Text by Luisa Schumann
It is a mild evening in the middle of June, a light breeze is blowing across the Flensburg Fjord, the excitement of an upcoming regatta is in the air. In front of the clubhouse of the Flensburg Sailing Club, older and younger sailors bustle about, greetings are shouted, boats are slipped, masts are set. While the smaller six-metre yachts and 5.5s are still arriving or the boats are being prepared on their road trailers, nine of the ten 12mR yachts that will be competing in the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup in the coming days are already ready to sail on the jetty.
Hidden among them, at the end of the jetty, is the star of the regatta, wrapped in a tartan dress made of foil: the "Jenetta". A few weeks ago, the new old ship was able to experience its second launch, the first of which was a proud 80 years ago: 2019 marks the rebirth of the "Jenetta".
If you want to stick with the image of "Jenetta" as a star, Oliver Berking is her manager, so to speak. He discovered her, refurbished her and helped her to new fame. The founder of the Robbe & Berking Classics shipyard has long been passionate about yachts with history, especially those built according to the 12-mR formula.
Berking is busy walking back and forth on the jetty, chatting and shaking hands. On this Wednesday evening, he is not only the manager of a boat star, but also the organiser of the regatta starting the next day, the Sterling Cup. As a passionate 12-metre enthusiast, he begins to share his knowledge of the historic class as if on cue. "The 12mR formula was created in 1906 when representatives from eleven countries came together in London to draft a standard that would unify the rules for racing yachts internationally. Up until then, everyone had built their boat the way they wanted. And when these boats competed against each other, it was of course difficult to determine who was actually the best sailor."
"Jenetta" looked like a "children's birthday party with a campfire"
Berking strolls along the 12 mR yachts and reels off their history. If the yachts were books, they would be aged, thick tomes, some with new covers, others with older ones, but all full to bursting with marvellous episodes about their varied existence.
"And this here is the fastest 12-mR yacht, but nobody knows that yet," Berking comes to stand in front of his star. The "Jenetta" lies quietly between the other ships, the crew has now been training three times. "It's simply all new, everything is happening for the first time," summarises Berking.
Eleven years ago, the yacht, designed in 1939, looked anything but glamorous: Neglected by her previous owner, she was rotting away on a jetty on Pitt Lake near Vancouver, Canada. When a thunderstorm came up on Christmas Day 2008, the rotten wood gave way and the old lady sank to her mooring. Berking, who says he knows the whereabouts of every Twelve ever built, had been following the situation of the Scottish-built boat with concern for some time. When she finally sank, he received several phone calls asking whether he had heard about "Jenetta's" fate and what he intended to do now.
Naturally, a situation like this did not leave the twelve-boat enthusiast cold, and so he persuaded the Canadian owner to sell him the remains of the yacht. According to Berking, she looked terrifying, completely rotten with traces of fire in the interior. "As if it had been used for a children's birthday party. With a bonfire!" In 2010, the wreck was salvaged from the Canadian lake and transported to the fjord, which Berking organised together with a Flensburg logistics company.
"Jenetta" does not fully survive salvage
A sailor pushes past Berking on the packed jetty and pats him on the shoulder: "Well, Oliver, all the sheep together?" Berking laughs, "yes, I'm standing here like a shepherd". In fact, the majority of the yachts are kept in the Robbe & Berking Classics hangar in winter, and so the shipyard manager looks after his treasures, especially in the off-season. When another sailor congratulates him on his latest success, the "Jenetta", the grin on Berking's face widens even more - he had to take special care of this little sheep. After all, there was a pile of boat parts lying in front of the shipyard in Glücksburg at the time, as the hull of the "Jenetta" had not survived the salvage operation in its entirety. Now it was up to Berking to find an owner for this "pile of yacht". But why salvage a wreck only to build it almost from scratch?
First of all, there are very few of the much sought-after and much-loved 12 mR yachts in the world. Between the establishment of the rule at the beginning of the 20th century and 1987, around 170 yachts of this class were built; today, just over 100 of them still exist. Furthermore, the "Jenetta" is one of the few ships that were built according to the third version of the metre class rule, the so-called Third Rule. "The rules were of course amended so that faster boats could be built. And so the Third Rule ships are quite simply the fastest," summarises Berking.
