Sunday, December 4, 2011

Super Yacht

The king of the sea: The £85m superyacht that comes with a matching limousine on board

By Hugo Gye at http://www.dailymail.co.uk

This huge superyacht is so sleek you'd almost be forgiven for mistaking it for a floating limousine. This is no coincidence - the 'Sovereign' yacht is based on the design of a limo, and even comes with its own matching car. And the vessel fit for a king could be yours, if you're willing to shell out a mere $132million - that's £85million.
Luxury: This 100-metre superyacht, which comes with an onboard garage, is yours for a mere £85million
Luxury: This 100-metre superyacht, which comes with an onboard garage, is yours for a mere £85million
Matching: Sovereign's shape was inspired by that of a limousine, and it comes with a car of the same design
Matching: Sovereign's shape was inspired by that of a limousine, and it comes with a car of the same design

For that modest outlay, the happy owner also gets furniture designed by Armani, as well as a swimming pool and golfing green. The extraordinary yacht is the brainchild of Gray Design, which specialises in both superboats and supercars - or sometimes, like the Sovereign, ingenious combinations of both.
'We thought about a typical person on board one of these yachts and asked: how do they travel on land? Well - limousine,' company boss Eduard Gray told CNN. 'It's a very unique concept in the yacht world.'
The company claims that the boat's unusual design 'gives her an extremely low profile' - but a look at the yacht's extra features may suggest otherwise.
Sleek: Designers Gray Design say the boat will be low-profile, but these computer-generated images may perhaps suggest otherwise
Sleek: Designers Gray Design say the boat will be low-profile, but these computer-generated images may perhaps suggest otherwise
Decadent: This picture shows the glass helipad and circling infinity pool which the lucky owner can enjoy
Decadent: This picture shows the glass helipad and circling infinity pool which the lucky owner can enjoy

There is a glass helicopter pad, encircled by an infinity pool; 10 guests suites as well as the extensive main quarters; a private cinema; and a nightclub area which epitomises 'elegance and class' - according to Gray Design, at least. The architects are also installing a golfing green, which can be converted into a god play area for an owner who preferred playing with pets to playing sport.
And of course there's an onboard garage, to store the matching limousine which is an optional extra, or whatever other car the owner feels is necessary to zip around the decks. Every tiniest detail seems to have been taken care of - part of the bow can rise up to provide shade for the jacuzzi.
And the boat is eco-friendly too, sporting a huge wind turbine which powers the yacht's electricity systems.
Fashionable: Armani are said to be involved with designing the ship's interior furnishings
Fashionable: Armani are said to be involved with designing the ship's interior furnishings

Mr Gray insists that the boat is 'in the engineering stage', and is about to enter production. The one attribute which Sovereign does not share with the supercars on which it is based - and which can be stored in its garage - is speed. The yacht goes up to a maximum of 30 knots - fairly nippy for a vessel of this size, but perhaps a little disappointing for real petrolheads hoping to transfer to seafaring.

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