Sarissa represents the next chapter in the owners’ love of sailing and passion for family adventures and exploration. Their first 43m / 140ft Sarissa opened their eyes to what else was possible. In 2012 the owners started dreaming about today’s  Sarissa, which was launched in 2023 has become 17 metres / 55 feet longer. The challenge was to envision a yacht that was a step up from one they already loved. The owners spent many years developing her, and it is not by accident that the shipyard and designers achieved spectacular results.

From the report by the jury: “Three sailing yachts, including one inventive catamaran and two monohulls built by Royal Huisman [Nilaya and Sarissa], were named nominees in this category. […] Both Royal Huisman builds were deemed ‘superb boats’ by the judges – but Sarissa stood out for being ‘more exciting’ and was described by the judges as an ‘astonishing boat’.

Naval architect Malcolm McKeon was contacted to develop a performance sloop for experienced owners who were looking for a successor to their previous yacht by the same name. Sarissa had to be fast and fun to sail, and manual steering was a must so the power could be felt when manning the helm. Sarissa’s 76-metre-tall modulus carbon mast features aero carbon rigging and flies the largest square-top sail in the world.

With a focus on weight savings and corrosion prevention, carbon fibre was used for the superstructure, hull doors, deck furniture, hatches, mainsheet arch, sail storage drums, steering consoles and captive winches. All the stanchions are titanium and lifelines are lightweight Dyneema. A multi-faceted approach to eco-friendly cruising includes wind-driven propulsion, hydro generators, waste heat recovery and wastewater treatment. Most notably, she has an advanced […] propulsion system, and Royal Huisman installed the first forward-facing retractable electric azipod propulsion for redundancy, efficiency and improved performance under sail. Inside is a chic, flowing interior by Liaigre. Each cabin is unique, corridors gently curve, stairs are set off the centreline, and the hull shape is visible so you truly feel you’re on a sailing boat. As one of the judges said, “Guillaume Rolland from Liaigre is not just a designer, but also a sailor thus understanding life on board of sailboats.”

The judges’ comments about why Sarissa is the Sailing Yacht of the Year winner: “…it was Sarissa, with her groundbreaking propulsion system, state-of-the-art sails and rig and exquisite interiors by Liaigre, that almost unanimously won out among the judges for the honour of Sailing Yacht of the Year. The high-performance sloop represents many firsts for her builder and the sailing superyacht fleet writ large.  All […] innovation, along with her clean lines, holistic design, organically flowing interior and creative layout with an abundance of exterior living spaces not usually found on a sailing boat made Sarissa a clear choice for Sailing Yacht of the Year.”

Earlier this year Sarissa was rewarded with five major awards at Boat International’s Design & Innovation Awards. She was the winner of various sailing Yachts categories (Best Exterior Design, Best Interior Design, Best Naval Architecture) as well as the Eco and Innovation of the Year Award. Learn more about Sarissa at this website: yachts > delivered yachts [link].

It is not easy to be objective about the quality of your own work. Organisations such as the World Superyacht Awards and their expert, independent juries help to provide an unbiased measure of achievement. Jan Timmerman, CEO of Royal Huisman: “On behalf of our team I would like to say that we are very happy and honoured with these awards. At the same time and although we have received more than a fair share of such recognition, we are not planning to lean back following this success: we will never forget that a shipyard is only as good as its next boat.” An overview of all awards in recent years can be found at this website: yachts > awards [link].