The world’s largest single-mast sailing yacht arrived in the waters off Bar Harbor on July 3.
The M5, a $50 million superyacht renowned for its towering 291-foot-high mast, is owned by Texas billionaire oil tycoon Rodney Lewis. The vessel was anchored in Frenchman Bay off Bar Harbor on Monday.
The ship’s record-breaking mast could be seen peeking over Bar Island from State Route 3.
The ship is 252 feet long and can accommodate up to 16 guests and 17 crew members, according to SuperYachtFan.com, a yachting database. It was built by UK shipbuilder Vosper Thornycroft, designed by New Zealander Ron Holland — one of the world’s leading yacht designers — and launched in 2004. The vessel was originally named Mirabella V when it was owned by Joseph Vittoria, the former CEO of the car rental agency Avis.
The vessel was last anchored in Fort Pierce, Florida, where it underwent routine maintenance before leaving for New England on June 11, according to Florida news outlet TCPalm.
The ship costs about $5 million to maintain annually, according to the yachting database. With two caterpillar diesel engines, it can reach a speed of up to 14 knots. The stern of the ship can accommodate a seaplane, and it is registered under a Cayman Islands flag.
The ship is now owned by Lewis, whose company Lewis Energy Group, which he founded in 1983, was cited as the fourth-biggest gas producer in Texas, according to Forbes. Lewis began the company with one natural gas well and was later the first U.S. oil businessman to sign a drilling contract with Mexico’s state-owned petroleum corporation, Pemex, in 2004, Forbes reported.
Lewis made headlines Monday afternoon in Washington after purchasing a $28 million residential property in Mercer Island, an affluent Seattle suburb, according to the Seattle Times.
The sailboat was also seen off Mount Desert Island in 2024, when the ship was anchored in Southwest Harbor in mid July, according to the Bar Harbor Story.