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Boat of the Week: The World’s Largest Sailing Ketch Doubles as a Luxury Home on the Water

The 283-foot vessel just happened to set a record for its size. the owner was more interested in seeing the world from a bespoke lap of luxury., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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The 282-foot Aquijo might be the largest high-performance sailing ketch in the world, but that wasn’t the primary goal of its design. The owner’s intention was to build a fast world cruiser that could sail to the ends of the earth, but just as importantly, have huge amounts of interior space that would make the sailing superyacht feel like home anywhere.

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Aquijo is a boat built for escapism. “The owner wanted to go and see the world on his yacht,” Gerhard Veldsman, her captain, told Robb Report.   “We’ve been around the world once already, and returned to Holland in early 2020 to complete the boat’s five-year survey. After Covid hit, everything changed.”

The plan had been to make a refit pit stop in the Netherlands before heading through the Northwest Passage to the Pacific, and then embarking on a second world circumnavigation. That voyage has been postponed until travel restrictions ease, or at least until a time when fragile countries are less vulnerable to the pandemic. “I doubt the vaccine will be available in the small island nations as quickly as everywhere else” says Veldsman. “So we’re just sitting tight.”

The owner wanted the same amount of interior space in his sailing yacht as similar-sized motoryachts.  Courtesy Edmiston

Built in 2016, Aquijo was an unusually complex sailing yacht, a collaboration between Oceanco and Vitters. Her owner is a seasoned sailor who first chartered every large, iconic sailing vessel out there, from the 289-foot Maltese Falcon and Enigma (when named Phocea ) to Mirabella V, before embarking on a design and build of his own yacht.

“His aim was to take the best design pieces out of each of those yachts to construct Aquijo ,” says Veldsman. “That included matching Maltese Falcon in size, but adopting a large bar on the aft deck with a beer tap.”

There’s no denying that Aquijo is a beast. She has 64,500-square-feet of sails. At full pelt, she reaches speeds in excess of 20 knots which, for a 1,600 gross-ton yacht, is an impressive sight to behold. “When you have a boat of Aquijo ’s size and weight traveling fast through water, you need a team of people who understand not only the principles of sailing but also what happens below deck in terms of the hydraulics.”

Courtesy Edmiston

Features like the indoor spa pool beneath the opening skylight are one of many features that make Aquijo a liveaboard yacht.

Aquijo has a significant amount of complex hydraulic power. Vitters’s knowledge in building large custom sailing boats was a primary reason for the owner selecting that shipyard in Zwartsluis, Holland. But at 282-feet, the boat was too big for Vitters to construct at its facilities. So, Vitters built the sailing systems, and Oceanco was chosen to build the hull and superstructure.

Exterior design was by Bill Tripp, with the contemporary interior by Dölker+Voges Design. Together with the owner, the designers conceived a sailing vessel matching a comparable-sized motoryacht for interior space. “Balancing the abilities of a lightweight, high-performance sailing yacht with all the space and luxury of a motoryacht is why Aquijo is the size that she is,” says Veldsman. “We had to go big to accomplish that.”

Aquijo pairs an efficient cruising hull with lots of weight in her lifting keel, the largest of its kind ever designed. With the keel down, the draft is an impressive 38 feet. “We once cruised up the Sicilian coast in 40 knots of wind, and all the motoryachts were turning around but we were able to sail through it,” says Veldsman.

The owner took different designs from other super sailing yachts for Aquijo and added features like the bar and al-fresco dining table.  Courtesy Edmiston

Notable design features include neon headboards, extensive deck space and a private owner’s terrace that takes you from bed to balcony in two steps. The 197-foot-high crow’s nest offers the best views on board. The beach club, with Jacuzzi below a main deck skylight, is one of the owner’s favorite spaces on board, particularly in colder climates. The boat’s 300-foot masts are too tall to travel through any canals, which means navigating the Polar regions to get to different continents. Vast, remote waters like those off the coast of Patagonia, where wind speeds can reach 70-plus knots, is where Aquijo comes into her own.

This summer, Aquijo is cruising around the Mediterranean, with charters in Turkey already confirmed through Edmiston, before heading to the Caribbean for winter.

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Aquijo is a custom sailing yacht launched in 2016 by Vitters Shipyard, in the Netherlands.

Vitters Shipyard is a well established and respected custom yacht builder situated in Zwartsluis, The Netherlands. The facility opened in 1990 and has delivered an impressive list of yachts, working with top designers, up to 75 meter in length.

Aquijo measures 86 metres in length, with a max draft of 5.3 feet and a beam of 14.5 feet. She has a gross tonnage of 1,538 tonnes.

