This contemporary 81m schooner quietly slipped into the water in 2020 and joined an exclusive club alongside her peers on the list of the top 10 largest sailing yachts.
When SEA EAGLE (formerly SEA EAGLE II) joined the superyacht fleet in 2020, she went relatively unnoticed – we were preoccupied with where to order face masks from and for the safety of our loved ones amidst a global pandemic, rather than keeping abreast of news from the shipyards who had, miraculously, still managed to deliver.
Three years later, Royal Huisman have issued an update on the yacht’s initial sailing programme, which comprised some 45,000nm of world exploration… And the shipyard invites you to notice SEA EAGLE anew. We agree; it’s time that this sailing superyacht enjoyed her moment in the spotlight.
Designed by Dykstra Naval Architects and featuring an interior by Mark Whiteley Design, SEA EAGLE has dramatic and purposeful lines with a plumb bow. Her extended waterline and powerful Panamax rig ensure effortless, mile-eating performance, whilst her expert construction guarantees quality, strength, and fuel-efficiency.
SEA EAGLE is an evolution (significantly) of the owner’s first yacht, which was a 43m called Sea Eagle I, also built by Royal Huisman.
The owner’s experience had led him to reconsider his priorities for this next project. He set out, with the help of the design team, to create an extremely comfortable and spacious yacht with good sea keeping and exceptional amenities for both guests and crew. She had to offer outstanding passage-making performance and be a true sailor’s yacht – practical, powerful, safe, and easily managed. Finally, she had to be functional, favouring simplicity and reliability over unnecessary frills. With this, he would sail the oceans.
And it seems that this is the yacht Royal Huisman delivered. Almost twice the length and five times the volume of her predecessor, SEA EAGLE has soared across oceans and swooped between idyllic island anchorages to provide her owner with carefree cruising adventures.
One the most remarkable attributes of this sailing superyacht’s design is her rig package and sail wardrobe. Sporting a sail area of some 2,580sqm upwind and 3,552sqm downwind, incredibly all three mainsails can be hoisted at once – taking no more time than required for a sloop of half this size. The efficiency of this sail management system understates the technical challenges behind it; the exceptional cooperation of an ‘A Team’ comprising Dykstra Naval Architects, Rondal, Carbo-Link and Doyle Sails.
Supersized sailing yachts like this are no longer an impossible dream, comments Jan Timmerman, Royal Huisman’s CEO: “Continual innovation, accumulated expertise and rigorous self-challenge have come together through our highly skilled and dedicated team to produce yachts such as ATHENA, SEA EAGLE and, currently in-build, the world’s largest sloop – the 85m Project 410.”
For Dykstra Naval Architects, a careful review of the tank testing results would prove essential. “The modern styling allows a beamy transom and almost full-length waterline, providing better capabilities and promising faster crossings in greater comfort. Due to the higher stability the yacht can sail with less heel, greatly improving the comfort on board,” explains Erik Wassen of Dykstra Naval Architects. Wassen continues, “Environmental impact is reduced when the vessel is responsive to the breeze and can sail by wind to the desired destination. The powerful rig geometry of SEA EAGLE can be quickly adapted to the conditions encountered, allowing her to safely sail for proportionately more miles of the journey.”
The sense of size and space when arriving on deck is powerful. The long, perfectly proportioned superstructure makes an impressive statement. When it comes to her interior design, Mark Whiteley and his team took their inspiration from the yacht’s exterior aesthetic – those long, uninterrupted lines of glass and subtle, sweeping curves. “As the design developed, we homed in on a faceted feature that helps give SEA EAGLE a distinctive modern signature, lightens the overhangs and reflects the chine. The overall effect gives the superstructure ‘a curved tension’ that draws the eye from bow to stern. The proportions and low profile were driven by the owner’s request to have a continuous floor from the exterior dining space, right through the large main saloon to the forward dining saloon, with no steps,” says Whiteley.
In terms of the onboard lifestyle, Whiteley highlights the flybridge as an integral aspect. “The flybridge deck provides a huge leisure and entertainment space for the owner and his guests. Particular attention was given to ensuring clear sightlines from the helms to sail trim, all areas of rig management and the surrounding seascape.”
There are six suites for the accommodation of 12, separate quarters for 14 crew, and all the luxury lifestyle amenities associated with the finest superyachts – an outdoor cinema setup, al fresco dining space, formal dining room, and a gym to mention put a few.
SEA EAGLE is now for charter and available in the Caribbean and Costa Rica through winter 2023/24, before heading to Polynesia for summer 2024.
