Less than 30 months after her first Alustar keel plates were cut, the imposing 295-foot Athena emerged from her gray building hall at the Royal Huisman Shipyard. At more than double the displacement of any prior Huisman build, Athena inspires endless superlatives, beginning with her undisputed claim to the title of “the world’s largest aluminum yacht.”

Athena is the creature of a resolute client, of Pieter Beeldsnijder’s fertile imagination, Gerard Dijkstra’s keen computation, the input of numerous suppliers and subcontractors and the prodigious effort of the 350-strong Huisman building team. As she emerged into the light of day, Athena—absent only her three-masted schooner rig—was in near-turnkey condition with joinery, fittings, carpeting, lamps and food-service gear (including crystal martini glasses) all neatly in place, and with her monitoring, entertainment, hydraulic and power-related systems already having been tested on land. By the end of the next day, Athena stood on a custom-built pontoon, ready to receive nearly 220 tons of molten ballast lead before being floated to Amsterdam for launching, sea trials, and a grand September farewell.
 
For their uncommon accomplishment, Royal Huisman’s workers and their families were treated to a musical champagne party in the now-empty hall that had seen Athena grow from bare-metal sections into a masterpiece. Within 48 hours, two other Huisman yachts under construction were moved in, filling the void. Almost.

Royal Huisman at (0)31 527 24 3131. www.royalhuisman.com