Inside the 344-Foot Sailing Superyacht ‘Black Pearl’
When it was delivered in 2018, the 344-foot Black Pearl joined Maltese Falcon, Koru, and EOS as the world’s most fascinating sailing yachts. It offers up black, stick-like Dyna-Rig masts and sails, a narrow, pointed bow and, of course, a black hull. Beyond its unique looks, owner Oleg Burlakov had tasked Dutch shipyard Oceanco to build the world’s most sustainable yacht. But Burlakov stayed tight-lipped about the interior, banning any photos. Now, this heavily stylized cabin is being shown for the first time as it is available for charter through Superyacht Connections.
While rumors abounded about an incredibly ostentatious Louis XVI interior, they were just that—rumors. What the yacht does have is Napoleon’s piano, an epic night lounge, a showy dining area, a beach club with a gym and hammam, and one of the largest private collections of art on any yacht. It also boasts a motorized crow’s nest, a 15-foot sunken swimming pool with a rising dance floor, the ability to regenerate power under sail, and the largest exterior cinema on any yacht, located on the mizzen mast.
Black Pearl also has three 230-foot Dynarig masts (gleaned from Maltese Falcon) supporting a sail area of 31,215 square feet. And the vessels two rotational captains—Chris Gardner and Christian Trotter, both ex-Maltese Falcon skippers—compete over who can sail the yacht the most. Around 88 percent of the 60,000 nautical miles covered by the yacht have been done under sail, which has saved an estimated $100 million in fuel costs, not to mention freeing the atmosphere from carbon emissions.
“Black Pearl is a 344-foot sailing boat with the volume and amenities of a 262-foot motoryacht,” says Derek Munro of Divergent Yachting, who was part of the build team. “The only difference is that we don’t need to charge for fuel, and if the wind’s right, we sail a lot faster than a motorboat can cruise.”Black Pearl’s 2025 charter itinerary will focus on the eastern Mediterranean, including Croatia, Greece, and Venice.
Here are 10 things that we love about the world’s most advanced sailing yacht.
-
Sailing Into Sustainability
Image Credit: Breed Media Black Pearl averages around 14 knots when under sail. At that speed, the yacht harvests 138 kilowatts of kinetic energy, which is enough to run the hotel load and charge the batteries without turning on the diesel generators. In fact, the sailing superyacht could cross the Atlantic sailing from New York to the U.K. without burning any fuel.
-
Dynamite Dynarig
Image Credit: Breed Media The Dynarig carbon masts designed by Dykstra Naval Architects rotate electrically, allowing the yacht to tack easily, especially in strong winds. Sailing vessels typically have three reefing points for the sails, but Black Pearl can reef in five different places giving the captain greater control. It means avid sailors can request to heel over at 12 degrees and really push it or drop a couple of sails and comfortably heel at three degrees up wind with a drink in hand. Even the stainless-steel interior elevator is designed to operate when the boat is heeling at 20 degrees. Black Pearl is fast, too. In sea trials, it reached 25.4 knots.
-
Interior Wonderland
Image Credit: Breed Media Rich mahogany, gold finishes, and crystal chandeliers define Black Pearl‘s interior. Silk carpets and colorful velvet sofas in the main salon are swapped for oxblood and tan leather armchairs in the office. The upper-deck lounge is dominated by a central circular seating arrangement and table that is the mother of serious game setups.
-
Sweetest of Dreams
Image Credit: Breed Media All five guest cabins are on the lower deck, including the primary suite with a king-size bed and a lounge that leads to a private balcony. Each of the guest bathrooms feature a different type of marble, such as pink and green. There is also Burlakov’s favorite amber, which came from his private forest. “He had so many tons of his own amber that he commissioned an amber credenza and amber paneling to go around the entire formal dining room, which is still sitting in St Petersburg waiting to be collected,” says Munro.
-
The Napoleon Link
Image Credit: Breed Media A reconditioned and refurbished 19th-century French piano enjoys pride of place in the main salon. “It used to belong to Napoleon and is a beautiful piece of art,” says Munro. It’s decorated in French polish with gold leaf angels. Guests are allowed to play it if they’re trained pianists. It’s fixed and bolted to the floor, which has thick metal plating to secure it.
-
Masters of Canvas
Image Credit: Breed Media There are so many significant artworks on board Black Pearl that Munro says, with some overstatement, “it’s like stepping into the Palace of Versailles.” The value and specifics of each painting are kept confidential, though art aficionados lucky enough to charter the yacht can surely identify them. “The yacht is the best place to keep them, as it’s fully air-conditioned, humidity controlled, and has an incredible security system,” says Munro.
-
Vino Veritas
Image Credit: Breed Media A glass-fronted, temperature-controlled 400-bottle wine cellar is located starboard amidships on the way to the formal dining area. There’s also a trolley holding spirit casks that gets wheeled out for guests to enjoy a brandy or cognac poured straight from the cask as a post-dinner digestif.
-
The Night Lounge
Image Credit: Jeff Brown The lower-deck night lounge with its starlit ceiling—a replica of the constellations above Rotterdam from the evening of the yacht’s launch—and drop-down TV has a different feel than the rest of the interior. It gives access to the sunken main deck aft swimming pool and the sea. It can be used as either one large space or divided into three smaller areas using sliding doors. It contains the gym on one side and a massage area on the other. Adjacent is a gold-tiled hammam, sauna, and spa, with a hairdressing chair, showers, and a dayhead. On both sides are 33-foot-long fold-down balcony doors that are also used as tender dropoff points.
-
Bird’s Eye View
Image Credit: Breed Media The motorized crow’s nest is a charter highlight. Located on the foremast, it soars 190 feet above the water. Beyond that point the mast starts to narrow, which prevented the track from continuing all the way to the top. Unlike the main and mizzen masts that rotate 180 degrees, the foremast rotates 270 degrees giving guests incredible elevated views.
-
Movie Magic
Image Credit: Breed Media When the sun sets, Black Pearl’s mizzen mast projector screen—the largest exterior cinema on any yacht—comes into its own. Guests gather on the flybridge seating or sunloungers for a movie under the stars, with drinks on tap at the dedicated bar.
