The history of this 63 footer started in South Africa when Bas van Rijswijk saw the yacht "Warrior" for the first time.

Fascinated bij the lines of this 60 footer, she looked the answer to one of his long time dreams and he decided to visit Alexander Simonis to discuss his ideas: the construction of a sailing yacht, similar in style, without any compromise on comfort, performance and materials.
It also should have the ability to be sailed singlehanded as after sailing for thirty years, including 10 years with "Rucanor" which he sponsored in the Whitbread Round the World Race, this "Salty Hollander" decided to go for it on its own by the year 2000.

Bastiaan van Rijswijk, born on the 29th of April 1946 in the Netherlands, bought his first sailing boat, a "Sixteen Square" at the age of sixteen. During the next five years he explored just about every Dutch canal, river and lake after which he left for the States to do a marketing study...

Since his return in 1969 a number of events determined his life's course such as his marriage, starting the company Rucanor in Belgium and the birth of his three children.
By 1974 the Van Rijswijk family bought a "Lemmerhengst" a traditional Dutch flat-bottomed boat with which they sailed on the Oosterschelde, which at that stage was still one of the river arms open to the North Sea. It would be nearly ten years later before Bas, through participation in major regatta's around the world, got to know grand prix and ocean sailing.

Slowly the idea grew to enter a yacht in the Whitbread race under the banner of Rucanor. He started on the construction of Rucanor-Tristar to the design of Ribadeau-Dumas.