Jac M Iversen 39ft National 75 Sq M Sloop 1919 - Sold

Any rating rule devised by such luminaries as Johan Anker and Christian Jensen couldn't fail to produce beautiful and efficient sailing yachts; GENESTA, designed and built by Norwegian, later Swedish, yacht design and construction genius Jac M Iversen to their Norwegian National Restricted Rule 75 Square Metre formula, is living proof. Conceived to offer racing and cruising fun at moderate cost, she does exactly that still. Described by her present custodians as, "a joy to sail with its purposeful and graceful way", GENESTA is a love affair waiting for a lucky new owner.

GENESTA enjoyed a major refit in 2005-06 with the present owners subsequently refitting the steering/ rudder, boom/ furling system and new standing rigging.

Soon Slip & Baatbyggeri Yard No: 193

Throughout the history of organised yachting, indeed continuing to the present day, there has been the debate between the rating rule makers and the sailors. Often the sailors have felt strongly enough to devise alternatives, more often than not driven by economics, but sometimes simply because of strongly held views, and aesthetics. The resulting designs are usually superb.

GENESTA is the result of such opinions in Norway during the second decade of the 20th Century. The International Rule was perceived to be creating expensive, over-heavy, over-canvassed and over complicated yachts. In 1912 an impressive meeting of minds, including designers Johan Anker and Christian Jensen, came up with two Norwegian national restricted rule classes named by sail area: one of 75 Square Metres, and one of 50 Square Metres. The 75 Sq M Class became the most popular, with its just short of 40ft overall length offering both fast racing and comfortable cruising possibilities – and it was this rule that GENESTA was designed and built to (yard number 193) by Lawley of Boston-trained Jac M Iversen at his family’s Soon Slip & Baatbyggeri. Anker and the highly-talented but lesser known nowadays Iversen would design the majority of 51 boats believed built.

When launched - as KRABAT, most probably for her early 1920s listed owner Odd Bjornestad, of Kristiania (Oslo), a member of Kongelig Norsk Seilforening (KNS) - newbuildings to the class were in decline, but racing thrived through the 1920s. Such were the efficiency developments in rig design through the 1920s - and so beautifully easily driven was the hull shape produced under the rule - that the class’s sail area was reduced, first to 60 sq m and finally to 52 sq m, approximately what she very efficiently sails under now.

On change of ownership in 1927 to fellow KNS member John Poulsson, her name changed to SIGRID II, then back to KRABAT from 1930 under the further ownership of E or R Mourstad of Bergen, a member of both Bergens Seilforening and KNS. It’s not clear if she moved west to Bergen under Mourstad’s ownership, but by 1935 her new owner was Ole K Röed of Heggeli, Oslo, again a KNS member.

Not long after that, and just before the Second World War, her big change of life happened.

It was not uncommon for Scandinavian yachts to be purchased by north east of England yachtsman, and in the 1930s there was more than one passage race between Norway and England. Lloyd’s Register of Yachts 1938 lists KRABAT’s owner as JDS Hearder of Jesmond, Newcastle, believed to be working there as manager of the Fuller's Chocolates chain's tea shops there, and her home port as Blyth, station of the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club. His purchase’s timing made it inevitable that John Hearder would get little time with her. In fact, his decorated Second World War career - including command of an armed steam yacht, a flotilla of 150ft motor launches involved in minesweeping in Holland and the Mediterranean (sunk twice in action), and official photographer in the pacific aboard the battleship USS Missouri at the VJ day armistice signing - and its aftermath, meant that he never returned to the UK, settling in Sydney where he would become one of Australia’s premier society photographers and a marina entrepreneur. In his 2000 Sydney Morning Herald obituary written by his son, Tony “Steel” Hearder, a well-known local sailor and Sydney-Hobart veteran, there is the suggestion of a pre-war circumnavigation attempt cut short in the Caribbean by the outbreak of war. But surely this can’t have been with KRABAT as she is well recorded as having spent the war laid up in England at Petticrow’s, Burnham on Crouch.

Post war, her new owner became Tiptree preserves-maker Tom Wilkins, moored at Osea Pool, Essex, with her own winter haul-out railway and cradle. Unusually, Wilkins didn’t maintain her Lloyd’s Register of yachts entry, and it is presently unclear when her name changed to GENESTA. From 1963 the register shows her owners as Royal Harwich Yacht Club and Pin Mill Sailing Club members AV Lobban and Arthur Revett with moorings on the River Orwell at Pin Mill and Wolverstone. Subsequent changes in ownership included a long 1964 to 1998 period with Pin Mill Sailing Club member Tom Griffin, wintering at Webb’s yard, Pin Mill and Upson's, Slaughden. GENESTA remained under east coast of England ownerships until purchased by her present south west of England-based owners in 2013.

- Carvel Scandinavian pine on oak
- Cast iron keel
- Heavier sawn floors and frames in way of mast
- Sheathed deck
- Mahogany superstructure and hatches
- Sheathed house top

From aft
- Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard
- Teak and bronze mooring cleat
- Wood tiller with aluminium extension
- Traditional Scandinavian two part raised lazarette/ steering hatch aft of cockpit
- Deep cockpit with traditional Scandinavian angled lining board sides
- Coamings merge to house sides
- Teak cockpit sole grating - access to aft of engine
- 2 x Headsail winches: Barlow and Lewmar
- Bench seats port and starboard
- Open stowage under
- Engine control
- Main and headsail sheeting cleats port & starboard side decks
- Bronze Highfield runner levers and galvanised sheaves port and starboard
- Harken Genoa track port and starboard
- Mahogany grab rails port and starboard at house
- Butterfly skylight hatch
- Raised foredeck hatch
- Sampson post and mooring cleat
- 2 x Stainless steel stanchions port and starboard at bow for safety
- Deck stowed 25lb CQR bower anchor
- Chain pipe
- 30lb Fisherman kedge anchor in forepeak
- 12lb Delta anchor
- Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard

From aft
- Quarter berth to port
- Galley to starboard (presently removed)
- Engine access under companionway step
- Forward to saloon
- Settee berths port and starboard
- Pipe cot style settee backs move to offer wide berths
- Shelving port and starboard
- Sideboard starboard forward saloon
- Butterfly hatch in deckhead
- 2 x Fixed oval ports port and starboard house
- 2 x Fixed round ports forward house
- Ship's barometer
- Forward to forepeak
- Baby Blake head to starboard
- Pipe cot
- Stowage slatting
- Raised forehatch in deckhead

- Spruce spars
- 2 x Spreader and jumpers mast
- Stainless steel standing rigging (2017-2018)
- Roller boom reefing and lazy jacks
- Mix of traditional ash, and Selden blocks
- 2 x Mainsails
- 1 x Quantum genoa
- Harken headsail furler - control led aft to port
- Covers for the mainsail, lantern light forward hatch and cockpit moored

- Beta Marine 13.5hp Diesel (2006)
- Folding propeller offset to starboard
- Galvanised inside filling water tank to port aft
- 20L Diesel tank

- Raymarine readouts port cockpit
- Depth sounder
- Log/ speedo
- Hand-held compass

- Manual bilge pump at lazarette hatch
- Automatic bilge pump

- Inflatable dinghy with oars
- 5 x Fenders
- 3 x Warps