Ethereal
The world's first hybrid superyacht
Classic lines, pioneering technologies. Every new project presents its own challenges but the creation of Ethereal called for an unprecedented level of technological innovation and expertise, even by the standards of Royal Huisman. The benefits of the energy efficiency innovations include reduced fuel costs and CO2 emissions; more flexible power storage and availability; extended operational sustainability; reduced air conditioning requirements; weight savings; space savings; thermo insulated living areas; and much more…
Ethereal's owner Bill Joy: “I pushed hard on environmental and energy-efficiency issues that cut across all departments and the quality and innovativeness of the response was everything I could ask for. If you go to the shipyard and don’t take advantage of this capability, well… it would be a waste… you’d be crazy not to. It also happens to be great fun to develop ideas and to build prototypes, it’s a fantastic experience.“
“The quality and innovativeness of the response was everything I could ask for..."
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DATA & DIMENSIONS
| Yard no. | 384 |
|---|---|
| Type | Performance Ketch - The world's first hybrid superyacht |
| Naval architect | Ron Holland Design |
| Exterior design | Pieter Beeldsnijder Design / Ron Holland Design |
| Interior architect | Pieter Beeldsnijder Design |
| Length overall | 58m / 190ft |
| Year of Delivery | 2009 |
| e-Brochure | link |
Classic lines, pioneering technologies. Every new project presents its own challenges but the creation of Ethereal called for an unprecedented level of technological innovation and expertise, even by the standards of Royal Huisman. It all started when owners Bill and Shannon Joy travelled to Vollenhove, The Netherlands to meet the shipyard team. They were inspired by the beautiful ketch Juliet, built in Vollenhove too, that they had often sailed aboard and which they loved. The Joys dreamed of building a yacht with similarly graceful lines and sailing performance, while using the latest technology and best operational practices to minimize its environmental impact. Working together, as they had on Juliet, master architects Ron Holland and Pieter Beeldsnijder gave Ethereal her beautiful lines and her clean styling that blends new and traditional elements. They also gave her outstanding performance and quality accommodation for guests and crew.
A three-day design charrette was convened at Royal Huisman where the shipyard engineers teamed up with an international group of experts, academics and suppliers, evaluating all ship’s systems and thinking outside the box to identify innovative ways to reduce Ethereal’s environmental impact and increase her energy efficiency. Thus began a restless search for new, lower impact solutions to traditional problems, a focused search that continued throughout and defined the spirit of the Ethereal project. When the shipyard team announced Ethereal in 2005, hybrid technology was still in its infancy: the first-generation Toyota Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger car, had only entered wider markets like North America and Europe few years before. Ethereal would carry that same pioneering spirit onto the water.
The result is a magnificent 58m / 190ft classic ketch that uses only a fraction of the energy of comparable yachts and is the world's first hybrid superyacht. Ethereal’s many innovations set a high standard for the large sailing yachts to be built in the years to come.