuben Fibre genoa for light wind sailing. Despite its size, it weighs only 300kg. A big advantage is the small diameter of the furl once stowed – Vectran would have measured more than 2ft (0.6m) in diameter but Cuben reduced this to about 1ft (0.3m).The working jib is set on a separate inner forestay and will be made of Vectran.

The yacht will be fitted with captive winches from the German firm Egon Saunders. The winches are designed in two parts, the pulling element and a line storage drum. An advantage is that the storage drum can fitted in a less space sensitive area, away from the business end of the winch.

Under power Mirabella’s twin 1100hp MTU diesels and variable pitch propellers will give her a top speed of 16 knots. Perhaps the biggest engineering challenge of all is Mirabella’s 150-ton lifting keel which will reduce draught from 31ft to 12ft 9in (9.5m/4m). Intentionally, the yacht’s minimum draught is the same as that of Vittoria’s previous Mirabellas, enabling him to visit his favourite anchorages, despite being in a yacht more than 100ft longer.

The steel fin weighs 26 tonnes and is attached to a fabricated bulb which specialist keel-maker Henry Irons of Wadebridge in Cornwall will fill with more than 100 tons of molten lead. The entire structure will be moved by a giant hydraulic ram with a stroke of 33ft (10m) powered by two dedicated 15kW motors.

Here comes the hyperyacht For a yacht of her size, her two-year build time is remarkably short but Vosper Thornycroft appear to be ahead of the game with their specialist knowledge, multi-skilled local workforce and custom-built building facility. Being able to construct so many large components at once, including the vast amount of interior furniture being fabricated by locally based Nicholson Interiors, means that the speed of the project has been dramatically increased.

Vosper Thornycroft have already been approached with enquiries for other vessels and it was interesting to note that the mould framework can be adjusted to accommodate even larger yachts. Could this herald a new era of the hyperyacht?

Call Us: +44 121 285 8010

MIRABELLA I

Technical data

Specifications, accommodation, water sports, entertainment, you may also be interested to check out one of the following boats:.

• Yacht Charter
• Destinations
• Giga yachts
• Super yachts
• Mega yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Power boats
• testimonials-17"> Testimonials
• Useful links
• Privacy Policy
• Legal Notices & Terms

Thank you, Your request has been sent!

Please fill up the form:

Charter Requests Form

Personal Info:

Please specify your request:

Mirabella V

12 guests, 13 crew

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Landing Page
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• View All 3617
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Filter By Destination
• More Filters
• Latest Reviews
• Charter Special Offers
• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Special Offers
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Finding a Yacht Broker
• Charter Preferences
• Questions & Answers
• Add my yacht

M5 Yacht Layout & GA Plans

75m  /  246'1 | vosper thornycroft | 2004 / 2020.

• Amenities & Toys

Use two fingers to move the deck plan

Use ctrl + scroll to zoom the deck plan

Use ⌘ + scroll to zoom the deck plan

Zoomable Deck Plans Instructions To view the yacht General Arrangement / Deck Plans in more detail use the Zoom Tools + / - buttons to 'zoom in' or ' zoom out'. To navigate around hold down you mouse and drag to look around or for touch use two fingers to pinch and drag. To zoom with the mousewheel hold CTRL/⌘ and use the mouse wheel or use two fingers to scroll on an Apple touch pad.

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

SIMILAR LUXURY YACHTS FOR CHARTER

Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to M5 yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

86m | Oceanco

from $548,000 p/week ♦︎

56m | Perini Navi

from $230,000 p/week

90m | Royal Huisman

from $326,000 p/week ♦︎

63m | Holland Jachtbouw

from $220,000 p/week

64m | Van der Graaf

from $120,000 p/week ♦︎

Bahriyeli C

55m | Custom

from $21,000 p/week ♦︎

53m | Alloy Yachts

from $175,000 p/week

55m | Marin LuxurYachts

from $109,000 p/week ♦︎

from $244,000 p/week ♦︎

53m | Perini Navi

from $201,000 p/week ♦︎

58m | Alloy Yachts

from $235,000 p/week

from $190,000 p/week ♦︎

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist