This Space Age iPad-controlled Superyacht Can Be Yours for Only $15 Million
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Although there’s no shortage of iPad-controlled toys — drones and robots have been around for years — if you’ve got money to spare and you’re looking to use your iPad to control something a little more extreme, then how about an ultra-high tech superyacht that would the envy of any Bond villain.
According to CNN travel, the Adastra, which won a whole litany of design awards back in 2013, is now on the auction block, and it’s priced to sell — it can be yours for only $15 million, or the price of producing only one episode of Apple’s new epic fantasy series.
Award-Winning, High Tech, and Environmentally Friendly
Most likely an amalgamation of the Latin phrase “Ad Astra,” meaning “to the stars,” this trimaran yacht has all of the features that any high-tech billionaire will love, and even better, it was designed for minimal environmental impact, meaning that it blends in nicely with Apple’s design ethos in that way also.
Specifically, since it only consumes about 14 percent of the fuel that’s used by a more traditional yacht with the same specs it’s considerably cheaper to run than most superyachts — it gets only 1.36 (nautical) miles per gallon. With a range of 9,000 nautical miles, the 25,000-litre fuel capacity will take you from London to New York on a single tank. The secret is that only a few square meters of the space-age vessel actually touch the surface of the water, significantly reducing drag and also allowing it to zip along the water at over 26 miles per hour.
Back in 2013, the Adastra came away with three prizes at the prestigious ShowBoats Design Awards, including “Best Naval Architecture” for its extremely innovative design — something between a spaceship and the Concorde — that broke with superyacht tradition.
The 140-foot yacht is fairly spacious as well, boasting five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a saloon, a lounge, and an open-air bar on the rear deck, but the really cool thing is that you can use your iPad (a fully-loaded iPad Pro, natch) to control the whole thing from up to 164 feet away. At night, the underside of the yacht glows in blue, giving you the perfect aesthetic for plotting your plans for world domination.
Up for Sale
The Adastra is currently owned by billionaire shipping magnate Anto Marden, who, according to CNN, told the website Robb Report that he and his wife Elaine are selling it simply because “their cruising days have come to an end” and they’ve pretty much gone everywhere they want to go — and besides, they still have another yacht at home.
After seven years, we’ve pretty much cruised to all the places we want to cruise. Now she’s just not getting enough use. We have another yacht at home, so it’s time to sell.
Anto Marden, billionaire shipping magnate and yacht collector
Technically speaking, Marden hasn’t listed an asking price, so you might be able to pick up the Adastra at a discount — it was valued at $15 million back in 2013 when it was brand new, but after six years of sailing around the world, one would think that it’s depreciated a bit. Then again, we’re not really experts on the used yacht market, so it’s hard to say.
