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Superyacht Cup Palma 2013: Sponsors announced and participation of 19 yachts confirmed

May 21, 2013

Set to take place from June 19 to 22, the Superyacht Cup Palma is very delighted to announce return of sponsors Claasen Shipyard, Marina Port Vell as well as Rondal. Now in its 17th year, The Superyacht Cup is a popular annual 4-day regatta in the Bay of Palma, drawing attention of some of the most beautiful sailing superyachts in the world, coming to enjoy competitive sailing as well as a relaxed and informal social programme.

Superyacht Cup Palma annually hosted by the popular Spanish yacht charter destination - Palma

Superyacht Cup Palma annually hosted by the popular Spanish yacht charter destination - Palma Photo credit to Claire Matches

As builders of several of the participating yachts, Dutch yacht builders Claasen Shipyards are returning as Silver Sponsors for 2013. The yachts they have built competing in this years regatta include the stunning J Class yacht Lionheart, the F Class sailing yacht Firefly and the 27m classic charter yacht Atalante. This impressive range of beautiful yachts highlights their world-class skills and craftsmanship.

Organisers offer a warm welcome to returning Silver Sponsors, Marina Port Vell. Located in the heart of the Spanish City of Barcelona, a favorite vibrant cosmopolitan destination for yachts of all sizes, the Marina is currently undergoing a huge transformation to create 162 fully serviced berths for sail and power yachts up to 180m. The significant investment in state-of-the-art infrastructure and new seven-star services will position the marina as one of the leading superyacht destinations in the world.

Based in the Netherlands, Rondal is a powerhouse of the superyacht industry, serving a global clientele. Modern engineering skills, excellent craftsmanship and a constant emphasis on ingenuity are the hallmarks of a company that believes above all in forward thinking. They have had a long-standing relationship in supporting the Superyacht Cup Palma and building relationships with their clients participating in the event.

Superyacht Cup Palma 2013, June 19 - 22

Superyacht Cup Palma 2013, June 19 - 22 Photo credit to Claire Matches

The highly experienced race team at Real Club Nautico de Palma headed up by Gaspar Morey will again manage the all so important racing. The Superyachts will be using the new ISYR rating system, which was well received at the recent British Virgin Islands regatta and the St Barth’s Bucket, whereas the J Class yachts will fleet race in their own class under their JCA rules.

The SYC Dock is now at full capacity with 19 entries and a few places remain for yachts who shall be accommodated in close proximity. As in previous years the yachts will be berthed stern-to at Moll Vell (formerly Pier 46) and STP and a central tented area will be the base for the post-race social programme. The Prize Giving Evening will be held at Es Baluard Museum overlooking the Paseo Maritimo and the yachts in the Port of Palma with live music from Groov Collectiv.

Video of majestic J Class yachts competing in St Barths Bucket 2013

May 17, 2013

Taken place from March 28 to 31, this year’s St Barths Bucket Regatta once again hosted some of the world’s most spectacular yachts, coming to the Gustavia Harbor in the fabulous Caribbean yacht charter destination – St. Barths to enjoy three days of exciting competing. Below is an amazing video of the J Class yachts participating in the 2013 St Barths Bucket, made by Onne van der Wal. The yachts competing in the regatta included: S/Y Hanuman, Lionheart, Velsheda, charter yacht Ranger and Rainbow yacht.

J Class Yacht RAINBOW by Holland Jachtbouw wins World Superyacht Award 2013

May 09, 2013

Holland Jachtbouw is thrilled to announce that its J Class yacht Rainbow received a highly coveted Neptune trophy in the ‘Sailing Yachts 39M+’ category at the World Superyacht Awards 2013, held on Saturday, May 4.

HJB receives the World Superyacht Award 2013 for its J Class yacht Rainbow

HJB receives the World Superyacht Award 2013 for its J Class yacht Rainbow

The owner of sailing yacht Rainbow, along with Tako van Ineveld, Commercial Director at Holland Jachtbouw, Jeroen de Vos from Dykstra Naval Architects and Michiel de Vos from DeVosDeVries Design were presented with the trophy which has become synonymous with excellence in superyacht build and design.

Hosted by Boat International and held once again at the spectacular Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, the ceremony – dubbed the Oscars of the superyacht industry, was attended by an elite guest list of international superyacht owners and the most influential players in the industry.

J Class superyacht Rainbow by Holland Jachtbouw

J Class superyacht Rainbow by Holland Jachtbouw

J Class Rainbow

For the last two decades HJB has been distinguished by a no-nonsense, proactive approach to innovative custom projects, and Rainbow yacht was no exception. The highly talented engineering team developed a unique Hybrid Propulsion System to meet the owner’s specifications for an environmentally friendly yacht which will hopefully lead the way in the future of superyachts.

