M5 (Ex-Mirabella V)

LENGTH: 246ft. 8in. (75.2m)
SHIPYARD: VT Shipbuilding, UK
YEAR: 2004
REFIT: Pendennis, UK
YEAR: Ongoing

This supremely elegant sailing yacht, designed by Ron Holland, is the largest single-masted yacht and the largest sailing yacht built in composite. The nearly 300-foot carbon fiber mast (291 feet to be exact) helps support a 36,000-sq.-ft. sail area, weighing about 3.5 tons, made by Doyle Sailmakers. The foredeck’s tender storage recesses double as a plunge pool and Jacuzzi. A spacious formal dining room accommodate up to 20. A private main-deck owner’s suite and six ensuite guest cabins, a sauna, a gym, a garage for toys, including Lasers and Jet Skis, and a crew of 14 makes this yacht ideally suited for charter. That’s the way commissioning owners Luciana and Joseph Vittoria (former CEO of Hertz and Avis) wanted it. These experienced sailing yacht owners were actively involved in the build and décor of this vessel, a dream that took at least seven years to come true. They recently sold the yacht, however, and she is now at Pendennis Plus undergoing an extensive refit, which includes new interior by Redman Whiteley Dixon and a new nameplate for her rechristening as M5. The work began in earnest with the April 20th, 2012 removal of the gigantic mast, which cranes shipped on several trucks to the Falmouth yard. It had to be a nail-biting moment, but thanks to fair weather and the right amount of planning, the operation went off without a hitch.

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