The Maltese Falcon Project

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Hollie Walsh
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1 The Maltese Falcon Project Perini Navi, the luxury sailing yacht builder and innovator, together with an outstanding cast of collaborators, built the largest modern clipper and probably the most technically advanced sail boat ever. The 88 metre, 1240 tonnes Maltese Falcon, is one of the most ambitious privately funded projects of any kind ever and it will revolutionise the way mega-yachts are built and conceived. The revolution is in both senses of the word. As conventional yachts get longer their masts get higher and this is beginning to limit places they can go and bridges they can go under. The Perini Navi team has resolved this problem with a sail plan that endows the Maltese Falcon with greater agility, safety and performance yet with comparatively modest height (max 58 metres) for such a large hull. Secondly, her free standing masts rotate. To see the story of the Maltese Falcon as another large boat pushing the tape measure, albeit one with a radical sail plan, is to disguise the real story of a remarkable collaboration between a team of dreamer-inventors and designers. As the owner said to Fabio Perini as they discussed how to develop the 88 metre Perini hull, which underpins the story, I need a project, not another yacht. Together they have assembled a world class team. The owner is hands on Mr. Tom Perkins is a man who has invented world changing technologies and created world class companies. Likewise Fabio Perini with his background and global leadership in the paper machine business and then the re-instigator of the modern large yacht market a classic Italian inventor business man. Add to this the teams at Gerard Dijkstra naval architect, Insensys (rig-engineering and build management) and interior and exterior styling by Ken Freivokh. * * * * * The three masts, which rotate under power of hydraulic motors, are at the heart of the revolutionary Maltese Falcon and central to its greatest design challenge. Fabio Perini and the owner had the 88metre Perini hull as their inspiration but wanted to do something different with the sail plan. Following discussion of several options with naval architect Gerry Dijkstra the owner chose the clipper rig concept called the Dynarig. By making this decision, he would, in principle, be getting a relatively compact system but one that gave outstanding performance for an ocean going vessel. Analysis showed she would have the best lift drag coefficients and therefore speed. But could they build it? Furthermore, while the owner wanted the kind of outright speed and enhanced windward performance which could make Maltese Falcon a record breaker, he also wanted a yacht that could be sailed by a crew of 1. Perini Navi s unique expertise in sail handling and control systems makes this possible. The Falcon s 2400 square metres of sail is made up of 5 panels per mast, each with 1 furler and 4 outhauls. Perini knew that by evolving the systems already deployed in more traditionally rigged Perini Navi yachts, one sailor could manage all the sails individually and they could endow the Falcon with unrivalled levels of control and manoeuvrability.

2 The furlers working in conjunction with the outhauls, can open or close a sail in 75 seconds, and the full sail plan in 6 minutes. The control panel is a masterpiece of ergonomics. Packing great complexity into an elegant and intuitive layout reflects a key principle in all Perini design which is to make things simpler, yet safer, to use. A hand held version will allow each mast and its sails to be controlled from anywhere on the boat, or even from on-shore. By adopting this sailing system, the team clean up the deck - there are no sheets, winches and cleats and reduces the sailing crew compliment to 1. The owner and his guest will be able to enjoy unrivalled levels of performance, safety and privacy and they, themselves, will be able to sail her. So how has it been achieved? The Falcon has followed a classic R&D pattern. Set challenge, examine options, develop proposed solution, test. Repeat. For example, once the Dynarig sail plan had been chosen, and the Perini team had established the viability of the electric control systems, a mast had to be built that could handle the torsion forces involved. The challenge was unprecedented. Dijkstra load tested the sail plan above 100 knots in wind tunnels and knew the forces involved would be in line with conventional sail plans. But normal masts don t have to be able to rotate against the wind with sails up; nor are they free standing. To meet this brief, carbon composite material was chosen. With Insensys on board to manage the mast build, carbon fibre was shipped from Japan (in quantities that had only previously been required for military aircraft), woven into rolls and meticulously laid and glued in Perini Navi s Turkish facility, Yildiz Shipyard, to create three 55-58m long masts of extraordinary strength. These were lowered into the 9 tonne heel bearings which houses the mast rotation system comprising four 75cc hydraulic motors for total installed power of 30 kw -plus 30 kw for back up- for each mast in order to deal with a maximum torque moment of 1000 knm (the equivalent of 1000 Bentley Arnage engines, the car with the highest torque on the road.) This must be one of the most heavily tested boats ever built. Compared to a normal mast, the added complexity of a rotating, bending mast of this size, with weakening slots running pretty much the full length is exponential. But extensive use of fibre optic monitoring (fibre optic threads are interwoven in the carbon fibre) by Insensys has allowed thousands of readings to be made and tolerances to be calculated. The team is comfortable with the idea of the top of the mast bending 11 feet from centre in heavy conditions. Such new techniques and materials, plus the applied engineering significantly update the original studies from the 60 s at Hamburg University where the Dynarig concept was originated as an idea to offset possible fuel crisis for commercial shipping. One of the problems it encountered then was the lack of a material strong enough to maintain torsional stiffness. But also the project was dogged by funding worries and never made it beyond the desk stage. It would probably have remained in the archives had Gerry Dijkstra not re-opened them and the Maltese Falcon team has put theory into practice. After initial calculations a 1/6 th scale single sail was built to check the sail handling system. Thereafter tank tests were performed on a 1/30 th scale model of the Maltese Falcon at Delft University of Technology and then wind tunnel tests were Page 2

