The 196 metre superyacht The World, which carries the title of the largest privately-owned residential yacht on earth, will recommence sailing in July 2021, it has been announced.
The World is a multi-deck motor yacht which offers 165 luxury residences with an ever-changing view and high-end service. Amenities on board including six different restaurants, sport and fitness facilities, swimming pools, a library and a cinema.
In 2020, The World stopped sailing on account of travel restrictions. Now, however, the 150 families with residences on board can return home as a result of its “COVIDSHIELD” program, which has ensured all residents and crew are fully vaccinated and has introduced new health and safety measures on board to support the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
The World’s chief executive, Pamela Conover, confirmed that, “after more than a year” the superyacht would be “setting sail again.”
“It’s been a difficult 16 months for our residents who have been missing their home at sea. They have been incredibly supportive of the operation while the ship was in warm lay-up and especially of our crew, who are like extended family members. We are all anxious for the ship’s return and are enthusiastically preparing to welcome our residents back home this summer," she said.
The World will set sail from Piraeus in southern Greece and is set to have a packed sailing schedule over for the rest of the year. She will spend the summer cruising the Mediterranean, visiting Greece’s sun-drenched islands before stopping over in Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, France and Spain to visit the countries’ ancient cities and scenic beaches.
By autumn, The World will close up her Mediterranean season with one last stop in the picturesque port of Funchal in Portugal’s Madeira Islands before beginning a transatlantic crossing to the Caribbean.
Residents on board The World will then spend the latter part of the year taking in the sights of Bermuda, The Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Leeward Islands, the Dominican Republic, and the Cayman Islands.
For the rest of 2021, The World will cruise the coasts of south and central America, discovering the cultures and cuisines of Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala.
When at sea, The World’s residents will have plenty to keep themselves entertained on board with an activities program including lectures from Nobel prize winners, scuba diving expeditions, golf and tennis tournaments held on the superyacht’s facilities and spa treatments at The World’s wellness centre.
Although The World has carried the title of the largest privately-owned residential yacht since first welcoming residents 17 years ago, she is destined to be usurped when 200+ metre Njord is launched in 2024.