Sailing Yacht Aquarius: Improving on “Perfection”

When owners describe their superyacht as “perfection,” creating her successor presents an unusual problem. Can the same build and design teams actually make alterations without changing what made that prior yacht so appealing?

That was the challenge behind the 213-foot (65-meter) sailing yacht Aquarius, a.k.a. Aquarius II, which Royal Huisman delivered in May 2025. The owners previously commissioned the 184-foot (56-meter) Aquarius from the Dutch builder, taking delivery in 2018. For their second project—available for full publicity for the first time—they wanted the same classic profile, family-friendly atmosphere, racing prowess, and world-cruising capabilities. “We loved our first Royal Huisman yacht, but we wanted something more spacious and more powerful,” they add.

Those two specifics are deceivingly simple. The sailing yacht Aquarius is not simply about 30 feet (9 meters) longer. She is 45 percent more voluminous compared to the previous yacht, for instance. Her saloon, meanwhile, is 62 percent larger, and entirely to starboard inside the main deckhouse. Traditionally, the seating and therefore conversations get split and interrupted by the center passage to and from the exterior steps. Related, the new Aquarius has dining for 12 opposite the conversation area, capable of converting into an extension of the saloon. The dining table can split in two plus lower to become two coffee tables.

Overall, the main deckhouse, along with the owners’ deckhouse, the main cockpit, and the owners’ cockpit all grew comparably, too. Then consider upwards of 700 improvements came from just the crew. Specifically, Capt. James Turner and the crew compiled 728 ideas based on six years of running the previous Aquarius. More than 70 percent of that crew transitioned to the new yacht. Some suggestions addressed maintenance and operations. Others reflected how the owners actually live aboard. “We needed a bigger galley,” Turner explains. “After service, for example, (the owners) will come down to the galley and speak with the chef, and they want somewhere to stand and converse without feeling awkward, as if they are in the way.” That alone meant the galley ultimately grew 67 percent.

Further with a bigger media room, a larger gym, another stateroom, and another crew cabin, the yacht Aquarius has delivered the lifestyle enhancements that her owners imagined. Despite her outward appearance being nearly identical to that of her predecessor, one design compromise needed making. In early meetings with Dykstra Naval Architects, they had to choose between a Panamax-height mast, which would suit the family vacations they primarily planned, or boosted racing performance. Their quick response? “We choose performance.” Aquarius therefore features a 221-foot (67.5-meter), one-piece main mast and 200-foot (61-meter) mizzen. This split rig allows a furling mizzen staysail and an optional gennaker for substantial power during regattas or light-air cruising. Sail area totals 21,076 square feet (1,958 square meters) upwind, increasing to 50,278 square feet (4,671 square meters) downwind.

owners' cockpit sailing superyacht Aquarius

In combination with a lifting keel, these have already produced notable numbers. Turner succinctly describes her as “a lot more sporty” than her predecessor. During sea trials, Aquarius reportedly reached 15 to 16 knots on a reach using cruising sails. In the Mediterranean in the summer of 2025, she exceeded 10 knots in just 7 knots of breeze. Earlier this year, she competed in the St. Barths Bucket. She was in a three-way tie heading into day three. Unfortunately, excessive wind cancelled that final race, so she dropped to third due to the countback rule. But, the good news is, minor adjustments like different sails for the venue have Team Aquarius convinced she’ll top the leaderboard next year.

There will definitely be a next race, and next destinations. This sailing superyacht has covered 20,000 nautical miles in her first 18 months. They include not just the Bucket, but also two transatlantic crossings and family trips from Norway to Sicily. In fact, the husband’s first time at the wheel in Italy, in 16 to 20 knots of breeze, tells the performance story the best. Aquarius practically roared to 16.7 knots. “The smile and delight on his face was…” Turner pauses, remembering. “I had this sort of flood of just relief, really, coming over me. It was so rewarding to see that.”

Sailing faster on a significantly larger and more voluminous superyacht is not an easy order. Neither is living up to expectations, especially when the owners say, “We loved our first yacht, which was ‘perfection’ in our eyes.” Yet, the owners say the newer sailing yacht Aquarius “meets or exceeds our expectations and vision.” As much as repeat business is the best business, Royal Huisman probably won’t mind if the owners don’t come back for a third project.

Dykstra Naval Architects dykstra-na.nl

Royal Huisman royalhuisman.com