Cinderella Noel IV, the 50-meter yacht designed to take on the North Sea

It has passed hyper-intensive tests in the North Sea and is now ready to take its owners to the world’s coldest and most extreme waters. YN 20150 Cinderella Noel IV was delivered last April 20 by its builder Heesen, who was given the mission of making the perfect yacht for extended cruises in the Scandinavian archipelago and Norwegian fjords. A goal that the historic Dutch shipyard has achieved with flying colors, moreover managing to combine the spirit for adventure with an unparalleled level of privacy and comfort for owners and their guests.

The owners of Cinderella Noel IV had christened their yacht on December 23, 2023, in an unforgettable ceremony for all the shipyard employees and subcontractors who helped build this wonderful 50-meter yacht. Zucker & Partner advised and guided the owners in the many decisions made during the 41-month construction time, which occurred in close collaboration with Heesen engineers and the Luca Dini Design & Architecture team.

Affirm Stefan Zucker and Sven Stark, surveyors and project managers of Cinderella Noel IV: “We have never experienced such intense involvement from clients, who have shown remarkable enthusiasm and enjoyment for the yacht and appreciation for all members of the construction team. Heesen was perfectly successful in integrating owners into the production process and milestones”.

Everyone at the shipyard agrees that what makes Cinderella Noel IV an extraordinary superyacht is its owners. The client himself is an experienced sailor who is also the captain of the boat and has introduced a wealth of practical and technical ideas from his many years of sailing experience. The two have brought so much attention to every detail, informs a Heesen note, because they plan to spend a significant part of their lives sailing on this boat. “Their deep knowledge and clear understanding of how to run a yacht presented a golden opportunity for our yard to participate in the creation of this unique Heesen,” the company emphasizes.

Cinderella Noel IV was built on Heesen’s proven engineering platform as a custom, smart yacht, so its outstanding performance is no surprise. The hull exceeded all expectations during the three-day sea trials in the North Sea, even in adverse weather conditions. Commenting on this, the shipyard captain, Bob van Zundert: “The weather conditions worsened during the course of the trials and we ended up with a wave height of 2.6 meters and a wind of about 30 knots: perfect conditions to test the endurance of Cinderella Noel IV. His quick responses to rudder commands in rough sea conditions generated a lot of confidence. It was a privilege to have clients on board during the testing, and we enjoyed showing them what their new yacht is capable of“.

With such attention to detail by the shipyard and the owners, Cinderella Noel IV is a dream yacht with the best possible balance of quality, customization, and delivery time, so much so that it can be said that boats like this are not seen in the world. In addition, to minimize the vessel’s environmental impact, the owner opted to a hybrid propulsion system which embraces the best of the latest technology and offers unquestionable advantages over conventional diesel power, making Cinderella Noel IV cleaner, quieter and more efficient than other conventional boats. In the field of automotive engineering, these systems emphasize energy conservation and emission reduction, but hybrid propulsion at sea has much broader goals. Quiet cruising and minimal vibration, in fact, greatly improve comfort levels on board and are especially appreciated at night.

At the heart of Cinderella Noel IV’s hybrid system are the yacht’s two MTU 8V4000 M63 (IMO Tier III) main engines, each coupled to a 135 kW water-cooled Danfoss electric motor on the same axis as the propeller. With three cruise modes, this configuration offers versatility of operation, flexible energy management, and redundancy.

Heesen’s Chief Operating Officer Rick van de Wetering concludes, “It has been a pleasure to build Cinderella Noel IV and to work closely with its owners on a yacht that fits them like a glove and can take them safely wherever they want to go. Over the past 41 months we have built strong bonds with our energetic clients and their teams, so much so that we will miss them on the construction site. We look forward to their updates on the great adventures they will have aboard their wonderful yacht. On behalf of all the employees of the shipyard, we wish them good winds and calm seas!“.