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BIG EAGLE YACHT CHARTER

52.43m  /  172'   mie zosen   1980 / 2008.

• Previous Yacht

Cabin Configuration

Special Features:

• Enormous party deck
• Outstanding water toy selection

Offering a staggering amount of space, superyacht BIG EAGLE is particularly well-suited to event yacht charters

The 52.43m/172' classic yacht 'Big Eagle' by shipyard Mie Zosen offers flexible accommodation for up to 12 guests in 6 cabins and features interior styling by Puleo Inc..

For refined luxury and elegance, look no further than classic yacht Big Eagle. Offering an array of sumptuous living areas coupled with superb amenities, you'll feel like Hollywood royalty aboard this spectacular vessel.

Guest Accommodation

Built in 1980, Big Eagle offers guest accommodation for up to 12 guests in 6 suites comprising a master suite, one VIP cabin, one double cabin and three twin cabins. There are 9 beds in total, including 2 king, 1 queen and 6 singles. She is also capable of carrying up to 10 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht charter experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

You and your guests can enjoy a variety of experiences on Big Eagle including a gym with all the latest equipment to maintain your fitness routine. Soak up the bubbles in style in the deck jacuzzi.

Big Eagle benefits from some excellent features to improve your charter including Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to stay connected at all times, should you wish. Guests will experience complete comfort while chartering thanks to air conditioning.

Performance & Range

Built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, she offers greater on-board space and is more stable when at anchor thanks to her full-displacement hull. Big Eagle comfortably cruises at 13 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 14 knots with a range of up to 6,500 nautical miles from her 104,000 litre fuel tanks at 11 knots. Big Eagle features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels.

When not cruising Big Eagle has onboard an incredible selection of water toys and accessories for you and your guests to connect with the waters around you. Guests can feel the wind in their hair and jump the waves on one of the four WaveRunners. In addition there are waterskis that are hugely entertaining whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro. Additionally, there are wakeboards so guests can show off at speed. If that isn't enough Big Eagle also features kayaks, fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment and snorkelling equipment. Big Eagle features two tenders, but leading the pack is a 9.75m/32' to transport you in style.

Book your next the Caribbean and Central America luxury yacht charter aboard Big Eagle this winter. She is also accepting bookings this summer on request.

Classic yacht Big Eagle is an outstanding pedigree yacht that delivers on all fronts for superlative luxury yacht vacations.

TESTIMONIALS

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Big Eagle Photos

Amenities & Entertainment

For your relaxation and entertainment Big Eagle has the following facilities, for more details please speak to your yacht charter broker.

Big Eagle is reported to be available to Charter with the following recreation facilities:

• 9.75m  /  32' Regulator with 2 x 300 HP engines
• 4.27m  /  14' Novurania RIB 60 HP engine

For a full list of all available amenities & entertainment facilities, or price to hire additional equipment please contact your broker.

• + shortlist

For a full list of all available amenities & entertainment facilities, or price to hire additional equipment please contact your broker.

'Big Eagle' Charter Rates & Destinations

Summer Season

May - September

$212,500 p/week + expenses

High Season

Cruising Regions

HOT SPOTS:   Alaska

Winter Season

October - April

$192,500 p/week + expenses

Caribbean Antigua, Bahamas, Saint Martin, St Barts Central America Costa Rica

Charter Big Eagle

To charter this luxury yacht contact your charter broker , or we can help you.

To charter this luxury yacht contact your charter broker or

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Yacht Owner, Captain or Central Agents - Send us latest Photos, Charter Rates or Corrections Send Updates

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NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Specification

SEASONAL CHARTER RATES

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Meet the Real Wolf of Wall Street Superyacht Built for Coco Chanel

The yachting disaster is one of the most dramatic scenes in Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street , and like many of the tales in the Leonardo DiCaprio flick, it’s based on a true story. In real life, predatory tycoon Jordan Belfort bought a yacht in 1993 called Big Eagle and renamed her Nadine , after his English-born second wife. The vessel had been built in 1961 by Witsen & Vis in Holland for fashion icon Coco Chanel, but had undergone many transformations by the time Belfort got his mitts on it. Originally 121 feet long, in the 1970s she was extended by nearly 15 feet, and in 1988 she was cut in half and had another 29-foot section grafted on, finally totaling 167 feet.

The luxury yacht used in Scorsese’s film actually bears little resemblance to the  Nadine , being a far more modern vessel. The director hired the 148-foot  Lady M , built by Intermarine Savannah in 2002 and refit in 2011, for filming. It features luxury accommodations for 10 guests, and a marble and granite interior with gold accents.

In Coco Chanel’s day the yacht was mainly used to cruise from Monaco to Deauville for the summer horse racing season. The real  Nadine  sank in 1997 during a storm off the east coast of Sardinia while crossing from Porto Cervo to Capri, much as the movie depicts. Belfort has said that his insistence on sailing in a storm caused the yacht to capsize. Luckily, everyone on board at the time was rescued by the Italian coast guard. 

Jared Paul Stern

Jared Paul Stern, JustLuxe's Editor-at-Large, is the Executive Editor of Maxim magazine and has written for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the New York Times' T magazine, GQ, WWD, Vogue, New York magazine, Details, Hamptons magazine, Playboy, BlackBook, the New York Post, Man of the World, and Bergdorf Goodman magazine among others. The founding editor of the Page Six magazine, he has al... (Read More)

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• Best of Luxe
• City Guides
• Destinations
• Custom Content

• Crew Biographies
• Yacht Specifications
• Accommodations
• Outdoor Amenities
• Additional Amenities
• Onboard Dining
• Photo Gallery
• Charter Information
• Christiana Virgilio Captain
• Neli Teodorescu Engineer
• Zac Bacon Chef
• Joshua Woischuk First Officer
• Kyle Pratt Deckhand
• Dan Pelman Deckhand
• Benny Woischuk Deckhand
• Renee Engels Chief Stewardess
• Ali Roberts Stewardess
• Hannah Bacon Stewardess

Christiana Virgilio

Christiana grew up in San Diego, California.  Her childhood revolved around the water; sailing, diving, surfing, windsurfing, and waterskiing.  Almost every summer was spent on her family's sailboat.  After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Economics she decided to travel and have some fun working on sailboats.  Twenty-three years later the yachting industry is her career.  Christiana has captained Big Eagle through the Baltic, the British Isles, Panama, the Eastern and Western U.S. coastline, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean from the very mouth of Gibraltar to Turkey's most Eastern shore. She is a dive master and enjoys guiding the guests on dives.

Neli Teodorescu

Neli was born and raised in Greater Romania. He is a graduate of the Romanian Naval Academy in Electro Mechanical Engineering.

He has served as an Engineer Officer for over thirty years and worked as a Chief Engineer for twenty years. He worked on Merchant Marine ships, moving onto cruise ships, and then on to the yachting Industry.

