The Hero
الأســــــــــــــطورة
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- Jun 29, 2008
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It is the ultimate status symbol for the world's super-rich. And as you would expect, it comes with an astronomical price tag.
But
the extraordinary costs are unlikely to concern Britain's richest
woman, who has taken delivery of one of the largest private motor yachts
ever built in the UK.
The
vast 314ft-long Vava II - which costs more than £250,000 just to fill
the fuel tanks - was commissioned for former Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli,
40, by her billionaire husband Ernesto, 46.
Making a splash: The £100 million Vava II is the last ever super yacht leaves Plymouth Sound on its maiden voyage on Friday
Enthusiast: Billionaire sailing enthusiast
Ernesto Bertarelli, right, commissioned the vast vessel for his wife
former Miss UK Kirsty Roper
The Swiss pharmaceutical tycoon - reputedly worth £6.8billion,
making him the 81st richest man in the world and the fifth richest in
the UK - had the boat built in secret by Plymouth boat-maker Devonport Yachts under the name Project 55.
The super yacht Vava II was intended to replace the couple's old boat, which measured up at a mere 154ft.
It was built by 200 craftsmen and drew a crowd of onlookers as the couple
sailed off for the Caribbean on Friday.
The remarkable feat of engineering
features a fold-down beach club and a pool which can be varied in depth
to cater for guest preferences, opulent guest cabins four boats to ferry
passengers to shore.
The vast vessel could be
made available for private charter at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds a
week.
The exteriors of the Vava II were designed by
Hampshire-based specialists Redman Whiteley Dixon while the interiors were styled by Remi Tessier.
Its hull was built in Appledore, Devon, before Devonport Yachts took on the project.
Vava II: The incredible £100m superyacht has
been built for Britain's richest woman Kirsty Bertarelli and her
billionaire husband Ernesto at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth
[h=3]WORLD'S SUPER SUPERYACHTS[/h] 1. Eclipse: Rumour has it Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich commissioned the world's largest yacht to outshine 525-foot super-cruiser owned by the Sheikh of Dubai.
It
features a missile-detection system, two helicopter landing
pads, swimming pool, a submarine that doubles as an escape pod and an armor-plated master suite.
2. The Dubai: The 524 feet long ship was originally built for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei and is thought to be the world's most expensive yacht when sold to the Sheikh of Dubai for around $300 million. It features five VIP apartments, six luxury apartments, a helicopter pad, small submarine, squash room and spa.
3. Al Said: Owned by the Sultan Qaboos of Oman, the 508 feet long yacht features a concert hall, can house 70 guests and 150 crew.
4. Prince Abdulaziz: The 482ft floating mansion has a
large lobby on the main deck was reportedly designed after the Titanic
with large spaces and classical furniture. The yacht is equipped for 22
guests with 12 staterooms.
5. El Horriya: 475 feet long ship was
built in 1865 at the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London. It belongs to
the king of Egypt and resides on moorage in Alexandria.
The luxury yacht company was bought from dockyard owners Babcock last year by Falmouth-based Pendennis shipyard.
Keen sailor Mr Bertarelli triumphed in the America's Cup when crewing his Team Alinghi boat in 2003 and 2007.
He was part of the first team ever to win the prestigious event at its first attempt.
But the team was roundly beaten twice by San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing in 2010.
The
races followed a bitter two-and-a-half year legal battle between Mr
Bertarelli, and Oracle's backer, American software boss Larry Ellison.
Managing Director Stephen Hills said
the Vava II was 'an absolute credit to the capacity of the South West as
a superyacht building location'.
He added: 'We are looking to continue this industry in the South West.'
Captain
Brendan O'Shannassy said of the yacht: 'To have such a ground breaking
construction unveiled in Plymouth should make the region justly proud.'
The billionaire Mr Bertarelli does not lavish all his money on extravagant yachts though.
The Bertarelli Foundation - set up by the family to help fund philanthropic projects around the world.
The
foundation has worked in partnership with the British government for
the Marine Reserve in Chagos and the in the Indian Ocean looking into
wildlife preservation projects.