Below is a choice of the stylish charter yachts built by Holland Jachtbouw.

Holland Jachtbouw Charter Yacht Images

Holland Jachtbouw Motor Yacht Calliope - Photo credit to Nicolas Claris
Holland Jachtbouw Motor Yacht Calliope ...
Bridge deck aft Calliope Yacht
Bridge deck aft Calliope Yacht
Guest Cabin on the motor yacht Calliope
Guest Cabin on the motor yacht Calliope
Spiral Staircase Calliope Motoryacht
Spiral Staircase Calliope Motoryacht
Calliope Yacht - Guests Lobby
Calliope Yacht - Guests Lobby
Calliope Yacht Bridge Deck - Photo Nicolas Claris
Calliope Yacht Bridge Deck - Photo ...
More: Holland Jachtbouw Image Gallery

Sailing yacht Lionheart excels in St Barths

April 19, 2013

Sailing yacht Lionheart showed an excellent performance in the St Barths Bucket  Regatta coming second overall in the special J-Class races category and won the ‘Corinthian Cup’ for the best non-professional helmsman. Lionheart yacht’s success is a continuation of a phenomenally successful 2012 that included winning the Kings Hundred Guinea Cup Cowes, reflecting the years of research and development of Andre Hoek design team and Claasen Shipyards.

LIONHEART yacht

LIONHEART yacht

The St Barths Bucket is always a great way to inaugurate the new regatta season in the fabulous surroundings of the Caribbean, but the 2013 event will also be remembered as the first occasion that five J-class yachts squared up against each other. Yacht Velsheda, charter yacht Ranger, Hanuman yacht, Rainbow and Lionheart competed in four incredibly close races in varying conditions under the J-class Association handicap system.

Exciting races
The first day saw the giant sailing yachts go head-to-head in an upwind downwind race in approx. 15 knots of wind. It was a tight race from the outset as Lionheart and Hanuman yacht roared ahead of the fleet. Lionheart was in pole position at the last upwind beat but on the last leg of the race sailing yacht Hanuman went extreme and gained due to a massive shift and took the honours on the final downwind lap.

On day two of the Bucket the wind had lessened to between seven and ten knots for the race around the island. Hoisting a massive code 0 on the first fetch gave Hanuman an immediate advantage as she was the only J to be carrying such a sail onboard. Hanuman took the gun with Lionheart second again.

Day three was in 25 knots of true wind with squalls and some pretty unpleasant rainy weather. Sailing yacht Lionheart was in a luffing duel with Rainbow and over the line early, forcing her to jibe back and start again. Although she almost managed to catch up with the fleet Lionheart could not win any more on corrected time and had to settle for fourth spot.

Lionheart had saved the best for last on day four, which featured an extra J-class race around the island in 20 knots of breeze and some pretty heavy swells. She had a great first upwind beat coming back from third position to lead the fleet. Hanuman and Lionheart then jostled for pole position all the way to the finish in a very exciting race that saw Lionheart yacht eventually take line honours just two seconds ahead.

Professionals and amateurs

All in all, St Barths Bucket 2013 was a thrilling race event featuring some of the world’s top sailors.Yachts Hanuman and Ranger had fully professional crews while about half the crew onboard Lionheart and Rainbow were amateurs. Ken Read was at the helm of Hanuman, Earl Williams helmed Ranger and Marc Neeleman took the wheel onboard Rainbow. Both Velsheda and Lionheart had their owners at the helm, and the latter was delighted to win the Corinthian King’s Cup.

All the Js had professional tacticians, including Bouwe Becking on Lionheart. “This was only the fourth regatta for the owner and he did remarkably well,” says Becking, who felt that the decision to have the J-class yachts sail fleet-style in their own group in the same regatta as the superyachts sailing pursuit-style worked perfectly. “It was great that we had our own start procession as it would not have worked any other way. The Js are much harder to manoeuvre so the emphasis on safety is good. It was a really incredible experience and we owe a great thanks to the Bucket Committee and the J-Class Association.”

More to come
Andre Hoek was also among the crew onboard Lionheart. “Races with the Js are by far the most competitive superyacht contests with a very good handicap system,” he comments. “These mighty vessels are very close to each other in racing terms and all finished within five minutes of each other on a two-and-a-half-hour race. I was delighted with Lionheart’s performance in coming second overall and we look forward to seeing more J-class yachts being built in the future.”