He holds an unlimited license which qualifies him to serve as Chief Engineer on any ship in the world. There is not much that Neli is not capable of fixing. He is invaluable here to us on the Big Eagle.

Zac Bacon Australian

Zac has worked in some of Australia's most respected fine dining restaurants with over 10 years of cooking experience. In addition he has spent the last 4 years based in Singapore, and so has a great understanding of Asian cuisine as well. He has always had a strong interest and a love of good food and has been fortunate enough to have family and colleagues that have an excellent food philosophy.

When he is not on Big Eagle, Zac likes to sail his own yacht which is currently based in Thailand. He looks forward to preparing some amazing meals during your time on Big Eagle and welcomes you to chat with him anytime about your preferences.

Joshua Woischuk

Josh grew up two hours east of Melbourne. He previously studied at William Angliss institute and received a diploma of Resort management and water recreation. He started working for a water sports company and progressed quickly learning new skills and showing initiative.

Josh then obtained his yacht master qualification and also became a dive master in 2015. He then moved to the Whitsunday islands and worked on yachts there before joining us on Big Eagle in 2017, he now returns to us as first officer and we are very happy to have him back!

South African

Kyle was introduced to the world of sailing at the age of 14; he immediately fell in love with being on the water and soon after achieved 2 Atlantic crossings before his 18 th birthday! It was an inevitable step that Kyle also soon discovered a passion for the world under the sea and took up scuba diving; he got his diving instructors qualification in the Cayman Islands and never looked back. Kyle hopes to always find himself in, on or by the sea! He looks forward to welcoming you on the Big Eagle

South Africa

Dan is from Cape Town South Africa and has been in the yachting industry for over two years now. He has spent most of his career cruising the Mediterranean water.

He is an outdoors person and enjoys all sports. Water sports is his biggest passion and has played water polo at a provincial level.

It is Dan's first time in America and he is very excited to do the season with us here on the Big Eagle.

We are glad to have Dan on board and he cannot wait to meet you!

Benny Woischuk

Benny joins us from near Melbourne in Australia.

Before joining yachting, Benny has worked in Canada at ski resorts, lived in Japan and was a travel agent dealing with river cruises!

However, the pull of the ocean and with family members already in the industry it was not long before yachting became the obvious choice of career.

Benny loves anything sporty in his spare time, hobbies include soccer, snowboarding and he has an interest in beer brewing!

Benny will be happy to help you have an amazing time on Big Eagle

Renee Engels

Renee was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, here she studied public relations and loved running events.

Her Love of travel, meeting new people and trying new cuisines led her to start a career in yachting. Renee joins us from a season in the Mediterranean and is excited to explore some new places. Renee's hobbies are boxing, reading and movies.

Renee is excited to be going into her Third year on Big Eagle. Please do not hesitate to ask her any questions or requests you may have; she looks forward to helping you have the most memorable trip on Big Eagle.

Ali Roberts

Ali comes to us from Perth, Australia. She was brought up with a very active lifestyle and her love for the outdoors and water only comes naturally. She loves all sports particularly aussie rules football and cricket, she is also a diver and enjoys water sports.

Ali's background is in event management and she has worked on large scale sporting events, such as the 2015 cricket world cup.

She joined yachting 2 and a half years ago to experience amazing destinations and different cultures

We are very fortunate to have Ali join us here on Big Eagle

Hannah Bacon

Adventuring is second nature for Hannah. She loves exploring and learning.

Hannah spent the nine months studying graphic design in her home country of Australia, to pursue her love of art. She has lived in Sweden for eight years and enjoyed the culture and furthering her love for food and wine.

She has a passion for traveling scuba diving, art, architecture, yoga, food and wine culture.

Hannah is excited to start her next adventure on the Big Eagle and will be happy to help you with any inquires.

Copyright © 2022 - Big Eagle Yacht. All Rights Reserved. | General Information: [email protected]

weekly rates from $212,500

BIG EAGLE Yacht for Charter

Step aboard the 172-foot (52.4m) BIG EAGLE and prepare for an exceptional charter experience. Built in 1980 by the Japanese yard Mie Zosen, she is a steel-hulled custom motor yacht designed for luxurious cruising, with a range of 5,000 nautical miles. Twelve guests are accommodated in six staterooms and receive excellent service from a professional crew of 10.

World-class Style Inside & Out

The sleeping arrangements on board see guests in a main-deck master stateroom, two doubles and three twin cabins. The master is king-sized across the full beam of the yacht, with a dedicated study and lounging area. It also has a marble en-suite with a spa bath and shower. The VIP is below deck, also full-beam with a king-sized bed. All remaining staterooms are also en-suite with full entertainment systems.

Guests can relax in a choice of social areas. These include the main salon, with new sofas, a games table and a 60-inch plasma TV. There is also a sports bar forward of the salon and a bridge deck/party deck that can seat up to 50 guests for special occasions. When the yacht is cruising in colder climes, such as Alaska, this space can be enclosed and heated. It makes for a unique, cozy area complete with pashminas and slipper-socks for guests to enjoy the incredible scenery while staying warm.

The sundeck, for warmer destinations, has a six- to eight-person hot-tub, with sheltered seating and a 40-inch plasma TV.

Exceptional Charter Lifestyle

As well as being the ideal yacht for parties and entertaining, BIG EAGLE has a wide choice of activities to keep guests amused. These include kayaks, water skis, WaveRunners, scuba diving and snorkeling gear, free weights, paddleboards and bicycles. She has all that charterers need to enjoy the waters of the Caribbean, Bahamas and New England, where she is often to be seen.

Charter Details

• At-Anchor Stabilizers
• Deck Jacuzzi

For a full list of all available amenities & entertainment facilities, or price to hire additional equipment please inquire.

Accommodations

Specifications, toys & tenders.

