How to win the Mine Is Biggest award

With the new contract for Project 411, Dutch custom superyacht builder Royal Huisman enters record territory with Noir, a 264-foot sailing yacht. Noir has been conceived by an owner and his team for the pleasure of sailing with his loved ones and closest friends.

This Malcolm McKeon design will feature the world’s tallest sloop rig of 305 feet. A unique yacht, designed for world cruising and exploration, her profile will feature McKeon’s contemporary styling with a reverse bow for maximum waterline length and a flying bridge for generous outdoor living space underway. Large areas of glass and folding platforms will keep guests connected to the sea.

Speed, power, and responsive handling are part of the brief developed by Noir’s experienced owner. She is specifically sized to carry a 45 feet tender to allow coastal exploration and to transport guests and provisions without repositioning the yacht closer to a harbor.

Details of the yacht include that it will be all-aluminum construction with auxiliary power supplied by electric drives. Rondal will supply the mast, boom, and integrated sailing system. In keeping with her code name Noir, all the deck gear and all her windows will be black.

When completed, the yacht will rank among the world’s top 10 largest sailing yachts, but the 305-foot mast height solidly lifts her to first place for the world’s tallest sloop, with her air draft exceeding the current tallest rig by about 14 feet.

Details of the yacht’s interior are under wraps currently, but the design is being developed by GCA Architects of Barcelona, Spain, a firm noted for its contemporary approach to residential and commercial buildings. Its impressive projects include Spain’s first “smart” building and the world’s first platinum-certified LEED structure. Designer Josep Juanpere Miret said the interior will complement the contemporary exterior styling and mix woods and other natural materials and textures for a relaxed yet luxurious atmosphere.

“I am pleased and humbled that we can highlight Royal Huisman’s 140th year of operation with the announcement of such a significant project,” said CEO Jan Timmerman. “Of the hundreds of vessels our shipyard has delivered in its history, Project 411 will be our fourth yacht in the ranks of world’s Top 10 largest sailing yachts.”

Main specifications
Name: Noir
Shipyard number: Royal Huisman Project 411
Type: Performance sloop
Length: 81m / 264ft
Naval architecture + exterior styling: Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design
Interior design: GCA Architects
Owners’ representative: Occam Marine
Hull + superstructure material: Aluminum
Air draft: 93m / 305ft
Rig + Integrated Sailing System: Rondal
Builder: Royal Huisman