Sustainability takes a new tack at the monaco yacht show, with Royal Huisman

THIS BREAKTHROUGH CONCEPT IS THE RESULT OF A MULTI-YEAR R&D INVESTMENT BY ROYAL HUISMAN, RONDAL, COR D. ROVER DESIGN AND ARTEMIS TECHNOLOGIES .

Sustainability takes a new tack - Meet AERA

A wing sail and fuel cell energy answer today’s clean cruising demands, wrapped in a dynamic package fit for tomorrow. The shipyard celebrated for building the first hybrid superyacht leaps ahead with a concept utilizing an entire toolbox of cutting-edge technologies to boost efficiency and cut emissions. In 2009, Royal Huisman delivered Ethereal, the world’s first hybrid superyacht requiring a fraction of the energy of comparable yachts. Today, the shipyard unveils a 50m / 164ft concept yacht at the confluence of trailblazing technology, stunning design, and sailing excitement. AERA looks at the sustainability question in a new way, blending the latest technology to redefine cruising in comfort for yachts under 500GT.

AERA, the groundbreaking hybrid catamaran that redefines sustainability offering her owner a near zero-emission option by combining wind power with electricity from a battery storage system charged by hydro generators or a hydrogen fuel cell. For longer voyages batteries can be charged by gensets running on HVO.

he thought behind the concept, as Royal Huisman CEO Jan Timmerman puts it, is to make sailing more accessible. "We know from research that sailing yachts don’t set the sails in full that much of the time, especially when they are going short distances between harbors. For some sailing superyachts, running lines, hoisting, and adjusting all sails can take half an hour or more. Additionally, the yacht requires a skilled sailing crew plus an interior team to secure furniture and other objects. For a short cruise to the next bay, we understand that it may not seem worthwhile.”

“The exterior DNA of the concept is heavily inspired by traditional as well as modern lattice bridges.” — Cor D. Rover, the designer of AERA

AERA’S DYNAMIC PACKAGE IS FIT FOR TOMORROW: (1) Rondal wing sail - (2) retractable propulsion system (RPS) - (3) Rondal captive mooring winches - (4) energy storage system (ESS): compressed hydrogen + fuel cell + batteries - (5) Rondal hydro generators - (6) variable speed generators - (7) HVO biodiesel fuel tanks – not presented here: laser exterior lighting

​The culmination of a multi-year R&D program, Concept AERA propels hyper-efficient wing sails beyond America’s Cup and Sail GP into the world of superyachting. Paired with remarkable computer control technology, this next-generation Wing Sail makes AERA as easy to get underway and operate as a motoryacht. 

Her radical-looking Wing Sail is more powerful and at the same time it will be less complicated, quieter, and easier to operate than traditional sails. The wing developed by Artemis Technologies is unstayed, as are the Dynarigs on Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl, and the three furling masts on Sailing Yacht A. Unlike those yachts, however, AERA’s 245m2 / 2,640sqft Wing Sail by Rondal will be capable of rotating 360 degrees for excellent sailing performance and to depower completely while staying upright. 

It has no additional sails to deploy or flap, and it requires no sheets, blocks, furlers, or winches on deck, nor captive reels taking up space below. Two electric motors housed around the mast column inside the yacht rotate the wing mast. Hydraulic cylinders control the adjustable flaps along its trailing edge to generate lift and forward momentum, or feather it completely in a neutral position by aligning with the breeze... 

THE MEANDERING STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK UNITING AERA’S DECKS BRINGS A SENSE OF LIGHTNESS
TO KEEP VOLUME BELOW 500GT THE LATTICE STRUCTURE OPENINGS ARE NOT FILLED WITH GLASS: THE COVERED PASSAGEWAYS PROVIDE A SECURE, RESIDENTIAL FEEL AND REDUCE INTERIOR HEAT LOADING

AERA builds on the shipyard's 2024 launch of Project Tidal Shift, an environmental awareness initiative focused on ecological preservation through environmental, social, and governance practices. Seeking partners with similar goals, Royal Huisman and sister company Rondal found kindred spirits in designer Cor D. Rover and Artemis Technologies.

The result of their collaboration is a totally new kind of superyacht. Is it a super-efficient sailing yacht with automated systems that make sailing easier, or a motoryacht that gets a big boost from wind to limit emissions to near zero? AERA is a yacht where one does not have to choose between sail or power; you can enjoy the flexibility and excitement of both.
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DECARBONIZING YACHTING

“We are about decarbonizing the maritime sector,” said Dr. Iain Percy, CEO and founder of Artemis Technologies — a spin off from Artemis Racing. “While part of Artemis Technologies is still involved in high-performance sailing through their consulting division, Artemis Applied Technologies, much of its work is in developing electric foiling technology for commercial vessels, an area that’s rapidly gaining traction." “A few years ago, Royal Huisman and Rondal’s Innovation Department contacted us about the possibility of using wing sails on sailing superyachts to reduce their emissions.” Iain Percy said he at first thought that since the superyachts had sails, their carbon footprint should be, “no problem.” Then he learned that, except when they might be competing in a regatta or unless guests request it, they don’t sail as much as they could. Iain continues: “So our shared passion here was to take away the barriers to using the force of the wind to decarbonize.”