• SEAVEE 32ft – 2x 300HP Yamaha
• RIBCRAFT 15ft – 60HP Yamaha
• 3x SEADOO GTI SE 130 (Intelligent brake and reverse system)
• 1x SEADOO WAKE Pro 215 (Intelligent brake and reverse system)
• 1x Flyboard PRO Series – Ride the WAKE Pro SEADOO for extra power and height
• 1x Freestyle CRUISER Sundeck Slide
• 2x Inflatable Kayaks
• 2x Inflatable SUP’s
• 1x RAVE Sports Inflatable Trampoline
• 4x West Marine floating lazy boys
• 5x Swimming noodles
• 1x Kids beach toys set, variety of balls, bats and games
• 1x Volleyball net
• 1x West Marine Captains Chair – 3 persons
• 1x RAVE Sports Banana – adult 6 persons
• 2x RAVE Sports Doughnuts
• SNORKELLING & DIVING
• 12x Scuba Diving sets – BCDs, weights, regulator
• 2x Dive Compressors
• Dive Torches
• Diving Masks and Snorkels
• Wetsuits of all sizes – child / adult
• Swimming Goggles
• Water / swimming shoes
• SKIS & BOARDS
• 1x Liquid Force 139 Wakeboard – adult bindings
• 1x Hyperlite The Shim Wake Surf 47
• 1x O’Brien Siege Slalom Ski 69
• 1x O’Brien Freestyle Skis – adult
• 1x Nashsports Freestyle Skis – child
• 1x Hydroslide Phantom Kneeboard – learner knee strap
• 5x Trolling Rods
• 6x Casting Rods
• Equipped for bottom bashing and trolling + all accessories, tackle, baits and lures.
• 2x Children Rods
• 1x Hawaiian Sling
• 1x Stuff and Go Lionfish Hunter
• 1x Speargun
• SAFETY GEAR
• Life vests – all sizes from adults to infants
• Helmet for Flyboard
• Helmets for Jetskis
• Jetski goggles

Summer Rates

2024 Season. Rates p/week + expenses

Cruising Regions

• The Americas

Itineraries

Weekly rates from $212,500

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1980   Mie Zosen    172ft  /  52.4m

BIG EAGLE Yacht Charter

BIG EAGLE currently registered in St. Vincent and Grenadines is actively available for charter in several cruising destinations.

The luxury motor yacht BIG EAGLE was built by Mie Zosen and delivered to her owner in 1980, she later underwent a refit in 2017.

The exterior of BIG EAGLE is designed by Mie Zosen.

The 172ft / 52.4m BIG EAGLE has been constructed with a steel hull and is powered by 2 x GM 16V92TA with a cruising speed of 13 knots and a top speed of 15 knots.

Charter guest accommodation

BIG EAGLE has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 12 charter guests in 6 suites.

The guest cabins comprise a primary suite with a double bed and en-suite bathroom facilities, 2 cabins with a double bed and en-suite bathroom facilities and 3 cabins with a twin bed and en-suite bathroom facilities.

Your luxury charter crew

Your luxury charter on board motor yacht BIG EAGLE will be managed by the crew of 10 including the captain.

The crew will ensure you have a relaxed and enjoyable charter experience with all of your needs catered for while on board.

The 10 crew have their own separate crew quarters allowing guests to enjoy increased levels of privacy.

Amenities & Entertainment

Amenities on board for the charter guests include Air Conditioning, BBQ, Bicycles, Exercise equipment, Light fishing gear, Gym, Indoor audio system, Jacuzzi on deck, Outdoor audio system, Stabilizers At Anchor, Sun loungers, TV all cabins, TV outdoor, TV saloon and Wi-Fi.

An extensive list of further amenities and water toys can be seen under the features and amenities section.

Yacht charter destinations

BIG EAGLE is Currently cruising in Central America and the West Coast United States.

Sample itineraries for the cruising destinations can be supplied by your professional charter broker allowing you to plan your luxury yacht charter vacation in detail.

• South Central America

West Coast United States

• South Central Alaska
• Far North Alaska
• South West Alaska
• Air Conditioning
• Exercise equipment
• Light fishing gear
• Indoor audio system
• Jacuzzi on deck
• Outdoor audio system
• Stabilizers At Anchor
• Sun loungers
• TV all cabins
• Inflatable Watertoys
• Banana boat - towable
• Inflatable Trampoline
• Tube - towable
• Water skis - adult
• Water slide
• Waverunners (Sit Down)
• Snorkeling Gear
• 32" Sea Vee w/ 2 x 300hp
• 16" Ribcraft w/60hp

Christiana Virgilio

Christiana grew up in San Diego, California. Her childhood revolved around the water; sailing, diving, surfing, windsurfing, and water skiing. Almost every summer was spent on her family’s sailboat. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Economics she decided to travel and have some fun working on sailboats. Twenty years later the yachting industry is her career. Christiana served as the 1st Mate on board for four years before she obtained her captain’s license. She then served as the 1st Mate and relief captain for Atlantic Crossings and other passages. In November 2006 she became the Captain on board Big Eagle. She is also a dive master and enjoys guiding the guests on dives

Destinations

Frequently Asked Questions

How much to charter big eagle.

BIG EAGLE has a weekly charter price starting at $192,500 and an estimated daily charter price of $32,100.

How many guests on board BIG EAGLE?

BIG EAGLE can accommodate 12 sleeping guests on board in 6 cabins, with the ability to cruise with up to 12 guests and entertain groups up to 200 guests while at anchor or moored at a marina.

Where is BIG EAGLE currently located?

BIG EAGLE was last seen in Sea of Cortez.

Legal Disclaimer

Motor Yacht BIG EAGLE is displayed on this page for informational purposes and may not necessarily be available for charter. The yacht details are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed, please check with your charter broker. Charter Index does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information or images displayed as they may not be current. All yacht details and charter pricing are subject to change without prior notice and are without warranty.

U.S. Customs & Border Protection

The yachting industry has no global listing service to which all charter yachts must subscribe to, making it impossible to ascertain a truly up-to-date view of the market. Charter Index is a news and information service and not always informed when yachts leave the charter market, or when they are recently sold and renamed, it is not always clear if they are still for charter. Whilst we endeavour to maintain accurate information, the existence of a listing on Charter Index should in no way supersede official documentation supplied by the representatives of a yacht.

Specification

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Boat of the Week: This Speedy 153-Foot Superyacht Has Its Own Turbo Boost

Push a button and the turbine kicks in, which is yachting's equivalent of light speed., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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• Share This Article

What do you get if you have two friends with a passion for boats, high-profile automotive careers and cash to burn? The answer is the 153-foot superyacht Excellence , a vessel that oozes speed, has brand pedigree and captures the hearts of all who own it.

Built in 2001 by Formula One racing car driver and automobile entrepreneur Roger Penske, who named her  Detroit Eagle , the yacht combined Feadship ’s Dutch craftsmanship with Penske’s own brand of engine. (Disclosure: Roger Penske is the father of Jay Penske, who owns this publication, as well as its sister publications in the Penske Media portfolio.)

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“At the time [Roger] Penske owned a company called Detroit Diesel that made diesel engines for boats, and he was also involved with a company that built turbine engines,” current owner and Penske’s longtime friend, Herb Chambers, told Robb Report . “So, he went to Feadship and built a lightweight aluminum yacht with a shallow draft to demonstrate the capability of his engines.”

The Feadship was originally built and owned for years by Roger Penske, who wanted a very fast, very luxurious superyacht. Penske installed his own Detroit Diesel-branded engines and then added a 5,600-hp turbine to give the yacht a 10-knot pop at the top end.  Courtesy of Burgess Yachts

The immaculate, polished-chrome engine room, with the diesels painted in fire-engine red, has always been a symbolic indicator of the type of impressive speeds the yacht can reach. The engines are 16-cylinder 4000 series, which generate 3,650 horsepower each. Penske then added something the superyacht world had never seen before–a Lycoming TF-50 gas turbine for an additional 5,600 horsepower.

