baruna yacht owner

Berthon Winter Collection

Latest issue

August 2024

In the August 2024 issue of Yachting World magazine: News Few finish a tempestuous Round The Island Race European rules are eased for cruising to France and Greece Olympic sailing…

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Extraordinary boats: Baruna – stunning seven-year restoration

• Dan Houston
• January 24, 2024

Baruna is a 1938 S&S yawl that was relaunched this summer by owner Tara Getty after a seven-and-a-half-year restoration to return her to as close to original as possible.

Designed by Olin Stephens in 1938, at 72ft LOA Baruna was at the top of the size limit permitted by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) to race offshore. The year of its launch, Baruna took part in and won the biennial 635-mile Newport Bermuda offshore race, creating a storm of publicity on both sides of the Atlantic. Olin was the navigator, and Baruna got in eight hours ahead of the next boat.

Seven years previously Olin and his brother, Rod, with their crew had won the 1931 Transatlantic Race , as well as that year’s Fastnet Race in their revolutionary new 52ft (15.8m) yawl Dorade . Olin was then just 23, and America was so pleased with him, his crew and his design that they got a ticker tape parade in New York on their return.

Sparkman & Stephens, Olin and his brother’s company, went on to dominate yachting, from the early Corinthian days of the 1930s to designing six out of the seven successful 12-Metre America’s Cup defenders between 1958 and 1980. Dorade was followed by a series of highly successful yawls, including the famous Stormy Weather (1934). Olin was a rules-beating designer over a wide range of developing hull shapes, but when I interviewed him at the age of 80 in 1998 he maintained that Dorade and her type of hull and rig were still the best mix of speed and seaworthiness for sailing and racing offshore.

While these yawls are all slightly different and vary in size they can nevertheless be considered as a kind of special class boat. Being superbly comfortable and stable at sea they remain very popular with yachtsmen who want a great seaboat. This year at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez the Rolex Trophy was awarded for the yawls – 12 raced, of which seven were S&S designs, including Baruna .

Fully restored, Baruna is a slippery hull that requires up to 20 crew on deck to maximise performance. Photo: Kos

Tech test bed

Baruna was built at Quincy Adams yard in Massachusetts for the New York textile agent Henry C Taylor, with a twin skin of mahogany over cedar planks on oak frames. Taylor, an ex-wartime naval officer who served his country in both World War I and World War II, wanted a large yacht within the CCA rules to race offshore. But he also wanted a comfy cruising boat for his family. He’d gone to S&S and ordered her after spending a bumpy family night aboard his yacht in Massachusetts Bay; Taylor told Olin it was a matter of either giving up cruising altogether or getting a better boat.

The boat went on to win the Newport-Bermuda race again in 1948 – booming along at nine knots with Henry’s oldest son, Stillman, in command. Taylor owned Baruna , notching up a distinguished racing record, until 1953 when he was nearly 60. The yacht then went to California.

Baruna ’s long-term owner on the west coast was Jim Michael who, in partnership with Tim Moseley, formed the Barient winch company. Moseley was a fellow S&S fan, owning the 1938 cutter Orient , and the company was named after compounding the names of their yachts. Both boats were used for the development of deck hardware, especially winches and pedestal grinders, or innovative running backstay drums.

Work begins on dismantling Baruna to see the full extent of how much timber needs to be replaced. Photo: Kos

Pieces of wood

Tara Getty had wanted to buy Baruna since 2009. “We were looking for a suitable yacht to restore. But back then Baruna ’s owner wanted something like $2m in gold bars delivered to a place in Mexico and we were never going to do anything like that. We ended up buying Skylark at the end of 2010. And she has been a great boat.” Skylark is also an S&S yawl, a 53ft (16.3m) LOA 1937 design, which Getty also restored.

“But then in 2015 Baruna was for sale at a much better price,” he recalls. “I think it was $200,000 which is about the right price to pay for a few pieces of wood.”

At the time Baruna was languishing at Marina del Rey in Los Angeles, California, and when Getty’s long term Australian captain and shipwright, Tony Morse, went to pay for her he found she was dilapidated. “Lifting up the floorboards you could see the water coming in. And the pumps were running continually to keep up with it,” he says. “There were no headsails and it looked like the mast was going to go through the bottom of the boat – especially if you put any pressure on it. We could motor her but not sail her.”

The new planking, with yellow cedar above the mahogany, is in place under Baruna’s new frames. Photo: Kos

Baruna was moved by ship, first to Fort Lauderdale and then to the Robbe & Berking yard in Flensburg, Germany, which has a very high reputation for restoring wooden yachts. Robbe & Berking did the hull, and at first it was thought the team could preserve some of the timber, but Morse, who was project lead under Tara Getty, found that every frame, apart from some in the forepeak, was cracked under the bilge stringer.

