Yachts for sale · Valencia, Spain

Dona Francisca

52.43m (172ft)Astilleros Buquebus2014/2024

US$13,500,000

52.43 m

Length

Guests

Cabins

Crew

Enquire →+33 6 35 27 53 95

A striking carbon schooner that pairs classic proportion with modern composite construction and serious passagemaking ability.

DONA FRANCISCA is the most distinctive story in the portfolio. Built in Montevideo over five years, she combines the theatre of a classic 1900s schooner with a carbon-fibre hull, carbon masts and boom, hydraulic sailing systems and RINA certification.

The yacht succeeds because the contrast is real. Her exterior language is traditional: teak, mahogany, bronze details and deck prisms create the feeling of a golden-age sailing yacht. Beneath that atmosphere is a modern composite platform designed for performance, durability and manageable operation.

Javier Soto Acebal shaped both exterior and interior, giving her a coherent identity from profile to accommodation. Her shallow 3.5-metre draft and Maxpower thrusters open smaller ports and cruising grounds, while hydraulic sailing systems reduce the physical demands of handling a yacht of this scale.

Performance is central. More than 10 knots under power, up to 17 knots under sail and a successful Atlantic crossing in 2023 turn her from an attractive classic-inspired object into a credible ocean-going sailing yacht. Accommodation is arranged for up to eight guests, including a full-beam owner's suite.

Key features

Carbon-fibre hull, masts and boom
Designed by Javier Soto Acebal
Inspired by 1900s golden-age sailing yachts
RINA certification
3.5m shallow draft
Hydraulic sailing systems
Atlantic crossing in 2023
Refit work in 2023 and 2024

Dona Francisca · 52.43m Astilleros Buquebus

The exterior

12 photos

The full specification

Dimensions

Length overall: 52.43 m / 172 ft
Draft: 3.5 m

Accommodation

Guests: 8
Cabins: 4
Crew: 7
Location: Valencia, Spain

Build & design

Builder: Astilleros Buquebus
Year built: 2014 / refit 2024
Exterior designer: Javier Soto Acebal
Interior designer: Javier Soto Acebal
Hull material: Carbon fibre
Classification: RINA

The shipyard

Astilleros Buquebus

Astilleros Buquebus is a Uruguayan yard set within the port of Montevideo, part of the Buquebus ferry group led by Argentine-Uruguayan entrepreneur Juan Carlos López Mena. The yard is defined by a single, ambitious project: the 52.5-metre custom sailing schooner Doña Francisca, built for López Mena himself and delivered in 2014. Designed by Javier Soto Acebal, her hull and deck were laid up in carbon fibre using an epoxy-infusion process, in a Buquebus shed adapted specifically for the delicate carbon work. BoatInternational described the schooner as one of the world's largest full carbon-fibre projects and Latin America's largest yacht construction to date.