The sporty transformation of 10-year-old Heesen Bijin

When Heesen launched the full-custom Sibelle in 2015, she was a yacht that turned heads. An all-aluminium, fast-displacement trailblazer with a distinctive plumb bow, she scooped up awards and inspired the yard’s 50-metre semi-custom series. A decade on, her bones were still flawless, but her look? That was ready for a reset.

Enter Bijin, reborn and renamed after a mere nine-month transformation at Monaco Marine, now brandishing a sportier paint job and a fresher, more contemporary interior.

This is not a refit story of ripping out bulkheads or tearing apart machinery. Instead, it’s about intentional precision. Thanks to knowledgeable owners and a refit team who knew exactly how to make subtlety sing, Bijin shows how a refit that focuses on a reawakening can be just as successful as a project that’s set on reinvention.

The first decision was non-negotiable: the existing oyster-white hull had to go. “It was the first thing we wanted to change,” says owner Eleonora Pitasso de Pundert. “My husband, Wim [de Pundert], already had the eye – he said, ‘This boat in Matterhorn white will be fantastic.’”

The owners both have a background in AMG racing – Wim founded HTP Motorsport with his son Reynier in 2007, later joining forces with Winward Racing to create HTP Winward Motorsport, now the largest Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing team. Eleonora, a keen racer herself who has taken part in AMG track events, wanted the yacht to carry some of that same sporting spirit.

“We wanted to give her a real, performance-driven feel. The profile was already beautiful, slender, sleek. We just needed the right colours to bring that out.”

The result is a striking contrast: hull and superstructure in crisp Matterhorn white and jet-black glazing, sliced through by a bold sunfast red bootstripe and a red rising sun over the nameplates, inspired by the Japanese flag. The new palette sharpens the yacht’s existing lines into something that looks faster, leaner and more purposeful – even while moored.

“Superyacht painting is a highly technical discipline, but it’s our bread and butter,” says Alexandra Menardo, who worked at Monaco Marine during the project. “Flawless finishes are a mix of science, logistics and letting painters do their magic,” she adds. The exterior details mattered too. Carbon poles, anthracite grey biminis and awnings carry on the sporty theme. The new yacht is dressed for the fast lane.

With a background in yachting as a former Burgess broker, Eleonora isn’t the kind of owner who hands over a brief and waits for results. She has a thick black book of contacts and knows the industry inside and out, so she knew exactly who to call and what to expect. “I’ve known Antonio and Enrico [of Hot Lab] since their firm’s inception,” she says.

“I met them literally when they were walking around Monaco with their laptop cases and backpacks, telling brokers, ‘We’re a young design studio, give us a chance.’ I’ve been working with Antonio for 20-plus years.” When it came time to restyle Sibelle, she didn’t bother shopping around. Hot Lab knew her taste, and she knew they could deliver.

The same applied to selecting the right yard. “We tendered with a few refit yards, but our first choice was really Monaco Marine,” Eleonora says. “When I was a supplier, I worked many years with them and had a great relationship. It was the obvious choice.”

That familiarity paid off. By the time the purchase was finalised in October 2024, the refit plan was already rolling. The yacht went straight into the shed, and nine months later she was ready for a partial charter season and a Monaco Yacht Show debut in September 2025.

In the world of superyacht refits, where deadlines slip and budgets balloon, pulling off a 50-metre transformation in nine months is no small feat. Eleonora credits the crew for their involvement, helping to manage details, chase suppliers and keep the project moving. “It’s all been a very smooth operation,” she says.

“Flawless finishes are a mix of science, logistics and letting painters do their magic”

Step inside Bijin, and the high-contrast, motorsport-influenced exterior gives way to something altogether softer. Hot Lab’s partner and design director Enrico Lumini calls it “Japandi”– a hybrid of Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian warmth – and it runs through every cabin, curtain and colour choice.

“The idea was to be surrounded by an organic, naturally blending design, which would help our guests find relaxation and peace,” says Eleonora. For her, the name came first. Bijin means “beautiful woman” in Japanese, and the word resonated long before the refit began.

“Japan is hugely traditional. Its culture is always an ode to beauty. There’s even a genre of art called bijinga, dedicated to painting beautiful women. That elegance inspired me, so we named her first, then the design followed.”

Her fascination with Japan runs deep. As a teenager she was drawn to sketching manga, then later as an adult she visited the Yokohama Boat Show, Kyoto’s temples and cherry blossom festivals. At home, Wim even keeps one of the world’s largest private collections of koi carp. The new interior became a canvas for their personal Japanophile passions.

“Although the amount of wood was commented on, we agreed we wanted to retain the soul of the boat”

For Lumini, the challenge was to enhance the yacht without reinventing the wheel. “With a yacht like Sibelle, the starting point is respect,” he says. “She already had an award-winning design with proportions and layouts that worked beautifully. Our role was to listen to the yacht – to identify where her identity was strongest and should remain intact, and where a contemporary touch could elevate her without erasing her character.”

