The 140ft ketch, SARIYAH, demonstrates an adventurous and modern custom yacht designed for a serious yachtsman. With her classic, S&S overhangs and somewhat modern appendages, SARIYAH is a perfect example of the union of traditional and state-of-the-art design. The yacht was built in aluminum alloy at Sensation Yachts of New Zealand for a Saudi Arabian businessman. The client approached Sparkman & Stephens because he wanted not only a comfortable and stylish yacht, but one that would perform well.

SARIYAH hides most of her modern design attributes below the waterline. The hull is slightly beamier aft, as reaching performance was a priority for cruising. The rudder design departed the typical, skeg design and the design firm applied a carbon fiber spade, complete with carbon fiber rudder stock. The yacht features a modern, wing keel intended to encourage a lower center of gravity for the ballast package. The yacht’s spars are both carbon and fabricated by Southern Spars. The reduced weight in carbon spars provides an increase in stability and therefore performance. The composite pilothouse provided additional weight savings, but primarily made the structure’s complex curvature easier to construct, when compared to aluminum.

Launched in 1990 and the then largest of her line, MAYSYLPH was considered the climax of a decade of mega-ketch design.  Her sailing qualities were improved beyond those of GALILEO and a she featured further refined underbody, appendages and a wing keel with increased draft.