“We had thought we could keep some of the original material, but as we started, we realised that almost everything would have to be changed out,” Morse says. “Plus there’s the problem that if it isn’t in good enough condition now then you’ll end up redoing it anyway in three years’ time.”

Work began with replacing the frames, laminating in new ones in white oak (as Baruna had originally) before the work of replacing her planking could begin. The double skin hull was replaced with mahogany planks outside a skin of yellow cedar. The cedar, all from one tree, saves weight but is only used from the sixth strake up to the strake below the sheer. The planks were fitted over the oak frames, in a style of a careful restoration. The sheer clamp, beam shelf and bilge stringer, all structurally vital, are made of Douglas fir from Oregon. In many places aboard, the hull structure is fully visible.

Wedges in place prior to dropping off the lead ballast keel, which appeared in remarkably good condition for its age. Photo: Kos

Morse was able to source an original builder’s plan which he used – and needed – to recreate the detail of the 1938 boat, especially where some material or joinery had gone missing over the years. To hear him and Getty talking about the work it sounds more like they were restoring the Mona Lisa. Asked how much it might have cost Getty says “It’s too much to mention,” before adding: “Let’s just say she is by far the most expensive 72ft boat ever built, modern or old.”

On the move

When the hull was finished Baruna was trucked to VMG Yachtbuilders at Enkhuizen in the Netherlands for her interior to be fitted. Even though VMG made a full-size model of much of the boat to see how all the installations could fit into it, craftsmen were challenged by the nature of a 1938 hull which had been restored with the original imperfections of the Quincy Adams yard replicated, with brand new materials.

The 100ft hollow main-mast is built of pieces of spruce that were sonic-tested to measure their elasticity. Photo: Kos

The modern way of working is to design using CAD drawings and then make things in a workshop before bringing them on site to fit. But Baruna is not completely symmetrical and so making something like a water tank for one side of the boat and then fabricating its mirror image for the other side created several headaches for specialists unfamiliar with traditional methods, such as making spiling patterns.

Some 18 people were employed on the project with some craftsmen coming from Southampton Yacht Services in Hampshire, and naval architect Andre Hoek also consulted on the restoration.

Interior fit-out is traditionally sumptuous, but systems are fully up to date. Photo: Kos

Gleaming finish

Baruna ’s deck is swept teak with her teak deckhouses varnished in one-pack Epifanes, while the two-pack system is used for all the mahogany and joinery below. Her hollow main-mast was designed by Jim Gretzky, of Sail Spars Design in Connecticut, and then built of spruce by Ventis at Enkhuizen.

Morse says the 150hp engine, generator and watermaker are all as low as possible. The 950lt of fuel are carried in two main tanks plus a day tank. Water capacity is 540lt, with the watermaker able to produce 150lt an hour.

With Getty’s in-depth restoration knowledge of his motor vessels Talitha (1930) and Bluebird (1938), and the S&S yawl Skylark (1937), together with Morse’s undoubted appetite for detail, the project became highly specialised with every single piece of equipment or fitting being of bespoke design and make. Thus even the below-decks nickel-plated door handles and striker plates for the doors’ latch bolts are unique (nickel is the typical material for metal fittings on mahogany in traditional yachts).

Baruna has a suit of Dacron sails for Classic CIM racing. Photo: Kos

Baruna has a suit of 3Di North Sails for IRC racing as well as Dacron for classic CIM racing. Since her relaunch in late 2023 she has been put through her paces racing in classic fleets at Antibes, Argentario and Les Voiles de St Tropez, where she scored two podium places. The 1938 design also took on the moderns at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2023 in Porto Cervo, where Baruna averaged 9.6 knots over a 38-mile course in 9-ish knots of breeze.

Getty reports that he has got the boat he wanted, since the project began all those years ago, though notes that it is still early days to be getting the best from her. However, he maintains that tacking is a joy, she never gets stuck in stays and the sense of balance on the helm when trimmed is superb and much better than Skylark .

Baruna’s aft cabin retains the twin bunks layout Stephens designed, a surprisingly ascetic choice, though made slightly larger for comfort. Photo: Kos

Baruna sails with up to 20 crew on deck, four of them professional, and Getty and Savage, his tactician, have noticed that the yacht is not losing VMG while tacking.

“We have cameras on the mast and deck and we are running Expedition software during races,” Savage explains. “And interestingly the boat speed drops down and picks up again but the VMG line stays flat.”

Effectively the boat is being carried to windward by her weight in these conditions. “So that changes the strategy hugely,” Savage continues, “it means you can pop a tack in without worrying about it. In fact, provided you are up to speed, it can benefit you to tack.”

One of Baruna’s hatches in early morning light after rain, note the protected mushroom vents and blanked off dorade (cowl) vent. Photo: Kos

Baruna ’s hull and deck gear have been designed to take the full loads of her powerful rig as she was restored to be capable of racing or cruising offshore. The team has been able to push the yacht hard early on, sailing upwind with a full flattened main in 29 knots true wind.