“The boat can cruise at about 23 knots on diesel engines,” Chambers says, “but if you really want it to go fast, you push a button and the turbine kicks in taking the boat from 23 knots up to around 33 knots. It really is a remarkable vessel.”

Serial boat builder Chambers grew up in the Boston area, spending long summers on the water at his grandmother’s cottage. “I always had the desire to have a boat,” he says, a goal he realized at 24 with a 30-foot Trojan flybridge motoryacht. The Trojan would be the first of five yachts called A-Copy , named after his successful copy-machine business.

“After I sold the copy company and had this windfall of money, I ordered a 127-foot Feadship. The name A-Copy wasn’t of any significance to me anymore so I tried to think of a name that I would like,” Chambers says. “I’m not an avid reader, but I read Tom Peters’s book In Search of Excellence and loved it. It’s about running a good business. I thought Excellence , that is a great name for a boat.”

Launched last summer, Chambers’s newest 262-foot Abeking & Rasmussen “Excellence” has a futuristic hull shape, with an eagle-beak bow and large glass panels on the exterior.  Courtesy Abeking & Rasmussen

To date, Chambers has owned more than 40 yachts of many sizes. Some were even sold before he took delivery. The name “Excellence” serves as a constant reminder to his 30-year-long captain for the need to maintain high standards on board, he says. It has also carried through to Chamber’s six most recent yachts. This includes his largest yacht to date, a striking 262-foot Abeking & Rasmussen launched in 2019, on which he enjoys cruising the European waters of Croatia, Greece, Italy and St Tropez. That Excellence won Robb Report ’s 2020 Best of the Best award for interiors.

With its “eagle” reverse bow and triple-height glass atrium, the Winch-designed yacht turns heads wherever it goes. But that’s hardly surprising considering Philip Starck’s opinion-dividing Motor Yacht A was the design inspiration this latest Excellence .

“When I first saw Motor Yacht A , I said, ‘That looks like a submarine. Who would ever want to have a boat like that?’ And the second time I saw it, I said, ‘That boat is pretty nice. I kinda like that bow.’ And the third time I saw it, I thought, ‘I absolutely love that.’ So, that’s where the idea for Excellence ’s bow came from.”

While he has recently listed the Feadship “Excellence,” Chambers plans to enjoy the yacht for while he still owns her. He has often owned two yachts—the newer one that is often under charter, and a smaller, faster one that is at his disposal for his “personal use.” 

While Chambers’s appreciation of Feadship has long endured after his first foray with the Dutch shipbuilder, it wasn’t until a 2018 visit to Fort Lauderdale Boat Show that Penske’s 153-foot yacht caught Chamber’s eye. Prized by Chambers for its flexible speed and six-foot Bahamas-friendly draft, it is one of the few yachts that he hasn’t put on the charter market.

“I view the Feadship as a very personal boat,” says Chambers. “It’s only a four-stateroom boat, but you can bring three other couples or family members with you. When I told Roger Penske that I had bought the boat, he said his family was mad at him when he sold it because they loved it so much.”

An extensive 2019 refit of the yacht includes a full paint job, an updated sound system and refurb of the original John Munford interior. Chambers bought the yacht for his own personal use. “Because my boats get chartered, I always love to have a boat that’s available just for me,” Chambers says. “I built a 94-foot Mangusta for that purpose and used it in America when my big yacht was on charter in the Mediterranean or Caribbean. The Feadship can do pretty much what the Mangusta did, but it’s a bigger, more comfortable boat, so I sold the Mangusta at the start of 2020.”

The 2001 build has undergone a complete refurbishment of the interior. 

Being a serial owner, Chambers also recently listed the updated Feadship. He plans to enjoy the yacht while she is still available. Will he miss this Excellence ?

“I really don’t know,” Chambers says, pausing. “I would maybe look to build a similar boat, around 150 feet, something that would be fast. But the Abeking & Rasmussen Excellence is still new to me. The time for me to sell a boat is when I still like it.”

That creates a great opportunity for a buyer who wants a piece of superyacht history–a very fast superyacht history.

Excellence is co-listed for sale with Burgess  and Merle Wood & Associates for $16,900,000. Here are more views.

Images Courtesy of Burgess Yachts

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5 things to know about North Palm Beach mega-yacht owner, billionaire Michael Bozzuto

Billionaire Michael Bozzuto is fighting for the right to moor his 164-foot mega-yacht behind a waterfront house he owns at 932 Shore Dr. in North Palm Beach.

But the Village of North Palm Beach has told Bozzuto he doesn't have this right.

It's the latest example of how big money landing in Florida is running up against Old Florida residents who want their communities to stay low-key.

After years of disputes over the yacht, Bozzuto recently filed a lawsuit against the municipality, asking a judge to agree that he has the right to the use of his house and his dock.

Who is Michael Bozzuto, and why is he suing the Village of North Palm Beach?

Here are five things to know:

1. Billionaire Michael Bozzuto is a longtime North Palm Beach resident

Bozzuto is the billionaire owner of a privately held, family-owned supermarket wholesaler in Connecticut called Bozzuto's Inc. The company is a distributor of food and household products to retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bozzuto's was founded by Michael's late father, Adam.

Even though Bozzuto's Inc. is based in Connecticut, Bozzuto has lived in the Village of North Palm Beach, population 13,000, for 20 years.

2. Besides owning a yacht, what are Michael Bozzuto's hobbies?

In addition to being a businessman, Bozzuto is an investor and philanthropist. He is a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics.

He is also an under-the-radar resident who likes to collect houses and yachts, said his lawyer, former Florida Bar president Gregory Coleman.

Bozzuto bought the motor yacht, Honey, about 10 years ago for an undisclosed sum. The Westport mega-yacht was built in 2007 and is the largest of several yachts Bozzuto owns.

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Bozzuto also owns four houses in the Village of North Palm Beach. This includes the house at 932 Shore Dr., where he wants to dock Honey. In 2014, Bozzuto paid $840,247 for the house, which was built in 1961, according to Palm Beach County property records.

The property is on a rare corner bordered on the north and east by navigable waters that provide access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Lake Worth Inlet. The east-facing dock is large enough to accommodate Honey.

Bozzuto's residence is in another part of North Palm Beach, on Harbour Isles Court.

More: Illegal boat slips are popping near Palm Beach Gardens. Residents want regulators to act

3. Michael Bozzuto's net worth isn't known but billionaire owns property outside of North Palm Beach, too

Bozzuto made waves recently when in January he paid $31.1 million for a waterfront house in nearby Palm Beach Shores.