Aquijo has a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure.

Bill Tripp, III comes by yacht design naturally. His father Bill Tripp, Jr. was an illustrious naval architect and after spending his childhood sailing in his father’s designs, Bill chose to make naval architecture his career.

Her interior design is by Dölker Voges.

Aquijo also features naval architecture by Tripp Design Naval Architects.

Performance and Capabilities

Aquijo has a fuel capacity of 97,800 litres, and a water capacity of 26,000 litres.

Accommodation

Aquijo accommodates up to 16 guests in 7 cabins. She also houses room for up to 17 crew members.

Other Specifications

Aquijo has a hull NB of Y711.

She is also fitted with a jacuzzi (on deck).

• Naval Architect Tripp Design Naval Architects No profile available
• Exterior Designer Tripp Design Naval Architects No profile available
• Interior Designer Dölker Voges No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other vitters yachts, related news.

Aquijo The World’s Largest Sailing Ketch: A Luxury Home On Water

Some yachts transcend sailing and become something so luxuriously more.

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Its exquisite design, the brilliant built, the amenities of a house.

The largest sailing ketch is known as "Aquijo", a luxury home on water. Billionaire Norweigan businessman, Kjell Inge Røkke, is currently the yacht owner. He observes that this vessel was not built to boast of its enormous size, but its speed . Kjell Inge Røkke loves to sail and go on cruises in his beautiful vessel.  This fast sailing yacht is gigantic because the owner wanted to enjoy as much interior space as possible.

However, he says that his main wish is to sail in the Ketch across South America. Sailing during long cruises, he also wants to have the most pleasant time with his family. This is why the Aquijo was built to be the largest sailing ketch to make the buyer feel at home.

Here's why this massive yacht is called a luxury home on water.

Like a lot of other superyachts, the Aquijo too boasts exquisite interiors. It has a pedigree design which Oceano built in collaboration with Vitters. Bill Tripp developed the naval architectural plans of the vessel's exterior body.

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The owner of Aquijo wanted the interiors to be 'homey.' His wife made most of the choices regarding interior designing ; the fashionable interiors were stylized by Dolker in collaboration with Voges.

The Aquijo is about 86 meters or 282 feet long and reached its completion in construction in 2016. The beam has a length of 14.48 meters or 47.5 feet, and the draught about 5.23 meters or 17.2 feet. This superyacht has a vast sail area of almost 3995 square meters. The sails expand over approximately 64,500 square feet.

The Aquijo functions over complex hydraulics to become a fast-moving ketch that bears so much weight. An expert crew has been employed who are very well versed with how to sail this beast smoothly. The superyacht has been registered under Llyod's foundation. The Aquijo was reported to be out on a cruise last summer with an average pace of 19 knots and sometimes hitting a maximum of 30 knots.

The sailor of this ship says that the owner wanted to put together all the good parts of various superyachts and create this masterpiece . But this large ketch is not only fancily designed, but also highly sturdy. The hull is made of steel and the vessel's superstructure is made of aluminum, while the decks are teak laid.

The Aquijo might come with brilliant hydraulics and extraordinary design but what defines its luxury is the host of amenities available on this yacht. It is spacious enough to accommodate about 12 guests in seven cabin rooms and a dining space that can hold up to 24 guests. The interior designs of the master bedrooms and the cabins are elegant yet light and breezy. The crew capacity is about 17.

The most attractive feature of this luxury home on water is a private deck, which also comes with a rear-facing bedroom that can offer a 270 degrees view of the ocean. Aquijo's owner seems incredibly excited to wake up here every morning and enjoy the marvelous view. The guest cabins are equally grand; they too come with beautiful views of the ocean.

The Aquijo has beautiful beach clubs with a sauna and steam rooms, various bars, and everything else that a billionaire would want on their yacht. The three bars are all extravagant, including one on the power's deck, another on the big main deck, and the last near the fancy jacuzzi built especially on demand .

The jacuzzi is placed right below the central deck skylight, offering a cozy environment, especially in winters. This particular design was a wish of the owner, and he says that it is one of his favorite spots on the yacht. Besides the main elevator, there is also a guest elevator and a roof over, and the dining space in the main deck is retractable.

Even the engine room on the yacht occupies a generous amount of space. Nowhere on this yacht is there a congested atmosphere. The areas occupied by the machinery and technicalities have been masterfully distributed all over the ship, starting from the center to its complete length.

The Aquijo has proven to exceed Røkke's expectations and is grabbing a lot of attention from the media and the public. The massive yacht can be availed on rent with a charge of about $536,541.

