Dutch yard Royal Huisman has unveiled a 50-metre catamaran design known as Aera. The thought behind the concept, according to Royal Huisman CEO Jan Timmerman, is to make sailing more accessible, with Aera touting innovative computer control technology and "hyper-efficient" wing sails inspired by the America's Cup.
"For some sailing superyachts, running lines, hoisting, and adjusting all sails can take half an hour or more," explained Timmerman. "Aboard Aera, while raising the anchor, the captain enters the destination, sets the wing to automatic trim, the wing sail responds, and you are sailing in less than a minute."
Partially inspired by Ethereal, the world's first hybrid superyacht, Aera also functions as a development of the yard's environmental awareness initiative, Project Tidal Shift. A programmable logic system will draw electricity silently from the yacht's battery bank or activate her variable speed generators running on HVO biodiesel, an eco-friendly fuel that reduces C02 emissions by "up to 89 per cent" while reaching a top speed of 14 knots, according to the yard.
Dutch studio Cor D. Rover and Artemis Technologies have been brought on board as Aera's designer and naval architect. Her exterior spaces are reportedly comparable to a 65- to 70-metre monohull (at 670 square metres), featuring three decks plus a large stern section that serves as a swim platform and tender launchpad. An asymmetrical design is complemented by Aera's latticed superstructure, with the prolific openings creating breezy, free-flowing decks.
"I didn’t need to create a beach club area because the entire yacht is a beach club with the emphasis on outdoor spaces, except for the cabins in the hulls," said Cor D. Rover. "The fore and aft ends of the upper decks are at angles to the one above or below, creating different areas of light and shade on each deck. To prepare for cruising, the tenders are loaded on the centre section of the swim platform, which lifts to main deck level."
The general accommodation arrangement includes four guest cabins on the lower deck and a main deck owner’s suite, though the hull can be configured in any number of ways, including the option for twin VIP cabins. In the concept as presented, the owner's suite features a private exterior deck with pool and covered "massage cabana".
Cabins for seven crew are envisioned below, plus a captain’s cabin on the bridge deck. Additional features include a second glass-bottomed dipping pool located at the stern of the main deck, multiple dining options – both indoors and outdoors – and exterior lounges situated on each deck.
A battery bank charged by the latest generation of Hydro Generators from Rondal will be able to power the hotel load for 11 hours, with the option to use low-temperature PEM hydrogen fuel cells. The latter is composed of three 62kg hydrogen storage bottles that has the ability to generate just over 3,000ekWh of electricity for 72 hours of silent, zero-emission anchoring.
According to BOATPro, Royal Huisman has two superyacht projects under construction, including the "super-sized" aluminium sailer known as Project 412.
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