Ships in the night: A surreal encounter with a $27m super yacht

Viareggio ,Italy (CNN)The maiden voyage of the Aurora -- a new 160-foot, $26.6 million aluminum super yacht launched last week in Viareggio, Italy -- lasted less than one hour and only covered a humble 500 yards.

It also took place entirely on land, when all 320 tons of the boat were loaded atop heavy duty, remote-controlled dollies and carefully rolled from the shed where it was constructed to the edge of the Mediterranean.

Watching an imposing vessel like the Aurora passing through the darkened streets of the scruffy, seaside town, halting traffic and only narrowly avoiding a collision with a streetlight, induces a surreal and somewhat disorienting feeling. But for those more immersed in the world of bespoke luxury yachts, surreal is perhaps the see more