Aegir…..A Unique Yacht


 

I was recently invited to spend some time sailing Aegir, by Jim Acher of Bluewater Yachting, the brokers for this truly magnificent steed,

which comes to life in the lightest of breezes. We left the harbour of Palma in 10 knots of breeze, and were quickly sailing at over 9 knots upwind. The boat was super responsive and felt more like a 40 foot boat on the wheel. Her hydraulics on board enabled some of the fastest hoisting of sails I have ever experienced, and in race mode can raise the spinnaker in under 12 seconds ! We managed to get the kite up pretty smartish, with only three of us sailing the boat. Quite impressive for a boat of this size!

Aegir was constructed in 2010 by Carbon Ocean yacht in USA, to RINA class and designed by Simon Rogers of Lymington, UK, by far the largest commission he had handled at that time at 82 feet.  The hull is built from carbon, thus saving an enormous amount of weight whilst delivering blistering pace.

But don’t be fooled into thinking she is purely a race yacht, far from it. In a short time she can be transformed into an elegant fast cruising yacht with all the creature comforts you would expect of a high end cruiser, and is easily handled by a crew of three, or two at a push.

Her accommodation is for six guests in three very comfortable cabins. The crew cabin aft makes it possible for crew to access the deck without disturbing the guests in the saloon, with some innovative features. I particularly liked her very clean layout and flush deck and cockpit making getting around the boat very easy indeed. One of her key features is the way the bathing platform cum beach club area is built within the cockpit and with just a flick of a switch the doors open and convert what had been the cockpit into a large area to access the sea. It’s other huge benefit when in racing mode, is that it has saved a huge amount of weight in the stern of the boat, giving the boat that vital extra performance.

Needless to say she is fitted out to a  top spec including electronics from B&G and Simrad,  deck gear from  Harken and Spinlock and Cummins generators . Her 180 hp Yanmar runs very quietly giving a cruising speed of 9.5 knots.

Aegir has a very interesting history for such a young yacht ! During the build process, the yard in USA hit financial difficulties resulting in Aegir’s owner buying the yard to ensure of her completion. She then attended the Rolex Maxi Worlds in Sardinia for her first major regatta, and succeeded in winning every race to become the winner of the cruising division.

 The following year saw the team return to Porto Cervo to defend their title, only to be told on arrival, much to their surprise,  that they had been put into the racing division for no apparent reason as the spec and rating had not changed. When the owner questioned this he was given short shrift and told that there was no room for discussion and it was the decision of the organising committee.

Naturally the team were thoroughly deflated and spent the first day of the regatta having a picnic on board in a nearby bay. Over lunch, the owner sought the opinions of the crew and asked whether they wanted another picnic the following day or  whether they wanted to join in the racing. The consensus was that despite the unfair ruling, they would go and race and do as best as they could. They defied all the odds and went on to win the racing division!!! A unique feat, just showing what a special boat Aegir is !

My short spell on board was a delight, and it was a real privilege to sail her. I hope to get another chance to sail her for a bit longer !!!

She is now up for sale at 4,750,000 Euros ( Vat Paid) by Bluewater Yachting

 

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