18 Super Facts about the Super Yacht Bringing Vava Voom to South Africa

Since the end of January there’s been quite a buzz around a special yacht docked in Cape Town, South Africa, with sports celebrities like Kevin Pietersen and Shaun Pollock even tweeting about its presence. Here are 18 things you may want to know about Vava II…

18 Super Facts about Super Yacht Vava II

1. Vava II is the largest yacht ever built by the Devonport Shipyard in Plymouth, and the largest private yacht ever built in the UK.
2. It took 200 craftsmen two years to build her.
3. The vessel was built under secrecy, known only as “Project 55”.
4. She’s 96 metres long and reportedly cost £100 million to commission.
5. She replaced the owners’ previous Vava which was 47 metres long.
6. Vava II doesn’t even feature in the Top 10 or Top 20 largest yachts in the world. Vava II comes in as the 42nd largest yacht in the world.
7. It boasts a helicopter landing pad, fold-down beach pad, swimming pool and four boats to carry passengers to and from shore.
8. Her special features include anchors that retract inside the hull and bow and stern thrusters, as well as independent rudders which give incredible control.
9. She was a 40th birthday present, in 2012, for British singer songwriter (and former Miss UK) Kirsty Bertarelli.
10. Kirsty happens to be the richest woman in Britain… with a fortune larger than Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Queen Elizabeth II. (In 2000 Kirsty wrote the lyrics to Black Coffee for girl band All Saints, which was an international hit.)
11. Vava II was a gift was from her husband – Italian-born Swiss pharmaceutical heir Ernesto Bertarelli.
12. Ernesto is the fifth richest man in Britain and 81st richest on the planet.
13. He has also twice won the America’s Cup yacht race.
14. Ernesto is also a philanthropist and sponsors several projects through the Bertarelli Foundation including a research Centre for Neuroprosthetics in Switzerland; and a partnership with the British government to create the largest marine reserve in the world in Chagos, in the Indian Ocean.
15. The couple’s combined wealth is allegedly over £8 billion.
16. She’s the first yacht built in Britain to comply with the SOLAS Passenger Ship rules requiring less than 36 passengers.
17. She’s currently docked outside the Table Bay hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.
18. The couple has a link with South Africa. The Bertarelli foundation is very involved with the Henna Pre-School in South Africa

Watch Video: Super Yacht Vava II docked in Cape Town, South Africa