Shipyard history you can touch: Birger Hansen, why is X-Yachts bringing back the "Okyalos"?
Morten Strauch
· 02.03.2023
Tell me, Birger, are you sailing into the past?
I would rather say back to the future! With the "Okyalos", the most sophisticated X-Yachts of all time is finally returning to the shipyards in Haderslev. She was launched there 32 years ago. No ship before or since has been built by us with as much effort, attention to detail and without budget limits as this one-tonner.
What was so special about this boat back then?
We received the order for this yacht from Yiannis Kostopoulos, who had won all three-quarter tonne regattas with his X. He was looking for a new challenge. He was looking for a new challenge. So we suggested that he change class and build him a one-tonner for the 1990 World Championship in Marstrand. As money was no object, we were able to let off steam and work with the best materials available on the market. All the fittings were made of titanium and we worked with prepreg carbon, i.e. carbon fibre fabrics that were pre-impregnated with epoxy resin. That was rocket science in boat building back then. Today, racing yachts are still built in exactly the same way as we did 32 years ago.
Conversely, does that mean that X-Yachts' boats have become worse since then?
No, of course not! "Okyalos" was built exclusively to win regattas. In her very first year, she won the World Championship in Marstrand. In 1991, the French Corum team won the Admiral's Cup with her(as one of three boats in the team, editor's note).That was our mission accomplished! Today's X-Yachts cannot be compared with her at all. These are production boats that have to have good cruising characteristics in addition to their performance. A boat like the "Okyalos", on the other hand, is only built once in a lifetime.
You only build a boat like the 'Okyalos' once in a lifetime."
How can you imagine experimenting with new materials over 30 years ago?
In our development department, I had built a four square metre room that I could heat up to 80 degrees using a sauna heater. Among other things, I experimented with vacuum infusion, sandwich laminates with honeycomb structure and prepreg carbon. Those were literally hot times! To cool down, I could then switch to a deep-freeze container in which the carbon had to be stored.
Where did you actually find "Okyalos"?
She had a German owner for the last 22 years. She was moored at Knierim on the Kiel Canal. I'd had my eye on her for a while. When she suddenly came up for sale, I jumped in the car, drove to Kiel and bought her. Back in Denmark, I dismantled all the conversions that had been carried out in the meantime to restore her to her original condition.
Will "Okyalos" now lie in the exhibition halls in Haderslev, or will she go back into the water?
It will mainly be on display in the showroom, together with build number one of the X-79, which we have also bought back. For our customers and dealers, this is history they can touch. But once a year, the boats should return to their element and show what they can still do. Alsen or Funen round would be a good place for this.