The Singer Island house with two docks stretches into the Intracoastal Waterway just north of the Palm Beach/Lake Worth Inlet. The three-lot parcel on 1.5 acres has about 200 feet of waterfront.

The property was bought from an owner whose family had owned it for decades. It's unclear if Bozzuto will make any changes to the property.

In a brief interview in February, Bozzuto said: “It’s a house, and it will probably be a house."

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4. Why can't Bozzuto park his yacht behind his North Palm Beach house?

The Village of North Palm Beach rules say that a private dock or pier can only be used by the occupant of the house. But the village doesn't define the word "occupant."

Bozzuto's lawsuit said while the village has discussed whether to define an occupant as a resident, it never has done so.

Hundreds of other property owners dock a boat behind their North Palm Beach house but do not live there year-round.

Therefore Bozzuto said he's being singled out because neighbors just don't like his boat's big size. This selective enforcement is wrong, his lawsuit said.

Show me the money? Here it is: West Palm and Palm Beach rank in top 5 as cities with fastest growth in millionaires

5. What does North Palm Beach think about the lawsuit?

Unfortunately, this is a mystery until the village responds to Bozzuto's lawsuit in public court records.

The village's longtime lawyer, Lenard Rubin, who knows the municipality's history with boats and houses, did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did the village's manager, Chuck Huff.

Alexandra Clough is a business writer and columnist at  The Palm Beach Post . You can reach her at  [email protected] . Twitter:  @acloughpbp .  Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

How San Diego became a player in the super-glitzy world of superyachts

For superyacht owners, no extravagance is too extreme, no port too glamorous

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If you doubt that the super-rich are a different breed, tour their superyachts.

Take, for instance, Golden Shadow. Launched in 1995 by San Diego’s Campbell Shipyard, the 219-foot vessel has luxurious staterooms for 16 guests, more modest quarters for 22 crew members, a 50-square-foot dive chamber and an exterior elevator platform, powerful enough to hoist aboard a seaplane and spacious enough to set down a helicopter.

Impressed? Don’t be. Golden Shadow was built as a floating garage for Golden Odyssey, a Saudi prince’s 404-foot superyacht.

“These big yachts have so many helicopters and toys aboard,” said Neal Esterly, a San Diego salesman for Fraser, a premier superyacht broker. “They are building 200-foot shadow boats to carry the submarine, the helicopter, the dirt bikes.”

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In the world of superyachts, no extravagance is too extreme, no port too glamorous. These palatial vessels anchor off Cannes, roam the Windward Islands, explore Norwegian fjords, wander across the Pacific. The owners — Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern sheikhs, American tech titans — travel in royal splendor with Cordon Bleu-trained chefs, masseuses, dive masters, pilots, tutors for the kids. On board, they are surrounded by African hardwood cabinets, spas fed by waterfalls, herb gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, basketball courts, hot tubs, Dale Chihuly glass chandeliers and Keith Haring originals.

Size alone doesn’t define a superyacht, but everything in this category is at least 75 feet from stem to stern. The largest, the 600-footer REV Ocean, is almost 100 feet longer than a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

“They are very much for the 1%,” said San Diego’s Kate Pearson, chair of the U.S. Superyacht Association. “Well, the .1%.”

During a leisurely voyage — from Alaskan glaciers to Costa Rican rainforests, say — these vessels often need to pause in a safe harbor for repairs and replenishment. That’s San Diego’s role in this glitzy world, offering shipyards, sheltered dock space and an army of woodworkers, welders, engineers, sailmakers, even specialists in the surprisingly delicate task of on-board carpet cleaning.

All of this, fans note, pumps money into the local economy. So do the live-aboard crew members who take advantage of our waterfront’s proximity to bars, restaurants, nightclubs.

“Most of them are 35 and younger. They pay no rent, no monthly bills, they’re not paying for food,” said Steve Brownsea, captain of the 145-foot Dumb Luck, moored at Shelter Island. “All they do is go and party.”

Like all industries, this business is sensitive to the market’s ebbs and flows. Orders for new vessels slipped during the Great Recession and brokers like Esterly keep a wary eye on signs that the global economy is weakening. As the gap between the .1% and everyone else widens, some superyachters fret about the “optics” of their seagoing displays of super-wealth.

Perhaps the greatest hazard, though, is also this lifestyle’s greatest attraction: the beautiful and unforgiving sea.

Port for all reasons

San Diego arrived late to the party. Massive pleasure yachts have been enjoyed by European royal families for centuries, while the ostentatious vessels of 19th century American tycoons commonly cruised near the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, R.I., and Long Island, N.Y.

In 1947, David Fraser founded a yacht brokerage house in Newport Beach. About 20 years later, he opened a branch office San Diego. Despite these deep Southern California roots, Fraser now has an Old World feel — in the 1990s, it merged with Europe’s United Yachting, and the company’s headquarters moved to Monaco. With Burgess and Y.Co, Fraser is one of superyachting’s Big Three brokers.

While Fraser maintains an office here, San Diego is home port for only a handful of superyachts.

“We don’t have the cruising grounds like you have in Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean or Europe,” Esterly said. “From San Diego, Cabo and Seattle are each 1,000 miles away. Between those two, there just isn’t any place to go cruising. You can only go to Catalina Island so many times.”

To this super-wealthy crowd, though, San Diego markets itself as the destination between destinations.

“We are not Monaco or the Bahamas,” said Todd Roberts, president of Fifth Avenue Landing, the superyacht anchorage south of Seaport Village. “We are effectively a transit port. But we are doing a pretty good job of giving the superyacht the whole package.”

The landing’s 12 slips can accommodate mid-size superyachts, up to about 300 feet in length. Vessels that moor here can hook up to shore power, pump out “blackwater” — yachtspeak for sewage — unload food, drink and other supplies straight off the dock. Fifth Avenue also owns the Marine Group Boat Works, which operates shipyards in National City and Chula Vista.

San Diego’s naval heritage guarantees plenty of people trained in ship maintenance. Brownsea, the captain of Dumb Luck, recalls the dismay of another superyacht’s owner, when he learned his vessel needed new parts that were only available in Europe. His sailing date would have been delayed — if he hadn’t stumbled upon a San Diegan able to machine the parts.

“They were delivered within 24 hours,” Brownsea said. “The owner couldn’t believe it.”

Geography, too, works in San Diego’s favor. For southbound sailors waiting for the Mexican hurricane season to blow itself out, this bay is a comfortable place to spend days or weeks while monitoring satellite weather maps.

“The captains that go down to the Sea of Cortez, they all stop in San Diego,” said Scott Whittaker, the Puget Sound-based skipper of Gayle Force, a 99-foot expedition boat. “Everybody does.”