Luxurious: The Vava II superyacht is the biggest ever built in the UK at 96 metres
Expensive tastes: Wealthy couple Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli commissioned the extravagant vessel two years ago
Stunning: Kirsty Bertarelli when she won Miss UK in 1988 when she was 17 (right), she now lives in Switzerland
But
the extraordinary costs are unlikely to concern Britain's richest
woman, who has taken delivery of one of the largest private motor yachts
ever built in the UK.
The
vast 314ft-long Vava II - which costs more than £250,000 just to fill
the fuel tanks - was commissioned for former Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli,
40, by her billionaire husband Ernesto, 46.
Making a splash: The £100 million Vava II is the last ever super yacht leaves Plymouth Sound on its maiden voyage on Friday
Enthusiast: Billionaire sailing enthusiast
Ernesto Bertarelli, right, commissioned the vast vessel for his wife
former Miss UK Kirsty Roper
The Swiss pharmaceutical tycoon - reputedly worth £6.8billion,
making him the 81st richest man in the world and the fifth richest in
the UK - had the boat built in secret by Plymouth boat-maker Devonport Yachts under the name Project 55.
The super yacht Vava II was intended to replace the couple's old boat, which measured up at a mere 154ft.
It was built by 200 craftsmen and drew a crowd of onlookers as the couple
sailed off for the Caribbean on Friday.
The remarkable feat of engineering
features a fold-down beach club and a pool which can be varied in depth
to cater for guest preferences, opulent guest cabins four boats to ferry
passengers to shore.
The vast vessel could be
made available for private charter at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds a
week.
The exteriors of the Vava II were designed by
Hampshire-based specialists Redman Whiteley Dixon while the interiors were styled by Remi Tessier.
Its hull was built in Appledore, Devon, before Devonport Yachts took on the project.
Vava II: The incredible £100m superyacht has
been built for Britain's richest woman Kirsty Bertarelli and her
billionaire husband Ernesto at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth
[h=3]WORLD'S SUPER SUPERYACHTS[/h] 1. Eclipse: Rumour has it Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich commissioned the world's largest yacht to outshine 525-foot super-cruiser owned by the Sheikh of Dubai.
It
features a missile-detection system, two helicopter landing
pads, swimming pool, a submarine that doubles as an escape pod and an armor-plated master suite.
2. The Dubai: The 524 feet long ship was originally built for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei and is thought to be the world's most expensive yacht when sold to the Sheikh of Dubai for around $300 million. It features five VIP apartments, six luxury apartments, a helicopter pad, small submarine, squash room and spa.
3. Al Said: Owned by the Sultan Qaboos of Oman, the 508 feet long yacht features a concert hall, can house 70 guests and 150 crew.
4. Prince Abdulaziz: The 482ft floating mansion has a
large lobby on the main deck was reportedly designed after the Titanic
with large spaces and classical furniture. The yacht is equipped for 22
guests with 12 staterooms.
5. El Horriya: 475 feet long ship was
built in 1865 at the Samuda Brothers shipyard in London. It belongs to
the king of Egypt and resides on moorage in Alexandria.
The luxury yacht company was bought from dockyard owners Babcock last year by Falmouth-based Pendennis shipyard.
Keen sailor Mr Bertarelli triumphed in the America's Cup when crewing his Team Alinghi boat in 2003 and 2007.
He was part of the first team ever to win the prestigious event at its first attempt.
But the team was roundly beaten twice by San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing in 2010.
The
races followed a bitter two-and-a-half year legal battle between Mr
Bertarelli, and Oracle's backer, American software boss Larry Ellison.
Managing Director Stephen Hills said
the Vava II was 'an absolute credit to the capacity of the South West as
a superyacht building location'.
He added: 'We are looking to continue this industry in the South West.'
Captain
Brendan O'Shannassy said of the yacht: 'To have such a ground breaking
construction unveiled in Plymouth should make the region justly proud.'
The billionaire Mr Bertarelli does not lavish all his money on extravagant yachts though.
The Bertarelli Foundation - set up by the family to help fund philanthropic projects around the world.
The
foundation has worked in partnership with the British government for
the Marine Reserve in Chagos and the in the Indian Ocean looking into
wildlife preservation projects.
Luxurious: The Vava II superyacht is the biggest ever built in the UK at 96 metres
Expensive tastes: Wealthy couple Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli commissioned the extravagant vessel two years ago
Stunning: Kirsty Bertarelli when she won Miss UK in 1988 when she was 17 (right), she now lives in Switzerland