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Source:  Edmiston , Boat International , Yacht Harbour , Robb Report

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The world’s biggest yachts – what’s behind the growth of the gigayacht

• Helen Fretter
• March 14, 2017

The last few years have seen launches of some of the world's largest yachts, truly gigayachts. Helen Fretter delves into the world of the gigayacht

Dwarfing not only any other yacht that happened to be on the River Eider, but even the buildings along the foreshore, the monolithic Sailing Yacht A made quite an impression when she was launched from the Nobriskrug yard in Hamburg in the autumn of 2016.

The 142m, eight-deck behemoth is the archetypal ‘gigayacht’, phenomenal not just in her dimensions but also in her radicalism.

The Philippe Starck-designed Sailing Yacht A , with her 20m freeboard, begs the question: is she even a sailing yacht? The last yacht to divide opinion, and attract the shock and awe of the non-sailing public in the same manner was Maltese Falcon , the glossy, experimental megayacht designed for Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tom Perkins.

But the Falcon was launched a decade ago, and Sailing Yacht A is just one of a crop of extraordinary gigayachts, or sailing superyachts of 80, 90 or 100m plus, to touch the water in 2016.

Besides the 142m Sailing Yacht A , another three-masted design was launched from OceanCo this autumn, the 106m  Black Pearl , which looks set to become the largest sailing yacht in the world – for a while at least. Black Pearl represents a modern evolution of the rotating Dynarig pioneered by Maltese Falcon . Meanwhile in the spring, the largest Bermudan rigged yacht ever launched, the 86m ketch Aquijo , powered through sail trials in preparation for a global adventure.

There are more in the pipeline also. Royal Huisman announced this autumn that they had been commissioned to design and build the 86m Project 400 , another three masted design, this one more conventionally rigged. A proposal for the 114m Endurance has just been unveiled, an explorer concept designed to be able to cruise unassisted for three months. There is also the 86m Komorebi , an experimental wingsail-assisted hybrid trimaran design from the French multihull experts VPLP.

Rise and rise of the gigayacht

Why the sudden flurry of these stratospherically ambitious projects? In truth, it is not that sudden – initial pitches for what ultimately became Sailing Yacht A were invited back in 2008, and pre-studies began in 2011. A decade between projects seems rather shorter when design and build takes at least five years – gigayacht owners may be exacting, but they also have to be extraordinarily patient.

The 141m four-masted Dream Symphony is currently in build out of wood in Turkey, and includes vast living accommodation, and a swimming pool that converts to become a helipad platform.

What is remarkable, though, is how rapidly the yachts have grown in size – raising the upper ceiling from 88 to over 140m in a decade. Dutch naval architecture firm Dykstra has been instrumental in many of the world’s most innovative megayachts, including Sailing Yacht A , Black Pearl , and Maltese Falcon .

Managing director Thys Nikkels comments, “Ten years ago a big boat was a very different size than a big boat is now. I can still remember when I started working in ’91 a 40-metre yacht in those days was a big boat. In the mid-90s we started to design the yacht Athena , which we thought was the biggest boat we were ever going to see in our lives, as a sailing yacht she was 80 metres on the water.”

The largest single sloop rigged yacht in the world remains Mirabella V , launched back in 2003 and since renamed (and slightly lengthened during a refit) M5 at just over 77m. Rob Doyle, who worked on the project led by Ron Holland, recalls:

“We started designing her 17 years ago now. We hit a very natural sweet spot with Mirabella and that’s why it has taken so long for other boats to suddenly go over her length and over her rig height.

“ Mirabella still has the highest ‘P’ measurement [distance from boom to top of mast] and the longest boom in the world, though there are taller masts now.

“She set a bar and we didn’t realise we’d actually set it. It came down to a ratio of the rig weight to the draught and the keel weights, and everything else to be able to carry that amount of sail and that ballast to satisfy the rules.

“We pushed technology a lot – about 16 companies went bust over Mirabella  because the jump was so massive. We were jumping from a 64m to a 75m [yacht] and that jump was like learning to fly, then going to the moon!”

Article continues below

Video of Sailing Yacht A, the world’s largest sail-assisted vessel, during early sea trials

This video footage of Sailing Yacht A shows her with her towering free-standing masts and illustrates the jaw-dropping scale of the world’s…

A look on board the extraordinary 86m Aquijo, the world’s largest ketch

The largest Bermudan rigged ketch ever launched, the 86m Aquijo was designed by Bill Tripp and launched last year. The build came…

Ken Freivokh, who was responsible for the radical styling of Maltese Falcon , also points out that after the much publicised launch of the Falcon many buyers did not want to be seen to be emulating Tom Perkins’s unique style, preferring to wait, or opt for a conservative design. After the Falcon , Freivokh’s next radical Dynarig yacht was Black Pearl , which he began work on six years ago. At 106m Black Pearl dwarfs Maltese Falcon , with a 2,700GT volume that puts her just under the key 3,000GT limit.

