Powerful sailing machine Sea Eagle is right at home in the land of the original seafarers

Although he was originally tempted to follow the majestic look of another Royal Huisman, Athena, the modern aesthetic of a plumb bow and zen-like simplicity won out. He referred to his dream as, “a true sailor’s yacht – practical, powerful and easy to manage”. The result is nearly twice the length and five times the volume of her predecessor. Sea Eagle’s long waterline and powerful Panamax schooner rig certainly can deliver distance, as she comfortably ticks 21.5 knots in a moderate breeze.

As for ease of management, despite a massive sail area (2,580 square metres upwind), all three mainsails can easily be hoisted or lowered at once – taking no more time than required for a sloop half the size. She can add another 972 square metres of sail area for offwind sailing. And off soundings, too, apparently, as the yacht has logged more than 45,000 nautical miles to date.

Mark Whiteley of Mark Whiteley Design summarised key aspects of the exterior co-creation with Dykstra: “The essence of the yacht’s appeal is illustrated by long, uninterrupted lines of glass, a subtle sweep of superstructure and a blister to enclose the bridge. The overall effect gives the superstructure a curved tension that draws the eye from bow to stern.”

The half-deck rise to the bridge is “space efficient”, says Whiteley, with negligible impact on either deck. The yacht’s nearly flat sheer line is in keeping with the owner’s request for a main deck without steps from the exterior dining space right through the large main saloon to the forward dining saloon.

Sea Eagle’s superstructure looks deceptively low as it starts 700 millimetres below the height of the bulwarks. It is a largely rigid structure made principally from laminated glass topped with an all-aluminium flybridge. In a seaway, it will flex differently than the longitudinally stiffened hull.

The solution is a sophisticated adhesive developed by aerospace specialists and classification officials especially for this project. It absorbs up to two centimetres of flex between the mullions and the top deck structure, while also providing a permanently secure and weathertight bond. This allows the look of a continuous darkly tinted glass surface outside, while the interior windows are framed in substantial leather-wrapped mullions obscuring necessary structure. It was, says naval architect Wassen, the most complex part of the project.

Wassen is also responsible for the smart-looking chine that runs from the bow about two-thirds down the length. “I thought a four-metre-high, 80-metre flat panel painted dark blue would be uninteresting,” he says. “The chine, or knuckle, gives it a bit more of an aggressive look and also [brings] a little more width at deck level, which [is] particularly useful in the area of the foremast.”

He matched it with a similar knuckle at the edge of the superstructure and the crew’s deckhouse, and gave matching angles to the booms and the steering pedestals. Without a steering cockpit to contend with, the aft deck expanse is open for use as a sundeck, al fresco gym or, at night, a cinema with the screen secured by the mizzen boom and backstays. From here, exceptionally wide and comfortable steps lead to the swim platform where watersports toys are deployed from an adjacent lazarette.

Going forward from the aft deck, down three steps, is the outdoor dining area protected by a long overhang. A simple teak table on a stainless-steel base seats 10. It is flanked on one side by an enormous semicircular sofa and, on the other, by half of the indoor/outdoor bar. This interesting ellipse feature has one U-shaped section on the aft deck and the other in the main saloon.

Whiteley says the owner saw it on Maltese Falcon and it appealed to him as a space where a smaller group of guests could hang out. Sliding-glass partitions and doors that hide away in bulkhead structures can separate the two spaces with no threshold trip hazard in between. Staircases on either side lead up to the flybridge deck. Inside, the casual aft saloon has generous seating that faces a television screen.

Sea Eagle has a symmetrical arrangement throughout with crew circulation on port and guests on starboard. The twinning of doors and stairways gives a pleasing balance to the spaces. On the guest side, a hall leads forward from the saloon, past steps to the pilothouse, to another unique feature – a forward dining saloon with adjacent seating. This arrangement recalls motor yachts of the 1960s and 70s that featured dining forward with views over the bow.

Later yachts, primarily those for the US market, combined this with the galley to create the informal country kitchen. But there is nothing informal about this space; it’s elegant with dining for up to 14 opposite wraparound seating under panoramic windows. While there is a substantial service pantry on port, the galley is on the lower deck, adjacent to a sizable crew mess.

When it was decided in 2022 that Sea Eagle would be made available for charter, Whiteley helped make the layout and furnishings a more amenable for a wider audience. In the forward lounge, a pair of loveseats and a small sofa at right angles have been replaced by enough seating to accommodate the entire guest complement at once. The main saloon also saw an update, replacing a U-shaped sofa with a low, sleek sectional.

Below deck, one of the six guest cabins was upgraded from twins to a double berth. Adjoining the guest cabins on the lower deck is a gym, an asset that bolsters her charter credentials. Whiteley says the subtle changes in fabric selections and the addition of new area rugs bring an added warmth to the rooms that he quite likes. The artwork they selected, simply matted black and white photos, perfectly accompanies the walnut and wenge background.

Simplicity extends to the bare white oak floors from Schotten & Hansen that are found on both decks. It’s the same flooring chosen for the first Sea Eagle except that, now, two large, fluffy Minotti silver Alps rugs soften the seating areas of the two saloons.

Whiteley chose an engineered hardwood veneer from Alpi, stained to a walnut finish, for the joinery and built-in furniture. He oriented the grain to run horizontally to emphasise the linear theme of the boat. “Typically, and especially on a sailboat, you orient the grain vertically to add a sense of height,” says Whiteley. “I did this to emphasise length and the single level of the main deck. The only other timber is wenge, and that appears as horizontal banding.”

The flybridge provides an exciting 360-degree view since there is no superstructure forward and the outdoor helm station is low. During the pre-charter facelift, the seating arrangement was changed and high-low tables were added for an optional al fresco dining spot up top.

In terms of energy generation and management, Sea Eagle includes advanced technologies pioneered by Royal Huisman that have already shown efficiency and reliability on other projects. Electrical and hydraulic power comes mainly from the twin generators. In addition, there is a hydraulic take-off from each main engine and peak shaving from the powerful battery bank. This offers a massive amount of hydraulic capacity – more than enough to hoist fore, main and mizzen sails at once. A main switchboard with power management and paralleling systems enables all sources and consumers of power to be handled most efficiently.

In her new role, Sea Eagle has spent the summer cruising the Baltic, taking guests to Scandinavian cities and sampling storybook scenery. This powerful sailing machine seemed right at home in the land of the original seafarers.

First published in the January 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.