The 59.7-metre Royal Huisman sailing yacht Sarissa has been crowned Sailing Yacht of the Year at the 2024 edition of the World Superyacht Awards.

Like all the winners at the World Superyacht Awards, the prestigious title was chosen by an independent panel of judges and announced at the end of the awards ceremony, along with Motor Yacht of the Year winner, 66-metre Alchemy.

Sarissa was noted for her high-performance capabilities and environmental sensitivity. The 33.5-metre Baltic Yachts Zemi was vying for the title and was similarly commended for her eco credentials and telescopic lifting keel. But ultimately, Sarissa’s cutting-edge propulsion system and state-of-the-art sails and rig clinched the deal for the judges.

The sloop represents many firsts for her builder and the sailing sector as a whole. She has a square-top mainsail that is the largest square-top sail in the world, the largest 3Di RAW sail to the highest spec ever built by North Sails and it’s the first time this type of carbon sail has been used for in-boom furling.  All of this innovation, along with her clean lines, holistic design, organically flowing interior and creative layout with an abundance of exterior living spaces not usually found on a sailing boat, made Sarissa a worthy winner of Sailing Yacht of the Year.