Surprisingly, Dykstra’s Thys Nikkels says that the Dynarigs being built today are not markedly different to the one developed for Maltese Falcon a decade ago. “In concept it is not very different. In detail there are a number of improvements that have been made.

But Maltese Falcon was – for her time – years far ahead and she proved to be very successful in sail handling and sailing, so there are not many improvements to be done. Nowadays you just have different materials you can use, or different electronics and software systems that you can use for control.”

Maltese Falcon, launched in 2006, pioneered the Dynarig concept utilised on many of the next generation of larger gigayachts.

Sail handling

Meanwhile a decade of development in superyacht rigs and sail systems, means that Aquijo ’s owner could opt for a conventional ketch rig, which can deploy over 3,000m2 of sails in around six minutes.

Sail handling routines are necessarily different – the jib is furled when tacking. “Vitters organised a nice system that keeps just a nice amount of tension on the jib sheets furling in and out so that they are not flailing about,” explains Aquijo ’s designer, Bill Tripp. “So it’s not a dinghy tack, but it is safe and orderly.

“The spinnaker is on a fast furler and furls up in 30 seconds, making gybes less complex. There is the ketch choreography of bringing the main and mizzen in, but the steering is precise and there is no need to put too much sail up for the conditions.”

Aquijo master cabin

The forces generated on yachts such as Aquijo may be enormous – mast compression can reach around 580 tons – but are no longer beyond the realms of riggers’ experience. “When we started building boats like Saudade [the 2009 45m Wally], 14 tonnes was a very big load. Once we understood racing these boats, and understood they were controllable, you can take another step.

“We were delighted when sailing Aquijo upwind in a lot of breeze that the load on the mainsheet was showing around 12 tonnes. It’s 2:1 so that’s 24 tonnes. I’m not saying that’s not a massive load, but it’s similar to what we have on Saudade ’s big sheet 1:1, and we have years of experience with handling that.” Custom built 40 ton carbon and alloy winches help manage the sheet loads.

Tripp notes that a Dynarig was never considered as an option. “What you’re really asking is do you want the ease of sailing or do you want to be able to access something exciting? And we wanted both of them.

“Sailors tend to like the more fundamental experiences, and when the technology allows them to access those more fundamental experiences, well that’s a great joy.”

Aquijo is the world’s largest ketch, with a mainsail that can be furled or unfurled in around four seconds

Finding the limit

Just how big can a sailing yacht go? Five years ago plans were unveiled for a 101m sloop, with a single 125m carbon mast, which raised a few eyebrows and discussions over whether it might be possible. Malcolm McKeon worked on the proposal and says that it was the cost, rather than technical limitations, which put the brakes on the project.

“It was an evolving process. The owner has a 50m-plus sailing superyacht, and he wanted a new yacht big enough that he could put a reasonably sized chase boat on board. He wanted an explorer type sailboat that he could go to the Pacific on, and carry all his toys with him, and not have to have a support boat.

“The design started at 65 or 70m and it just grew and grew and grew until it got to 100m, and then it basically just got too expensive.

Recent sail trials on Sailing Yacht A saw the 1,464m2 mainsail unfurled from the 27.5m carbon U-shaped boom. Incredibly she is designed to heel up to a maximum angle of 12 degrees under full sail.

“The big problem with the large sail boats is the mast price goes up by a bigger proportion to everything else so the rig price becomes a much bigger percentage of the overall build. Technically it can all be done, it’s just the value of that part becomes a much more significant part and sometimes more difficult for an owner to accept.

“If somebody came to me and said they wanted to build a boat with a 200m mast I would think well, is that really possible? Certainly rigs up to 100m and a bit more I think are possible today, but where we’re going to go after that I don’t know.”

Rob Doyle points out that sailing superyacht owners pay around a 30 per cent premium over opting for a motoryacht, yet the boats lose around a third of the equivalent interior volume. However, for him the biggest limitations are the humans onboard.

“I think we are coming to a stage where we need a new type of rig, to be honest, to be able to safely deploy these sails without killing people. I think we are getting very close to where the metal meets the flesh at the deck level where the people and the guests are hanging around.”

With the ever-increasing winch and line speeds needed to handle the huge loads, serious hand and limb injuries can happen in the blink of an eye. “There is a moral hazard there that keeps playing on my mind,” says Doyle. “We are building very dangerous machines and we have to be very careful of people.”

The newly announced Endurance concept design is a 114m four-masted explorer design with a 6,000 mile range under power.

