Yacht Linnea Aurora Aiming at Racing and Family Cruising

Though she’s the fifth in a series, she’s a singular accomplishment in the eyes of her owner. The yacht Linnea Aurora recently celebrated her launch as the newest Truly Classic 128 project from SES Yachts.

As a Truly Classic, this superyacht sloop comes from the drawing boards of Hoek Design. “Classic” refers to having a time-honored hull shape and styling. Each Truly Classic is a strong performer and has long overhangs and wood-clad deckhouses, for instance. The yacht Linnea Aurora follows in the footsteps of deliveries like the yacht Grace III, which SES Yachts completed in 2021. The remaining Truly Classic 128s are Atalante, Vijonara, and Halekai, from different shipyards. While each is about 128 feet (39 meters), owners can still tailor the deck plan as well as the interior, plus choose the builder.

The owner of the yacht Linnea Aurora liked the advantages of the series. In fact, he first met with Hoek Design’s founder, Andre Hoek, at the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show. Not coincidentally, SES Yachts had Grace III in the water at the same show. According to Andre Hoek, the owner liked the idea that “he will be joining a fleet and a family.” The owner further chartered Atalante to better determine likes and preferences, plus of course get a literal feel for performance. As for his selection of SES Yachts, the shipyard was capable of starting construction relatively quickly, with a two-and-a-half-year build.

The owner visited SES Yachts, in Turkey, multiple times during construction, too. This allowed him to see some of his special requests take shape. For example, cabin and head doors feature paintings of Swedish lighthouses. Another request: The ample master suite sits aft with its own deckhouse-turned-nav-station. When guests aren’t joining cruises, the lower saloon can become a private lounge for the suite. Speaking of guests, one stateroom sits opposite the lower saloon, while two are forward of it. Friends and family can join the owner for dinner in the dining area in the main deckhouse. To provide some peace and quiet at night, a lithium battery bank can run hotel loads. The same battery bank can handle some of the same loads while sailing as well.

the yacht Linnea Aurora at launch — PHOTO: Net Videography

When it’s time to hit the racecourse, though, the all-aluminum yacht Linnea Aurora has several things on her side. The masthead sailplan can switch to accommodate a blade versus a yankee sail (the latter for cruising). Runners accommodate staysail loads plus serve as checkstays for mast trim. North Sails’ Helix Structured Luff technology comes into play as well for the headstay. Briefly, it uses the sail structure to improve the sail’s aerodynamics and lessens the load on equipment. “The ability to induce camber change depending on wind strength gives a wider range for a given sail,” explains Ruurt Meulemans, Hoek Design’s managing partner. Ensuring the helmsman has a better feel at the wheel, the rudder blade is carbon fiber, not aluminum, making it thinner. Finally, the Lewmar winches can draw power from the MAN diesel engine and both gensets during complex maneuvers.

Sea trials are up next for Linnea Aurora, with delivery before the end of the year.

Elif Yildirim at the launch of the yacht Linnea Aurora — PHOTO: Net Videography

Significantly, Elif Yildirim, SES Yachts’ managing director (above), notes that “she’s the 90^th launching since our company was founded 50 years ago.” This therefore makes 2024 “a multiple anniversary for SES Yachts, and we could not have celebrated it better.”

Hoek Design hoekdesign.com

SES Yachts sesyachts.com