Ares Yachts has revealed its 62m flagship, Simena, the largest sailing yacht to be both designed and built in Turkey.
The luxury ketch is built to RINA class, has completed sea trials off Antalya, Turkey, and is now for sale through Northrop & Johnson.
In March 2026, the 62m sailing superyacht Simena departed the Ares Yachts shipyard in Antalya, Turkey, to travel to Monaco for the start of its first Mediterranean season.
Founded in 2006, Ares Yachts began by establishing solid roots in the fast patrol boat sector – now the yard is breaking into the superyacht segment.
Simena has been a passion project for the builder’s chairman, Kerim Kalafatoğlu, as he seeks to broaden the Ares Yacht’s standing with a series of high-profile superyacht builds over 50m. Simena is both the first to be launched and the largest currently on the books.
“I am both proud and excited to see Simena launched and sailing,” says Kalafatoğlu. “My family has built boats for generations, so I was eager to express that heritage in a superyacht project. She is at once a calling card of the highest quality and evidence that Turkey has emerged as a superyacht superpower, with the capacity to design, engineer and build top-drawer boats.”
Ares Yachts collaborated with Istanbul-based Taka Yacht Design for Simena‘s exterior and naval architecture. The result is a ketch that combines traditional good looks with a modern hull shape and appendices below the waterline for optimal performance.
Following a brief to evoke and update traditional yachting forms, Simena sports a distinctive clipper bow with the twin headsails reminiscent of a cutter rig and modest overhangs more typical of a gentleman’s yacht. The mainmast measures 59m above the waterline, while the smaller mizzen reaches 48m.
Though the hull itself is built in steel, the low-profile superstructure is a composite construction, designed to reduce weight and lower the centre of gravity for a more stable ride.
“Simena’s exterior is inspired by the elegance of classic sailing yachts, interpreted at a much larger scale and with modern proportions,” says Taka Yacht Design founder Tanju Kalaycioglu. “The design centres on a sweeping sheerline, a clipper bow with bowsprit and a traditional ketch rig, all of which give the yacht a strong and recognisable silhouette.
“Simena represents a significant achievement in terms of both scale and complexity. Delivering one of the world’s largest ketch-rigged sailing yachts as a first project in this segment is a strong demonstration of capability. More importantly, the project establishes a new benchmark for what can be achieved in Turkey in the large custom sailing yacht category, both in engineering and execution.”
The yacht features a large six-square-metre balcony that folds out of the yacht’s hull just above the waterline, a flybridge, a circular Jacuzzi surrounded by raised sun pads, and multiple areas to dine, relax and socialise.
Design Unlimited has created a contemporary classic interior.
The owner’s cabin is positioned down a private corridor that can be closed off from the rest of the guest areas. There are four generous guest cabins in addition, including two VIPs and one flexible twin. A flexible fifth cabin aft can be turned to occasional guest use or crew quarters.
Performance
The mainsail covers 470 square metres, the mizzen is 249sqm, and there is 596sqm of genoa plus a 356sqm staysail – all by Doyle. With the flexibility that this rig offers, the sails can be trimmed for a wide range of conditions to give the best speed and handling possible.
Under sail, Simena can reach a claimed 16 knots in 20 knots of wind at a 100-degree wind angle. Seven captive winches hidden below deck enable the captain to trim the sails at the push of a button, while custom Antal winches make it quick and easy to raise, reef and furl the sails.
Ares Yachts has also engineered a hugely flexible propulsion system based on three 86kW CAT generators and an 882hp MAN diesel engine. In sailing mode, the system allows the motion of the water past the propeller to generate renewable electricity for running the boat’s systems – something it can do from around 7 knots of boat speed.
A 220kW electric motor can draw power from the generators for near-silent manoeuvring at up to 7.5 knots – giving Simena a range of over 6,000 nautical miles. For greater speeds up to 14 knots, the MAN engine kicks in with a power take-off option that allows it to generate the electricity necessary to run all the boat’s navigation and comfort systems.
Ares first unveiled its superyacht brand — Ares Yachts — at the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show.
All images courtesy of Ares Yachts/Jeff Brown Breed Media.
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