More prosaically, the bigger your gigayacht, the bigger the challenge of just getting on and off it. “Once you are getting to a stage where you can’t get into anchorages you are in constant fear of drifting – even putting down an anchor you need a huge amount of space around you.

“So then you anchor further out into the slop and the big waves, so the owners find it difficult to get on and off the boat, and suddenly other problems can overwhelm the project,” Doyle points out. One increasingly popular solution to that particular problem is a luxury landing craft.

Too big for the Panama Canal

It might seem counter-intuitive, but it is Aquijo ’s owner’s focus on the sailing experience that has enabled the designers of the 86m ketch to push the size limits of a traditionally rigged yacht.

“ Aquijo is a sophisticated machine and brings most aspects of a 1,600GT motor yacht with her,” comments designer Bill Tripp. “But she does not aspire to helicopters or submarines, the feeling of the boat is one of use. She is for getting out there, and for going out sailing. In Greece this summer, she would go out for an afternoon of sailing in 35 knot Meltemi because it is so much fun to sail at 20 knots, as if on rails.

“We have always done sailboats that can get under the Panama Canal bridge, and the biggest we were happy to do and put under the bridge was really 46m because after that we didn’t have big enough sails for the boat.

“Then five years ago we launched A Better Place , and the owner said ‘I’ll go around, I don’t want to limit my boat because of the bridges.’ With Aquijo they said, we want to go to these places anyway, so let’s get the best sailboat we can. So suddenly, instead of having this 63m limit on the rig, that all opened up and we could start doing a sailing boat that had a gross tonnage like some of the bigger motoryachts.

“I think we’re going to see more of that. You can look at the Strait of Magellan [an alternative route to rounding Cape Horn ], as a place that’s a really long way away or a place you really want to go.”

The three-masted Black Pearl  has an angular ‘Pacman’ bow with a wave-piercing reverse sheer lower section, and extended traditional foredeck above

The wish list

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko is keeping his Sailing Yacht A tightly wrapped under non-disclosure agreements, but a few intriguing details have been released, including magnifying windows which appear larger inside than outside, and a gimballed crow’s nest, accessible by lift, 60m high in the curved mast.

An observation pod embedded in the keel with foot-thick glass gives a mesmerising – and frankly terrifying-sounding – view of the propellers, and there’s a three-man submarine.

Gigayacht designers have come up with some imaginative solutions to meet owners’ foibles and demands. Drawings for the 101m sloop incorporated an entirely retractable hardtop to the flybridge to give the owner his requested uninterrupted view of the sails and sky.

Plans for the Japanese-influenced Komorebi design feature a live tree on the aft deck. Watersports toys are old news – now tender garages are specified to house motorbikes, amphibious quad bikes, even custom-built marinised supercars.

On Aquijo , the headline feature is the ‘beach club’ on the lower deck. “For a sailing boat it is a huge area, they have a sauna, hamman [Turkish Bath], a rainfall shower, a relaxing area, this huge whirlpool in the middle, a little pantry, and enough space for gym equipment around the pool,” explains interior designer Robert Voges.

Beach club on Aquijo.

Voges says the trickiest element on the yacht was the flawless high shine steel mast claddings which run through the interior. “It is like a piece of art. The mast was going through the main saloon and guest corridor, and we didn’t want to hide it. So we decided to make a feature out of it with seamless stainless steel cladding with integrated LED strip lights from top to bottom over two decks.”

One of the most radical projects in progress is the 141m Dream Symphony , a four-masted design currently in build in Turkey. Originally slated for launch this year, the project is progressing slowly – in part due to the fact the yacht is constructed of wood. Her design includes a large aft deck swimming pool that transforms into a raised helipad area.

This is the type of concept which seemed fantastical just a few years ago, but is now reality in the motoryachts world where designs like the 81m Alfa Nero have deployed it successfully.

“It’s a good solution because you usually have to drop down all the stanchions and any elements that are higher than the helipad itself, whereas if you lift the helipad you don’t have to lower the other elements,” explains Dream Symphony designer Ken Freivokh.

The 141m four-masted Dream Symphony

“The brief did not call for a resident helicopter that would have its own hanger – it’s just a ‘touch and go’. You don’t want to set aside space for a helicopter permanently that’s almost never there, so if you have a reasonably sized swimming pool why not use the base of a pool to just receive the helicopter, and then once the helicopter flies away you can put it back to normal operations?” Why not indeed?

No matter how grandiose your ideas, however, not even the vast volumes of a gigayacht can be entirely filled with art galleries and Reiki studios. Robert Voges explains that, like any other ship, “We have to start with all the emergency exits, the corridors, staircases . . . and from there we can work with the other areas which are left over.”