Changing trends in sailing also benefit San Diego, as long voyages — to Costa Rica and Peru, say, then across the Pacific to New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Micronesia and finally back to the U.S. — appeal to a certain class of well-heeled wanderer.

“The boats we get in San Diego, the vessels you see on our waterfront that blow your mind, that owner is more adventurous,” said Fifth Avenue’s Roberts. “The yacht owner who wants to sit on the deck with a margarita and wave at his friends, those aren’t the owners we get. We get the more expeditionary owner.”

Expeditionary or sedentary, owners value their privacy. Typical is Robert Mercer, a New York tech millionaire and major financial contributor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. On Sept. 11, his superyacht tried to enter San Diego Bay incognito, with tarps draped over her name.

Might as well put sunglasses on the Mona Lisa. One of the world’s most photographed vessels, this 203-foot floating mansion is instantly recognizable, thanks to her forest green hull and cream-colored decks. Few, though, have been invited aboard to marvel at the carved mahogany “tree” rising through four decks, the frescoes saluting Darwin and Newton, the hand-knotted carpet of Nepalese wool and silk.

During Sea Owl’s eight-week stay at Fifth Avenue, a sign dangled over her gangway: “Private yacht — no boarding.”

Peril on the sea

Like a garage full of Maseratis or a closet full of Valentino gowns, superyachts are a sure sign of wealth. TV’s Judge Judy owns a 152-foot cruiser, Triumphant Lady, while Tiger Woods’s Privacy is slightly larger, 155 feet. Steven Spielberg’s Seven Seas is grander still, a 282-foot home-away-from-his-other-homes-away-from-home, with crew of 23, flotilla of tenders and on-board movie theater.

San Diego has enjoyed occasional visits by ocean-going glitterati, such as Luna, the 377-foot vessel owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and Tatoosh, a 303-foot wonder built for the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The latter’s five decks house a cinema, gym, massage room, swimming pool, 11 staterooms and a crew of 35. Fraser now charters Tatoosh — a week in the Caribbean this winter will run $650,000.

Attessa IV also made a big splash here, mooring in San Diego Bay often between 2016 and 2018. Her most recent visit ended in tragedy — while cruising off Imperial Beach on Oct. 26, 2018, Attessa IV slammed into the Prowler, a 65-foot sportfishing boat. One passenger, Richard Neff, was killed and another, John Schmit, critically injured.

Schmit, who suffered a fractured skull, vertebra, rib and sternum, sued the owners of Attessa IV and Prowler. A hearing in this case is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Both vessels reported poor visibility due to heavy fog, just one of the many hazards superyachts must navigate. A partial listing of recent victims: in 2015, Hurricane Carlos sank the 127-foot Bellissima near Acapulco; in 2017, Hurricane Irma sank the 131-foot Sierra Romeo in the Caribbean; and in 2018, heavy seas capsized the 124-foot Suegno off the Italian port of Genoa.

Some danger can be avoided by staying in port. Dumb Luck, the 145-foot tri-level motor yacht skippered by Brownsea, rarely leaves her Shelter Island dock. Even so, the usually absent owner is hit hard in his pocketbook.

“Just to keep her in port costs about $750,000 a year,” said Brownsea, citing the crew’s salary, docking fees, fuel, insurance and property tax, the latter levied on vessels that remain here at least six months a year. “If we were active, going more places, it would be about $1.5 million.”

That’s a lot of money — unless you are a superyachter. Fifth Avenue’s Roberts once priced repairs for an owner. The job wasn’t cheap, and Roberts advised the owner that expenses would climb astronomically if had to be done quickly.

“I’m old, Todd,” the owner responded. “I have way more money than time. Just make it happen.”

Super budget

If superyachts are for the .1%, the Nerissa is for the other 99.9% — or at least those with a decent amount of disposable income. A 73-foot motor yacht going to seed on the Gulf Shore, Nerissa was purchased by San Diego’s Shari and Amos Zolna, who restored it as a party vessel with a well-stocked bar and a hot tub.

Now docked on Shelter Island and Coast Guard-certified for 49 passengers, Nerissa specializes in day cruises on San Diego Bay. Summer is her high season, but year-round she is booked by bachelor and bachelorette parties, sightseers, sunset cruisers and others. Two hours on the water for 40 people, with a caterer and an open bar, runs about $5,000, or $125 a head.

The experience, Amas Zolna said, is priceless: “There’s nothing like sitting out there in the hot tub with a cold beer or a glass of wine.”

The true superyacht experience will always be far out of reach for most people. Kate Pearson, the U.S. Superyacht Association’s chair, laughs when asked if she owns one.

“No,” said Pearson, who is vice president of Safe Harbors Marina, the world’s largest owner and operator of marinas. “We are a boating family, but on a much more subdued level.”

While she has been a guest aboard numerous superyachts, she views them the way most people view the stars — something beautiful, magnificent and unattainable. When Pearson is sailing with guests and they see a superyacht, she quickly alters course.

“We take them up close,” she said.

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How Jordan Belfort's 37m superyacht Nadine sank off the coast of Sardinia

Related articles.

Coco Chanel was famously outspoken on many things, but yachting, in particular, attracted her ire. “As soon as you set foot on a yacht you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom,” she was once quoted as saying.

Her solution was to buy her own yacht. A 37m with a steel hull, built by the Dutch yard Witsen & Vis of Alkmaar. The yacht passed through many hands, finally ending up belonging to the Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, on whose watch she foundered and sank in 1996.

The yacht was originally built for a Frenchman under the name Mathilde , but he backed out and she caught Chanel’s eye instead. With a narrow beam, a high bow and the long, low superstructure typical of Dutch yachts of her era, she was certainly a beautiful boat. But she was also well equipped, with five staterooms in dark teak panelling, magnificent dining facilities, room for big tenders and, later, a helipad. A frequent sight along the Florida coast, she caught the eye of a young skipper called Mark Elliott.

“In those days, she was the biggest yacht on the East Coast,” he remembers. “Nobody had ever seen anything like it. I needed a wrench once and went up to the boat - Captain Norm Dahl was really friendly.” He didn’t know it then, but Elliott was destined to become the skipper of the boat himself and was at the helm when the storm of the century took her to the bottom off Sardinia.

Coco Chanel died in 1971 and sometime thereafter the yacht was renamed Jan Pamela under the new ownership of Melvin Lane Powers. He was a flamboyant Houston real estate developer, fond of crocodile skin cowboy boots and acquitted of murder in a trial that gripped the nation.

Powers sent Jan Pamela to Merrill Stevens yard in Miami, where a mammoth seven-metre section was added amidships. “We made templates for the boat where we were going to cut her in half, then she went out for another charter season,” remembers Whit Kirtland, son of the yard owner. “When the boat came back in, we cut it just forward of the engine room, rolled the two sections apart and welded it in.”

