More about Aida

AIDA is built according to drawings from the renowned American boat designer John G. Alden's drawing board. The construction has design number 547, and the first boat was named "Cassiopeia". It was rigged as a schooner and had Bermuda sails on the mainmast.

Alden drew a version with fork sails on both masts, top bar on the main mast and with a jib on the jib mast. Design 547B was named "Story II". Both versions are described in the book "John Alden and his yacht designs": https://www.amazon.com/John-Alden-His-Yacht-Designs/dp/0070282544

It is this version that became the inspiration for "Aida". "Aida" has been assigned design number 547F in the Alden registry database at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The museum has taken over all the design drawings from Alden's business, which was established in 1909 and has carried out approx. 1000 design. See here: http://aldendesigns.com/

Some of the contributors to the book were the famous English boat designer Olins Stephens (from Sparkman & Stevens) and the American sailor Donald G. Parrot. The latter had in 1947 ordered drawings from Alden for a schooner not unlike "Cassiopeia" and later took over the company and the sale of Alden's drawings. I came in contact with him in 1987 and ordered drawings from him for designs 547 and 547B.

The following year he talked to a selection of boat builders across the country about building a hull according to Alden's drawings and construction description. The choice ultimately fell on Brekneholmens Båtbyggeri at Borhaug on Lista. The price was reasonable, and we agreed on the delivery of a finished hull with engine inserted during 1990. The agreement was that I would deliver all bolts and screws to the hull - all in stainless steel - as well as lead to the ballast keel and engine / propeller system.

The boat was to be built with oak in the keel, bow, frames and beams, and with pine in the skin / outer cladding. The deck was to be made of teak laid on fiberglass-coated plywood. Deck housing also in fiberglass-coated plywood with teak cladding.

Båtbyggeriet had three employees at this time: Lars Tjørve was the owner of the company. The nephew Ragnar Brekne, who was also a boat builder and at this time was in his mid-30s, was to take over the day Lars retired. With them they had Reidar (Brekne?), And at times a fourth man was with (I do not remember the name of him, but I think he was in close family with Lars.

Construction began in the winter of 1988-89. Bolts and French screws were sent to the boat building. Lead - 8 tons - was purchased from a farmer in inner Sogn. The cargo was picked up with a large truck - a robbery story in itself. We had very long arms after shoveling 8 tons onto the truck.

An engine was purchased. It was a Bedford type 466, 6-cylinder diesel with a probable past as the engine in one of Bergen municipality's garbage trucks. It was renovated according to all the rules of the art by a good friend in the workshop of the Perkins dealer Universal Diesel Vest in Bergen.

Through my work as a journalist in a maritime newspaper in Bergen, I was able to purchase a PRM marine gear and a propeller system. Everything was finally collected on a large trailer and driven to the boat building at Borhaug.

A close relative in Søvik on Sunnmøre was the owner of a mechanical industry that manufactured stoves, central heating systems and the like for the shipping industry. He had taken an interest in my project. Eventually he became so engaged that he built his own version of design no. 547, in aluminum only.

The relative had heard about a batch of teak replacement precious wood, which was piled up at a furniture factory in Sunnmøre. It had been discarded as furniture, but would be excellent for decorating a schooner or two. The lot was purchased, divided between us and came in handy as berth fronts, moldings and more.

The relative later manufactured all the rig fittings, fittings for the deck hatches, etc. And not least, his factory manufactured the central heating and heating radiators, all to special measurements.

The previously mentioned many tons of ballast lead were packed on pallets in Bergen and sent to Borhaug. The boat builder himself cast the large lead keel outside the boat builder and had it backed under the boat.

The masts were cut in a forest by Lysekloster main farm and towed to a boat building on Lepsøy by Os outside Bergen for production.

Sails for a schooner the size of AIDA are not cheap. It was negotiated with an agent in Oslo who represented Lee Sails in Hong Kong. The choice ultimately fell on Lyngør Seilmakerverksted. I knew sailmaker Frederik Brodersen a little before through the job, and AIDA got a set of sails sewn in a newly developed canvas called "Lyngør Classic". This was a cloth woven from Terylene and cotton as a replacement / alternative to the well-known Duradon cloth.

AIDA should have traditional steering - hydraulics was not an option. On the wish list was a traditional so-called "worm steering" - a worm steering - which was almost predominant on the North American and Canadian fishing schooners in the time around 1900 (eg the fishing schooner "Bluenose II" has a similar steering machine). The challenge was that the manufacturer was located in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. A steering machine and associated steering wheel, both in bronze, were purchased in expensive judgments. (The company still exists, but the steering machines are no longer manufactured - AIDAs must be one of the very latest. But the steering wheels are still available. Https://www.lunenburgfoundry.com/)

The work on the boat progressed well. I visited the boat building approx. every other month. I had only a few comments on the work. One place I was dissatisfied and asked that it be changed, namely the transom. I had been asked early on to be aware that they liked to put the planks vertically (I think it was my old friend Gunnar Eikli who mentioned it). I had therefore clarified to Lars early on that the planks in the transom should be horizontal. At the next visit, the planks were put on - vertically. This was then corrected by laying a layer of planks horizontally on top of the vertical ones. The transom at AIDA must be Norway's most solid.

The boat builder performed a few extra tasks, namely the manufacture of two diesel tanks and a septic tank for the toilet. The necessary electrical and technical installations for the engine, exhaust system and other things necessary for the voyage home to Bergen were carried out by me.

AIDA was launched on 3 May 1990. The boat was naturally high in the water - it lacked both equipment and rig. Excess lead ballast, approx. one and a half tonnes, was stowed forward, together with a lock (15 fathoms ~ 27.5 meters) anchor chain and associated anchor.

One weekend two weeks later, we, four people, arrived at Borhaug to sail the boat home. It took a day with the final preparations (construction of temporary berths and tables, refueling of diesel and water, as well as the final financial settlement with the boat builder). Saturday morning the moorings were thrown. The first stage was very strenuous, and we reached Egersund after 8 hours of sailing. Day 2 we reached Sagvåg and day 3 Straume near Bergen. In addition to severe seasickness the first day, the trip was hassle-free.

After returning home, it was agreed that the boat would return to the boat building the following year for repairs of minor items (warranty repairs). However, this was dropped when I was informed that Ragnar had died (of cancer) just a few months after we left Bordhaug. (He was only 36 years old, as far as I remember. Ragnar's death was a tragedy for the boat builder. He had just finished building a house on Borhaug and had a wife and small children. It was a hard blow for Lars Tjørve, who lost the spark and a short time later shut down the boat building.)

Lasted in September 2020

Tom Rasmussen