She stands out even from a distance. With her low freeboard of almost 80 centimetres, she looks much flatter than the voluminous large-scale production yachts moored next to her in the tranquil natural harbour of Langballigau on the Flensburg Fjord. Her length-to-width ratio is also more reminiscent of an archipelago cruiser than a modern cruising boat. And yet, of all the yachts here in the harbour, the "Jana vun de Geest" is probably the one that has travelled the most in its 20-plus years. "Together with my wife Christa, I have now logged 35,000 nautical miles," says her owner Hans Peter Sass. Mostly between the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic.
With the construction of his "Jana", the 80-year-old from Schleswig-Holstein has fulfilled a big dream. "As a civil engineer, I've already built a lot of different things," he says, "but building my boat was a project close to my heart. I was finally able to realise all my wishes. I can still say with conviction today that the boat is my dream boat."
Hans Peter Sass had collected enough criteria for the design in his life as a sailor. "I grew up on the Kiel Fjord and made my first attempts at sailing with an Albin Vega," he recalls. However, the desire for a slightly faster boat soon grew, and Sass switched to a Grenada 31, which he owned for ten years, followed by a Grenada 34. "I often sailed the North Sea Week with these two boats," says Sass. Always under the pennant of the Langballigau yacht club, of which he was the first chairman for a long time. But in the summer, he was mostly travelling by boat. He was particularly keen on long-distance sailing. "I sailed in the regatta from Helgoland to Skagen eleven times and five times from Helgoland to Edinburgh." His dream boat had to combine good sailing and seaworthiness with a functional interior. "Because during these long-distance regattas, I realised where my requirements for a new boat lay and where most of them were lacking," says Sass.
Built according to your own ideas down to the last detail
His home waters also played a role in the design: "Back then, I often sailed from Meldorf along the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. With the fixed draught of 1.80 metres, however, this was only possible with many restrictions," he says. A variable draught was at the top of his wish list. "But no lifting keel, I don't think much of that. I'd rather have a centreboard that folds back when it touches the ground."
Sass had always liked the boats designed by Georg Nissen from Laboe, so he approached the designer directly with a wish list. "However, I didn't like his previous designs with a canting keel at all," says Sass, and the two initially disagreed. "At some point, Georg Nissen presented me with a design for a twelve-metre boat that he had actually designed for himself." Sass liked it immediately, a narrow hull with a flat underwater hull. Only the superstructure was not to his liking, and some modifications were also needed to the interior. But as an engineer, he was sure that everything could be customised to his wishes. "If you could draw me the boat with a canting keel and a classic superstructure," he told Nissen, "then we have an order." The designer had no objections.
"Working with Georg was a great pleasure from day one," Sass repeats again and again. His eyes light up as he explains the detailed solutions he was able to realise in his dream boat - "always in consultation with Nissen, of course". "For example, I chose a different layout for the locker lids and moved the engine back a few centimetres so that the sliding hatch can be fully recessed in the companionway." Sass also fitted a storage compartment for the life raft and halyards in the bridge deck in front of the companionway. "I also deviated from the original plan for the interior fittings," says Sass. For example, he wanted a cooker that could swing freely even when the boat was in a strong position and wouldn't hit at 15 degrees. "We experienced this time and again on the long-distance regattas," says Sass. The cooker on board his "Jana" can now swing freely up to 30 degrees.
Congenial collaboration with boat builder Paul Hinz
After Georg Nissen had modified the drawings with a canting keel and an extended superstructure, Hans Peter Sass hired two boat builders to produce the hull on a disused farm "in the Geest". "I was very lucky with the boat builder Paul Hinz, who not only had very good craftsmanship, but also had great suggestions and ideas, for which I am still grateful to him today," says Sass. "Unfortunately, Paul only survived the construction of the ship by a few years. But I am still so grateful to him for his great work that even today, 20 years later, I still send his widow a Christmas bonus every winter. There aren't many such talented boat builders in our country."
Nissen suggested Strongplank as a building material, twelve metre long, GRP-coated foam strips that are easy to process and then covered with GRP. "I even attended a short course for self-builders at the time and was surprised at how easy it was to make something with it," says Sass. The result is still impressive today, and it's hard to believe that the boat didn't come from a negative mould.
