Aerial view of Maltese Falcon under sail over deep blue water, a turquoise bay and rocky coast behind
Maltese Falcon under sail, seen from the air.

Maltese Falcon

HyperyachtTechnical, Historical

Three freestanding carbon masts that rotate to trim fifteen square sails: a cargo-ship rig drawn up in the 1960s and never built until this yacht put to sea in 2006.

88 m
Length
2,400 m²
Sail area
3 rotating carbon
Masts
2006
Delivered

In short

Maltese Falcon is an 88-metre sailing yacht that Perini Navi delivered in 2006, and the first vessel ever built with a DynaRig (Dykstra Naval Architects, Boat International). The rig was proposed by the German engineer Wilhelm Prölss in the 1960s for cargo ships and had never been tested at full scale; according to Boat International, Tom Perkins took it up, bought the patent rights and had it engineered by Dykstra Naval Architects, Damon Roberts of Insensys and Perini Navi (Boat International). Her three freestanding carbon masts rotate to trim fifteen square sails, about 2,400 square metres in all, which can be set in around six minutes (Dykstra Naval Architects, Boat International). She was named Sailing Yacht of the Year at the 2007 World Superyacht Awards, and after a 2022–23 refit at Lusben in Livorno she remains on the charter market (Boat International, Boat International).

Videos

Three tours from YouTube.

Perini Navi : 88m S/Y Maltese FalconPerini NaviWatch on YouTube
Paul Madden presents 88m 289ft MALTESE FALCON + 107m 350 ft BLACK PEARL with Designer Ken FreivokhXplorer YachtsWatch on YouTube
Captain of Maltese Falcon - Pierfrancesco CafaroLusben Refitting YardsWatch on YouTube

On board

Filmed by people who were on board: guests, crew and independent reviewers. Not broker tours.

Independent reviewMaltese Falcon superyacht sailing in Sardinia on 30knts wind. No editing, handheld.

Unedited handheld footage from a yachting magazine of Maltese Falcon sailing in strong wind off Sardinia.

NAVIS Luxury Yacht MagazineWatch on YouTube

Photos

Maltese Falcon at speed on open water with all fifteen white square sails set on three masts, a falcon emblem on the middle sail
Under full sail
Maltese Falcon seen from directly above, three curved sails casting long shadows on the sea
From above: the three rigs and their shadows
Maltese Falcon heeling under sail, foredeck and mast-top instruments in the foreground
Reaching, seen from ahead
Close view of Maltese Falcon's dark hull and bow cutting through a wave, the foremast and yards above
Bow and foremast under sail
View down from high on a mast: curved yards with furled sails, the teak deck below and a tender alongside
Looking down from the foremast
Wheelhouse with a central console of screens for the sail and mast controls
Wheelhouse
Aft deck dining table laid for dinner at dusk, the main saloon lit up behind
Aft deck at dusk (before the 2022–23 refit)
Dining room with dark wooden chairs, a glass table and backlit screen panels
Dining room (before the 2022–23 refit)
Gym with a treadmill, exercise bike and weights in a wood-panelled room
Gym (before the 2022–23 refit)

Further reading

Independent coverage we found. We link to it rather than rewrite it.

Specifications

Length overall
88 m (289 ft)
Length at waterline
78 m 78.22 m at Dykstra
Beam
12.6 m 12.9 m at YachtBuyer
Draught
6 m keel up, 11 m keel down
Air draught
58.2 m
Gross tonnage
1,112 1,110 at YachtBuyer
Displacement
About 1,240 tonnes
Rig
DynaRig (Falcon Rig): three freestanding, rotating carbon-fibre masts with fixed curved yards, five square sails per mast
Sail area
2,400 m² 2,415 m² at Boat International (2021)
Sails
15 set, 25 on board including spares; made by Robbie Doyle
Time to set all sails
About 6 minutes 7 minutes elsewhere in Dykstra's text
Tacking
Within 90 seconds
Speed under sail
16 to 20 kn in service 25 kn top speed at YachtBuyer
Engines
Two Deutz 620-series V12 diesels 1,499 hp each at YachtBuyer, 1,800 hp at Dykstra
Speed under power
18 kn max 19.5 kn max, 16 kn cruising at YachtBuyer
Range
4,000 nautical miles 4,600 nautical miles at 14 kn at YachtBuyer
Fuel capacity
81,300 litres
Shipyard
Perini Navi, built at its yard in Istanbul (Yildiz Gemi), Turkey
Hull
An existing 88 m Perini Navi hull from an earlier order, rebuilt with a new superstructure
Build time
Nearly six years
Launched
March 2006
First sea trial
June 2006
Delivered
2006 June 2006 at YachtBuyer
Refit
Lusben, Livorno, November 2022 to summer 2023: new interior, new generators and engine management (45% lower emissions), hull back to Perini blue
Naval architecture
Perini Navi and Dykstra Naval Architects
Rig engineering
Dykstra Naval Architects, Damon Roberts (Insensys) and Perini Navi
Exterior styling
Ken Freivokh
Interior design
Ken Freivokh, with Sinnex and Perini Navi (2006); Emanuela Esposito (2022–23 refit)
Construction
Steel hull, aluminium superstructure, teak decks
Flag
Malta
Guests
12 in 6 cabins
Crew
18 16 to 19 in other sources
On board
Indoor cinema, outdoor cinema projected onto the lowest sail, gym, massage room, tender garage
Owner
Private owner. Reported to have been commissioned by Tom Perkins (Boat International, 2024), who sold her in 2009 (Boat International, 2021); the owning company that bought her off-market in 2022 has not been named (Boat International, 2024)
Reported cost
$150 million, reported (Forbes, 2012)
Reported resale price, 2009
$90 million (Fortune, 2012) to $100 million (Forbes, 2012)
For sale
Not listed for sale
Charter
Available

