The beastly sailing-warship of the oligarch Andrei Melnichenko has been in Ayia Napa and specifically in the marina of Ayia Napa since yesterday.
Astonishing everyone, locals and tourists, on Friday it anchored off Makronisos beach and then in the marina of Ayia Napa, one of the most brutal, modern, extravagantly expensive and generally one of the most extravagant and shocking sailing ships of all time: "A".
Three-tiered and theatrical in all its dimensions, the "Sailing Yacht A", registered in Hamilton Bermuda, is 142,8 meters long and is the largest in its class - although of course the unreal size and especially its design by modern design guru Philip Stark rather classify "A" in a category of his own. The mega yacht was built at the request of 46-year-old Russian oligarch Andrei Melnichenko, a close friend of Roman Abramovich, and cost 400-430 million euros. Its name, however, a simple "A", is not in line with the awe-inspiring exclamations it causes wherever it is moored, as its form, technical characteristics and every detail leave the world with its mouth open.
https://www.tiktok.com/@kaikkis17/video/7019208637637872898?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=7019158151262897670
The "A" is the initial letter of the name Alexandra, of his wife Andrei Melnichenko. With a personal fortune estimated at $ 13,5 billion and the 88th richest man in the world, according to Forbes magazine, Melnichenko is the definition of a gallant man: in honor of his beautiful lady, the Russian tycoon wanted to create a super yacht that would not look like any other. A boat completely unique, like her. And indeed, even if he did not conquer the top 10 of the most expensive yachts, Melnichenko caused an earthquake in the world of tycoons throwing their money into the sea. Because his own "A" is truly a masterpiece in oversized, in many of its technical characteristics revolutionary, a landmark boat that every croissant craves and -justly- envies. Behind a single outer shell that encloses it and erases its eerie, enigmatic silhouette, the "A" has 8 decks connected by elevators and escalators. Parking is provided for four auxiliary boats (also designed by Stark), jet skiing, hovercraft, cars, etc., while a helipad could not be missing.
Indicatively, only its middle mast, which reaches 100 meters, is higher than the Statue of Liberty (93 m.), Even than the emblematic Big Ben of London (98 m.). The three masts, the largest ever made of carbon fiber, are designed to lift sails with a total area of 3.747 square meters - about the size of a football pitch. And with these vast, state-of-the-art sails woven in full growth, the "A" is designed to withstand winds of 90 knots, ie in a hurricane of category 2. In another supervisory ratio, two double-decker buses can be comfortably hung from any mast without the stability and safety of the vessel being affected to a minimum. In general, however, there are a number of technological innovations that have been implemented in almost every sub-sector of the groundbreaking "Sailing Yacht A" so as to fulfill every ambition of its owner.
Infinite luxury and technology
It is characteristic that in order to realize the vision of the Melnichenko couple, a German company specializing in glass constructions of extreme demands produced the largest one-piece and curved glass surface ever made. The captain and the officers look at the horizon through a piece of glass 15 meters long and weighing 1.800 kilograms. But the most impressive thing is that in the hull of "A", in the tail section, passengers have the unique luck to observe the marine environment under the propellers and through high-strength crystals, which have replaced much of the metal that in a conventional boat would have been used at this point for structural stability reasons.
Melnichenko seems to have known exactly what he wanted and what he wanted in order to acquire the ultimate (motorized) sailing mega yacht, long before it was launched in Kiel, Germany, at the Nobiskrug shipyards. Probably because he had "warmed up" with his previous, equally spaceship, a yacht also designed by Philip Stark. Melnichenko received it on January 3, 2008, but he soon realized that something even more extreme would suit him. Hence, he proceeded to order the sailing ship "A" in March 2011. With this, he enjoys from 2015 until today the fulfillment of a dream, but also the Ionian cruise, together with his guests at "A", who can reach the 16 people, and necessarily the 54-member crew.
The master bedroom is at the top of the boat and, according to international media, has a swivel bed for a 360-degree experience in the wet element, something that was also tested on "Motor Yacht A", the former Russian tycoon's mega yacht. For security reasons, finally, the doors from room to room can only be opened with a fingerprint sensor. The "A" could be compared, in terms of its distinctive style, only with the most unconventional boats in the world, such as that of Princess Moza, the wife of the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, but also his famous "Guilty" Greek businessman and collector Dakis Ioannou. The yacht of the Qatari princess combines the opening of the jaws of a shark with the shape of an Easter egg, while the boat of Dakis Ioannou is just a completely unusual sailing boat, which left speechless all those who saw it for the first time on the Greek islands.
In terms of entertainment capabilities, dozens of speakers and about 25 TV screens have been discreetly placed throughout the boat, many of which the visitor can easily pass for simple mirrors.
The wedding party of 5 million euros
The wealthy Andrei Melnichenko, whether he wanted to or not, became world famous through the two incredible "A" boats named after the first letter of his wife, Alexandra Nikolic. A former model with a remarkable career on the international catwalks, Mrs. Melnichenko enjoys life next to the big businessman moving between the luxury homes of the couple in Russia and France, while of course there are always the two "A's" for a guaranteed impression.
Andrei was born in Russia on March 8, 1972, and growing up followed in his father's footsteps: he studied Physics at the State University and then graduated from the Plekhanov University of Economics. Fortunately for him, he did not continue the family tradition and did not become a teacher of either Physics or Economics. Instead, he and some of his classmates got involved with computers and computer applications, which were mainly related to financial transactions. This enabled him to establish, in 1993, the first private bank in Russia, MDM Bank.
But it was not his business activities that made Andrei Melnitshenko world famous, but his secular marriage to model Alexandra Nikolic in 2005. The two met in 2003 - and while Alexandra was already a sought-after model - at an event they attended several Russian oligarchs. The love between them was thunderous and within two years they decided to get married. Their wedding took place on the French Riviera in September 2005 with hundreds of guests. The highlight of the night, however, was the more than $ 5 million the Russian tycoon spent to secure the appearance of pop superstars such as the late Whitney Houston, Julio and Enrique Iglesias, as well as Christina Aguilera.
Famagusta.News