Jättivene built over 14 years readies for Atlantic crossing

Tapio Tiainen has spent 14 years building what is believed to be the largest sailboat ever constructed in Central Finland—a nearly 16-metre vessel weighing 30 tonnes that will soon attempt an Atlantic crossing.

Yle reports the mahogany-trimmed sloop, with a 22-metre mast and two-metre keel, was lifted onto a flatbed trailer in Korpilahti on Wednesday ahead of its Friday departure from Loviisa harbour.

The transport required two wide straps and heavy chains, with crews forced to reposition the boat after realising the crane’s reach was too long. “My mouth went dry thinking we might need an even bigger crane,” Tiainen said.

After years of pipefitting work to fund the project, he declined to estimate the total cost. “I don’t even want to say how much money has gone into it,” he told Yle.

The vessel, equipped with top-tier navigation systems and multiple batteries, will undergo sea trials in Loviisa before Tiainen and friend Sampo Halttunen set sail for Portugal this summer. Longer-term plans include crossing the Atlantic and visiting Africa.