Orient Express Corinthian Begins Its Inaugural Season
The world’s largest sailing yacht carries 110 guests, a Michelin-starred kitchen, and no real competition.
Photos: Courtesy of Orient Express
On April 29, the Orient Express Corinthian was officially named at the Joubert graving dock in Saint-Nazaire, France, the same historic dry dock that gave birth to the Normandie nearly a century ago. It’s a detail that Orient Express deliberately leaned into, and advisors should too: this vessel is being positioned not just as a luxury product but as a piece of living maritime heritage.
At 720 feet and 15,000 tons, Corinthian is the largest sailing yacht ever built. Her three automated SolidSail rigs—each 1,500 square meters, rising more than 320 feet—rotate a full 360 degrees and can deliver 100% wind-powered propulsion in the right conditions. Sea trials in February confirmed she makes 12 knots under sail alone in 20 knots of wind, which is more than just greenwashing.
But the spec sheet isn’t what sells a suite. What will matter to clients is the ship’s feel. Corinthian accommodates just 110 guests in 54 suites, ranging from 485 to nearly 2,500 square feet. Ceilings run 10 inches higher than the industry standard. Every suite has a 12-foot panoramic window and a dedicated butler. Yannick Alléno, who holds multiple Michelin stars, oversees five restaurants and private dining rooms. There’s an Art Deco speakeasy, a 115-seat cabaret, a recording studio, and a Guerlain spa. (Everything is fully inclusive.)
Itineraries run one to four nights, and short passages are combinable, giving advisors the flexibility to build bespoke voyages from modular segments rather than locking clients into a fixed two-week cruise. The inaugural season runs the Mediterranean and Adriatic from May through October 2026, then crosses the Atlantic for a Caribbean winter.
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Corinthian departs Saint-Nazaire May 2 bound for the French Riviera, which means the 2026 season is effectively already underway. If you have clients with Mediterranean plans this summer, especially those who’ve been asking about alternatives to traditional megayachts, the window to get in early is now.
A sister ship, Orient Express Olympian, launched on April 17 and is currently being outfitted in Saint-Nazaire.
