Viareggio, October 5, 2012
A twinning of the exception that lies between the flagship of the Perini Navi fleet : The Maltese Falcon, and the historic Amerigo Vespucci. Together they inaugurated the 52nd edition of the Genoa Boat Show during the opening ceremony that was held last week in the presence of Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Mario Ciaccia. The two largest Italian sailing ships met for the first time as guests of honor at the main national boat show. Both over 80 meters in length - 88 meters Maltese Falcon, 82 meters the Ship Vespucci - are the pride of the Italian sailing tradition both past and present .
The Maltese Falcon, launched in 2006 by Perini Navi, 88 meters long, 12.60 to wide, with a 1,240 tons displacement, 2,400 square meters of sail area & 15 sails, has a unique technology. The innovative sail - Dyna Rig - based trees on three free-standing and rotating carbon each with 5 panels of square sails, marks a milestone in the evolution of the technology of sailing. Thanks to the innovative hydraulic system, the 2,400 square feet of sail area can be operated by one person in six minutes. The Maltese Falcon is able to realize high sailing performance that exceed the barrier of 20 knots, sailing upward of speed of 19 knots.
Vespucci, launched in the yards of Castellammare di Stabia in 1931, boasts 101 meters overall including bowsprit, 16 meters wide, with a displacement of 3,700 tons, three-masted, 2800 square meters of sails with 24 sails, height of the main mast 54 meters and 270 crewmen necessary to operate the oldest and most admired among the units of the Italian Navy. The sail has just completed its 78th training campaign for pupils of the Naval Academy of Livorno lasting 68 days including 45 spent at sea, covering about 6,000 miles, 1,000 engine hours, 400 of which with sails and touching the main European ports.
The Twinning was celebrated that night at the Italian Yacht Club at delivery the Capital Yacht Marina Yachting Award 2012.