Ken Freivokh estimates that at least 20 per cent of the interior space has to be allocated to the back-of-house systems required to maintain the equivalent of a small hotel – air conditioning, waste, media, and other unglamorous elements behind the touch-screen luxury.

Edge of reason

At 12,700 GT, Sailing Yacht A has the vastest volume of all. But can she be called a sailing yacht? She carries three of the world’s largest carbon rigs – curved, unstayed, capable of rotating a maximum of 70 degrees – featuring in-boom furling that can deploy 3,747 square metres of sail area (67 per cent more than Maltese Falcon ) from a finger tip command. And yet she cannot help but look implausible.

The hull has a maximum beam of 24.8m and includes 24 shell doors.

No matter how innovative the technology on board, or how vast the expense, the elements will not bend to the will of man or millionaire. Various estimates have put her cost at $400-500million, or in the region of £320 to £400 million – to put those sort of figures in context, the bill for the London Olympics Aquatics centre came in at under £300m.

Sailing Yacht A will be ‘sail-assisted’, not wind-powered. Confounding, aggressive in her styling, she’s a yacht that has attracted scathing opinions as often as wide-eyed wonder. But what is the point of creating a gigayacht that doesn’t?

“It is a creative process with the owner,” comments Aquijo ’s designer Bill Tripp, “They have this idea that they can make something that speaks to them. They don’t write symphonies, and they’re not great painters or sculptors, but on the other hand money is vital energy, and they can create these things that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

“It’s great when someone says, ‘Life’s short, I’m just going to do this.’”

Ketch this: Aquijo is one of the biggest sailing superyachts and has arrived in Auckland

Grant Bradley

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The monster ketch that has docked in Auckland is available for charter - with a starting price of $800,000 a week.

The ultra-luxury Aquijo boasts pools, a Turkish bath, a sauna and a crew of 17 to look after just 12 guests.

Built in the Netherlands for an estimated $175 million two years ago, it is available during the European summer for charter through specialised agents.

Aquijo is the biggest sailing mega-yacht to come to New Zealand and docked in Auckland this morning with its Kiwi co-skipper on board.

The vessel's representatives are tight-lipped about who owns the vessel, saying that it is a "European businessman" and that previous overseas reports on its ownership are inaccurate.

Unlike other non-sailing mega-yachts that have come to Auckland - such as A and Serene - it is believed not to be owned by a Russian oligarch.

At 86m long and is one of the world's largest private sailing ketches, its 91m masts tower more than 25m over the Auckland Harbour Bridge's highest span.

Auckland's Southern Spars designed the masts which are some of the tallest in the world and mean Aquijo is unable to pass under the bridges over the Panama and Suez Canals so the vessel has to go around Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope on world voyages.

The Dutch-built yacht's total sail area is 5000sq m - equivalent to that of half a rugby field.

The main sails weigh around two tonnes each and will be serviced in the Auckland loft of international sail company, North Sails.

It motored through the Rangitoto Channel just after 7am with a pilot on board and docked at Wynyard Wharf an hour later.

Launched in 2016, Aquijo can accommodate up to 12 guests (plus two owners) in seven cabins and they're pampered by a crew of 17.

Yachting World says the sociable main deck includes the dining room and main saloon, linked to the outside deck by an inside-outside bar.

''The yacht's real showcase feature is the 'beach club' on the lower deck, which includes a Jacuzzi, sauna, hammam/Turkish bath, rainfall shower, and room for gym equipment, with an open walkway through to the transom swim platform.''

There is a further whirlpool spa bath on the outer deck.

Its co-skipper Luke Hoskins is orginially from Matakana and has been on the vessel since last year.

He told the Herald that a spell as a trainee on the Spirit of New Zealand sail training ship while at school got him interested in being on the water.

The first boat the 39-year-old worked on was a 35m wooden schooner in Mexico in 2002.

''I've worked on several large sailing yachts over the years and worked my way up through the ranks while gaining the required qualifications. I joined Aquijo as first officer in May 2017, then earlier this year started to rotate the captain's job with the senior captain [Gerhard Veldsman],'' he said.

''The most fun is when you have passengers onboard cruising in beautiful parts of the world and helping them to have amazing experiences. I know how romantic that may sound, but working on superyachts can be demanding at times for the crew, and means being away from home for long periods.''

Aquijo was ''an extraordinary yacht'' which handled exceptionally under sail.

''It's impossible to describe the feeling when you first bear away and she powers up. Everybody who sails on her is amazed at how well she handles and how graceful she feels,'' said Hoskins.