That restraint is what gives the interior its calm authority. The team focused on the “skin” rather than the “skeleton” – new beds and headboards, lighter carpets, thinner curtains, neutral tones replacing heavier shades. The original Rhodesian teak flooring, with its pinkish hue, stayed put.

“Although the amount of wood was commented on, my husband and I agreed we wanted to retain the soul of the boat,” Eleonora says. “This teak is very different to the usual. It gives a relaxed feel.”

Touches of luxury add comfort to the calm interior motif, with supple Saffiano leather, updated bathroom fittings and curated artwork by Dutch painter Ger Doornink, whose work was shaped by his own time in Japan. “Designing for longevity is always about balance,” says Lumini. “Freshness doesn’t come from bold statements but from harmony, comfort and enduring quality.”

The harmonious design process itself mirrored the refit’s design ethos. The long-standing trust between owner, designers and yard allowed decisions to flow naturally, with no creative friction and no ego clashes. Hot Lab’s partner and business director Antonio Romano sums it up well. “Sometimes, a project is more than just work – it becomes a dialogue between the dreams of the owner and the soul of the designer,” he says. “I’ve known Eleonora for over 15 years, and creating something together was not just a collaboration but a deeply emotional journey.”

The harmonious design process itself mirrored the refit’s design ethos. The long-standing trust between owner, designers and yard allowed decisions to flow naturally, with no creative friction and no ego clashes. Hot Lab’s partner and business director Antonio Romano sums it up well.

“Sometimes, a project is more than just work – it becomes a dialogue between the dreams of the owner and the soul of the designer,” he says. “I’ve known Eleonora for over 15 years, and creating something together was not just a collaboration but a deeply emotional journey.”

If the design brief carried emotional weight, the shipyard’s job was to keep emotions out of it. At Monaco Marine, Menardo’s team approached the project with clear communication, daily updates and what she calls “positive pressure and good leadership”. Ambitious but realistic deadlines were met, and the atmosphere stayed collaborative throughout. “The big picture is what makes me proud,” she says. “Every box ticked, on time, in a calm but energetic environment.”

“The idea was to be surrounded by an organic, naturally blending design, which would help our guests find relaxation and peace”

That calm extended right through to delivery. Unlike many refits on older boats, this one revealed no hidden surprises or 11th-hour headaches, thankfully. Technically, the boat was brought up to the modern moment with new generators installed and systems optimised. She was relaunched precisely on schedule – with even Wim himself at times taking the controls of the Travelift.

Menardo sums this project up in a single word: “Serenity.” As refits often come with their fair share of dust, rust and delay, that’s a rare boast. For Bijin’s owners, it meant one thing: a 50-metre yacht handed back exactly when promised, ready to earn her keep on the charter market.

“Japandi” – a hybrid of Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian warmth - runs through every cabin, curtain and colour choice

Bijin may measure 50 metres in length, but she carries herself like something larger. The absence of a walkaround deck gives an extra two metres of interior beam, creating surprising volume inside. Guests who might normally opt for a 55- or 60-metre yacht have already chartered her and, according to Eleonora, have been impressed. “She has such good volume and feels much bigger,” Eleonora says.

Her charter record so far is a testament to this. Offered on the charter market at the end of June 2025, Bijin immediately secured six weeks of charters – more than the owners expected. And it was impressively achieved despite arriving a bit late to the summer charter calendar.

“Normally, for a yacht newly on the market, we’d expect four weeks and be happy with that. But we signed charters straight away,” says Eleonora. “We could have done more, but we kept September free for boat show prep and press.”

Part of Bijin’s charter appeal lies in the lifestyle found on board. The sundeck is expansive, ideal for both soaking up sun or doubling as a party hub with a full set of DJ decks. A gym and sauna in the beach club cater to active guests, while the tender and toy lineup ups the adrenaline factor with a fleet of Seabobs, foiling boards, sailing dinghies, diving equipment and high-performance tenders.

With tenders and toys hand-picked through Eleonora’s network of suppliers, the toy box is designed for guests who like their luxury with a dose of horsepower.

The final package meets that often-elusive blend of being personal enough to reflect the owners’ tastes while still designed with the charter market in mind.

For Eleonora and Wim, who selected every material and finish themselves, the yacht represents the ideal balance between business and pleasure. “We created spaces that feel real, warm and effortless,” she says. “That’s what makes guests want to come back.”

For the owners, Bijin is also proof that refitting can be the smarter choice versus a new build. “You give a yacht a second life, and it’s much quicker,” Eleonora says. “In nine months, this is what you can achieve.”

If Sibelle was the yacht that defined Heesen’s 50-metre platform a decade ago, then Bijin shows what happens when you respect that DNA but aren’t afraid to refresh it. She’s still the same award-winning yacht, but now ready for the next chapter.

First published in the March 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.