According to ITMA rules, "Jenetta" may only be restored, not rebuilt
The formula was introduced in 1933, but then came the Second World War and no more ships were built for the time being. It was not until the end of the war that yacht building picked up again. And after the twelve-oars had already served as an Olympic boat class in 1908, 1912 and 1920, they were used to sail for the America's Cup from 1958 to 1987. In 1988, a new class with larger and faster boats was established for the America's Cup. This marked the end of the era of the classic 12-mR designs.
Another reason why Oliver Berking had the wreck salvaged: According to the rules of the International Twelve Metre Association (ITMA), only one 12 metre yacht may be built according to each drawn design - so the "Jenetta" could not be rebuilt, only restored. This meant that at least parts of her old self had to be used in the new version. According to the ITMA statutes, this must be at least 50 per cent. As the keel weighs 17 tonnes and the original boat 27 tonnes, this requirement has been met.
The yacht's keel was laid in 2017. Work began on the deck with the frames made of ash wood and stainless steel, and the hull was turned a few months later. The Flensburg boat builders planked the deck and hull in mahogany.
The morning of the first regatta day at the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup presents itself from its sunniest side. A glance at the fjord shows marvellous conditions; sailors in shorts scurry across the jetty, a grin can be seen on almost everyone's face. Only one team is not in the mood to smile, because the winches on the "Jenetta" are on strike; there is no question of setting sail for the time being. Instead of resorting to modern products, the owner and project management of the "Jenetta" decided to rebuild the original winches.
Owner trio sails regattas
The team members really try everything to get the gearboxes in shape before the first start, but it soon becomes clear that replacement winches are needed. What luck that the Robbe & Berking Classics shipyard is only a stone's throw away. Until they are swapped, however, it's a case of waiting and watching the others set sail. The team members of the "Jenetta" scowl as they disembark one by one. Oliver Berking also looks a little grim. "It's really annoying that this has happened!" The owner and crew deserved to be at the start of the first race here today.
The owner trio of the "Jenetta" consists of three businessmen from northern Germany: Sven Dose, Thomas "Thommy" Müller and Mathias Wagner. Müller will be at the helm for the first two days of the regatta, but Sven Dose will also take over the helmsman's position from time to time. They have agreed that the person who is not steering will sail the mainsail.
Müller is a successful kite sailor with one World Champion and two Gold Cup titles. Of all three owners, he has probably competed in the most regattas in recent years. And Mathias Wagner? "He's the most experienced and best backstay sailor I've ever seen," Thomas Müller blurts out. No wonder, as he sailed for many years on the 12 metre MR yacht "Sphinx" before buying the "Jenetta".
Alfred Mylne designed "Jenetta" in 1939
And so each of the three owners describes the new baby in different words: While Mathias Wagner finds it "simply great" to move the lady across the fjord, Sven Dose calls the yacht a "racing goat" compared to his touring boat. And Thommy Müller explains that the "Jenetta" is comparable to a large kite due to its long keel and 7/8 rig, but "much, much harder to get going". The 15-strong crew, which the owners have put together from former fellow sailors, friends and professionals, helps to get the boat going. "We are very, very happy with our crew," explains Müller. "They do a great job."
Meanwhile, Berking, who has several children, relaxes a little on his sleek wooden commuter yacht, which is used as a support vessel: "This regatta is often my only opportunity all year to get out on the water." On board the motor yacht this time is an international guest: David Gray, the head of Mylne Yacht Design. Alfred Mylne, who founded the design office in 1896, designed the "Jenetta" in 1939, and the yacht was built a second time according to his plans. Soon after the Hulk was salvaged in Canada, it became clear that nothing could be preserved apart from the lead keel, but the designers at the Flensburg shipyard stuck strictly to the original plans during the restoration - they didn't want a new boat, but to bring the old one back to life.