The next to be launched from Hoek Design’s boards will be sailing yacht J8, which is presently under construction at Holland Jachtbouw. Meanwhile, four J-class yachts are gearing up to go bow to bow again at the upcoming Superyacht Cup in Palma this June.

Holland Jachtbouw luxury yacht RAINBOW tests power generation from sailing

April 19, 2013

Following an extensive summer season competing in the J-Class events, Monaco Yacht Show as well as cruises around St. Tropez, the 40m Holland Jachtbouw luxury yacht Rainbow crossed the Atlantic to enjoy the Caribbean season. Crossing the Atlantic was Rainbow yacht’s first chance to test the last component of the Hybrid Power System; power regeneration from sailing.

40 m J-Class superyacht Rainbow by Holland Jachtbouw

40m J-Class superyacht Rainbow by Holland Jachtbouw

As one of the most interesting parts of the Hybrid Power System, sailing yacht Rainbow is equipped with a 50kW shaft generator/electric motor. Holland Jachtbouw already had great results driving Rainbow in full silent mode on her electric propulsion system. Doing 7kn on just batteries is an extraordinary experience.

Superyacht Rainbow’s delivery to the Caribbean was a great opportunity to test the power generating part for a longer period of time and to see whether Rainbow would be self-foreseeing concerning onboard energy consumption. It turned out that with Rainbow’s boat speed up to 9 – 10 kn reaching along, the Hybrid Power System was capable of delivering enough electric power to all on board systems and even was charging the batteries.

Power regenerating systems onboard sailing yachts is a great advantage, especially on longer voyages where fuel consumption is a key issue. It will extend the range of the boat or even be completely self–foreseeing. But it’s better to keep in mind that power never comes for free, but sailors know how to find it.

Holland Jachtbouw Yacht RAINBOW Winner of Classic Boat Award 2013

April 19, 2013

Holland Jachtbouw yacht Rainbow has become the runaway winner in the European Spirit of Tradition class at the inaugural 2013 Classic Boat awards. Comedian, writer as well as classic boat owner, Griff Rhys Jones, handed over the award for sailing yacht Rainbow to HJB’s Commercial Director, Tako van Ineveld, at an awards ceremony that took place at the Bremont watch boutique in Mayfair, London.

J-Class sailing yacht Rainbow by Holland Jachtbouw

J-Class sailing yacht Rainbow by Holland Jachtbouw

Redesigned by Dykstra Naval Architects, the majestic 40-metre J-Class yacht Rainbow is based on the original sailboat by William Starling Burgess from 1934. She was launched by Holland Jachtbouw in 2012.

40 m sailing yacht Rainbow - Cabin

40m sailing yacht Rainbow - Cabin

Superyacht Rainbow boasts beautiful and elegant interiors, overseen by the Owner, with developments from Dykstra & Partners. She can comfortably sleep from eight to ten guests and is managed by a professional crew of seven.

Below is a choice of the superb charter yachts built by Holland Jachtbouw.

Holland Jachtbouw Charter Yacht Images

Holland Jachtbouw Motor Yacht Calliope - Photo credit to Nicolas Claris
Holland Jachtbouw Motor Yacht Calliope ...
Bridge deck aft Calliope Yacht
Bridge deck aft Calliope Yacht
Guest Cabin on the motor yacht Calliope
Guest Cabin on the motor yacht Calliope
Spiral Staircase Calliope Motoryacht
Spiral Staircase Calliope Motoryacht
Calliope Yacht - Guests Lobby
Calliope Yacht - Guests Lobby
Calliope Yacht Bridge Deck - Photo Nicolas Claris
Calliope Yacht Bridge Deck - Photo ...
More: Holland Jachtbouw Image Gallery

Dykstra designed luxury yacht ADELA wins St Barths Bucket 2013

April 11, 2013

In the Mademoiselles class of this year’s St Barths Bucket Regatta, the 55-metre luxury yacht Adela, designed by Dykstra Naval Architects, constructed by Pendennis and helmed by Dennis Conner, maintained her regatta-long position at the top of the scoreboard. Sailing yacht Adela was announced as the regatta’s overall winner.

Adela Yacht designed by Dykstra Naval Architects - Winner of St Barths Bucket 2013

Adela Yacht designed by Dykstra Naval Architects - Winner of St Barths Bucket 2013 - Photo by Tim Wright

This Bucket was a historic event for the J Class, as it was the first time five of them  raced together since 1937. Sailing yacht Hanuman, designed by Dykstra Naval Architects and built by Royal Huisman, proved unbeatable throughout the three Bucket days, winning handily over the line and on corrected time in the first two of three races held and the J Class race on March 28th . 4 out of the 5 J’s that raced where Dykstra Naval Architects designed J Class Yachts.

