Refurbishment on Ærø: "Talisman" - a classic under the sustainability flag

It is 28 September 1920 when the lines are cast off for the maiden voyage of the "Talisman" at Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder on the Lower Weser. Shipyard boss Henry Rasmussen is on board himself. The previous year, he had designed the cruiser yacht for his friend and client Rudolf Schröder. The 37-tonne gaff ketch is 18.60 metres long at the time, carries 189.70 square metres of sail area on the wind and also has a broad jib, balloon and spinnaker on board.

"Talisman" is the first steel construction at A&R - and Schröder is delighted with his yacht. Nevertheless, he parted with her in 1923. In the first 80 years or so of her eventful life, she would belong to a total of ten different owners from Germany, Denmark and Sweden and bear the names "Latona", "Nairana" and "Capricho". She will be sailed between the Baltic and the Mediterranean, her hull extended by 1.40 metres and the gaff rig swapped for a Bermuda rig. She survived several rammings as well as a serious explosion on board and only narrowly escaped ending up in a blast furnace.

She survived an explosion and narrowly escaped the blast furnace

A total renovation was due after a lightning strike

In 1999, two Swedes purchased the Stahlketsch on Mallorca. They also put a lot of money and work into refurbishing the yacht and sailed her for several years in the Mediterranean under her christened name. In July 2014, a lightning strike sets the ship on fire in Stockholm. However, the insurance company steadfastly refused to pay for the damage, and so "Talisman" finally came into the hands of its current owner in 2019. The Hamburg-based IT entrepreneur chose Monica Fabricius' HCC Bådeværft in Marstal on the Danish island of Ærø for the complete refurbishment.

The basis of the commission is to preserve the history of the yacht and to show how sensibly utilised technology can help to redevelop existing resources.

The most important key data are quickly defined: an electric motor with an output of 100 kW as propulsion and an electric bow thruster with an output of 25 kW for better manoeuvrability. Both are powered by a lithium-ion battery bank, which is charged with renewable energy by a hydrogenerator and solar panels. All materials used should be as sustainable as possible.

First impression: The "Talisman" is in better shape than feared

In December 2019, the yacht comes to Marstal on its own keel. At the turn of the year, she will be brought ashore by a mobile crane, where a large tent will be erected around her. The Copenhagen-based company Hauschildt Marine uses CAD software to create 3D plans of the 20-metre yacht, in which all upcoming work can now be simulated on the computer.

But first the hull will be completely gutted. All historically significant parts are labelled, catalogued and stored, as was already done with the rig parts. All the ballast is removed from the keel and weighed in order to obtain the most accurate information possible for the subsequent weight trim. "When the keel was empty, we were pleasantly surprised. We had feared that it would be in a much worse condition," recalls Ole Jonge from the HCC shipyard, who is managing the refurbishment together with Monica Fabricius.

In the underwater area, the hull still consists of old riveted plates. Above the waterline, there are only newer steel plates that have been welded together. Only a few of the plates need to be replaced and some of the unused through-holes need to be sealed. Finally, 1,700 steel "rivet heads" are glued to the new steel plates of the bulwark to simulate the rivet look of 1920.

Corona makes refurbishment a challenge

When the yacht celebrates its 100th anniversary on 28 September 2020, coronavirus makes a major celebration impossible. The measures against the pandemic become the biggest challenge of the three-year renovation. They led to supply bottlenecks and price increases for almost all of the components required, as well as repeated travel restrictions.

"As 'Talisman' is very compact, we also invested a lot of time in finding all the necessary equipment in the smallest possible dimensions," explains project manager Jonge. "When we started the work, there was no electric motor on the market that was small enough and had the right power." The owner wanted the electric drive as it came closest to the yacht's original motorless state.

Finally, the German manufacturer Torqeedo can provide the most harmonised drive concept. Its Deep Blue hybrid system offers propulsion and energy management for large sailing yachts up to 120 feet in length with perfectly harmonised components from a single source. The high-voltage electric motor delivers a continuous input power of 100 kW at 360 volts. The 360 V lithium battery system is available to operate the motor. Three Deep Blue BMW i3 batteries are installed in the centre of the ship; elaborately damped to avoid vibrations. Each of them has a capacity of 42.2 kWh. One of the batteries alone, measuring around 1.7 x 1 metre and 17 centimetres high, weighs 284 kilograms.

Solar panels can be hoisted on the masts

As "Talisman" is classified by the international classification society DNV, it cannot have a purely electric drive, but must have a hybrid drive. A diesel generator ensures that the batteries can be recharged at any time. A 50 kW generator in the bow feeds into the 360 V high-voltage system.

Whenever possible, however, the batteries are to be charged directly on board using renewable energy. A hydrogenerator supplies charging current for this purpose. Solar panels are also used, which are hoisted on the masts when the yacht is at anchor or at sea in a calm.

