''Hyperion'' is the name of a sailing

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

built by the

Royal Huisman Royal Huisman is a Dutch shipbuilding company that specializes in the newbuild construction and refit, rebuild and renewal of sailing and motor yachts. The shipyard was established in 1884 in Ronduite as a builder of wooden workboats and fishin ...

in the Netherlands in 1998 and designed by

German Frers German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. At the time of her launch, she was the largest

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

ever built, and had the tallest mast. The carbon-fiber mast clears the deck of the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...

by only . However, ''Hyperion'' is famous primarily for her owner,

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

entrepreneur

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...

, founder of

Silicon Graphics Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...

and

Netscape Netscape Communications Corporation (originally Mosaic Communications Corporation) was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was onc ...

, who built the yacht with the aim of replacing all conventional ship board electronics with an array of integrated, touch screen computers. At the time of launch, all systems aboard the yacht including engines and sailing systems, environmental systems, lighting, HVAC and entertainment were controlled by a network of 30 customized Silicon Graphics computers and 22

LCD A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but in ...

touch screens at various locations throughout the yacht. Clark created a small company, Seascape, which worked in anonymity for many years above a

Jenny Craig Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. The company has more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The pro ...

weight loss center in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; ...

, to create the software for this one-of-a-kind project. Much has been written about this project including a best selling book, ''

The New New Thing ''The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story'' is a book by Michael M. Lewis published in 1999 by W. W. Norton & Company. Synopsis The book is written with a comedic touch similar to that of the Lewis's earlier book ''Liar's Poker''. The book f ...

'' by

Michael Lewis Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to '' Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. H ...

. Hyperion was surpassed as the world's largest sloop by the 48.5 m ''Georgia'' in 2000, which was surpassed by the 75.2 m ''

Mirabella V ''M5'' is a sloop-rigged super yacht launched in 2003 as ''Mirabella V''. She is the largest single-masted yacht ever built. Ownership ''Mirabella V'' was built as part of a fleet of large sailing yachts used for luxury private charters by Jo ...

'' in 2004.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Hyperion - Royal Huisman - The spirit of individuality''
Individual sailing vessels

See also

References

External links