Four Dykstra designed J-Class yachts at St Barths Bucket 2013

Four Dykstra designed J-Class yachts at St Barths Bucket 2013 - Photo by Tim Wright

Dykstra Naval Architects designed yachts that raced this year’s St Barths Bucket are: Adela, charter yacht Maltese Falcon, Hanuman, sailing yacht Rainbow, charter yacht Ranger (performance refit) and superyacht Velsheda.

St Barths Bucket 2013 Winner sailing yacht HANUMAN with mast supplied by Rondal

April 10, 2013

Rondal congratulates sailing yacht Hanuman on her overall victory in the J-Class series of the St Barths Bucket 2013, the event which has been called, by some, “the most important super yacht regatta in the world.”

Luxury yacht Hanuman with mast by Rondal competing in St Barths Bucket 2013

Luxury yacht Hanuman with mast by Rondal competing in St Barths Bucket 2013 - Photo by Carlo Borlenghi

Luxury yacht Hanuman scored a superb 4 : 0 victory in the most memorable post-1937 J-class fleet series regatta to date, competing in the St Barths Bucket over the Easter weekend.

Sublimely, Hanuman yacht won three out of four races on line honors and all four races on corrected time under the most exhilarating and challenging conditions, in the event which had a historic number of five J-class sloops competing.

St Barths Bucket Regatta Day 4: J CLASS Yacht Hanuman Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

St Barths Bucket Regatta Day 4: J CLASS Yacht Hanuman Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

A magnificent result for helmsman Ken Read and Captain Greg Sloat and the rest of their very skilled Hanuman crew!

St Barths Bucket Regatta Day 2: Superyacht Hanuman Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

St Barths Bucket Regatta Day 2: Superyacht Hanuman Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Earlier this year, Rondal supplied new spreaders to accommodate new continuous standing rigging suiting the existing carbon Rondal mast on board superyacht Hanuman.

Luxury yacht Hanuman - Photo by Carlo Borlenghi

Luxury yacht Hanuman - Photo by Carlo Borlenghi

Apart from the new, lighter and smaller spreaders, the Rondal experts together with the highly knowledgeable permanent crew of Hanuman yacht managed to create extra weight savings on electronics and other mast gear. This entire weight saving exercise definitely helped the outstanding tactics and boat handling of Ken Read and his crew to put this impressive result on the scoring boards and into the history books of J-class sailing.

A great success of Royal Huisman yachts at St Barths Bucket 2013

April 04, 2013

It has undoubtedly been the most amazing St Barths Bucket Regatta to date. At the 2013 event, a record fleet of J Class as well as superyacht class entries experienced exceptionally close and exciting competing in conditions ranging from moderate breezes to a spinnaker-shredding Force 6.

Luxury sailing yacht Hanuman by Royal Huisman

Luxury sailing yacht Hanuman by Royal Huisman

Displaying outstanding strategy and seamanship, sailing yacht Hanuman and superyacht Unfurled demonstrated that the Vollenhove-based Royal Huisman yard delivers yachts not only of exceptional quality, but also of exceptional performance potential.

Hanuman ascendant

Helmsman Ken Read and the Hanuman crew delivered a master-class in the art of J Class racing, chalking up no less than four consecutive first places in tight competition against luxury yacht Lionheart, sailing yacht Velsheda, charter yacht Ranger and superyacht Rainbow.

These five yachts comprised the largest J Class fleet to compete together on the water together since 1937, presenting a magnificent spectacle to onlookers as well as a powerful sense of occasion for the owners, guests and crew on board.

To add to the emphatic nature of her victory, Hanuman yacht achieved line honours as well as corrected time wins in three out of the four races; in the final race she missed line honours to the slightly larger sailing yacht Lionheart by just two seconds.

Superyacht Unfurled by Royal Huisman

Superyacht Unfurled by Royal Huisman

Unfurled: untamed

Few could have predicted such a dramatic finale for the Gazelles class, with superyacht Visione, charter yacht P2 and luxury yacht Cape Arrow tied on equal points after the first three races and the Huisman-built yacht Unfurled only one point behind. With everything to play for in the demanding “wrong way round” final race, even a slightly less-than-perfect spinnaker hoist on the downwind start line could seriously impair the winning chances of any of these four yachts.

After a thrilling tussle over around 25 miles, luxury yacht Unfurled crossed the finish line two and a half minutes ahead of charter yacht P2 to lift the trophy for both the final race and the series.

(Unfurled and P2 in fact tied on points for the series, but with two wins in the three races Unfurled yacht was assured of an overall win.)