Since departing Europe in November last year the vessel had covered more than 55,000km and experienced all kinds of conditions.

''We sailed around Cape Horn in 50 knots and pretty big seas - albeit with only the staysail up as it was so windy,'' he said.

The international crew of comes from South Africa, Australia, England, Estonia, Barbados, Brazil, the United States, Canada, Netherlands as well as two other Kiwis - Josh Mangakahia and Jake Tyndall.

He said it was a ''dream come true'' to bring the vessel to New Zealand.

Work would be carried out at Orams Marine over the next couple months and sails serviced by North Sails - a job which requires cranes just to remove them from the yacht due to their size.

He said New Zealand's maritime industry was held in high regard and the country had a lot to offer as a cruising destination too.

''I've heard that there are loads of yachts coming down for the America's Cup in a couple years.''

Aquijo is being handled by Asia Pacific Superyachts New Zealand, which provides specialist service and luxury experiences to superyachts visiting New Zealand and the Pacific.

Managing director Duthie Lidgard said Aquijo's arrival marks the start of the superyacht season which runs through until April next year. Aquijo is the first of around 20 superyachts due to arrive this season.

Scenic flights, bespoke guided excursions and Māori cultural experiences were popular with superyacht crew and guests across New Zealand, he said.

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86m Vitters/Oceanco world's largest ketch Aquijo sold

The 86-metre ketch Aquijo has been sold with Robert Shepherd and Bruce Brakenhoff of Edmiston representing the seller and Gary Wright and Jonathan Zwaans of Y.CO representing the buyer.

Built of high tensile steel by the two Dutch yards Vitters and Oceanco , she was designed by US naval architect Bill Tripp and delivered in 2016. Her interior is by Dölker + Voges who worked closely with the owner's wife.

Comfortable world cruising was the design brief handed to Tripp, who also made her high-performing. On her maiden season in Greece, she hit 20.4 knots in a 30- to 40-knot wind and cruised at an average speed of 19 knots.

“The interior design is contemporary and elegant, yet fresh and natural,” said Robert Voges. “Clear and logical lines, pure materials, simplicity and remarkable attention to the details.” Wood and stainless steel are used extensively on board Aquijo . “Stainless steel is one of the noblest materials,” said Voges. “Using it in the right way allows an exciting interaction between light, reflections and interior design, creating a sophisticated and modern atmosphere.”

Aquijo boasts an owner's deck with a rear-facing bedroom. She accommodates up to 14 guests and a crew of 16. Flying 3Di North Sails, the yacht has a total sail area of 3,821 square metres and 5,051 square metres with the Code 1 up.

The 1,538GT yacht Aquijo's asking price was not disclosed.

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Adventure to Patagonia On Board Oceanco Sailing Yacht AQUIJO

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By Rebecca Bradbury   20 November 2017

The award-winning 86m/282ft superyacht AQUIJO is available for a once-in-a-lifetime charter in South America 's unspoiled wilderness of Patagonia.

The result of a collaboration between Oceanco and Vitters , AQUIJO was built in 2016 to explore the world in safety, comfort and speed. Fulfilling her mission, she is now offering travellers the rare opportunity to experience the spellbinding waters of Patagonia on a luxury yacht charter .

Located on South America’s southern frontier, Patagonia lures with its calving glaciers, penguin-peppered ice fields, cobalt fjords, snow-capped mountains and thick emerald forests.

A yachting vacation to this remote corner of the world will bring charterers face to face with the awe-inspiring landscapes of Seno Reloncavi Solend and Camau Fjord, the beautiful island-chain of Islas Chauques and the amazing hiking trails of Pumalin Private Nature Reserve in Caleta Gonzalo.

Discover the winding waterways of the Islas Guaitecas, which are teaming with humpback whales, dolphins and sea lions, be wowed by the volcano and waterfall-clad islands of Caleta Christiane and head out on the tender to see the expansive San Rafael glacier.  

Perfectly suited to exploring this remote region, AQUIJO is jam-packed full of innovations to enhance her sailing performance, as well as ample amenities and leisure facilities to keep guests entertained.

One of her top features is a large beach club complete with wellness facilities. Get closer to the water on the swim platform before taking sanctuary in the teak-clad interior where a central Jacuzzi, flanked by a seating area and steam room and sauna, awaits below a huge skylight.  

After a day’s sailing, guests can continue to relax on the aft deck. A choice of sumptuous seating areas invite guests to lounge, with a sit-up bar and large alfresco dining area ensuring friends and family can catch up over a delicious dinner and drinks.

