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Royal Huisman Flagship 81m Sea Eagle II Takes Flight
Royal Huisman’s 81m sailing yacht Sea Eagle II has completed her sea trials and is set for delivery to her owner, prompting the Dutch shipyard to declare her ‘airborne’. Sea Eagle II now becomes the world’s largest aluminium sailing yacht and the largest superyacht built by Royal Huisman.
The 81m superyacht features design by Mark Whiteley and Dutch firm Dykstra Naval Architects, and was initially launched in Amsterdam earlier this year. Despite the challenges that shipyards have faced during the Covid-19 restrictions, Sea Eagle II was perfectly on schedule for her delivery, however the sea trials on the North Sea had to be delayed until this moment. All systems have completed rigorous testing, including importantly on the sail handling and propulsion systems in the recent trials, yielding promising results for the yacht’s performance.
Sea Eagle II can reach speeds of over 21 knots, driven by the efficient powering system of the Rondal Rig, boasting over 3,500sqm of sail area evenly distributed over her carbon Panamax masts. The full sail area on Sea Eagle II is controlled by 34 winches from sailing system integrator Rondal, the largest of those winches being capable of 18 tonnes pulling load.
The 81m superyacht was commissioned by the Owner of the 43m Sea Eagle, which was delivered by Royal Huisman in 2015. The Owner’s decision to return to Royal Huisman for the building of Sea Eagle II is a great testament to the Dutch shipyard’s ability to build and deliver dreams. In the new images, Sea Eagle II shows off her beautifully crafted and distinguishable plumb bow.