And the final award goes to…

As always, the Wolter Huisman Memorial Spirit of the Bucket Trophy is presented to the yacht whose crew is judged to have raced (and partied) in the finest spirit of the Bucket, and to have made the greatest overall contribution to the event. This year, Alice Huisman presented the award to the highly deserving crew of charter yacht Axia.

St. Barths Bucket Regatta 2013 to kick off tomorrow

March 27, 2013

To be attended by the spectacular J Class yachts, the St. Barths Bucket Regatta, which has been called, by some, “the most important super yacht regatta in the world”, will kick off tomorrow, on March 28.

J Class yacht Hanuman practicing in the popular Caribbean yacht charter destination - St. Barths - Photo by Michael Kurtz

J Class yacht Hanuman practicing in the popular Caribbean yacht charter destination - St. Barths, passing by superyacht Athena - Photo by Michael Kurtz

The event, in its 18th edition here and its 27th as its own unique brand of racing (the original Bucket Regatta debuted on the island of Nantucket in 1986 and today has editions in both St. Barths and Newport, R.I.), is starting a day early to give the J Class an extra race.

And what a race it will be, as five of the behemoth 130’+ (40 meter) sloops – sailing yacht Hanuman, superyacht Lionheart, luxury yacht Rainbow, charter yacht Ranger and Velsheda yacht – will be sailing together for the first time ever in the Caribbean. As well, it will be the first time since the 1930s, considered the J Boats’ Golden Era, so many have converged for a single racing event.

“We are feeling good about this regatta,” said Rogier van Overveld, crew boss aboard superyacht Rainbow.  “We sailed against four of the boats in the Solent (all but Hanuman) and we’ve been doing a lot of sailing since, with almost the same crew, which are all from the Netherlands.”  Rainbow’s co-helmsman Mark Neeleman is his country’s five-time Olympian in Finn and Star class, and most of the crew sailed aboard charter yacht Windrose of Amsterdam (Rainbow owner Chris Gongriep’s previous yacht) here last year.

Luxury yacht Hanuman is sure to give them a run for their money, however, as two-thirds of its crew are big names from America’s Cup and/or Volvo Ocean Race arenas.  And among those is what Captain Greg Sloat calls the “Newport mafia” headed by helmsman Ken Read. Read is best known for his Volvo Ocean Race accomplishments as skipper of the Puma Ocean Racing Team but also has 40 World, North American, and National Championship titles to his name.

Sloat revealed that the collective know-how onboard is being harnessed for a small-boat approach to sailing the one very big Hanuman yacht. He called Hanuman one of the “Super Js,” which were built for the America’s Cup.  “The ratings among us are very even, so determining a winner might come down to a single mistake,” said Sloat, adding that adept boat handling is the foundation of the approach.

Results for the J Class, which plans to sail one windward-leeward race tomorrow, will be calculated using the J Class Association handicap (the J Class Rule), and the racing format will be traditional fleet, where all yachts start together on one line.  The remainder of the Bucket classes, which begin racing on Friday, March 29 and continue through Sunday, March 31 along with the J Boats, will sail under the International Super Yacht Rule (a formal packaging of what was originated by Bucket founders as the Bucket Rule) and enjoy a “pursuit”-style racing format, which gives them staggered starts in each of three classes.

Including the J Boats, a total of 36 boats are entered in the St. Barths Bucket. The raciest of the yachts, in the nine-boat Les Gazelles des Mers class, include such recognizable grand prix names as charter yacht Leopard3 and charter yacht P2, with sailing yacht Rebecca showing as one of the long-time favorites here.

LEOPARD - Racing

LEOPARD - Racing

The 10-boat Les Mademoiselles des Mers class sports no less than six Dubois designs, testament to the importance of this regatta as a showcase for designers, naval architects and yacht builders. One of these, charter yacht Salperton IV, stands out as the recent winner of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in the BVIs. Striking a distinguished note of beauty in this class will be two schooners, mega yacht Athos and superyacht Adela, the latter of which will be helmed by Dennis Conner.

In the 12-boat Les Grandes Dames des Mers class, the ever awe-inspiring charter yacht Maltese Falcon will wow spectators.  It is one of eight Perini Navis, all massively impressive in their own ways, sailing in this class.

Maltese Falcon - (2)

Maltese Falcon - (2)

The four class winners of the 2013 St. Barths Bucket will each receive a Ship’s Bell Clock from Chelsea Clock.

The J Class will award two additional trophies, the Hundred Guinea Cup, given to the winner of the one race tomorrow, and the King’s Corinthian Cup, given to the first owner-driven J Boat.

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