That’s $US10 million for a mast. Granted, it’s part of a massive structure that’s twice the size of a 747’s wing, but that’s still $US10 million for a mast. The Ellison-owned team has two more in reserve, so it’s understandable how the helmsman can call the harrowing event “minor” when speaking to we plebeians.

The cause of the mishap is unknown. Weather and stray surfing gadget blog editors have been ruled out, and the team hopes to figure out the real cause and get back to training so they can meet and defeat Alinghi of Switzerland on February 8. [NBC Bay Area]

Royal Caribbean named this affront to god the “Oasis of the Seas,” which, yeah, is a super cheesy name, but it’s not like there’s anything subtle about a god damn 1200-foot-long boat. It’ll operate out of Miami and begin offering cruises in December. The Oasis of the Seas has a maximum capacity of around 6,000 people, which for the record is larger than the population of MY ENTIRE HOMETOWN. It’s about 50% bigger than the current frontrunner in the “Titanic 2/Icarus” competition, the Queen Mary II, so now you can all feel free to hop on board that ship, since the Oasis of the Seas (really, you guys had to brag about the several seas in which this ship will be an oasis? It’s really annoying, grammatically) is sure to be the one to sink in a blaze of indoor amphitheatres and miles of buffet lines. [Oasis of the Sea via BBC via The Awl]

The entire driving force of the Ankida concept, aside from beautiful looks, is to have ideal placement for every part and get the most out of your escapes. Whether you prefer to move under only one sail, or test the performance of them all, you can easily do it with a hell of a lot of style. And while it’s a still just a concept design, I’m already lost in daydreams of adventure and pirates. [Super Yacht Times via BornRich]

Designed by luxury fashion company Hermes and ship-builder Wally, the $US142 million WHY 58×38 is more floating mansion than yacht. Those figures stand for its peculiar 58 by 38 meter dimensions, which is unlike any other vessel in the world. It features solar panels that will save 200 tons of diesel fuel per year, as well as 300 square metres of windows designed to bathe its interior with natural light.

According to Luca Bassini, founder of Wally, “I think the best part of this boat is the stern. It’s not like the usual stern of a boat, it’s more like the real beach of an island; a beach which is protected from the wind and the waves, where you can really relax.” You are so damn right, Luca. If you are reading this, please give me a call when it’s done, so I can lease one of its six suites for a year or two (and be a pal and make that the 200 square metre master suite). [Daily Mail]

The lasers detect CCDs, or charge-coupled devices, which are used in most (but not all; CMOS chips are also around) photoelectric sensors. Guards can activate the lasers when they spot any suspicious glint of a camera’s lens, which will then shoot a bright, focused light directly at the camera, ruining any photography.

Predictably, paparazzo (the only Italian plural I know, embarrassingly) are angry about the laser shield, whining that:

Intermeddling with goods belonging to someone else, or altering their condition, is a trespass to goods and will entitle the photographer to claim compensation without having to prove loss.

It might be kind of a lost cause, since it’s awfully hard to hide a 170-metre boat at all times without, like, sinking it, but anything that involves lasers shooting at paparazzi sounds pretty good to me. [Wired]

We’ve mentioned Schopfer’s previous (and first) luxury yacht, the Oculus, but the new Infintas is far, far sexier with its “closed loop infinity symbol” design and includes a much needed upgrade in the form of an extra 15 metres of length. [Schopfer via The Cool Gadgets]

It’s not abundantly clear when you’d use the as-yet-unannounced electric engines, or exactly how efficiently the onboard solar panels will collect sunlight and charge the as-yet-unannounced batteries.

Let’s be honest: You probably won’t use them all that often. The point is to have them, and to tell your rich-ass friends that you are, in Code-X’s words, “a pioneer and frontrunner on the path to a cleaner and more environmentally friendly future.” The point is to be saying this while gunning your twin F1 Limor 710HP smogmasters to drown out the riffraff circling you in those environmentally unfriendly Jet Skis.

The most sinister thing about the whole operation is the length that Code-X went to render a completely non-existent boat into so many real-life scenes, almost as if James Cameron was the company’s marketing consultant. [Code-X via Josh Spear via DVice]

The launch bests the lavish $US350 million Dubai that set sail from, yes, Dubai. At 551-ft. in length, the Dubai had been the longest yacht in the world. The Eclipse also cost a cool $US350 to complete, but it comes with a host of modern extras and a decidedly un-tacky interior so we’re giving it the edge not only on length, but in the taste department as well.

Take for example the missile defence system that allows the crew to jam incoming pirate missiles. Or, perhaps you’ll consider the secret underwater submarine entrance, perfect for James Bond style escapes—just watch out for those underwater knife fights!

Then there’s the two heli-pads, pool with surrounding Havana bars, cinema, library, restaurant, private garden and a 5,000-sq.-ft. master bedroom, the latter of which had me feeling pretty stupid about all the bragging I did last night regarding what I pay for my new “spacious one bedroom apartment.” [Morgan Post via Born Rich]

In a tragic turn of events, the superyacht (called, boringly, the Dubai) was originally commissioned by Prince Jefri of Brunei—oh how the wheel of conspicuous consumption is always turning!

It features eight decks spread across 551 feet of length, accommodations for 115 people, and all of the expected restaurants, bars, private whole-deck owners’ suites, helipad, pool, Jacuzzi, woefully tacky interior…need I continue?

The folks at Luxist point out though that the Dubai’s title as the world’s largest is in danger—Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea football club, is planning a 555-ft yacht. [Luxist, Superyacht Times]