31m "high-performance" sailing yacht Magic Carpet e delivered

The 30.5-metre "high-performance" sailing yacht Magic Carpet e has been delivered from Persico Marine's facilities in La Spezia, Italy.

Magic Carpet e was commissioned by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Welsh businessman and owner of the 30.5-metre Wally Magic Carpet Cubed. Interior and exterior of the new build is owed to Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier, known most recently for the 46.5-metre Perini Navi catamaran ArtExplorer.

The Italian yard has promised "unmatched performance at the highest levels of competitive sailing" for Magic Carpet e. A hybrid system is at the core of the build, based around a power-dense battery that provides energy for all the onboard systems, including the winches and the air conditioning. The battery can be charged from the dockside using a small 20kW charger, with the process taking around five hours.

The sailing yacht is also said to weigh ten tonnes less than her predecessor – a design feature termed a "breakthrough" by the yard, who believes it will "reshape the future" of offshore racing.

But this has not come at the cost of interior comfort, which was also a crucial part of the owner's brief.

"I love racing and I am looking forward to the new season – but I also love sailing for the sheer pleasure of it," said Owen-Jones. "Why would I choose to own a pure racing boat on which most of my friends would not want to sail, and then spend my summer getting terminally bored cruising on a motor yacht?"

According to BOATPro, Persico Marine has five yachts on the water – the largest of which is the 43.5-metre Kauris IV, delivered in 2020.