YACHT: Why a junk rig?
Mark Case:In the nineties, when I was still living in the UK, I lived on a boat for several years and was introduced to junk rigging by a flatmate. I was immediately fascinated by this unique rig and joined the British Junk Rig Association.
But why did you convert a Maxi 95 into a junk of all things?
When I came to Norway, I first bought an Albin Vega and then a 31-foot junk. However, neither boat met my requirements, so I also bought a Maxi 95 without a mast that was ready for the scrap heap in order to build my personal dream boat - with all the ideas I had collected over the years. A very bad idea, by the way, the project took up an endless amount of time (laughs).
How long did it take?
I really did work on the ship every day for over four years. Even the Norwegian winter couldn't stop me. I was obsessed!
You could have built a completely new boat in that time. What made the conversion so time-consuming?
To be honest, I got carried away and did far more than was really necessary. In addition to the reconstruction, I first replaced the entire electrical system and then, piece by piece, everything else, including parts that could have been reused. The biggest challenge, however, was building the new hybrid mast, the lower six metres of which are made from a thick, heavy aluminium tube and the upper six metres from a wooden Colin Archer mast section that was old but still very solid. This way I wanted to save weight at the top.
But wooden masts are considered rather heavy ...
That's right! That's why I sawed through the mast lengthways by hand, hollowed it out from the inside and then glued it back together again with loads of epoxy.
What exactly fascinates you about the junk rig?
This rig is incredibly easy to operate, even single-handed. It is also reduced to the bare essentials and there is nothing that cannot be repaired with simple means. There are no shrouds or stages, and yet the Maxi sails very well downwind. On upwind courses there are losses, but my racing days are over. I just want to cruise in a relaxed manner and prefer to wait for a tailwind if necessary.
Nevertheless, you wanted to sell the boat after three years. Why?
Yes, that's a bit complicated. For one thing, my children grew up, so I wanted a bigger boat too. And then I was in the middle of the divorce process - which could have something to do with the fact that I was spending all my time building my junk maxi. But now she's no longer for sale. I just can't part with her and will probably sell the new boat I've bought in the meantime so that I can continue to invest in the interior of the maxi.
