Pendennis Shipyard, the British superyacht manufacturer, has announced the delivery of its classically designed 39m sloop S/Y Vijonara, marking the first British sailing yacht delivery over 30m since 2015. Having been under construction in Falmouth, Cornwall, since November 2016, the new delivery marks a significant milestone for Pendennis, which is better known for its refit work.

Created by world renowned Dutch designer Andre Hoek, the new project has been built for clients with extensive sailing experience. The owners chose to approach the project hands-on, playing an important role in the design of the yachts’ interiors in partnership with Hoek. The final result is a comfortable layout to suit family cruising with open plan areas and gym, which is positioned on the starboard side and can be transformed in to a spare cabin if needs be.

“This is the second hull in our ‘Truly Classic 128’ series, and this project in particular has been a fantastic experience from start to finish,” says Hoek. “Based on a proven hull specification, the owners had a distinct vision for her customisation to suit their lifestyle, and she has been optimised extensively for performance. A new addition to the 128’ design is a bow sprit that houses the downwind sails such as A-symmetric spinnaker, as well as paying homage to true vintage sailing yachts.”

Vijonara’s layout has been carefully developed in order to optimise social spaces on board, yet she retains a sense of privacy when it comes to the owner’s suite, which includes his and hers bathrooms, a private seating area and a study, and the interesting addition of an oculus with its own underwater lighting.

“The deck layout has been reconfigured in line with the owners’ requirements, with a helm station positioned in front of the aft deckhouse creating a social atmosphere close to the center cockpit, enabling the helmsman and guests to remain in close contact,” explains Hoek. “In doing so the aft cockpit has become the Owner’s cockpit, not only creating privacy but also providing an extension of the aft owner’s cabin and deckhouse.”

Historically, the British 30m-plus sailing yacht market hasn’t really been one for high volume deliveries and for the last 50 years it has seen between one and four deliveries every two to three years. Now the British fleet currently stands at 76 vessels including 39m Vijonara, with three further yachts under construction, one of which is also due for delivery this year.

Since 2012, within which year there was a total of 29 deliveries, the global sailing yacht market has been in decline, falling to 15 deliveries in 2013 and only six in 2017. However, 2018 may prove to be a resurgent year if the 16 sailing yachts due for delivery reach fruition. The cumulative LOA of vessels due for delivery in 2018 is 715.1m, which, if achieved, will be the largest cumulative LOA delivered per annum in superyacht history.

“Vijonara will be a fitting complement to the yard’s 30th anniversary celebrations at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show in September,” says Mike Carr, managing director of Pendennis. The new superyacht has also been described by Pendennis as “a very special addition to the fleet”, and is a particularly exciting development for the shipyard, which has also been extremely busy with refit work after reporting the busiest winter season in the shipyards history last month.

Images: Pendennis/ Andrew Wright

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