Comparing fancy yachts conceived by world-class designers is a little like discussing tall skyscrapers: you start with a base value of “very” and move upwards. Yet this particular yacht, from a brand that’s captured the imaginations of generations of travellers — and made Agatha Christie’s estate a mountain of money — could very well make apreny future comparison in luxury futile.
Recently christened in Saint-Nazaire with a bottle of champagne and a French Air Force flypast, the Orient Express Corinthian is the world’s largest sailing yacht and will start taking guests across the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Caribbean this summer. It’s a streamlined 720ft long and bathed in rich blue, white and gold hues; a tantalising sight glanced through the gaps between various industrial buildings when I arrived on the coast of Brittany a few days before the launch.