3 performed at Southampton University. Next the team built a full-scale test rig which stands at the end of the Yildiz dock and has been used to endlessly tinker with all aspects of the design - for example the details of the tracking for the sails, and the design of the trusses between the mast and the yards. The 88m hull has also undergone modifications under the same regime of test and adapt. More visibly, steel octopus-like mast supports have been added at deck level. These are the stunning external signs of the hull re-enforcements that have been built into the Maltese Falcon to spread the loads from the 1000kNm torque generated by each of the rotating masts. The base of the heel bearing has two anti-torque bars attached to the hull to anchor the hydraulic motors that rotate the masts. Without these modifications the hull would burst apart. The owner claims that the project has occupied about 5% of the man hours it took for King Cheops to build his pyramid in Egypt and that was a 20 years public works project. The results of the first sail trial, which took place on the Bosphorus on June 7 th, fully confirmed the expectations and this was the Owner s first comment: Everything worked as engineered and the yacht achieved some remarkable numbers: hard on the wind in 15.8 knots true, at 38 degrees relative wind angle, we sailed with no fuss or strain at 10.5 knots. (These results were achieved with the topgallants and the royals furled) On a close reach at 60 degrees relative angle, the speed (still at knots 16 true wind) climbed to 14 knots. The balance is, essentially, perfect with weather helm never exceeding 0.6 degrees on the wind, or 2.5 degrees on a fast reach. The angle of heel was around 15 degrees, but in a puff, once touched 20 degrees. The leeway angle was well under 5 degrees (without the dagger-board in place). Since it was our first day out, and we wanted to be careful, these results were achieved with the topgallants and the royals furled so we expect even better numbers in further tests. The maximum loading on the masts never much exceeded 50% of our (very, very, conservative) limit, so, we have plenty of room for some even better results. The astonishing sailing performance of the Dynarigged Perini Navi Maltese Falcon has been confirmed during her maiden cruise from Istanbul to Malta, her home port: four days of voyage 100% under sail. With the wind forward of the beam, varying from force 3 to force 8, the Maltese Falcon sailed upwind most of the time. The average speed during the passage was 10 knots, occasionally touching 16, when the wind permitted her to bear off a little onto a close reach. The Maltese Falcon has written a new page in the history of yachting, the Dynarig is no longer an experimental concept. These are the words that the Owner chose for describing this tremendous achievement. Perini Navi CEO, Giancarlo Ragnetti s, comments on the largest Perini Navi sailing yacht: "With the Maltese Falcon we reached a milestone in the yachting industry. Her sailing system is a true revolution and it will have a big impact on the global large sailing yacht business. The technological achievements together with the overall quality of the manufacturing have set a new benchmark for the rest of the yacht-building community. This result has been achieved thanks to the commitment, Page 3

4 dedication and know-how of Perini Navi s Turkish workforce. The work that they have been able to do has outclassed any quality requirement. The Maltese Falcon is a clear and evident example that the Turkish yachting industry is today among the finest in the world." Fabio Perini s thrilled words about the latest big accomplishment of his Shipyard: The Maltese Falcon is a real sailboat, and a very practical one at that. The technology developed for this yacht is unique. The Maltese Falcon was created thanks to Perini Navi s acquired experience and especially due to the owner, Tom Perkins' extensive experience in yachting and his commitment to this project. With him and for him we have created an incredible sailing machine. The sail control system and human interface that were developed allow him to manoeuvre the 88m Maltese Falcon in total security, autonomy and achieve remarkable sailing performance. Contacts: Perini Navi, Viareggio, Italy Cristina Bernardini Sara Gioanola cristina.bernardini@perininavi.it sara.gioanola@perininavi.it Page 4

MAIN TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS Length overall: 88 m Length waterline: 78,2 m Beam: 12,46 m Draft: 6,0 m with dagger board: 11,0 m Mast Head Height: 58,2 m Sail area: 2.396,0 m 2 Displacement: 1.

5 MAIN TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS Length overall: 88 m Length waterline: 78,2 m Beam: 12,46 m Draft: 6,0 m with dagger board: 11,0 m Mast Head Height: 58,2 m Sail area: 2.396,0 m 2 Displacement: 1.240,0 t Speed at max continuous rating (mcr) 18,5 knots Ballast: 200 t lead, 50 t salt water Classification: A.B.S.: Maltese Cross A1 Yachting Service AMS + MCA CISR The Maltese Falcon Team Building Company: Perini Navi Shipyard: Perini Istanbul, Yildiz Shipyard, Turkey Naval Architect: Gerard Dijkstra Design and Perini Navi Exterior and Interior styling: Ken Freivokh Design Mast Building: Insensys Page 5

Fabio Perini dreamed of, and subsequently designed, a sailing boat with a new conception where the main features were:

Fabio Perini dreamed of, and subsequently designed, a sailing boat with a new conception where the main features were: PERINI NAVI COMPANY PROFILE Perini Navi was established at the beginning of the 1980 s thanks to the brilliant intuition of its founder, Fabio Perini, an entrepreneur who, up until then, had concentrated