Orient Express Sailing Yachts celebrated the float-out of Orient Express Corinthian on June 16, 2025, in Saint-Nazaire, France. After four and a half months of assembly by the teams at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, the vessel—touted as the world’s largest sailing yacht—left the construction dock and moved to the outfitting dockyard.
Built from 14 structural blocks and crowned with three balestron rigs, the yacht will set sail in June 2026, cruising first in the Mediterranean and Adriatic that summer, before a transatlantic crossing to the Caribbean. Sister ship Orient Express Olympian is set to join it in the summer of 2027. The 722-foot Orient Express Corinthian boasts three towering masts supporting 16,146 square feet of rigid sails. It is the first sailing yacht equipped with the SolidSail propulsion system, complemented by a hybrid propulsion system powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), all in pursuit of near-zero-emission cruising. An AI-driven floating object detection system aims to minimize the risk of marine mammal collisions, while dynamic positioning technology eliminates the need for anchoring, preserving delicate seabeds. Every aspect of the yacht’s design is calibrated to protect the ocean it traverses.
Architect Maxime d’Angeac, artistic director of Orient Express, has conceived the yacht’s interior, which features 54 suites ranging from 485 to 2,476 square feet. Each one is framed by expansive picture windows or terraces and elevated ceilings. Orient Express Corinthian offers five restaurants and private dining spaces, overseen by multi-Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno, executive chef of both the Orient Express train and the sailing yacht.
From May to October 2026, Orient Express Corinthian will glide through the Mediterranean and Adriatic on 27 itineraries, from two-night escapes to 14-day voyages, with each route combinable for tailor-made journeys.
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