Memorial Albert Hakvoort 1940-2021

MEMORIAL ALBERT HAKVOORT SR, Monnickendam 1940 – 2021

Hakvoort Shipyards is saddened to report the death of Albert Hakvoort Sr. at the age of eighty. One of the guiding lights of the yard and its workforce for decades, Albert started work at the family business in 1955 and dedicated his life to helping the yard grow into one of the most renowned premium superyacht builders in the world.

He was joined in the 1990s by the fourth generation of Hakvoorts, Klaas and Albert Jr., who eventually took over the helm in 2014. Albert Sr. went on to enjoy a much-deserved retirement after sixty years of service, although he was often seen at the yard sharing his words of wisdom and encouragement. The fact that Hakvoort Shipyards received the Royal designation in November 2020 was the crowning achievement for a man who did more than anyone to earn the yard this rare honour.

The superyacht industry is full of characters but Albert will be remembered as one of the finest. He was a man without airs and graces who never forgot a face and had a kind word for everyone he met. His legendary sense of dry humour was a joy and his love of boats matched only by a passion for motorbikes which began when, at the age of four, Albert saw Canadian troops liberate the town of Monnickendam. One soldier rode a Harley and, half a century later in 1995, Albert bought a HD Fat Boy for himself and had it fitted with the beamiest handlebars imaginable in gleaming stainless steel.

This was probably the flashiest thing Albert ever did or owned. A humble man who took the same warm and kind-hearted approach to billionaire clients and first-year apprentices alike, he leaves behind an unrivalled legacy of boatbuilding and a world of friendships and memories.

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