Ice
Voted “Superyacht of the Year” in 2006, Ice was originally called Air by its builder, Lürssen. When 41-year-old Russian tycoon Suleiman Kerimov bought the ship—currently the 20th largest in the world—he rechristened it and added a few one-of-a-kind details. To accommodate travel to the world’s most remote regions, new technology was applied to cut down on fuel emissions, noise, and vibration. Also, Kerimov has one of the world’s best collections of onboard toys including a helicopter, dinghies, canoes, and at least one Picasso. The billionaire was involved in a serious car accident in late 2006 when he lost control of his Ferrari in Nice, France. Luckily, he had recovered enough by last summer to board Ice for its yearly Mediterranean voyage. Yacht-spotters noticed the ship’s distinctive gray hull in ports from Monaco to Piraeus and took that as a sign that Kerimov was back on his feet.
The Maltese Falcon
Owner Tom Perkins is no stranger to risk. As one of the founding members of one of the world’s most successful venture capital houses, successful risk-taking was the name of the game. Perhaps that’s why this American billionaire paid no mind when skeptics said his 288-foot, 3-masted schooner would never set sail, that its 1240-ton weight made it too heavy to function. The Maltese Falcon proved another success story for Perkins when it sailed for the first time last June, awing naysayers with its revolutionary technology and groundbreaking design. Perkins is the ultimate example of the modern day superyacht owner; The Maltese Falcon is his sixth yacht and he was involved in every step of its five and a half year long conception, from its early sketches on a blank computer screen to its maiden voyage off the coast of Istanbul last June.
Rising Sun
Owned by Larry Ellison, the computer billionaire founder and CEO of Oracle, this 453-foot boat is currently the sixth largest yacht in the world, and the largest privately owned by an American. Ellison is something of a yacht-racing enthusiast and the second largest financier for the BMW Oracle Racing syndicate. Rising Sun is the latest in a string of yachts that he has owned, all bearing Japanese themed names. Rumor has it that he is thinking about putting it up for sale—but only for the right price. The ship’s 26,000 square feet of livable space include a gym, cinema, and basketball court that reportedly cost more than $200 million to build.
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