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Sea Eagle prepares to make her regatta debut

The NZ Millennium Cup gets underway this week, setting the scene for 81 metre Royal Huisman-built Sea Eagle’s first ever appearance in a regatta.

One of the world’s top ten largest sailing yachts, Sea Eagle has stood out since her launch in 2020.

With a 45,000NM world exploration under her belt, this contemporary schooner has more than proved her sea kindliness, though has yet to be tested in a regatta. All that’s about to change though, when she takes to the New Zealand track in early February.

“This is a very large yacht to be throwing around on a race course with several other superyachts,” says Sea Eagle captain, Henry Say, of the approaching debut.

“Hopefully the weather behaves itself. We have a very experienced race crew who specialise in sailing yachts of this calibre. We are all excited to try something new and see what the boat can do; though I guess you could say we are a little nervous.”

Sea Eagle was built by New Zealand Millennium Cup Gold Sponsor, Royal Huisman, to a design by Dykstra Naval Architects, to include an enormous sail area. With 2,580sqm upwind; and 3552sqm downwind, as well as the ability to hoist all three mainsails easily at once, the efficiency of the sail management system has been proven while taking in many of the world’s great cruising grounds under sail. Now, that sail area will be tested during racing.

“The brief for Sea Eagle was to create an extremely comfortable and spacious superyacht with good sea keeping and exceptional amenities for all onboard,” says Royal Huisman’s Bas Isselmann.

“She had to offer outstanding passage-making performance so that the owner could take in as much of the world under sail as possible. She had to be a true sailor’s yacht; practical, powerful, safe and easily managed. Finally, she had to be functional, favouring simplicity and reliability over unnecessary frills. And that is the yacht that we delivered – with a good deal of team pride.”

Captain Say is confident the advanced systems onboard will translate into a successful regatta.

“We are confident the boat will be up for the challenge and get around the course. Our training days will provide us with a better understanding of the yacht’s performance and handling capabilities. Not only do we have 2,500 sqm of sails to handle we have a 1,600sqm spinnaker which has only been used a handful of times. To start tacking, gybing, hoisting and dropping these sails will test the crew and our equipment.

However the captain tells us he’s really looking forward to the event and having a chance to show the world what Sea Eagle can do.

“We are looking forward to getting a strong team together and taking part in a well organised, social event. It is something the owners of the yacht have never done, so showing them the racing side of the sport will be exciting. Obviously we love sailing Sea Eagle and are looking forward to showcasing her performance.”

The regatta takes place in the centre of Auckland from 1-4 February 2025.

“Racing the regatta in the heart of our harbour city is an experience we love to give to our guests,” says event organiser, Stacey Cook.

“These are the waters which have hosted America’s Cup showdowns, Volvo Ocean Race starts and honed generations of New Zealand sailors, so we know they’re a challenging, and very picturesque, place to race.”

Entry to the regatta is open now and entry forms are available from millenniumcup.com