Classic: History on the scrap heap

A very special kind of call for help. The action "Save the classics!" of the Friends of Classic Yachts is desperately looking for an enthusiast to take on the 13.70 metre long gentleman's yacht from 1937 - otherwise she will be scrapped this month.

"The owner even has the boat now on Ebay ", says Jan Lohrengel, patron and driving force behind the campaign since its inception. Lohrengel compiled the CV some time ago for the "Klassiker!", the members' magazine of the Freundeskreis:

"Froya of Rhu" - a great name, a beautiful and impeccably built boat and an interesting history. In other words, everything a classic yacht needs.

English yachting in the 1930s left behind legendary yachts, was characterised by impressive personalities and enjoyed regattas and events that were both sporting and socially interesting. The "Froya of Rhu" was part of this scene. According to a Loyds Register entry from 1978, her typical Scottish name, which initially refers to the town of Rhu on the Clyde side arm Gareloch, had two predecessors: "Joyrena" and "Pompler". Built in Cowes on the Isle of Whight by the shipyard J. Samuel White & Co. Ltd. in Cowes on the Isle of Whight in 1937, she was designed by B. Heckstall-Smith & W. McC. Meek & Co. Brooke Heckstall-Smith was a well-known British sailing official at the time and, among other things, the driving force behind the revision of the "international rule" of 1906. The "Froya of Rhu" is therefore of English origin through and through.

The primary purpose of her construction was initially the 1938 World Exhibition in Paris. Presented there, she was immediately awarded the title "boat of the year". This new-found popularity persuaded the Earl of Livingston to buy her and give her to his daughter as a wedding present, which must have delighted the groom. Actively sailed in regattas, she took one of the top places at Cowes Week at least twice. She was then sold to Scotland, where she sailed for most of her life. The Hebrides and the Isle of Skye were her home waters. Unfortunately, nothing more is known about this period.

The trail leads to a story from the 1970s about a young English family. As owners of the "Froya", their home port was Dartmouth-River Dart/Cornwall. The family with three children wanted to go travelling around the world. In Dartmouth, the boats are moored at the pier on solid ground at low tide. While the children were asleep on board and the parents were ashore, the yacht tipped over and was lying on its starboard side in the harbour basin with a corresponding list and crushed planks. The children were unharmed. The "Froya" was provisionally sealed at low tide, but was no longer seaworthy. The insurance company paid for the constructive total loss, and a Hamburg resident bought the "Froya" from the insurance company.

The yacht was transported to Germany on a coaster, where it was secured on its side on a hatch. She was unloaded in Brunsbüttel and arrived in Glückstadt via detours and after another change of ownership, where she has not seen the water to this day and is patiently waiting for her second life. A very complex total restoration, as the pictures show. The reward, however, is a unique boat with everything that characterises a classic yacht. The main dimensions of the "Froya of Rhu" are: Length above deck 13.70m, width 3.30m and a draught of 2.35m.

If you are interested, please contact Jan Lohrengel directly: Element not implemented:

The "Save the classics" campaign is still looking for "district researchers"

"Tracking down historically valuable boats in need of restoration is the first essential step towards saving them. The Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten needs your help! Please report your discoveries to us and feel free to take a look "around the dockyard corner" during your harbour walk. From dinghies to schooners, inland and on the coast: a photo, a contact person and the location are already an important start!"