'Athena', one of the largest private sailboats in the world
‘Athena’, one of the largest private sailboats in the world
It was originally built for James H. Clark, an American businessman who founded Netscape and Silicon Graphics.
This sailboat has three poles of 58.80 meters each, and the total surface of its sails is 2,623 square meters. M. R. Aguilera
Among the many yachts of all types and sizes that annually visit the Bay of Palma, there are always some that go out of the ordinary and attract the attention of locals and strangers alike. This is the case of the Athena, a beautiful sailboat with three masts of 90 meters of maximum length, which is considered one of the largest private sailboats in the world. Every season he visits the island. Without going any further this spring has been docked for several weeks in the Club de Mar.
The Athena was originally built for James H. Clark, an American businessman who founded Netscape and Silicon Graphics, at the Royal Huisman Shipyard, in his Vollenhove factory in the Netherlands. This company has great prestige given the quality of its boats.
Previously, Jim had since 1998 the Hyperion, a sailboat of 47.4 meters built in the same shipyard, but decided to have a larger boat, so he ordered the Athena, which reached 90 meters in length, thus constituting one of the largest private sailing yachts in the world. It is said that it cost about 100 million dollars.
Its design stands out for its classic forms and has won several prizes in publications and specialized competitions, such as the best yacht for 40-meter sailing in 2004 or better interiors for a sailing yacht in 2005.
It was the work of the naval architects Pieter Beeldsnijder and Gerard Dijkstra, taking care of the interiors Rebecca Bradley, and evokes the classic sailboats, but without renouncing all kinds of modern comforts and elements, paying special attention to the nautical qualities, energy efficiency and Avoid noises and vibrations. It took four years to build and was delivered in 2004. Subsequently, in 2011, he spent nine months at the Orams Marine shipyard in Auckland, New Zealand, performing maintenance tasks.
characteristics
The dimensions of the Athena are length in the flotation, 79.25 meters; Overall length, 90 meters; manga, 12.20 meters; and a displacement of 1,126 tons. It has three poles of 58.80 meters each, with a total area of 2,623 square meters of its sails. It can accommodate ten guests in five cabins, one of them from the shipowner, and has accommodation for eighteen crew members, being also equipped with two auxiliary engines, being able to reach speeds of more than eighteen knots. It is built in aluminum, more specifically in alustar, a material 25% lighter than conventional aluminum, its covers being covered with teak. The degree of automation on board is very high, coexisting flat screens for monitoring and navigation aids, with the traditional binnacle and wheel.
There is a library, jacuzzi, a lounge and a large dining room, with all kinds of equipment for water sports and even a decompression chamber for divers.
James H. Clark is famous for having founded Silicon Graphics in 1982 and Netscape in 1994, among other companies. In 2012, Jim Clark put on sale the two yachts available to him at that time, the Hanuman a class J sailboat, replica of the boats that competed in the America Cup for 18 million dollars, and Athena himself, for 95 million dollars.