Origin of the name is unclear
Around 20,000 hours of work and a lot of passion later, David Gray has travelled to witness the rebirth of the historic yacht. His eyes light up when he talks about the training he was able to experience on the "Jenetta" last day: "It was wonderful, such a great honour. This design, this art! I haven't seen such great quality on a ship for a long time." Although he did not inherit the design office, but bought it a few years ago, he now knows the founder almost as well as his father. His book about Alfred Mylne, for which he has done a lot of research in recent years, is due to be published at the end of this year.
And so Gray begins to tell the story of the Glasgow-born designer, who lived from 1872 to 1951 and created more than 400 yachts. "Alfred Mylne was typically Scottish, very modest and did not advertise himself," explains Gray. "Nevertheless, he soon became very well known, as yachts designed by him won many other regattas around the world as well as Olympic ones." Between 1896 and 1946, Mylne designs were created in Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia and Japan, among others. The Scotsman designed more than ten 12-mR yachts, but the "Jenetta" was something special for him: at the age of 67 and the political turmoil, Mylne probably suspected that this could be the last yacht to come from his pen.
The ship was commissioned by Sir William Burton, who had made his fortune in sugar and had skippered the "Shamrock IV" in the 1920 America's Cup, in which he was only narrowly defeated by the American challengers. It is no longer possible to clearly reconstruct where the "Jenetta" got her name, but one thing is clear: the elderly Mr Alfred Mylne put a great deal of passion and emotion into this design.
"Jenetta" adorns herself with a foiled tartan skirt
In honour of the great designer, the shipyard and owner have decided to decorate the hull of the yacht for the first season with a tartan pattern, the traditional pattern of the region where Alfred Mylne comes from. Not everyone who looks at the yacht's tartan is particularly taken with it: many think it should have been left in its original wooden look instead of being covered under a film. But David Gray is behind the idea: "If you had the opportunity back then to paint a yacht in the colours of a tartan pattern, I'm sure Mylne would have done it," he says with a grin. "At least he wouldn't have minded!" Mylne liked things that caused a bit of controversy; the conformity of British society was repugnant to the Scotsman.
And so, in the year of her 80th birthday, the yacht designed by Alfred Mylne sails gently to the starting line of a classic regatta in northern Germany. The history of the ship can hardly be reconstructed, some previous owners have been identified, but the "Jenetta" has no particular regatta history, reports Oliver Berking. With the exception of one legendary race because of the result: in a regatta in 1939, "Jenetta" beat the successful American-built "Vim", which won 19 out of 28 races that season.
Second-longest 12-mR yacht ever built
After that, the Scottish yacht does not appear to have competed in any further races. But that is not noticeable today on the Flensburg Fjord. Without any problems, the Nautiquity joins the pearl necklace of 12 metre MR yachts at the starting line. After the shot she keeps up for a long time, but after a few hundred metres she sinks to leeward. In sixth place, "Jenetta" rounds the windward mark, then makes up a few places on the next lap and is in third place on the following rounding of the windward mark.
The newborn ship sails extremely fast downwind. This may be due to the fact that the "Jenetta" is the second longest 12 metre R yacht ever built. The 27-tonne ship rushes across the Flensburg Fjord under a light blue spinnaker; tactician Malte Philipp has obviously opted for the right-hand side of the downwind course. The yacht "Vim", which is just in second place, sails over the left downwind side, the two 1939-designed yachts appear to be on an equal footing. And indeed: "Jenetta" rounds the leeward gate ahead of "Vim", which she had already beaten in 1939. A short finishing cross follows. When the "Jenetta" crosses the finish line in second place behind the "Trivia", there is great joy.
"I'm incredibly touched," says David Gray with shining eyes. The 80-year-old Scot may not have much left in material terms, but there is one thing she can certainly still do today - and perhaps even more so than in her first life: To inspire passion and emotion for the sport of sailing and its great history.
Technical data of the twelve-person "Jenetta"
- Design engineer:Alfred Mylne
- Year of construction:1939
- Material:Mahogany planked
- Restoration:2017-2019
- Shipyard:Robbe & Berking Classics
- Torso length: 21,70 m
- Waterline length: 14,20 m
- Width:3,7 m
- Weight:27,0 t
- sail area:170 m2
This article first appeared in YACHT 16/2019 and has been updated for this online version.