He remembers how the sun’s heat made the bare and painted metal expand at different rates. “You had to weld during certain time periods – early in the morning or late at night,” says Kirtland.

The result of the extension was a huge new seven-metre full-beam master stateroom, an extra salon and one further cabin – pushing the charter capacity to seven staterooms. During this refit, the boat’s colour was also changed from white to taupe. “No one had really done it before and it was gorgeous,” says Elliott. By 1983, Powers was bankrupt and the yacht was sold on again. She next shows up named Edgewater .

Elliott’s chance came in 1989. He was working for the established yacht owner Bernie Little, who ran a hugely profitable distribution business for Bud brewer Anheuser-Busch. “Bernie Little had always wanted to own the boat,” Elliott says. “He loved it. He bought it sight unseen – and I started a huge restoration programme, including another extension to put three metres in the cockpit.”

It was a massive task, undertaken at Miami Ship. “We pulled out all the windows, re-chromed everything, repainted – brought it back to life,” says Elliott. They also cut out old twin diesels from GM and replaced them with bigger CAT engines, doubling her horsepower to 800. “Repowered, she could cruise at up to 20 knots. She was long and skinny, like a destroyer.”

A smart hydraulic feature was also brought to life for the first time. Under two of the sofas in the main stateroom were hidden 3.6m x 1.2m glass panels giving a view of the sea under the boat. At the push of a button, the sofas lifted up and mirrors above allowed you to gaze at the seabed – from the actual bed.

Now called Big Eagle , like all of Little’s boats, she was a charter hit and her top client was a certain New York financier named Jordan Belfort. He fell in love with her and begged Little to sell to him. But he needed to secure financing, and in 1995, Little agreed to hold a note on the boat for a year if Mark Elliott stayed on as skipper.

With the boat rechristened Nadine after his wife, Belfort set about another round of refit work, restyling the interior with vintage deco and lots of mirrors, extending the upper deck this time, and fitting a crane capable of raising and stowing the Turbine Seawind seaplane.

Nadine also carried a helicopter, a 10m Intrepid tender, two 6m dinghies on the bow, four motorbikes, six jetskis, state-of-the-art dive gear. “You pretty much needed an air traffic controller when all these things were in the water,” says Elliott.

Belfort’s partying was legendary and Elliott clearly saw eye-watering things on board, but as far as he was concerned, he was there to safeguard the boat. “When Jordan Belfort became the owner, he could do whatever he wanted. I was there to protect the note,” says Elliott. “He is a brilliant mind and a lovely person. It was just when he was in his party mode, he was out of control.”

Nadine and her huge cohort of toys and vehicles plied all the usual yachting haunts on both sides of the Atlantic. But Belfort’s love story was to be short-lived. Disaster struck with the boss and guests on board during an 85-mile crossing between Civitavecchia in Italy and Calle de Volpe on Sardinia.

What was forecast to be a 20-knot blow and moderate seas degenerated into a violent 70-knot storm with crests towering above 10.6m, according to Elliott. Wave after wave pounded the superstructure, stoving in hatches and windows so that water poured below and made the boat sluggish. By a miracle the engine room remained dry and they could maintain steerage way, motoring slowly through the black of the night as rescue attempt after rescue attempt was called off.

Nadine eventually sank at dawn in over 1000m of water just 20 miles from the coast of Sardinia. Everyone had been taken off by helicopter, and there was no loss of life. Captain Mark Elliott was roundly congratulated for his handling of the incident. “The insurance paid immediately because it was the storm of the century,” he says. “I took the whole crew but one with me to [Little’s next boat] Star Ship . That was my way to come back.”

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Sea Eagle II: One of the world’s finest superyachts

• Toby Hodges
• July 5, 2023

Stunning images of the 81m schooner Sea Eagle II in French Polynesia are a rare chance to see one of the world’s most magnificent superyachts in full flight. Toby Hodges finds out more from the team behind the design

It’s very rare to see quite such a large vessel, the world’s largest aluminium sailing yacht in this case, truly in its element: sailing full bore in an idyllic location. To us sailing fans, it’s the equivalent of a birdwatcher photographing an exceptional species of finch, kingfisher or indeed eagle. With regards to Sea Eagle II , however, these images really do make you re-evaluate your impressions of scale.

We’ve talked in detail about this superyacht before, when it was just a vision, a project in build. But these pictures, showing it in full flight, help bring a long list of impressive technical statistics to life.

While there are many big yachts, there are very few sailing yachts as large as this – officially eight, but of those considered proper sail-powered rather than sail-assisted yachts, arguably only three. And certainly very few we’ve seen that can sail like this: seemingly with relative ease, control, power and grace.

The extensive photoshoot in French Polynesia shows Sea Eagle II really shifting under its own easily furled canvas. This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Dykstra Naval Architects. Look at the spray flying off the towering stemhead – this is no sailing motoryacht. From bow-on you can see the hull is comparatively very slender, with purposeful chines and a flare to the topsides aft. The waterline is fully extended as the sections transition from a rounded U-shape bilge forward to a flat run aft.

Long waterlines together with a modern, beamy aft shape helps create massive volume, powerful performance and low heeling speed. Photo: Tim McKenna

Combine this with the long glass deckhouse and it reminds of a modern explorer yacht or a naval craft. Its hull lines are strikingly efficient, purposeful even. Her 6m draught aside, you get the impression there is nowhere Sea Eagle II can’t soar to. That it has already completed a circumnavigation and sailed 45,000 miles in its first three years is less surprising when you consider just how long legged it is – indeed the crew and designers have reported sustained passagemaking speeds of over 20 knots.

But why the look, why that sailplan, and how did it get from concept to sailing in Pacific islands?

A classic start

The initial brief was actually for a more classical yacht, similar to the 90m schooner Athena that Royal Huisman built for Jim Clark in 2004, before the owner realised he’d prefer the benefits that come with a more modern shape with straight lines. This allowed for a much longer waterline and beamy transom for more stability, volume and comfort at less heel.

Passagemaking performance aboard a practical and safe yacht to manage easily was the target. Sea Eagle II was commissioned by an ageing owner who wanted a large, stable and easily driven yacht – which is why it ended up being twice the length and three times the volume and sail area of the previous Sea Eagle , a 43m yacht which launched from Huisman in 2015.

owerful schooner sailplan with heavily roached equal sized mains. The upwind sail area alone is equivalent in size to five basketball courts. Photo: Tim McKenna

The modern look came from Dykstra’s Erik Wassen, lead naval architect for the project, who I caught up with to discuss how the design transpired and if it has fulfilled its brief. Where a classic yacht “has lots of details to give it life – I thought a round bilge boat with no detail on it is just incredibly dull,” he replies candidly. This helps explain the yacht’s prominent chine, “single aft, turning into a double chine forward, to give it detail,” while in the transom the topsides are inverted, and have some negative camber. “That’s what your eye picks up – it emphasises that masculine look.”

