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2009 – December

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Where are they now...

The mystery of the 30sqm yacht Aeolus is still unsolved but her story is being uncovered and the results so far have only caused even more interest in finding this yacht.

A table listing Schärenkreuzer yachts, owners, total finishes, and number of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in Division 2. Yachts include Aeolus, Bacchante, Clipper, Culwulla IV, Era, Judith Pihl, Hurricane, and Sjo-Ro.

Aeolus is first recorded in the racing results of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron racing alongside the wonderful 30sqm Bacchante back in 1938.

Her Owner Len Easy passed away some years ago and to date there has been no one who remembers the yacht by that name.  

Len Easy loved square metre yachts and I found this article about his holiday experience in the USA.

A black-and-white magazine page features a photo of Mr L. E. Easy, sitting on the tiller of his 30-ft Classic Sailing Yacht, Aeolus, with text describing his 9,000-mile voyage across America and back.
A vintage newspaper clipping from 10 November 1939 highlights Mr. Easy's yacht travels across the US, featuring classic sailing yachts and noting various cities, sightseeing spots, and the ease of yacht handling throughout his journey.

The next discovery was an amazing find. Photos of Aeolus racing with Bacchante in the 1938 season. Bacchante with sail number 19 would more than likely be the first yacht on the register but Aeolus was more than likely launched in the same year and with the sail number 27.

A vintage photo shows two Classic Sailing Yachts racing on choppy water, with one prominently heeling to the side. In the background, the Sydney Harbour Bridge arches under a cloudy sky.

A stiif breeze for Bacchante as she works her way towards the Sydney Harbour bridge. This photo was taken on the 26th of January 1938

A vintage black-and-white photo of a Schärenkreuzer sailboat with the number 19 on its tall sail, gliding on the water near a shoreline with houses and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Bacchante being sailed solo by the looks of it. This photo was taken back on the 26th of Febuary 1938.  You can see her unusual stow hole built into the front of the cabin top.

A vintage black-and-white photo of a Schärenkreuzer sailboat named Aeolus, with the number 27 on its sail, glides across the water with a distant shoreline in the background.

Aeolus looks brand new with very nice lines when this photo was taken back on the 29th of October 1938

A vintage photo of a Schärenkreuzer sailboat with the numbers 19 and 13 on its tall, triangular sail, gliding on a calm body of water with a distant shoreline and cloudy sky in the background.

A magic day on a magic boat.. Just superb.. 19th of November 1938

A vintage black-and-white photo of a Schärenkreuzer sailboat with the number 27 on its sail gliding on water. Two people are aboard, and Aeolus is handwritten at the top. A hilly shoreline is visible in the background.

A cracking shot of Aeolus on Sydney Harbour on the 26th of November 1938. WOW!!

A vintage photo of a Classic Sailing Yacht with the number 19 on its tall sail gliding on the water, a coastal town and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Aeolus in a good breeze on the 25th of Febuary 1939

A vintage photograph of a single Classic Sailing Yacht with a tall mast gliding on the water at an angle, with a hilly shoreline and faint buildings visible in the background.

Bacchante on the same day with considerably less sail and powering along nicely…

To see more of these wonderful pictures of Bacchante visit her gallery. 

Aeolus is an amazing looking yacht and she is worth the effort to track down.

Where is she now?

Could she be one of our currently listed yachts?

There are 2 possible candidates. 

Skye which sank in Sydney harbour or a yacht called Toothpick which was advertised in Ebay 3 years ago and was located in Windsor. Toothpick was a mess with split planks and collision damage and she was most likely destroyed. Her last owner was trying to track down her history when he owned her but he was unable to discover her origins. Toothpick however was a 22sq and Aeolus was listed as a 30sq which could discount her from the list but form time to time some yachts have had the rig replaced with different mast sizes and sails. 

One of the owners of Skye has been contacted and she was said to have been built in Tasmania  in the early 1940-50 period but there is nothing to confirm an exact build year.

The last possibility is that she is still out there stored in a shed or hiding up a creek somewhere…. 

If you have any information that might help in our search we would love to hear from you.

email us at info@asqma.com

Bonjour...A visitor from France

Last month we were contacted by a square metre yacht owner from France.

Hello,

I am French, living in Singapore and working frequently in Sydney where I spend 2 weeks every 6 weeks.

I am owner of a 30 metre square ship in France, a Malar 30 N° 33 design built in 1933 by Eklund.

She was built in Erickson Batbiglieri in Stocholm in 1937 . I bought Bla Safir 6 months before I was relocated to Singapore for work. I started to rebuild it and the hull is now renovated but the yacht will touch water probably in 2 years time when I will be back in France. I have never sailed on a square metre yacht. There is very few sqm yachts in France probably 3 or 4  only , 2 in Britany , mine and a 22m² on the Mediterranean coast.

Remy Jaffres.

Remy sent us these wonderful pictures of his project.

Bla Safir….

A weathered Skerry Cruiser with peeling paint and visible rust sits on a trailer in a boatyard, surrounded by grass, equipment, and a tractor under a cloudy sky.
A person in a green shirt sits inside the wooden cabin of a small Skerry Cruiser sailboat, viewed from above. The boat is moored on dry land, with various ropes visible on the deck.
Interior view of a wooden Skerry Cruisers boat cabin roof with curved beams and small oval windows letting in light; part of a covered green cushion is visible below the windows.
Interior view of a wooden Skerry Cruiser hull showing curved ribs, slatted floorboards, and colourful fabric lining parts of the walls. The image is taken from the centre, facing towards the bow.

Remy had an early Christmas pesent and he was lucky enough to be to offered a spot to crew on the fabulous Fagel Grip. A very memorable experience by his account and he is a changed man with enriched inspiration to see his own yacht completed.

Square Metre Yachts with tall white sails glide on calm water in front of large waterfront houses and green, tree-covered hills on a sunny day.
Three people are sailing on a white Skerry Cruiser. One in a yellow vest is steering, another sits facing forwards, and the third stands at the bow waving. The water is calm and land is visible in the background.

Around the Yards...

Benchmarks progress continues….

View through a wooden boat’s oval hatch showing the empty, ribbed interior hull—a scene reminiscent of classic Skerry Cruisers. A hanging work light with a yellow handle and an electrical flex is visible on the right side of the hatch frame.

She gets a new coat of paint inside…

A Schärenkreuzer sailboat is propped up on supports inside a boatyard or workshop. The classic sailing yacht’s hull appears to be under restoration, with tools and workbenches nearby in the indoor space.

Prep work on the hull is done and she is ready for her final coats…

A Square Metre Yacht under construction or repair inside a workshop, with masking tape and protective covering around the cockpit area, and tools and equipment visible nearby.

Above decks is prepped and sprayed and she is almost finished…
Next month we see Benchmark hit the water.
 
Wings progress continues with a new cabin top glued and coated with resin.

A close-up view of a Schärenkreuzer sailboat deck with polished wood, a coiled rope, and part of the mast visible, floating on calm blue water under bright sunlight.
View from the deck of a Skerry Cruiser, showing the entrance to the cabin, ropes, and winches. The boat is on calm water, with the mast and partially furled sails of this elegant Square Metre Yacht visible.

The new boom section is added. The new section was bare aluminum teardrop. It was painted with 2 pack white and modified to take the old fittings.

The final layers of white paint are added to rear cabin walls and hull.

In the bottom of the photo on the tarp are the new seats being painted.

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