The daytime hub, meanwhile, is likely to be the sundeck. Here, charterers can take a dip in the Jacuzzi, dry off on sunpads, sip cocktails at the swim-up bar and unwind in one of the intimate seating areas. This is all why taking in the spectacular vistas of the region.

Designed by Dölker + Voges, the interior of charter yacht AQUIJO balances the essence of a small sailing yacht with motor yacht luxuries. The look is contemporary, elegant and fresh, and there is exceptional attention to detail.

The main salon and aft deck merge seamlessly, with the bar straddling the two spaces. A glass and stainless steel table offers an ideal setup for dinner parties, while a sumptuous lounge tempts guests to sit back and catch up on the day’s activities.  

Spanning across the flybridge, the master suite treats the principal charterer to unrivalled levels of luxury. Wake up to 270-degree views and be served breakfast on a private deck just steps away from the huge bed.  

In total, there are seven staterooms, and up to 12 guests can sleep on board. All cabins boasts high-gloss Japanese lacquer headboards, glass mosaic showers and palladium-leaf ceiling domes, and the configurations can be changed to offer a flexible accommodation setup.

Patagonia lures with its calving glaciers, penguin-peppered ice fields, cobalt fjords, snow-capped mountains and thick emerald forests.

For more information on S/Y AQUIJO, speak to your preferred charter broker .

Alternatively, compare all luxury yachts available for charter in South America .

More Yacht Information

86m Oceanco 2016

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Oceanco 2016

Summer Charter

From €505,000 P/W

Winter Charter

Sophistication. Volume. Pedigree.

Built by Vitters and Oceanco, 86m sailing yacht Aquijo redefines the top-end sailing experience. With vast interior volumes, an Aquijo yacht charter offers the space and amenities normally only seen on motor yachts. These include a guest elevator, interior and exterior dining for up to 24, three outdoor bars and a stunning beach club with steam room, sauna and ocean view Jacuzzi. A mast of 90 metres and an impressive sail plan ensure spectacular sailing and 7 adaptable cabins provide ultimate accommodation flexibility for up to 12 guests. Combining the vision of an experienced yacht Owner with the finest Dutch craftsmanship, Aquijo sets new standards in sailing and sophistication.

Not for sale or charter to U.S. residents while in U.S. waters

CHARTER LOCATION

Winter: South America, Central America, South Pacific & Australasia

Summer: South Pacific & Australasia

Standout Features

This is Aquijo

Unparalleled space

More space that other sailing yachts, with impressive ceiling heights.

Easy access between decks.

Private Terrace

Extends from the Principal cabin.

Adaptable Layout

A flexible seven-cabin layout offers numerous possibilities for any group.

Outdoor Bars

With a bar on three of her four decks Aquijo is set up to entertain.

Spectacular Flybridge

Spacious with large sofas, Jacuzzi, sunpads and gimballed tables.

Dutch Pedigree

Built by Vitters and Oceanco, Aquijo boasts exceptional pedigree from two top Dutch shipyards.

Unusual for a sailing yacht, the beach club offers a spawith steam room, sauna, hot tub and lounge.

Main deck's 24-seater dining table, BBQ, and bar create the ultimate social space..

Media Gallery

Aquijo Through the Lens

Sailing but not as you know it

Superlative Spaces

On the flybridge, which is impressively spacious, there are large sofas, a Jacuzzi, sunpads and gimballed tables (so your drinks stay put). It’s a superlative space to relax or take in the sailing action.

Entertainment Guaranteed

With a bar on three of her four decks, there’s every opportunity for seamless service at all times. Try the main deck, where there’s a 12-seater bar with a retractable television, multi-coloured lighting and beer on tap.

Dine Under the Stars

When it comes to dining, there’s nowhere better than the 24 person dining table on the main deck aft, situated under a retractable skylight.

Accommodation

Total Escapism

Aquijo offers total disconnection and complete freedom. Her seven adaptable cabins, with no TVs or Audio systems, offer numerous layout possibilities for different groups. The peace and escapism is unrivalled.

Cabin Arrangement

Principal Cabin

The bridge-deck master suite features his and hers ensuites and a private terrace with gimballed dining table.

Convertible Cabins

Two cabins each with ensuite and lounge that split into two separate cabins if needed.

Guest Cabins

Two additional guest cabins; one is wheelchair accessible.

Make a Splash

What's in the Toybox

2 x 8m Tenders 1 x 6m Tenders 11 Plastic kayaks Jetski One-man Hobie Quest Fanatic inflatable SUP Fanatic rigid SUP Wakeboards RS Aero sailing dinghies Sets of dive gear Fishing rods Assorted inflatable toys

Please note that the tenders and toys on board the yachts are regularly updated. Please contact Y.CO for the most up to date list.

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