update 24-feb-01

 

Grote Beer

Grote Beer is a GRP Colin Archer ketch, built in the UK in 1979. We own her since 1993 and she has an amusing history.

She was built by Kent Latham of Poole, on the basis of a standard Colin Archer CA40 hull, moulded by Robert Ives in New Milton. (Specifications, History CA40). Her first owner was Mr.Nercessian, an Armenian who did a job in West Africa for a UK company. Her first registration was on the Channel Islands under the name 'Prinkipo Jasmine.'

.

Prinkipo Jasmine 1980

Unfortunately Mr.Nercessian died around 1981 and Kent Latham brought Prinkipo Jasmine back to the UK where she was sold to John Ayres, an Australian boat builder. John sailed her in the Med with wife and children. Because he needed to go back to Australia he sold her at Malta in 1982. (He is now living on Vanuatu as hotel owner).

Prinkipo Jasmine was from then on owned by Conrad Holtgrefe and his partner for a period of 9 years. He rechristened her 'Grote Beer' which is the Dutch name for Ursa Major. During the 9 years Conrad sailed across the Atlantic to Venezuela, the Caribic, US east coast, back to the Med and he finally sold her to a broker in Ostend in 1991 after a cold winter.

Grote Beer was then bought by Henk van Huygenvoort who did a major renovation which was obviously very necessary. She urgently needed a face lift. New sails, new generator, new windows and hatches, and an engine overhaul. The original interior is still there however, as well as the typical deck layout. Though Henk's goal was a circumnavigation, he never made it. He married and sold Grote Beer to us in 1993.

 
In 1994 we renovated the sanitary and electrical installation and since then we made 7 long summer trips in the North Sea - Baltic area to visit the Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish coast and Islands.

Grote Beer at the yard

 
Specification Grote Beer

GRP Colin Archer Ketch CA40
LOA 14.85mtr, LOD 12.00mtr, Breath 4.20mtr, Depth 1.95mtr
Displacement 18T
100 sqm sails and a 120 sqm asymmetrical spinnaker
Kemp rig
2+2 berth
Perkins 4.236 engine with Hundested VP propeller
800ltr Diesel, 800ltr water, 250ltr waste
24V electrics. Solar array
220V generator
Windpilot self steering


History of the CA40

The CA40 is a copy of one of the many boats that Colin Archer built in Norway at the beginning of the 20th century. Colin Archer was well known for his lifeboats, though the majority of the boats that he built were other type vessels, e.g. pilot cutters and many yachts. Though it was said that the CA40 was copied from one of the lifeboats, we have never been able to prove this. Fact is that Colin Archer never built a lifeboat under 46ft, but some of his pilot cutters were smaller than that. There is a pilot cutter with exactly the same measurements as the CA40. (see also www.ssca.nu)

In 1973 there was a Colin Archer club in Stockholm who constructed the plug and mould for the CA40. From this mould a number of hulls were made in Sweden, and later more in the UK. Probably 2 or 3 dozen boats of this type were moulded altogether.
In the year 2000 we met 'Aglaia' at Helgoland. Aglaia is also a CA40 hull but is an entirely different boat. (Traditional gaff rig, wooden masts, 10 berth). She is owned by the German association 'Segeln ohne Grenzen'

Grote Beer (L) with Aglaia in Helgoland