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Black Pearl is a 106.7m three-masted DynaRig sailing yacht built by Oceanco and delivered in 2018. She carries 2,900 square metres of sail across three rotating masts, draws 5.96m with the centreboard up, and can cross the Atlantic on sail alone with battery-stored regenerated electricity covering hotel load. She is one of the most consequential sailing yachts of the 21st century. She is also one of the least available for charter. There is no central agent. There is no published rate. The yacht has appeared in the rare reported private charter to known parties, but the open charter market does not have her.
This piece is the status update and the redirect. What Black Pearl is, why she is not on the charter market, what readers actually want when they search for her charter, and which sailing yachts at the 80m-plus class are realistic alternatives.
Specs that matter
106.7m LOA, 15.3m beam, 5.96m draft (centreboard up), 12m draft (centreboard down), 2,896 GT. Built by Oceanco at the Alblasserdam yard. Designed by Nuvolari Lenard (exterior, interior, naval architecture in collaboration with Dykstra Naval Architects for the rig). Delivered in early 2018. Three rotating carbon-composite masts in a Dykstra-developed DynaRig configuration, 2,900 square metres of sail across 18 individual sail panels (six per mast). Total mast height.
Propulsion is a hybrid arrangement that pairs sail with two MTU diesels driving two screws plus a battery bank for regeneration. The regenerative system is the headline feature: when sailing, the screws can be set to free-wheel and drive the propulsion electric motors as generators, charging the battery bank. The battery covers hotel load. On a documented Atlantic crossing in 2018, Black Pearl reportedly ran the entire crossing on sail alone with no fuel burn for hotel load, recharging the battery bank from the rotating screws. The exact fuel-burn figures from that crossing have been reported by and remain a referenced milestone in sustainable yacht propulsion.
Guest capacity is 12 in 8 cabins, including a full-beam master suite, two VIP cabins, and five double and twin cabins. The interior brief is moody, dark wood, low-ceilinged in places, with an aesthetic closer to a 19th-century gentleman's club than a contemporary sailing yacht. Designers either love it or do not. We are not in the design-review business; we mention the brief because charter clients used to the bright-and-airy interior of a Royal Huisman aluminium sloop will find the contrast significant.
Why Black Pearl is not on the charter market
The straight answer is the operating model. The yacht was built for the late Oleg Burlakov, who passed away in June 2021. The estate has been the subject of a contested succession dispute among family members, reported in. During the dispute, the yacht has remained operational but has not been positioned for the open charter market. Whether that changes when the estate settles is not predictable, and we would not advise a charter client to wait on it.
Even if the ownership question resolved tomorrow, Black Pearl is structurally not built for the open charter market in the way Lana or Flying Fox are. The crew complement is smaller than a 100m-plus motor yacht at her size (sailing yachts run leaner). The galley and provisioning infrastructure is sized for the way the yacht is actually used (long ocean passages with a small private party rather than 7-day Mediterranean charter weeks). The interior layout assumes a single principal cohort rather than a charter client who is using each cabin to full capacity. And the operating culture of the captain and crew is built around extended passage-making, not the choreographed service of a Mediterranean charter week.
Private charter to known parties is a different matter. The yacht has reportedly been used by parties known to the estate in the, and the rate for those arrangements is not public. None of that is the open charter market.
What readers actually want when they search "Black Pearl charter"
In our reading of search intent for this exact query, three distinct intents merge:
The first is "the biggest sailing yacht I can charter." This is a real market question and Black Pearl is not the answer, because she is not on charter. The answer is Sea Eagle II at 81m or Maltese Falcon at 88m (the DynaRig comparable, smaller).
The second is "the sustainable propulsion sailing yacht story." This is more about technology than yacht. The DynaRig regenerative-propulsion model is the headline. The answer for a charter client interested in that story is to charter Maltese Falcon (the original DynaRig) or to wait for the next-generation DynaRig builds currently in.
The third is a generic curiosity click that has no charter intent behind it. We are not addressing that reader because they are not the audience this site is built for.
Sailing alternatives at 80m-plus
Maltese Falcon, 88m, Perini Navi 2006. The original DynaRig. Three masts, 2,400 square metres of sail. Twelve guests in 6 cabins. Available for charter through, asking around. She is older than Black Pearl by 12 years, the rig and propulsion technology is the prior generation, and the rate is materially lower. For a sailing charter client interested in the DynaRig experience, she is the answer. Full notes in Maltese Falcon charter.
Sea Eagle II, 81m, Royal Huisman 2020. The largest aluminium sloop in the world and the largest sailing yacht on the global charter market as of 2026. Three-masted schooner rig (not a DynaRig), Dykstra naval architecture, twelve guests in 6 cabins. Asking. The build quality is the equal of any motor yacht in the size class, and the sailing performance is substantially better than the DynaRig yachts under most conditions. Full notes in Sea Eagle II charter.
M5, 78m, Vosper Thornycroft / Pendennis (refit) 2004 / 2019. The largest single-mast sloop in the world. A 90m carbon mast, 1,800 square metres of sail. Twelve guests in 6 cabins after the 2019 refit. Asking. The interior brief after the Pendennis refit is contemporary. For a sailing charter client who wants a sloop rather than a schooner or a DynaRig, she is the answer. Full notes in M5 charter.
Athena, 90m, Royal Huisman 2004. Three-masted schooner, 2,500 square metres of sail. Ten guests in 5 cabins. Smaller party capacity than the others.. Full notes in Athena.
Three things we would change about Black Pearl
This is the slightly unusual section because the yacht is not on charter and we are not reviewing her as a charter product. What we would change is the public-facing operational model. The right move for the estate, when the succession dispute resolves, is to put her on the open charter market through a central agent in the Imperial / Burgess / Edmiston tier, with a published rate and a clear booking calendar. The sailing-yacht charter market above 80m is thinly served. Black Pearl could meaningfully expand that market and recover a portion of her annual operating cost. That has not happened. Until it does, the yacht is a private asset in extended limbo.
What we have passed on
We have passed on detailing the interior finishes. The dark wood, the brass, the low-light moody salon. None of it is the reason to read about her. We have also passed on the Burlakov family ownership narrative beyond a citation that the succession dispute exists. This is a yacht-focused site, not a probate-court site.
Last updated
May 2026. We update this page when Black Pearl's charter availability or ownership status materially changes on the public record.
FAQ
Has Black Pearl ever been chartered? On a limited basis to parties known to the ownership, by reported account. She has never been on the open charter market with a central agent and a published rate.
What is the largest sailing yacht I can actually charter? Sea Eagle II at 81m as of May 2026. Maltese Falcon at 88m is the next-largest if you specifically want a DynaRig.
Why does the DynaRig matter? It allows a yacht above 80m to be sailed by a bridge crew of one or two, where a conventional sloop or schooner at that size requires a deck crew of 6 to 10 actively the sails. The DynaRig is a technology that makes very-large sailing yachts operationally practical.
Is Black Pearl actually faster on sail than under engine? At good wind, yes. Reported boat speeds of under sail compare to 13 to 15 knots under engine. The regenerative-propulsion case study is the documented Atlantic crossing.
Where is Black Pearl now?. She has moved through Mediterranean and Caribbean waters during the post-2021 period.
If you are planning a sailing charter from St Barths during regatta season, the team next door at HotelsForKings has the St Barths list for pre- and post-charter nights ashore.