Designed by Vincenzo Baglietto, SINCERITY was built to Lloyd’s exacting standards of the finest materials for Andrea Luigi Piccardo of Genova. She was launched in August, 1928 and christened JANUA, and under that name, she raced successfully at Sanremo the following year and was present at the opening of the 1929 International Expo in Barcelona.

In 1938, JANUA was sold to Andrea Maria Piaggio of Genova and was renamed ESTER VII, and in 1952 she was purchased by the company La Capitana and renamed MAUCIAU II. She became SINCERITY in 1970, when she was bought by the French yachtsman Jean Castel (who sailed her under an American flag), and subsequently SINCERITY has catered for royalty, as well as racing: Castel took her to the America’s Cup in Fremantel, and in 1978 Princess Caroline of Monaco and Philip Junot spent their honeymoon aboard.

She was designed as a swift and comfortable cruiser; her cutaway forefoot and Bermudan rig make her a very fast classic. Her unusually high bulwarks, combined with the reserve buoyancy in her bow and stern, make her dry, and her long keel and 85-metric-ton displacement make her steady, easy to handle, and comfortable in heavy weather.