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Yacht owner, naval architect, shipyard founder and designer join forces for The Maltese Falcon.
by Justin Ratcliffe and Jill Bobrow
photography by Giuliano Sargentini and Emilio Bianchi
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12/01/2006
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| Perini Navi 289 |  |
I hate corridors on boats, and Ken worked it so that there is
only one—mostly open spaces with sliding doors as partitions. He also worked
around my art collection, conceiving spaces to showcase my paintings and
sculptures. I am extremely satisfied with all the living spaces. I love the ease
and way she sails, and I am completely at home aboard. In fact, I am thrilled
with the entire boat. I couldn’t have done it without such an extraordinary
team.
Top: A close-up of the Falcon logo
designed by Ken Freivokh. Photograph by Justin Ratcliffe. Bottom: The bath towels and bed linens are by Heirlooms. Photograph by Giuliano Sargentini and Emilio Bianchi. (Click images to enlarge)
FABIO PERINI,
owner of
Perini Navi
Tom [Perkins] is
a hands-on owner who has invented groundbreaking technologies. With his technical background, he knew
exactly what he was getting himself into (with The Maltese Falcon), but
you have to be a little crazy to build what is effectively an 88-meter
concept project. Some people told him as much, but he has always pursued his own
goals rather than those of others.
 Fabio Perini. (Click image to enlarge)
To tell the truth, I was skeptical at the beginning. Building a
radical carbon rig in Turkey was a first for Perini Navi, but Tom had complete
faith in us, and in the Yildiz yard. My other concern was that when you put
together a team of outside specialists, there is a danger that everyone wants to
play the lead role. For our part, I knew that by evolving the electric winches
already employed in our traditionally rigged yachts, we could come up with a
system that worked. The problem was not so much making sure the hardware did its
job as ensuring that it all worked together in sequence and functioned reliably.
Top: The futuristic
console in the wheelhouse. Bottom: The VIP cabin on the upper deck, often used
by Tom Perkins. Photography by Giuliano Sargentini and Emilio Bianchi. (Click images to enlarge)
In the event, my concerns were misplaced. I’ve never seen a
yacht as well designed and executed as this one. The team Tom gathered around
him, with Gerard Dijkstra and Ken Freivokh, plus Damon Roberts from Insensys for
the carbon mast and Baki Gökbayrak, the general manager at Yildiz, proved to be
a winning formula. The DynaRig—although I prefer to call it the "Falcon Rig"—is
elegant and efficient, simple and safe. Moreover, the performance predictions
were confirmed during the first sea trials last June and have since been
exceeded. Despite her size, The Maltese Falcon also performs surprisingly
well in light airs. She won the Perini Navi Cup in September, in wind speeds
that never exceeded 12 knots.
Top: Looking up the exterior stairwell from the main deck. Bottom: The
main mast where it exits the coachroof. Photography by Justin Ratcliffe. (Click images to enlarge)
I still haven’t fully absorbed what The Maltese Falcon
signifies for the future of Perini Navi, but there is no doubt that it has been
tremendously positive for the company and for the yachtbuilding community in
general. We have already received inquiries for similar projects, and I think it
will attract more people back to sailing because of its simplicity. In fact, one
of my favorite expressions is "stupido è meglio," or "foolproof is
better," and Tom claims to be able to teach someone how to sail the yacht in 30
minutes. I prefer to describe The Maltese Falcon as a "barca che fa
epoca" (a new class of yacht), as opposed to a "barca d’epoca"
(classic yacht).
To bring a project such as this one to a successful conclusion,
it’s not enough to have know-how and skill; you need character as well. And this
is where Tom’s role as prime mover was all-important. If it weren’t for him,
The Maltese Falcon would still be an experimental concept from the
sixties, rather than setting a new benchmark for the marine industry into the
next decade and beyond.
GERARD DIJKSTRA, naval architect
As well as being an innovator, Tom [Perkins] is a very competitive sailor, so his main
reason for adopting the DynaRig was because our analysis showed that it had the
best lift coefficients, which translates into more speed. But the other
advantage is that it is a relatively compact and simple system that can be
sailed with a small crew or even one person.
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