Articles on Restoration Process

IBN 11/2003, "Revier Bodensee", Dieter Seewald

In spring, a monster yacht was manoeuvred through the much too narrow streets of Radolfzell to the islet of Mettnau on Lake Constance. A huge pile of lead and decaying wood on a flat-bed trailer. It was headed for the Martin shipyard.

Refit

Starling W. Burgess was one of the leading yacht designers of his time in the United States. The America’s Cup contender "Enterprise", for example, with which Mike Vanderbilt defended the Cup in 1930, took shape on Burgess’ drawing board. His father before him, Edward Burgess, had made a name for himself as a yacht designer with the first America's Cup contender in 1885. Starling W. Burgess was considered to be crazy but a genius. In 1920 he designed the rigging for the "Vanitie", and his approach was a completely new one, using his experience from aircraft construction. His belief: A yacht with a large sail surface is not only faster, it is more manoeuvrable and much safer than an under-rigged boat.

Burgess built models of his boats, tested them at the marine model basin facility and optimized the rigging in the wind tunnel. The "Yacht" magazine reported on Burgess in 1937: "What a curious mixture of a precise mathematical mind and eccentric genius! Within a second, he can calculate the precise displacement of a swimming seagull or tell you the theoretical speed of any yacht in a 10 mph breeze."

In spring, a monster yacht was manoeuvred through the much too narrow streets of Radolfzell to the islet of Mettnau on Lake Constance. A huge pile of lead and decaying wood on a flat-bed trailer. It was headed for the Martin shipyard.

There, the elderly lady, once a proud vessel, has been parked in a building ever since. Somewhat dishevelled, much the worse for her experiences and adventures of almost 70 years. With all her deterioration, she has lost none of her classic grace. The lines stir admiration, and with a bit of imagination, one can just see her as she used to be – a delight to behold, even though she is now a little naked. She is the "Anitra", a twelve mR yacht, built at "Abeking & Rasmussen", the famous shipyard at Lemwerder near Bremen, in 1928, together with 5 sister ships. The designer of the racing yacht was Starling Burgess, the eccentric American, whose father before him had designed famous racing sailboats; they were the former America's Cup yachts, 40 m long and with masts soaring 50 m into the sky, vessels of gigantic dimensions, on which the Vanderbilts and Liptons fought for the "silver ewer" up to the Second World War.

The "Anitra" which is now waiting for a new future at the Martin shipyard, had her home in New York when she was first built, together with her five sister ships, all of them built at A & R exclusively for regattas.

Of these 6 ships, only the "Anitra" and one of her sisters are left, the others have disappeared from the face of the earth: Lost, scrapped – who knows? Sepple Martin discovered his "new love", together with a partner, in Newport, New England and bought it on the spur of the moment. People who know the shipbuilder from Radolfzell on Lake Constance are well aware that the heart once again triumphed over rational calculations. Martin is dedicated to classic yachts, body and soul. And when he sees a chance to save them from decay, he seizes it. "The know-how of building such boats must not get lost", he says with great conviction, aware of the aesthetic aspects of his work: Designing, building and renovating wooden boats that are not "off the peg".

The thorough overhaul of the "Anitra" is a challenge to him, says Sepple Martin, the icing on the cake, so to speak. And as luck will have it, Martin received all the documentation needed for the restoration from A & R. There are more than 60 original drawings which document the creation of the "Anitra" from keel-laying to launch.

The "Anitra" will have a wooden mast once again, as she did originally: It will be 26 metres above deck – with 181 square metres of sail area. Fortunately, all the original fittings still exist; high-tech sails will be taboo on the "Anitra" when she is back in the water in a few years’ time. The sails will be white.

The "Anitra" has and will sail regattas with a crew of 12. Four will be sufficient for "Sunday trips", according to Martin.

This 12mR yacht has a length of 21.10 m, and a beam of 3.85 m, altogether slim and slender, as befits a beauty. The "Anitra" has a draught of 2.60 m and a weight of 26 ton, of which 14.5 tons are the lead keel alone. But where do you go with a boat like that? It’s a size too big for Lake Constance. In autumn 2006 – that’s how long Martin thinks the restoration will take – the "Anitra" is to find a new home port on the Baltic see, at Kiel or Flensburg. And of course she will once again be part of the regatta scene – in the Mediterranean, for example. But before the "Anitra" goes travelling on the seas, the public will have a chance to look at her on Lake Constance for a fortnight.

Josef Martin and his boatbuilders have taken on a lot: When the new "Anitra" is restored to her former splendour, there will only be about 20% left of the original yacht. Boatbuilders are not only craftsmen but also artists – with a flair for beautiful lines and the inimitable design of classic yachts. One must be thankful that there are people with an obsession like Josef Martin, who save yachts such as the "Anitra" from destruction.

The 12 mR yachts are based on a sail length formula which was issued in 1906 by IRYU and which brought fourth several yacht classes, including the 6, 8 and 12 class. After the First World War, the international R formula was modified several times. The form which is still valid today, was defined in 1933:

R = L + 2d + √s – F

2.37

L means length at the waterline, d is the girth measurement, S sail area and F freeboard.

The 12 metre class yachts were used in the America’s Cup after the Second World War, up to 1987. On 30.7.1956, the New York Yacht Club had succeeded in having the deed of donation changed. The 12 metre yachts replaced the J yachts which – in view of their enormous construction and maintenance costs – were no longer up to date.

The British were experienced in the construction of 12 metre yachts from 1906 onwards. In the thirties alone 12 of these boats were launched, so that Britain had a total of 26 of this class. The Americans had only started in 1928 to produce 12 metre yachts and built 6 of them in the thirties. The first American 12 metre yacht was not launched until 1935. The total number of 12 metre yachts built between 1906 and 1987 was about 130.

The dimensions of the 12 metre yachts differ, which is explicitly allowed by the above type of formula. Old 12 metre yachts differ greatly from the modern type, e.g. the "Blaupunkt", the yacht with which Germany wanted to participate for the first time in the America’s Cup. The differences are also due to the fact that a number of special regulations were added over the years, such as the height of the forestay on the mast.

On average, 12 metre yachts came to have the following main dimensions:

Length overall approx. 21 m, length at waterline approx. 14.20 m, beam approx. 3.50 m, draft 2.75 m, displacement 29 t, sail area 170 square metres.