A total of two cubic metres of teak were used in the boat. I think even more"
"After the hull was completed, the opportunity arose to rent the former Bieritz shipyard in Friedrichskoog," says Sass, "so the half-finished 'Jana vun de Geest' moved to the marsh, where Paul the boatbuilder also lived," says Sass. An exciting time for the engineer, in which he saw his dream become reality piece by piece. But Sass wasn't just watching - during the construction period, he was constantly developing new detailed solutions, which Hinz then had to implement. "I was sitting at the source in my design office and was able to have my ideas drawn right away," says Sass.
However, his ideas did not always meet with the enthusiasm of boat builder Paul, especially not in the case of a round tiller. "'Dat geiht nich', Paul said at first, but then he was persuaded to agree to 'Well, if we can do it like this ...'," says Sass. Paul Hinz knew exactly which solutions could be realised in terms of boatbuilding. "When it came to the hatch frame made of eight-centimetre-thick solid teak, Paul just said: 'Hans Peter, this is supposed to be a yacht, why so solid?" But he built it anyway.
"A few years after Paul's death, I took his two grown-up daughters to the 'Jana'," Sass recalls. When he introduced Paul's daughters to his sailing mates, everyone had a few words of praise for his craftsmanship. "We didn't know our father as such a valued artist," the daughters said later, "we only ever took him to the boatyard and picked him up again in the evening."
Many special solutions based on long-term driving experience
Hans Peter Sass also had special requests for the interior fittings: the walls above the berths had to be panelled with teak strips, "that's the way it should be for me", the nuts of the deck fittings should be visible from below, "then you can immediately see which screw is leaking". The distances between the interior fittings were not too large "so that you have a good grip at sea", and a sturdy but barely noticeable handrail runs around the superstructure. Many special solutions based on his long-distance sailing experience. The oil locker has its own heating vent "so that we can get into warm oilskins when changing the watch", and the door to the foredeck can be divided by a third. "There's a story behind it, of course," Hans Peter Sass introduces another anecdote, which he always tells in a highly amusing way. "Once at sea, a sail bag slipped so awkwardly into the space between the door and the bunk that we had to smash it to get in." An unusual case. "That can't happen now, anyway."
Solid teak was used where it made sense, for example for the floorboards, the table top and the steps. "A total of two cubic metres of teak are used in the boat," says Sass with a wink, "I think I even had to buy some more." Paul Hinz glued the deck beams together from several mouldings, and the varnished teak contrasts wonderfully with the white ceiling. In general, the entire composition of materials and colours has a more than nave effect. And stable.
A ship-like and truly seaworthy cabin
Sass also had the teak deck made slightly thicker than planned. Hinz not only covered the running decks with twelve-millimetre battens, but also the superstructure. "Nissen suggested making the waterline five centimetres higher," recalls Sass. The large amount of wood on deck in combination with the flush-mounted locker lids creates the feeling that everything is cast from a single mould. A consequence that many designers appreciate, but which shipyards rarely realise for cost reasons.
Walking around the deck, you can feel how solid and stable the ship is built. No expense was spared when building the hull either and a tonne of epoxy resin was used in total. "But I'm still glad today that I had the boat built so sturdily," says Sass. However, his "Jana" has not become too heavy. "She weighs 6.4 tonnes," says Sass, slightly embarrassed. For a twelve-metre-long single structure, that's perfectly acceptable.
The keel box sits in the centre of the saloon, is made entirely of steel and then clad in wood. Thanks to its solid construction, it is stable enough to accommodate a small gimmick hidden under the rear cover: "A strong wire can be hooked in here for craning, allowing the whole boat to be lifted. Crane straps are not necessary with this boat."
At the front end of the keel box there is a simple and completely unobtrusive keel lowering indicator. Instead of a sensor and digital display, Sass has simply connected a piece of Dyneema to the swivelling keel on one side and a rubber stopper on the other. "It couldn't be simpler," assures Sass, "but this way we can always reliably see how far the keel is down."
Practicality was more important than comfort
Sass dispensed with the excessive comfort of modern cruising boats, such as a shower or a large refrigerator. Practicality for life at sea in the form of sturdy lee sails or high sails was much more important to him in the design.
