Skippers magazine was invited to Saint-Tropez to test MagicCarpet3. The latest addition to the Cento family of 100-foot Maxis is owned by British entrepreneur Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones. The former head of the French industrial group L’OrĂ©al left Wally, the historic shipyard whose first boat he commissioned, in 1997. He has now chosen French architect Guillaume Verdier and Italian shipyard Persico, builder of the AC75 Luna Rossa. The two principals were given draconian specifications: a retractable canting keel aft, as well as totally electric motorization and maneuvering. Weighing 37 tons, the yacht was designed to last a full day’s racing on a charge of just five hours.
Skippers was privileged to spend two days training with the twenty or so crew members working on the Maxi. Helmed by Sir Lindsay himself, skippered by Danny Gallichan, in a project directed by Ed Bell, Magic Carpet3is the most futuristic of the Cento boats. When it comes to energy efficiency, she’s ahead of her time. With its 1,200 square meters of canvas, this giant also prefigures what tomorrow’s sailing may become: a huge energy-saving laboratory, the mother of battles for Maxis, but also for flying sail… and for society in general.
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