World’s largest single-masted yacht in San Diego!

Mirabella V is the largest single-masted yacht in the world! It's gigantic!
Mirabella V is the largest single-masted yacht in the world! It’s gigantic!

I had to blink my eyes a couple times during my walk today. I was behind the San Diego Convention Center, where lots of visiting super yachts are docked, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

That huge ship in front of me looked like the largest sailboat on planet Earth!

As it turned out, my first impression wasn’t far from the truth!

A little searching on the internet proved that I had spotted the Mirabella V (today more commonly called M5), a sloop-rigged super yacht launched in 2003. Registered in the Isle of Man, it’s the largest single-masted yacht ever built. It’s 292 feet high! That’s almost the height of a 30-story skyscraper! It’s so tall, it won’t fit under any bridge accessible from the ocean. Not even the Golden Gate Bridge!

It’s hard to appreciate the mind-boggling immensity of this amazing vessel with these quick pics, but I thought they were worth sharing anyway.

You never know what extraordinary thing you’ll encounter during an ordinary stroll!

People walk past huge boat docked behind convention center.
People walk past huge boat docked behind convention center.
A cool, unexpected sight. Mirabella V is visiting San Diego on this sunny October day.
An unexpected sight. Mirabella V is visiting San Diego on a sunny October day.

Here are a couple more pics I snapped on October 19…

People walk toward Hilton hotel and giant mast of a world-record super yacht.
People walk toward Hilton hotel and giant mast of a world-record super yacht.
Mirabella V has a mast that is higher than nearby San Diego buildings!
Mirabella V has a mast that is higher than nearby San Diego buildings!

Here’s another pic I took in March 2015…

People enjoying a day on San Diego Bay return to sailing super-yacht M5.
People enjoying a day on San Diego Bay return to sailing super-yacht M5.

Check out what I saw on April 12, as I was walking along!

During another walk I noticed an airplane in the water beside M5.
During another walk I noticed an airplane in the water beside M5.
The super-yacht's crane lifts the small seaplane from San Diego Bay into the air!
The super-yacht’s crane lifts the small seaplane from San Diego Bay into the air!
Crew members pull on ropes to swing the airplane toward the ship's deck.
Crew members pull on ropes to swing the airplane toward the ship’s deck.
This tiny seaplane is about to be set on a super gigantic sailing ship!
This tiny seaplane is about to be set on a super gigantic single-masted sailing yacht!
The plane is secured to the rear deck of the amazing M5 yacht.
The plane is secured to the rear deck of the amazing M5 yacht.

…

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Published by

Richard Schulte

Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography.

34 thoughts on “World’s largest single-masted yacht in San Diego!”

  15. What a blast from the past!

    I was lucky to be onboard of Mirabella C, the precursor of M5. That was in Thailand in 1992 where Pekka Koskenkylä and and Bruce Farr were building Mirabellas. Pekka himself was our host on the visit. I still remember the meticulous work of the Thai ship builders.

    Yachting World wrote a story about M5 in 2003 and in that article was a note about the history: “But his first really large yacht was the 131ft (40m) Bruce Farr/Pekka Koskenkyla-designed Mirabella C launched in 1992 followed by the 134ft 6in (41m) Mirabella C III two years later. They were famously towed across a beach in Thailand by a team of elephants before being launched. Both were built in composites and both used project management and building expertise from the UK, including Paul Johnson’s knowledge.” See http://www.yachtingworld.com/mirabella-v/mirabella-v-vospers-super-sloop-39301.

    Knowing how dizzying high the mast of Mirabella C was (41.4 m / 136 ft), seeing M5 in full glory (77.60 m / 255 ft) must be an exceptional experience!

    Thanks for posting. 🙂

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