S/Y Lionheart, one of the most distinctive J-Class sailing yachts, was lasy 17 of August at the port of Mahón, Menorca. Flying the Dutch flag and measuring 43.4 metres in length and 6.55 metres in beam, Lionheart was built in 2010 by Claasen Shipyards in Zaandam and represents a particularly significant milestone in the Dutch shipyard’s history, being the largest yacht ever launched by the yard and its flagship.
The yacht, currently owned by Dutch entrepreneur and TomTom co-founder Harold Goddijn, features the design of Hoek Design Naval Architects, with a naval architecture concept inspired by the work of W. Starling Burgess, one of the most renowned American yacht designers of the 1930s and closely associated with the America’s Cup. Her presence in Mahón (she won the Menorca Maxi regatta in its category in 2014) offered another opportunity to appreciate the combination of classic J-Class heritage, sailing performance and contemporary yacht-building that makes Lionheart such a remarkable vessel.