For Kyrell Becker, luck struck like a bolt of lightning. He was just 21 years old and was training as a boatbuilder at the Stapelfeldt yacht and boat yard in Kappeln on the Schlei, under the wing of the experienced master craftsman Willy Stapelfeldt. Meanwhile, right next door, a very special wooden treasure was waiting for its second chance. For more than ten years, hidden behind other hulls and a thick layer of dust, a twelve-metre-long classic of a very special kind had stood there. Designed by one of the most renowned yacht designers of his time, this yacht, completed in 1965, was a real gem back then. But after the death of its owner, it remained on land; the widow did not want to sail it. For years, no one came forward who wanted the boat.
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Then Kyrell arrived. One day, he and Willy Stapelfeldt took a look at the yacht and were immediately impressed. Willy knew the boat inside out; he’d been looking after it for the owner for a long time. He muttered something to himself, went into the office with Kyrell, and suddenly things started to move quickly. Willy Stapelfeldt picked up the phone and rang the owner. “I’ve found someone who’ll take the boat,” he said. Kyrell stood there and, at first, didn’t realise what was happening.
The owner initially quoted a surprisingly low price. Although there was another prospective buyer, he mainly wanted to refurbish the boat’s exterior and repaint it. That did not meet her expectations. She wanted someone who would preserve the character of this classic yacht. Furthermore, the boat was to remain at the shipyard in Grauhöft. She made Kyrell a special offer: he could take over the yacht at a favourable price, but first he had to write her a handwritten letter introducing himself and explaining why he, in particular, was the right person for the boat. “Basically a job application,” recalls Kyrell with a laugh. He wrote the letter, apparently found the right words, and the owner agreed.
Olin Stephens and the genes of a racer
Three years on, and now a qualified shipwright’s apprentice, Kyrell sits at the helm of the ‘Pavane’ – which is now his own yacht – and gazes intently, his eyes shifting between the mainsail and the genoa. “She handles the wind brilliantly and can really take the pressure,” he explains. Kyrell has been sailing since he was a child and has a knack for handling this old lady as he ploughs through the Baltic waves off Schleimünde.
The “Pavane” has all the hallmarks of a true classic racer. It was designed in the early 1960s by the American Olin Stephens, one of the most influential yacht designers of the 20th century. The co-founder of the renowned New York-based design firm Sparkman & Stephens shaped modern yacht building like almost no other. With legendary designs such as the ‘Dorade’ and the ‘Stormy Weather’, Stephens made sailing history and created the prototype for the modern ocean-going sailing yacht. His boats won countless international regattas, including the America’s Cup on several occasions, and influenced generations of designers.
But what set the sailing designer’s designs apart from those of his contemporaries? Until then, yacht building had been shaped primarily by tradition, experience and craftsmanship. Stephens, however, was one of the first designers to systematically introduce scientific methods into yacht building. Hydrodynamic calculations, towing tests and systematic analyses became the cornerstones of his work. Science and research increasingly replaced pure gut instinct. This combination of theory and practice gave rise to yachts that not only looked elegant but were also demonstrably faster.
From the long-keel yacht to the modern offshore yacht
The ‘Pavane’ was built during this pivotal phase in yacht construction. In the 1960s, traditional long-keel yachts were increasingly being replaced by more high-performance offshore yachts – designs that were lighter, faster and more hydrodynamically efficient, without compromising their seaworthiness.
The RORC formula, devised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, was the defining factor that shaped international offshore racing at the time. Yachts of this generation dominated Europe’s major ocean races for years. At events such as the Fastnet Race or the Skagerrak Race, which covered some 300 nautical miles through the Skagerrak, the ‘Pavane’ was regularly among the leading group and held its own with confidence against strong international competition. Typical of Stephens are the sleek, balanced lines of the design: the elegant deck sweep, the low superstructure, the long overhangs. A well-thought-out design, suited to tough regattas as well as long ocean crossings in rough conditions.
But what was the reason for the success of this design? Whilst the full-length keel dominated from the 1930s to the 1950s – generating considerable frictional drag due to its large wetted surface area and thus costing speed, particularly in light winds – Stephens took a different approach. He gradually shortened the keel and made it deeper. The area required to reduce leeway was largely retained, whilst the wetted surface area was significantly reduced. On the ‘Pavane’, the rudder was still attached to the keel. This resulted in comparatively poor directional stability, particularly when sailing under spinnaker. In subsequent designs, the rudder was positioned further aft and supported by a skeg.
As a result, the wetted surface area remained relatively small, whilst course stability improved significantly across the entire range of wind angles. Just how groundbreaking Stephens’ transition from a long keel to more modern keel-and-rudder configurations was became apparent a few years later with the first Swan built by the Nautor shipyard. Built in Finland in 1966 and similar to the ‘Pavane’, Swan 36 ‘Tarantella’ is now regarded as the progenitor of all subsequent Swan yachts.
The ‘Pavane’ was laid down in 1964 at the historic Swedish shipyard Bröderna Martinsson in Svineviken, alongside her sister ships ‘Honey’ and ‘Charlotta III’. The design proved so successful that the hull was subsequently built on several occasions in Finland using fibreglass-reinforced plastic.
