Here’s Lionheart, one of a new batch of J Class yachts taking shape in Holland. The picture shows the black painted aluminium hull arriving yesterday by barge at Claasen Jachtbau near Amsterdam from her fabricators Freddie Bloemsma. Today she was due to be moved onto hard standing where her main engine and generators were to be installed before being manoeuvred into a shed where she will be completed. She’s not due to launch until 2010.

Lionheart is a version of one of the seven Ranger models submitted by Olin Stephens and Starling Burgess in 1936 to Harold Vanderbilt who eventually defended the America’s Cup in 1937 against Endeavour 11. The existing, new Ranger with her distinctive ‘barrel’ bow was the yacht Vanderbilt chose but Lionheart is based on another model, which, of course, was never taken any further.

Andre Hoek, the Dutch naval architect who designed the modern, full size interpretation of the yacht, said that most of the bow detail in the original drawing had never been completed so he was able to work on this to the satisfaction of the owner. For more detail and pictures of Lionheart plus more J Class news read the October and November issues of Yachting World.