The luxury sailing yacht known as PROJECT 408 at the Royal Huisman yard has been revealed as sailing yacht AQUARIUS II, a 65m/212ft sistership to 56m/186ft sailing yacht AQUARIUS, built-in 2018.
Sailing yacht AQUARIUS II – image by Royal Huisman
The Owners were so pleased with the first AQUARIUS that they wanted the exact same yacht, only bigger and with even more enhanced performance. As such, they returned to Royal Huisman, Dykstra Naval Architects and interior designer Mark Whiteley to improve on their previous success.
AQUARIUS I sailing yacht – Photo Carlo Baroncini
S/Y AQUARIUS II has a strong emphasis on performance in the brief, with a state-of-the-art carbon rig, integrated sail handling from Rondal, structures luff sails and a retractable keel for superior stability when competing in regattas.
AQUARIUS I yacht – Photo Carlo Baroncini
When AQUARIUS debuted in the 2019 edition of the St. Barth’s Bucket she came first in her class, and her Owner is keen to keep top spot with AQUARIUS II.
AQUARIUS I detail – Photo Carlo Baroncini
In addition to the timeless exterior and interior styling from the first AQUARIUS, the larger sistership will be installed with cutting-edge hybrid technologies to generate and manage power, such as ‘peak shaving’ for energy efficiency.
Construction will commence on the Alustar® aluminium hull and superstructure in summer 2022, with delivery expected in 2024.
