72‘ Royal Huisman Ketch 1985

Well here’s some Royal eye-candy for you. An amazing Royal Huisman Ketch, built in 1985 and designed by luxury yacht designer, Henry Scheel. THULA, once SASSAFRAS and originally HETAIROS was built at Royal Huisman Shipyard as HETAIROS in 1985, for an extremely experienced owner who assigned the exterior designs to Henry Scheel (1911-1993) and the interior to Pieter Beeldsnijder (1938- 2016), both prominent architects of the yachting industry.

A naval architect who studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1930’s, Mr. Scheel set up his first design office in New York City in 1946. In 1971, he and three associates started Scheel Yachts, a design firm in Rockport.

During his life, Mr. Scheel developed plans for several hundred yachts, most of which were sailboats. But his most famous design was the Scheel Keel, a ballast strut for sailboats that was built with a flared shape at the base instead of a straight stem.

The design was a precursor to the modern bulb keel, a strut built with a weighted bulb at the bottom. Cruising World magazine has estimated that since the first Scheel Keel was made in 1976, more than 2,500 sailboats have been outfitted with the special design.

Mr. Scheel was born in Passaic, N.J., and grew up spending most of his summers along the shores of Cape Cod. In 1931, he raced on Dorade, a 52-foot yawl that won the trans-Atlantic competition that year.

His boating interests followed him full stride into old age. In the late 1980’s, Mr. Scheel entered into an agreement with the Royal Huisman Shipyard in the Netherlands to design three large ocean-going sailboats: Hetairos, Foftein and Coro Coro.

New York Times

Thula, considered by many to be one of modern yacht designs true masterpieces, is in absolute top condition. Her current owners are seeking caring successors. With classic lines mixed with integrated modern technologies, she’s a dreamy mix. She can accommodate 6-7 guests in 3 staterooms, with one crew in the pilot berth.

She is powered by a 135hp Perkins / 99kW diesel engine, Perkings gearbox, with a Max Power retractable R315 25hp (completely rebuilt in August 2016). She lies in Germany under British Flag and is listed at 790K Euros with VAT paid.