The interior of the "Talisman" is not original, but classic

After "Talisman" has been freshly sandblasted and given a coat of white primer, construction of the new interior will begin in spring 2021. It will not correspond to the original layout from 1920, but will still have a classic look.

A crew cabin with two bunk berths and its own small bathroom is created in the foredeck. There are two guest cabins to port and starboard aft with a shared bathroom. A U-shaped sofa and saloon table are provided amidships to starboard. On the port side, a flat-screen TV and the navigation equipment are concealed behind the doors of the high-quality cupboards. The modern galley is also to port. The spacious owner's cabin with its own bathroom is located aft.

The red khaya mahogany used for the interior fittings is predominantly lacquered white and set off with mouldings in a dark, red-brown natural wood tone. Individual areas in a natural wood tone provide contrast.

The hull is elaborately smoothed: smooth, but in such a way that the steel construction material is still recognisable. The new deck made of solid teak planks will be laid at the beginning of 2022. The undersides, which are visible as the ceiling inside the ship, have been painted white in advance.

Certified teak as a compromise

Large quantities of precious wood are used for the deck and interior fittings of the steel ketch. Teak and mahogany come from certified plantations. Every single plank that is processed in the shipyard is numbered and its origin is traceable. "That seems to me to be an acceptable compromise, even if local woods would of course be even more sustainable," says the owner.

• "Blood teak" in yacht building - and the alternatives

In summer 2022, the main propulsion system of the "Talisman" will come on board - the classic-looking sails come from the Ekko-Line by Elvstrøm. The Danish sailmaker is the first in the world to produce sails from polyester, which is made from 100 per cent recycled PET bottles. The ropes on board are also made from recycled PET bottles. Hamburg-based outfitter for traditional ships Toplicht launched it on the market for the first time in 2019 under the name Greenline. The supple and supple double braid in a natural fibre look with a fine green identification thread is used on "Talisman" for the entire running rigging.

Austrian cordage manufacturer Teufelberger also produces the twines for the 26-millimetre mooring lines from recycled PET. For the backstays and halyards, high-strength cordage made of "GreenDyneema" from Gleistein is used. It comes from naturally renewable raw materials. The petroleum component naphtha is replaced by organic naphtha from sustainable, certified forestry in a strictly controlled mass equalisation process. The products used for the antifouling and the topcoat are also environmentally friendly.

The pursuit of sustainability is reaching its limits

However, one of the goals of the sustainability concept cannot be realised. The market does not yet offer a satisfactory biowastewater treatment plant for the black water on a yacht of this size, as the owner and shipyard have realised. For this reason, "Talisman" is - of necessity - fitted with a faeces tank that has to be pumped out regularly in harbours. Despite this "setback", skipper Ingo Martens is optimistic about the future: "I have the impression that we are on a threshold. The topic of sustainability in yacht building is about to become even more important."

The topic of sustainability in yacht building is about to become even more important." (Skipper Ingo Martens)

At the end of August 2022, "Talisman" will set sail again for the first time. She carries around 190 square metres of sail area on the wind in her Bermuda rig, which was first used in 1959. The masts and booms made of Oregon pine from the previous Swedish owners have been refurbished and the massive main boom has been given a much more delicate design. Including the jib boom, "Talisman" has an overall length of 23.72 metres. A 240-square-metre gennaker will complete the sail wardrobe.

The "Talisman" sails well- on a large Baltic Sea cruise in summer 2023

Skipper Ingo Martens is immediately very impressed with the sailing characteristics of the "Talisman". "She sails pleasantly stiff and relatively dry. She also behaves very comfortably and quickly sets off at seven knots on a half-wind course."

And so, after just a handful of sailing days, anticipation is already building for the summer of 2023, when "Talisman" is due to set off on an extended Baltic Sea cruise. But before that, the interior fittings are to be completed. The top-class wooden boat construction will be complemented by many small, loving details: the lamps with porcelain light switches are from the Art Nouveau period, as are the handles on the cupboard doors and drawers. The fabrics used for all the upholstery and cushions are modelled on the Art Deco style of the 1920s.

An electric underfloor heating system keeps the boat warm. The owner can also imagine cruises to the high northern latitudes. Participation in classic regattas is also being considered, for which the original gaff rig could be brought back on board. It may also be possible to charter "Talisman" with a skipper in the future. The next exciting era in the yacht's fascinating history is only just beginning.

Technical data "Talisman"

• Year of construction: 1920
• Building yard: A&R
• Torso length: 20 m
• Waterline: 13,31 m
• Width:4,10 m
• Depth:2,35 m
• Displacement:37 t
• sail area: 190 square metres

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