Where is she now

Live AIS position on:

MarineTrafficVesselFinder

IMO 9384552 · MMSI 249555000

Questions

Why is Maltese Falcon famous?
She was the first vessel ever built with a DynaRig, a modern square rig on freestanding, rotating masts (Dykstra Naval Architects). The concept was worked out for cargo ships by the German engineer Wilhelm Prölss in the 1960s, and research then showed it to be about twice as efficient as a conventional square rig, but no ship carried one until Maltese Falcon in 2006 (Boat International). Boat International calls the result the first DynaRig ever installed on a superyacht (Boat International).
How does the DynaRig on Maltese Falcon work?
Each of her three carbon-fibre masts stands without shrouds or stays and rotates to suit the wind; the yards are fixed to the mast, and each mast carries five square sails that unroll from inside the mast along the yards, driven by electric motors (Dykstra Naval Architects, Boat International). All sails can be set in about six minutes and the yacht can tack within 90 seconds, controlled from a single panel (Dykstra Naval Architects, Boat International).
Who designed and built Maltese Falcon?
Perini Navi built her in Turkey, starting from an existing 88-metre Perini hull (Boat International, Dykstra Naval Architects). The rig, known as the Falcon Rig, was engineered by Dykstra Naval Architects, Damon Roberts of Insensys and Perini Navi; Ken Freivokh did the exterior styling and the original interior (Boat International, Boat International). The 2022–23 refit interior is by Emanuela Esposito (Boat International).
How big is Maltese Falcon?
She is 88 metres (289 ft) long with a 12.6-metre beam and a gross tonnage of 1,112 (Boat International). Her masts rise to an air draught of 58.2 metres and carry about 2,400 square metres of sail (Dykstra Naval Architects).
Is Maltese Falcon the largest sailing yacht in the world?
No. In Boat International's 2023 ranking of the largest sailing yachts, Oceanco's Koru, launched in 2023, is first and Maltese Falcon fifth (Boat International). Oceanco's 106.7-metre Black Pearl, delivered in 2018, carries a larger DynaRig with about 25 per cent more sail area (Boat International). As of 2024, Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl were the only superyachts with a DynaRig (Boat International).
Who owns Maltese Falcon?
She is privately owned. According to Boat International she was commissioned by the late venture capitalist Tom Perkins, who sold her in 2009 to hedge-fund manager Elena Ambrosiadou (Boat International). Boat International reported in 2024 that a new owning company had bought her through an off-market sale in 2022; it has not been named (Boat International).
How much did Maltese Falcon cost?
Forbes reported in 2012 that she was commissioned for a reported $150 million (Forbes). Her 2009 resale was reported at $90 million by Fortune and at $100 million by Forbes (Fortune, Forbes).
Can you charter Maltese Falcon?
Yes. She has been chartered since 2009 and returned to charter after the refit relaunch in summer 2023, with Burgess as charter manager in 2024 (Boat International).
Where is Maltese Falcon now?
Her live position is shown on public AIS trackers: MarineTraffic and VesselFinder. Search by IMO 9384552 or MMSI 249555000 (VesselFinder).

Compare with

The other DynaRig yacht, the largest sailing yacht in the registry, and another yacht on the Hyperyachts list.

Black Pearl yacht

Black Pearl

106.7 m Oceanco sailing yacht with a three-masted DynaRig, delivered 2018

Koru yacht

Koru

125.8 m Oceanco three-masted schooner, delivered 2023

Sources (12)
  1. Boat International, Superyacht Directory: Maltese Falcon
  2. Boat International, On board Perini Navi's legendary 88m Maltese Falcon fresh from a sensitive refit (Risa Merl) 17 Oct 2024
  3. Boat International, Iconic yachts: The story of the 88m sailing yacht Maltese Falcon (Roger Lean-Vercoe) 22 Jun 2021
  4. Boat International, The development of the high-tech DynaRig on sailing superyachts (Tim Thomas) 21 Jan 2015
  5. Boat International, World Superyacht Awards: 20 years of Sailing Yacht of the Year winners 13 Mar 2025
  6. Dykstra Naval Architects, Maltese Falcon
  7. YachtBuyer, Maltese Falcon
  8. Yachting World, The Yachting World hall of fame: 50 yachts that changed the way we sail (Helen Fretter) 13 May 2020
  9. Forbes, The Ultimate Billionaire Toy: The Maltese Falcon (Hannah Elliott, Forbes Staff) 19 Oct 2012
  10. Fortune, Tycoons are dumping their superyachts (David A. Kaplan) 25 May 2012
  11. VesselFinder, MALTESE FALCON (IMO 9384552), archived 6 Sep 2026 6 Sep 2026
  12. Boat International, Top 10 largest sailing yachts in the world 6 Jun 2023