Sailing Yacht Nilaya Makes Fast Work of Crossing the Atlantic: Photo Gallery

Covering upwards of 2,700 nautical miles in 10 days is impressive. Doing so aboard a sailing superyacht that exceeded 20 knots during the journey is more notable. Even the owner and the crew aboard the sailing yacht Nilaya were impressed with how quickly they made it from the Med to Antigua. The 154-foot (47-meter) Panamax sloop, which the owner took delivery of in June from Royal Huisman, is fulfilling her owner’s original vision and the design and build teams’ belief a different construction approach would work.

The owner’s previous yacht was a 112-foot (34-meter), carbon fiber project from Baltic Yachts, Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design, and Nauta Design. “She was a fantastic yacht, which we cruised all over the world and won many regattas,” the owner says. In fact, 12 years of cruising and racing went under her keel. Her performance prowess convinced him what he wanted for a follow up. Specifically, it was “more comfort in a fast yacht that can win a superyacht regatta.”

Once he tapped Nauta Design and Reichel/Pugh for a new design, Royal Huisman was invited to bid. Not an easy task, however. Traditional aluminum construction and even the yard’s lightweight Alustar aluminum would both result in a too-heavy project. Carbon fiber, meanwhile, as a full construction method can resut in a noisy and therefore less-comfortable yacht. The shipyard borrowed a page from the European Space Agency in its process of analyzing stresses and loads. Some parts of the sailing yacht Nilaya are aluminum, some are carbon fiber, and yet others combine the two. With the latter, stiffness increases without heft.

Strict weight analysis applied to everything, down to each interior-design component. Suffice it to say that Royal Huisman considers the project among its most advanced deliveries to date. It may not be alone in this regard, either. Reichel/Pugh’s studies for seakeeping were so extensive that it created 12 scale models before finalizing the winning hull design. It further used a decade’s worth of wave data from the Eastern Caribbean and Greek waters. The hull needed to sail swiftly at various speeds and in various sea conditions. The sailing yacht Nilaya has a motor, too, for maneuvering, so proper powered performance in an upright position was also crucial.

Ultimately, everything came together as anticipated for the maiden ocean crossing. Not only did she cover 2,775 nautical miles, but also she did it in 10 days and 2 hours. Weather conditions were mixed, though mainly Beaufort 3 to 4. As for speeds, the sailing yacht Nilaya averaged 11.6 knots and exceeded 20 knots more than once.

The owner, who was aboard for the crossing, alerted Royal Huisman upon arrival in Antigua. “I must admit that the yacht is very comfortable and fast,” he reported. Bouwe Bekking, the captain of his professional racing team, was aboard, too. “It has been an excellent crossing! Fast trip across the big pond,” he told Royal Huisman. “Nilaya is a fantastic fast sailing boat: a dream to sail!”

Did we mention she now has more than 10,000 nautical miles under her hull? She’s not done treating everyone onboard to thrills, either, or onlookers to a show. She’s racing in the upcoming St. Barths Bucket, where her owner expects her to top the podium. Stay tuned.

Nauta Design nautadesign.com

Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design reichel-pugh.com

Royal Huisman royalhuisman.com