Malcolm McKeon is one of the world’s leading naval architects. Through many great conversations and design meetings, the owners bonded over their vision for Sarissa to be fast and fun to sail. Despite the fact they were designing a world cruising yacht of just below 500GT, they didn’t want to lose any of the special sailing spirit and response they enjoyed so much on their previous yachts.

Sarissa’s owners wanted the boat to be able to compete with the very best on the racecourse and at the same time, have the lowest noise and vibration levels of any large sailing yacht. She also had to be comfortable in big seas, safely handling ocean passages. The steering had to be manual – the owners wanted to feel the power through their fingertips. Although Sarissa had to blend performance and luxury, the owners had a clear vision of where to draw the line between the two.

From conception, they sought environmentally friendly solutions that also enhance the yacht’s performance, improve the onboard experience and minimise impact on the natural world. With that in mind and to reduce demand on fossil fuels, the owners and their team sought the most efficient means of generating, storing and using energy.

While sailing as well as at anchor, they regularly delight in explaining to guests their yacht is running purely on battery stored energy without exhaust fumes. Improved water connection was also very important to them. This was achieved with the large-scale opening transom, its carbon-fibre door creating a truly impressive platform.

They were fortunate to find Guillaume Rolland of Liaigre, a brilliant interior designer who shares their love of sailing. The brief was for a light, airy interior with big windows and portlights with a relaxed feel. Sarissa was to be comfortable and inviting.

The design had to be intelligent, forward thinking, and balance beautiful design with functional operation and maximum space for guests, but with smart and efficient storage solutions both for guests and for the crew’s operation.

Quality was very important – the new Sarissa had to be beautifully built by the world’s very best yacht builder and artisans: Royal Huisman. Sarissa is the owners’ ultimate world performance cruising sloop, perfectly combining all the sailing attributes they feel passionate about and enjoy so much when they are on the water.

Ten prestigious awards
Sarissa was selected as the overall winner of “Yacht of the Year” and “Best Interior” at the International Superyacht Society Awards [link]. Also, she was selected as “Best in Sail 40m+”. Earlier this year, she was rewarded as “Sailing Yacht of the Year” and “Best Sailing Yacht of 40m and above” at the World Superyacht Awards 2024 [link] and with five more major awards at Boat International’s Design & Innovation Awards [link].