From a distance they looked like ice cubes floating in the vast blue sea. As you drew closer, however, whether by helicopter or speedboat, the remarkable scene came into sharp focus: a fleet of some of the most beautiful yachts in the world, moored discreetly off the coast of a secret island that, for five days last October, played host to an extraordinary new event on the global marine calendar.
There was the stunning Maltese Falcon, one of the world’s largest sailing yachts at 289 feet, its three towering masts making it an unmistakable presence on the water. Cloudbreak, an awesome 238-foot explorer, shimmered in the heat. The magnificent Dubai, all 531 feet of it, held the skyline while, on the other end of the scale, the petite, space-age trimaran…