The sternpost: the biggest area of work
By then, she had already made sailing history, and Kyrell, a young apprentice boatbuilder, wanted to carry on this success story: “The biggest challenge was the stern. At first glance, it didn’t look too bad – neither soft nor obviously damaged.” However, because the boat had belonged to the shipyard for many years, Willy Stapelfeldt knew that the wooden lady had repeatedly suffered from leaks whilst there. Kyrell, then still an apprentice and with relatively little experience, took a bold decision: he sawned out the sternpost and built it from scratch. “It was quite an unusual sight,” he recalls. “But after that, I was no longer daunted by major structural work on the boat.” However, he never lost his sense of humility in the face of the boat’s valuable construction. His aim was always to preserve the ‘Pavane’ as close as possible to its original condition.
During the restoration, it became apparent that numerous bonded joints had reached the end of their service life. Kaurit, a first-generation synthetic resin adhesive, had been used; over the decades, it had become brittle and, in some places, was literally crumbling away. Kyrell removed the old joints and replaced some of the frames with newly made ones from laminated mahogany, which he cut from old church pews. The technical equipment was also completely overhauled. The engine was replaced, as were all the engine’s peripheral components. The entire on-board electrical system was stripped out; all the old cables were removed and replaced with a modern installation.
Despite this extensive work, the yacht remained remarkably faithful to its original design. For Kyrell had a clear objective: to restore the authentic, spartan feel of a genuine offshore racer. Every part of the vessel was designed for function and performance, and that was how it was to remain.
Three years of restoration work after work
Whilst buying the boat had been a financial stroke of luck, Kyrell now invested above all his sweat, perseverance and time. For just under three years, he worked on restoring the ‘Pavane’, mostly every evening after work, as well as at weekends and during the holidays, sometimes working until after midnight. When asked the classic question about how many hours he put in, he now has a simple answer: “After the first week, I stopped counting …”
He received support from the shipyard’s experienced boatbuilders. However, this presented a challenge of its own: “If you asked five people, you’d get five different opinions.” In the end, he had to decide for himself which approach was the right one. As well as the stern, he refurbished other parts of the hull. Parts of the frames beneath the engine were replaced, and minor damage to the hull was repaired. Surprisingly, despite its age, the yacht was in exceptionally good condition. There was hardly any rotten or badly damaged timber to be found. The yacht was exceptionally solid and built to withstand heavy loads.
The planking was made of mahogany, the frames of laminated oak; the keel and stem were originally made of oak but have now been replaced with kambala. Many of the load-bearing structural components are also made of bronze, which ensures high strength and good corrosion resistance.
Noteworthy: The keel is made from a double bronze T-beam. The floor frames are also made of bronze, whilst solid oak is used beneath the engine, as well as in the fore and aft sections.
Lightweight construction using plywood and aluminium
Although the technical possibilities were still limited at the time, reducing weight was already a priority, and the designers were already experimenting with innovative solutions to save every unnecessary kilogram. Consequently, the yacht was fitted with a narrow, elongated superstructure made of moulded plywood. Thanks to this construction method, it was possible to dispense with heavy deck beams to a large extent without compromising the necessary stability.
Elsewhere, too, materials that were unusual for the time were used: the cockpit tray is made of aluminium, as is the garage for the sliding hatch. The deck is made of teak laid over plywood.
Better performance with a new rig
The yacht’s sailing characteristics are very distinctive. “Close to the wind, she’s a speed demon and sits well and steadily on the rudder,” he explains. Downwind under spinnaker, however, the helmsman is put to the test. “By today’s standards, she would be considered under-rigged,” Kyrell sums up. With around 65 square metres of sail area when sailing close-hauled, she is rather slow in light winds. This realisation has prompted him to take a fundamental step: a new rig is to be fitted next year. The original aluminium mast was modern and innovative in its day, but is now considered comparatively heavy and is also structurally fatigued. The plan is therefore to convert to a significantly more powerful 9/10 rig with a second-hand carbon mast. This will be considerably lighter, stiffer and 2.50 metres taller.
This should enable the yacht to gain a noticeable increase in speed, particularly in light to moderate winds. The rigidity of the hull provides a good basis for this. “We’ll then need to reef earlier in order to better control the boat in the upper wind range,” explains Kyrell. The entire sail set is also being redesigned as part of the refit, including a smaller jib which, thanks to shorter sheet runs, makes handling significantly easier and improves crosswind performance.
Will these changes affect the character and proportions of the ‘Pavane’?
“Absolutely, and in a positive sense. It will complement the regatta yacht’s long, slender hull perfectly,” Kyrell replies confidently.
This further refines the boat’s character. The shipwright is convinced that Olin Stephens, too, would have viewed this further development favourably, being open to solutions that enhance the potential of a successful design whilst preserving the distinctive features of this beautiful yacht.
Technical specifications for ‘Pavane’
- Design: Olin Stephens
- Fuselage length: 12.20 m
- Width: 3.05 m
- Draught: 2.05 m
- Sail area when sailing close-hauled: 65.0 m²
- Weight: 8.5 tonnes
- Lift-to-drag ratio: 3.95
Book recommendations
Maintenance and repair of classic yachts covers the maintenance, damage assessment and repair of classic wooden and sailing yachts. Among other things, it focuses on planking, fittings and teak decks. The book provides readers with a practical foundation for better assessing typical damage to historic yachts and for preparing restoration work professionally.
The Yacht Workshop complements the restoration guide with practical advice on work to be carried out on board. The book covers care, maintenance and repairs, including woodwork, rudder bearings, spreaders and cockpit floors. This title provides practical, hands-on guidance for owners who wish to carry out maintenance and repair work on their yacht themselves or to better assess such work.
Should a classic racing car be kept as true to the original as possible, or should modern technology be allowed to bring its original strengths back to the fore? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Nico Krauss
Freier Fotograf