Why This Owner Bought a Decade-Old Heesen Instead of a New Superyacht

Ibrahim Al-Rashid’s love for yachts runs deep. The Miami-based businessman grew up cruising the world on his father’s superyacht, the famous Lady Moura, with his mother teaching him how to enjoy life on the sea. It is unsurprising, then, that he wants to recreate that with his own children, aged six, five, and three. What is rather surprising is that he has decided to do it in a pre-owned Heesen.

As CEO of commercial real-estate investment company Limestone Asset Management, Al-Rashid has the means to start his own fleet in any which way he pleases. He also has the fortitude for a bespoke build, having recently spent two years designing an Embraer Praetor 600 jet with his wife, Ryann. Still, he decided his first superyacht would be the 164-foot Bijin, exclusively sharing with Robb Report that he closed on the superyacht on January 14. (Bijin was last asking €29.5 million, about $34.8 million at the current exchange rate.) He has renamed it Mouna in honor of his mother, French socialite and couture queen, Mouna Ayoub.

The immediacy and simplicity of buying turnkey was obviously very appealing to Al-Rashid. “Designing something to your own specifications certainly carries a lot of reward when it’s done, but it takes a lot of time and brings a lot of headaches,” he tells Robb Report over Zoom. “It’s just a very, very long process.” He’s not wrong. It takes an average of three to four years to build a custom superyacht, and that doesn’t include the typically lengthy and laborious design phase. That clearly hasn’t deterred him—he is currently in the process of designing a one-off measuring between 197 and 213 feet—but by buying a second-hand yacht first, the family could be on the seas quicker. 

Therein lies another perk. Al-Rashid has an opportunity to iron out the kinks before spending substantially more cash on his dream boat. “Even though I have experience at sea and I charter every year, it is different to own,” he explains. “Maybe it’s better to do it this way and get a little more experience under my belt, figure out what works and what doesn’t, so that I can apply that to the new design.” 

Practicality is only part of what prompted the purchase, though. Al-Rashid has been infatuated with Mouna since he saw her in Cannes a decade ago. “I remember looking out into the bay and seeing the design,” he recalls, “it was quite striking.” Delivered by Heesen in 2015, the fully custom 499 GT superyacht, then called Sibelle, bucked convention with exterior styling considered radical at the time. Developed by Van Oossanen Naval Architects and designed by Omega Architects, the all-aluminum cruiser was distinguished by a fast-displacement hull and a vertical stem (or plumb bow) that notched her multiple prestigious awards and inspired an entire Heesen series of 164-foot fast-cruisers. 

After eight or so years on the water, Sibelle was offered for sale in March 2024. Al-Rashid tried to buy her, but failed. “My understanding is it came down to another bidder and me,” he says. “He outbid me.” After closing the deal in October 2024, the new owner treated the yacht to an extensive, nine-month refit, during which the original interiors by Omega and AB Studio were given a Japandi-style makeover by Hot Lab Design. (Think Japanese minimalism combined with Scandinavian elegance.) She was renamed Bijin—a Japanese term meaning “beautiful woman”—and relisted for sale in October 2025. “Within 12 months, he had it up for sale again, and I wasn’t going to lose it this time,” he adds. Tassos Papantoniou, senior yacht broker and partner at Torrance Yachts, helped him complete the deal in just three months.

Though she is quite long in the tooth, Mouna has been meticulously maintained over the years. “I’ve been through hundreds of yachts, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that was this pristine,” Al-Rashid says. He was drawn to her contemporary yet classic exterior and her elegant teak interior, but it was the gym that he really fell in love with. “Oftentimes on yachts this size, they’ll cram one little treadmill or bike into a tiny space and call it a gym, but this one is actually a generous size and has a sauna built in.” Other amenities include a beach club, a swim platform, and a foredeck that doubles as a party area and a storage spot for tenders. Al-Rashid is also adding a hot tub on the expansive sundeck, with work currently underway in Croatia. That is the only real change he is making, with five cabins and large living quarters comfortably accommodating his family and friends. He and Ryann scored a full-beam owner’s suite of 656 square feet, the kids got a cabin each, and any guests can sleep in the remaining cabin. There are also cabins for 10 crew, with his dad’s old captain, Matthias Bosse, crewing the yacht. 

Powered by twin 1,342 hp MTU diesel engines, Mouna has a top speed of 18.5 knots and a range of 3,150 nautical miles at 13 knots, making her capable of venturing outside of the Med and the Caribbean to the lesser-known destinations Al-Rashid is fond of. “My intention with this yacht is that it doesn’t have a home,” he says, “and we go to places that you wouldn’t normally expect.” He does, however, acknowledge that the range is “barely transoceanic,” putting lengthy expeditions to his favorite spots like New Zealand literally out of reach. That’s where the second member of his planned fleet comes in. He says it will be an ice-class superyacht of over 1,000 GT with a sturdy steel hull and an ultra-long range of 6,000 miles. “We want to go to strange places, and the only way you can do that is in a yacht with explorer capabilities.” 

That Al-Rashid is willing to share so much is mightily refreshing. Yacht deals tend to be shrouded in secrecy, with the names of the buyers and sellers intentionally concealed to protect the privacy and security of the ultra-wealthy. “I think it’s somewhat silly,” he laughs. “You have these owners that are trying to be discreet, yet they’re cruising the world in these $100-million toys. There’s just nothing discrete about it.”  Even with parties signing non-disclosure agreements or vessels being registered under shell companies, journalists have found ways to prove yacht ownership and make that information available with the push of a button. Al-Rashid experienced that firsthand, even before the Internet. His father, Saudi billionaire Nasser Al-Rashid, made headlines in 1990 when he took delivery of Lady Moura. The 344-footer was one of the largest and most expensive yachts on the water at that time. “Publications were linking our family to the yacht,” he recalls, “so that discretion kind of went out the window at a very young age.” 

That is not to say Al-Rashid is at all into showing off or flaunting his wealth. He appears acutely aware of his privilege, stating he is “very grateful” to live such a lifestyle at multiple points during our conversation. It seems he simply wants to share the beauty of yachting with his kids and, well, anyone else who might be interested. To that end, he says Robb Report will be the first to see his bespoke build. Stay tuned.

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Click here to see all the photos of Mouna.