If you’re currently in New York City or following the festivities there celebrating America 250, look for a special superyacht in New York Harbor. She’ll be hard to miss, given her profile fits her century-old history. The sailing yacht Tuiga, dating to 1909, is participating in the Sail4th 250 celebration, featuring about 100 boats, yachts, and naval vessels from 20 nations.
As such, the yacht Tuiga is representing Monaco, as the flagship of the Monaco Yacht Club. Though conflicting LOAs are in various media reports, the gaff cutter’s own website indicates she’s 89’9” (27.36 meters), excluding her bowsprit. She underwent construction in Scotland at a yard owned by her naval architect, William Fife III. Racing was the purpose from the moment pencil met paper. Naturally, in keeping with her era, her hull featured mahogany planking.
Over the ensuring decades, Tuiga continued racing, although she also chartered as a private yacht. (She had two cabins.) Abundant hard use required full restoration and, in some areas, replacement of the mahogany planking in more modern times. Although her mast, boom, and spars needed full replacing after a de-masting accident several years ago, they are still entirely wood. Tuiga serves as a training vessel these days, so her interior is entirely stripped, devoid of accommodations.
Her classic profile and that of the vessel she’s escorting during the International Parade of Sail, a 1932 schooner belonging to the French Navy, will be quite the sight today. The two will make their way from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. It will be a remarkable compare-and-contrast moment against the backdrop of skyscrapers.
It won’t be the last time that the yacht Tuiga sails in iconic American waters. She’s remaining stateside for the next several weeks, visiting multiple renowned ports and yacht clubs. For example, she’ll head to Newport for the 2026 Race Week, the annual event organized by the New York Yacht Club. The sailing yacht will then conclude her visit in Nantucket. Other notable stops include Montauk, New York.
Her appearance in the United States is the latest symbol of a long, strong relationship between the country, the Monaco Yacht Club, and Prince Albert II, the club’s president.
Monaco Yacht Club yacht-club-monaco.mc
More About the Yacht Tuiga
LOA: 89’9” (27.36 meters)
Beam: 13’6” (4.15 meters)
Draft: 9’2” (2.8 meters)
Guests: none (originally 4 in 2 staterooms)
Rig: gaff cutter
Sailplan: 4,524 square feet (420.3 square meters)
Builder: Fife & Sons
Stylist: William Fife III
Naval Architect: William Fife III
Interior Designer: none