The wind is blowing gently on this autumn morning, and Hans Peter Sass climbs light-footedly over the deck of his "Jana" to cast off the lines. Sailing obviously keeps him fit. The lines are deposited on the poles, the reverse gear is engaged. "Watch out, it's about to get hectic," he warns us, as the distance between the end of his box and the row of stern piles on the neighbouring jetty seems a little short for the long ship, which is also equipped with a double rudder system. Turning in the tightest of spaces only works via the wheel effect. But with a skilful manoeuvre and a quick forward-backward change, Sass manages to turn the bow of his "Jana" precisely past the stern of the neighbouring boat. An experienced manoeuvre. The 29 hp Yanmar diesel purrs quietly under the cockpit floor. It is already the second engine since the boat was launched. The harbour entrance is quickly in the wake and the keel can be lowered to a full 2.25 metres. At the mast, Sass pulls up the mainsail hand over hand, while his wife Christa takes the slack out of the halyard. A well-rehearsed team.
His wife stays at the tiller. Despite the light wind, "Jana vun de Geest" quickly picks up speed, instantly converting every gust into acceleration. She is completely balanced on the rudder, even when the stronger pushes come in and the ship heels up considerably. At the same time, a glow spreads across Hans Peter Sass' face that will not disappear until he moors. Even after 35,000 nautical miles, his enthusiasm for the ship has not worn off. He sits on the coaming and enjoys the rushing wake of his "Jana".
The cockpit is well thought out and easy to use
The cockpit is extremely long and deep, and the working position between the benches is safe and effective. A real manoeuvring cockpit in which all lines and winches are within easy reach. When tacking, the backstays have to be operated, something that Hans Peter Sass and his wife Christa have long since learnt to do. "The mast of my Grenada 34 broke during a regatta in the very first year," says Sass, "so instead of a new top rig, I opted for a 7/8 rig, which required a lot of conversion work, but it was worth it." That's why "Jana vun de Geest" was also rigged 7/8.
After the first trial run from Meldorf, Sass optimised the sail plan once again: "The boom looked too high, so we laid the mast again and attached the boom 15 centimetres lower. That looked better." The sail plan now looks very sporty and pleasing at the same time. In addition to the backstays, the rig also has a jumpstay, and many components are made from Dyneema, with all connections neatly spliced. The mainsheet is attached to a traveller in the middle of the cockpit and has two gear ratios. Hans Peter Sass sits comfortably leaning against the coaming and holds his wooden ring tiller in one hand. "The distance is just right. At least for me," he laughs. The tiller was really worth the many discussions with boat builder Paul Hinz.
There is nothing that the owner would change
While "Jana vun de Geest" sails down the fjord and her crew chats about boat building and many memorable journeys, there is suddenly a quiet crunch under the boat and "Jana" comes to a halt. "Oh dear, how embarrassing. We've run onto a sandbank," says Hans Peter Sass. But he and his wife Christa remain completely relaxed. At the aft end of the cockpit there are two push buttons labelled "Raise" and "Lower". At the push of a button, the crew can reduce the draught from 2.25 metres to just 1.10 metres using hydraulics. Sass presses the right button, and within barely a minute, "Jana vun de Geest" floats free again, drifts to leeward and picks up speed. "That's the beauty of a swing keeler," says Hans Peter Sass with a grin. It was far from the first time that "Jana" had grounded. "Mostly in mudflats, though," confirms Sass, "and not quite as surprisingly as just now."
Looking back, Hans Peter Sass can't think of anything he would change about the boat. "On the first regatta to Scotland, we sailed straight into heavy weather," he recalls, "and realised that the drainage channels of the forecastle boxes could be a little deeper. We then optimised that." That's all. In 20 years. "Thanks to extensive planning, the boat turned out pretty well."
Other sailors that Sass has met on his many journeys agree. "A sailor from England once saw our boat from the Dover-Calais Channel ferry and photographed it. He then tracked down our yacht club via the DSV and sent the photo there," says Sass, visibly impressed by the effort the Brit had put in. He recently had a similar experience in Belgium: "A Belgian told me: 'But you have a beautiful modern classic'," emphasises Sass. "And that made me really happy, because that's exactly what I had in mind with my design at the time - a modern ship with classic lines."
Technical data "Jana vun de Geest"
- Design engineer:Georg Nissen
- Total length: 11,99 m
- Waterline length:10,00 m
- Width:3,20 m
- Draught/alternative:1,10/2,25 m
- Weight:6,4 t
- Ballast/proportion: 2,1 t/33 %
- Mainsail:42,2 m²
- Fock:24,0 m²