As well as the aesthetic trickery, it’s a shape that works from a naval architecture point of view too: “the knuckle gave me more beam in the forward end of the boat where we have the foremast. The chainplates can be separated more without having too much flare in the boat.”

To manage this canvas, 34 winches can all be pushbutton controlled from the helm stations. Photo: Tim McKenna

Sea Eagle II ’s striking styling is set off by the long deckhouse with its straight glass windows, which cements an explorer look. The UK’s Mark Whitely, who designed the interior, drew this profile. “We went with that and explored it further to sink the bridge half into the superstructure to keep the overall height limited,” Wassen explains.

A schooner rig featuring three carbon masts with furling booms was deemed the most effective way to give Sea Eagle II  the most manageable sail power at the Panamax limit (61m). Dynarigs, as used on the Dykstra projects Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl , were not appropriate for an owner who preferred more classic styles. And while Wassen says they did consider square-top sails, the additional complication was considered too high at the time (around 2017). Instead, the three heavily roached mains have proven to provide ample sail area.

Royal Huisman’s sister company Rondal built the three equal size high modulus carbon masts, as well as the furling booms, captive and drum winches, while Carbo-Link supplied the carbon standing rigging.

Note the size of the crew to get a scale of the aft deck and beam. Photo: Tim McKenna

Straightforward sailing

The beauty of the sailplan is that it can set so much canvas on easily managed push button furlers. The 34 winches are all interfaced and controlled by Rondal’s integrated sail handling system. The Stratis-built fore, main and mizzen sails can raise simultaneously thanks to plenty of hydraulic juice powered by twin 120kW gensets and power take-offs on the main engines.

When you include the staysails that can set off each mast and the yankee, there are seven furling sails from Doyle, totalling around 3,500m2. And that’s without a kite (which the new owners are looking into adding, with rumours of future racing events such as the RORC Caribbean 600 ).

“Tacking is very straightforward,” reported Royal Huisman’s commissioning skipper: “the mains mostly look after themselves with only minor adjustments.

“Gybing naturally takes a little more orchestration, as on any large yacht. But it is still a smooth and safe process.”

Side decks you could fit a skittle alley on, yet protected by high bulwarks. Photo: Tim McKenna

The yankee sheet has the most load, but even that’s on an 18-tonne pull winch, which is reasonably common in large yachts. To depower the sailplan, the crew typically reef from the mizzen first, with the reefs all on halyard locks.

In terms of performance, this is a mile-munching machine. “In a good breeze, on a beam reach, with reefed sails, it does 20 knots comfortably without pushing it,” Wassen reports. This is confirmed by Huisman’s commissioning skipper who reported high boat speeds that are easy to maintain: “We comfortably recorded 22 knots in moderate wind conditions. In fact, at 16-18 knots boat speed, I found myself regularly checking the B&G speed displays for confirmation because the motion is so relaxed. Sailing fast with just a gentle heel [typically max 10-15°], she feels very safe.”

Wassen stresses it’s never had a race crew aboard, so has never been pushed. “We know the boat has been doing sustainable 20 knot+ deliveries… so I think the performance polars we made are doable.”

Palatial space at anchor. Transom hinges to create a full beach terrace. Lazarette includes a crane for the 8m guest tender plus toy space. Photo: Tim McKenna

He attributes the commendable performance to the long waterlines, where buttocks slowly rise to a transom that is only just clear of the water. But credit must go equally to the stiff and strong build. Typically yachts of this scale are built in steel, which results in a much heavier structure. Royal Huisman are masters in large aluminium craft and this, its largest to date, helped them further the technology – learnings which have continued to progress with the launch of its recent full performance yacht Nilaya and the colossal 85m sloop in build.

The complexity of Sea Eagle II ’s build, and its four years in engineering and construction, cannot be understated. The goal was to find the right balance between strength and flex, the former to ensure the necessary longitudinal strength and rigidity, the latter to absorb the dynamic shock loads from waves.

bridge fit for a ship for fully protected watchkeeping. Photo: Tim McKenna

Glass doesn’t bend

An example of such a construction challenge lay with how to mount such a long, rigid deckhouse structure, which comprises so much laminated glass, onto a more flexible aluminium hull. “When we were doing the FEM [finite element method] analysis, we noticed that the glass mullions would be picking up a lot of the load,” Wassen explains: “the deck is participating in the overall structure and a boat with this beam will deflect and bend in waves.”

As glass won’t flex, the build team needed to include some tolerance between the roof and mullions. Aerospace specialists developed an adhesive specially for this project, using it to bond the forward section of the deckhouse to create 2cm of flex.

The al fresco dining area beneath the aft overhang, with grand stairs each side to the flybridge. Photo: Tim McKenna

This long run of glass is central to the overall aesthetic, something Mark Whitely elaborates on: “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 semi-raised bridge.

“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.” The photos confirm side decks you could bowl down, and fore and aft decks clear enough for racket sports.

The formal dining and leisure area at the forward end of the deckhouse. The curved, forward windscreen gives a panoramic outlook. Photo: Tim McKenna

Elsewhere on deck there are foldout boarding platforms on both sides. Outside and inside worlds are separated by flush sliding glass doors which disappear into their own garages, while steps each side of the dining area lead to the expansive flybridge to offer another full deck of entertaining space and an ideal vantage point to helm from.

Another prime feature of Sea Eagle II’s design is the full bridge nestled between flybridge helm station and the main deckhouse, from which it can be commanded in heavy weather. Deciding at which of the many long tables to sit or relax at would seemingly be the only headache for owners and guests. Whether alfresco on the aft deck, inside/outside bar seating, the decksaloon or a formal dining and leisure area forward with 180° windscreen views, all are on the same level.

The main accommodation is for 12 guests, while forward of the foremast is a separate low profile entrance for the 14 crew to reach their quarters. The stowage space for toys is formidable, complete with cranes to launch all with minimal fuss.

A modern silhouette of purposeful performance, with lengthy waterlines and an extended deckhouse. Hull chines are mirrored on the booms. Photo: Tim McKenna

However, while it offers palatial comfort at anchor, this is a yacht that clearly comes alive under sail. In summary, these photos prove what the jury at the Design & Innovation Awards 2021 said when awarding Sea Eagle II with the ‘Best Naval Architecture Sailing Yachts’ award. “She is not just a large cruising yacht with global capability but a beautiful boat that sails well.”

Sea Eagle specifications

LOA: 81m 266ft Beam: 12m 40ft Draught: 6m 20ft Hull speed: 22 knots Main engines: 2x 1,081kW Generators: 2x 120kW Air draught: 61m 201ft Sail area: 2,580m2 27,770ft2 upwind / 3,552m2 38,233ft2 downwind Design: Dykstra Naval Architects + Mark Whiteley Design

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