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and control, she exudes both the luxury superyacht world found in motoryachts and the exuberance and pleasures of the sailing world. She is in proportion and balanced. Balance is such a better word than compromise for creativity, and balance is what we sought, and with a great team have been able to realize.”
Often with yachts of this size, it is hard to “feel the helm,” but in the case of Aquijo, the rudder blades driven by hydrodynamic forces translate directly to the flybridge steering wheels, providing significant feedback to the helmsman. German-based design firm Dölker + Voges created a modern, contemporary interior that is light, bright and functional.
Aquijo’s owner has been enjoying her in the Med, and recently, it was announced that she will be offered for charter. When and if this yacht joins the superyacht regatta circuit, she will be a force to be reckoned with. Sybaris is an extraordinary yacht by any measure. At 230 feet (70 meters) in length, she has the distinction of being the largest sailing yacht ever built in Italy. However, she is worthy of many more superlatives than sheer size. She is also one of the most technically complex yachts ever built by Perini Navi, second only to the groundbreaking Maltese Falcon.
Sybaris represents an evolution of Perini’s 60-meter series, which was itself an evolution of the builder’s 56-meter series. To complement the Perini Navi design and engineering team, designer Philippe Briand was brought in to optimize the naval architecture and ensure that she sails competitively. Her American owner, Bill Duker, and his team had considerable input in all aspects of the yacht’s design as well, making Sybaris a truly custom yacht from bow to stern.
Considerable amounts of titanium were utilized throughout the interior, including the overheads and various fixtures, as well as for the exterior railings. Placing the mizzenmast farther aft than was usual on other Perinis maximized both aft deck space for entertaining and interior salon space.
The interior design and décor is by Duker and PHDesign, with whom the owner has collaborated on his homes and apartments. (More on Sybaris in an upcoming feature.)
Royal Huisman’s 142-foot (43-meter) Sea Eagle was designed for performance by Germán Frers, with a high-aspect carbon fiber mast that stands 187 feet (57 meters) above the water. She carries more than 10,764 square feet (1,000 square meters) of upwind sail. She is the second in a limited Royal Huisman series of three.
Rhoades Young designed her contemporary interior with French walnut paneling and white oak floors. Her living area includes an awning-covered forward cockpit, which precedes the deckhouse salon that is surrounded by windows. She has a displacement of approximately 200 tons and a fixed keel of 14 feet 9 inches (4.5 meters).
Sea Eagle’s transom garage contains a 17-foot (5.2-meter) Castoldi tender that lifts out hydraulically. The transom opens to become a swim platform, which the owner can access from the master stateroom.
Her owner, Samuel Yin of Taiwan, is a civil engineer and educator who is the founder of the Tang Prize Foundation that promotes research in sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, Sinology and rule of law. Yin has plans for extensive cruising in the Baltic and Scandinavia, followed by the Caribbean. Skade is a 151-foot (46-meter) Holland Jachtbouw-built sloop with exterior styling and engineering by Tripp Design and a Rhoades Young interior. “In this size range, the development is very strong, and this very modern world cruiser sails easily, safely and very quickly,” Bill Tripp says. “Yachts this size formerly were a bit ponderous, but developments in design allow handling and performance levels more akin to smaller high-performance boats, yet at the same time, due to her size she sails faster and, with her high stability, very comfortably in rough conditions.”
Skade’s silver-painted aluminum hull is distinguished by double vertical windows port and starboard. While the mast is tall, the yacht was designed to be able to transit Panama’s Bridge of the Americas. She has a lifting keel, which, when retracted, will allow her to operate in relatively shallow waters. She is configured with both an upper and lower salon. Five staterooms accommodate 10 guests, and there are cabins for seven crew. The 140-foot (42.6-meter) Topaz, built by Holland Jachtbouw and launched last summer to the J-Class rule, owes her naval architecture, exterior styling and interior design to Hoek Design Naval Architecture, and her project management to Cornelsen & Partner.
The J-Class yachts have an extraordinary aesthetic appeal. Topaz has a needle-sharp profile and a high-gloss midnight blue hull. She was designed with an Art Deco interior that evokes the period in which the class was conceived. Unusual for a J-Class yacht, she has a compact hybrid propulsion system that allows her to be driven by an 80 kW battery pack, a 50 kW genset or her 325 kW main engine.
While highlighting anything other than wind power might seem superfluous to the intent of a J-Class, whose main function is to sail (and look beautiful doing so), J-Class yachts need significant power to drive the winches when racing. Topaz’s system delivers 250 kW of hydraulic power to make sure all equipment can be simultaneously operated.