November 2024  Serendipity

By Mark Case

Back in 2016, I was sailing a junk rigged IW 31 that had been converted by Victor Winterthun.  She sailed like a witch: absolutely wonderful upwind where you could carry plenty of sail and keep sailing even as the wind got up and fast, if a bit squirrelly, downwind. 

She also needed a significant amount of rebuilding to the interior and accessing that amazing upwind performance meant sailing her with the decks awash.  After a sail in gusty conditions that made my sister scream and left the dog traumatised as he had slid down the bridge deck towards the sea that was splashing over the coaming, I finally accepted that this boat, while wonderful in so many ways, was not the right one for me and my then very young children.

I had already decided that I would look for a boat that I could use the same junk rig on and, while looking at a variety of glass fibre cruising boats, also had my eyes open for one that came without a mast and rig, to save me the trouble of having to rehome old kit. 

Serendipity,

a Maxi 95, was for sale without a rig or engine, after being written off by the insurance company following a small fire. 

The fire damage was minimal – the underside of the cockpit floor would need replacing, and I eventually got her for nothing, saving the owner the cost and effort of cutting her up for recycling.  The money saved on the purchase price more than paid to have the glass fibre work professionally done and the hull and deck stripped, cleaned and repainted inside and out.  At that point I had her moved to my backyard and started working on fitting an electric engine, a simple electrical system and the rig.

My idea was that if I did something to the boat every single day it would not take too long to convert to JR and finish her off with a simple electrical system. I more or less kept to that plan, even if some days it was only fifteen or twenty minutes after the children were in bed, but it still took more than twice as long as the eighteen months I had hoped for. 

I decided to make a hybrid mast, utilising the top 7 metres of the old mast and allowing the use of a thinner alloy tube for the bottom extension, that would be a bit less intrusive in the accommodation.

I had hoped to use the complete rig from the IW31, but it did not quite work out.  Although the sail was good - it is a cambered sail of just under 50sqm, professionally made - the mast was too short for the deeper hull of the Maxi. 

After looking into various options, including getting a mast professionally made, I opted to make a hybrid mast, utilising the top 7 metres of the old mast atop a 200mm alloy tube for the bottom half.

Serendipity was eventually launched in 2020 and used for a couple of years for day sailing and overnight cruising in the islands around Kristiansand. 

I was then seduced by a bigger (and very comfortable) pointy sailed boat for a year or so, before realising that Serendipity still had my heart. 

The bigger boat was sold earlier this year and Serendipity is back in the water after more than a year ashore.  She, and I, are feeling happier that way and, although there is a longish list of winter jobs, we look forward to having her ready for some more adventurous sailing next year. 

Our "Boat of the Month" Archive is here, and the forum discussion for comments and candidate suggestions is here