Gigayachts?
Have you become tired of the term megayacht? An article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer speaks of the next really big thing, the gigayacht. It's a new way to define the elite class of 400+ footer. At this year's cruise industry convention in Miami, Barry Gilmour, chairman of Oceanic Investment Corp. announced that there is a plan for a 630-foot yacht. Gilmour insists that someone will order it. The U.S. is currently second to Italy in the yacht building race with the Netherlands running a close third. For really big yachts though, the leader is Lurssen, of Bremen, Germany is famous for building larger yachts including Project Platinum. The average length of its creations is 277 feet. The article also highlights some of the toys on the larger yachts such as a sand beach on the "Lady Moura," and the missile detection system and paparazzi-deterring lights on the "Pelorus." Now that the "Rising Sun" is no longer number one in the world, will Larry Ellison be the one to subsidize Gilmour's 630-foot gigayacht?