A new yacht for an old racing idea.

Published 21 October 2026 · WHV · Public-source editorial note

Long overhangs, a dark hull and an ambitious rig make Hanuman look as though she has sailed directly out of another era. She has not. Royal Huisman launched the yacht in 2009 as a modern recreation of Endeavour II, the Charles Nicholson design associated with the 1937 America’s Cup challenge.

Re-creation is not the same as restoration

The J Class Association credits the original lines to Nicholson and the modified lines to Dykstra Naval Architects. This distinction is central to the story. Hanuman is a new-build interpretation designed to participate in the class, not an antique hull whose original material has miraculously survived every subsequent decade.

The continuing organisation around the yacht matters too. In May 2026, the association reported a sale to Giovanni Lombardi Stronati and the crew’s transfer with the boat. Its report described future racing plans, not results already achieved. A beautiful form remains active because people supply the knowledge, preparation and sustained work required to sail it.

Follow the class as well as the silhouette

Follow the class’s public racing reports before treating ownership as the only meaningful way to engage. A photograph at a dock cannot explain a yacht’s survey, refit needs or operating budget. What makes Hanuman worth discovering is the possibility of reactivating a historical design through contemporary means. The past can remain productive without the new object being falsely described as old, or the expense of keeping it being mistaken for a financial return.

Source and context.

J Class Association: Hanuman JK6, original lines and 2009 launch ↗

Royal Huisman: Hanuman as a modern recreation of Endeavour II ↗

J Class Association: May 2026 ownership change and continuing crew ↗

The photograph shows Hanuman at a dock in August 2017. Her name is visible on the stern despite a misspelling in the Commons filename. She is a 2009 recreation, not the original Endeavour II. No charter, current sale offer, survey or race outcome is implied.

Source checked 21 October 2026. WHV interpretation is distinct from the source’s account.