“She’s a rocket ship. Beautifully balanced with mizzen lowered, the board [centreboard, original] deployed giving zero degrees of weatherhelm, pointing high, slippery as hell,” comments Savage on sailing her fully pressed. Getty envisages cruising her in the south of France before perhaps taking her to the Caribbean. “Then of course,” he says, “the Newport Bermuda Race is calling…”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Published on January 24th, 2024 | by Editor

Extraordinary boats: Baruna’s seven-year restoration

Published on January 24th, 2024 by Editor -->

In their Extraordinary Boats series, Yachting World profiles the 1938 S&S yawl Baruna that was relaunched in late 2023 by owner Tara Getty after a seven-and-a-half-year restoration to return her to as close to original as possible.

Designed by Olin Stephens in 1938, at 72ft LOA Baruna was at the top of the size limit permitted by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) to race offshore. The year of its launch, Baruna took part in and won the biennial 635-mile Newport Bermuda offshore race, creating a storm of publicity on both sides of the Atlantic. Olin was the navigator, and Baruna got in eight hours ahead of the next boat.

Seven years previously Olin and his brother, Rod, with their crew had won the 1931 Transatlantic Race, as well as that year’s Fastnet Race in their revolutionary new 52ft (15.8m) yawl Dorade. Olin was then just 23, and America was so pleased with him, his crew and his design that they got a ticker tape parade in New York on their return. – Full boats

Tags: Baruna , Extraordinary boats , Olin Stephens , S&S , Yachting World

Related Posts

Will USA’s radical design choices pay off? →

Who is the quickest America’s Cup team? →

Trickle down of clothing technology →

Assessing the favorites for Paris 2024 →

© 2024 Scuttlebutt Sailing News. Inbox Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. made by VSSL Agency .

• Privacy Statement
• Advertise With Us

Get Your Sailing News Fix!

Your download by email.

• Your Name...
• Your Email... *
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

31 comments:

Does anyone know where she is now? 2012? As a photojournalist I sailed on Baruna for a story on ocean racing which I shot for West Magazine. It was the SF to Santa Barbara race. The boat had already been painted white and the transom reversed. None the less I got some wonderful images of the grande dame.

Hi, I know the current owner of Baruna, and she is in California. If you are interested, I could give you the contact number.

Marina Del Rey

I was aboard The Baruna as a young man and the experience of seeing her and and her salt-and-pepper match, the Bolero has stayed with me a lifetime. The sight of the Baruna's gleaming black hull contrasted against the glaring white of the Bolero's along side her provided a sight that I still remember vividly half a century later. Both boats were still in their prime then, sleek, graceful and untouched by the ravages of old age and neglect that come all too soon to so many fine ships. I pray that she has now found a loving, caring owner who will cherish her as I cherish the memory of her the way she once was.

Alas, the ravages of old age come to ships and sailors alike! How fortunate you were to have known her 'back when', and to have been a part of her history with the Bolero. Although my time on her was much later, I'm still grateful for the experience and also hope that she has found a good owner.

Jack, I hope this still finds you well. Your post was a year ago. Do you still have Gary's #? I have a cell from his Baruna biz card he gave me back in 2006. long story .. and perhaps he has forgotten who I am ... but I stumbled upon the card and well ... will actually be coming out to cali next week.

Should anyone still be following this thread, Baruna is in Marina del Rey, and listed for sale -- see: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1938/Sparkman-%26-Stephens-CCA-Yawl-1974635.

Great restoration job -- she looks fabulous. Kinda wish they hadn't painted her white, but that's the traditionalist in me coming out. Thanks for the post and link. Hope she finds a great home.

Baruna! My daddy owned Baruna from about 1978-1986 if I remember right. She is unique! I helped paint her, redo her decks, sand and varnish all kinds of teak, as well as I ran the foredeck. My brother took the mast down one year and rebuilt it completely. Those winches, they are really something. Our first cruise was from Sausalito (where she was moored when my dad bought her) down the coast to San Pedro, where she remained for a number of years. That first trip was in the middle of winter, we sailed down the coast in a storm, and saw snow on all the coastal mountains the entire way down. Dad kept her down at Newmark's. She was the most magnificent sailing vessel I was ever on, that's for sure! I could tell you stories... We had her in a couple races, small ones, but even in light airs, she beat the pants off the smaller - supposedly - lighter air sailboats. She is truly amazing, practically moving just sitting there! I've seen her up at Marina Del Rey, had to go up there and look at her after moving back to Los Angeles a couple years back. One of these days, I'll have to dig out some old pictures, we still have some around here. Sure makes me want to go sailing just thinking about her!

do you remember who your dad sold baruna to in'86, i was charter capt on "spanish rake" an 86ft gaff ketch out of terminal isl.in late 80's and raced the ancient mariner races, did a couple of crews on baruna late 80's on local races out of del rey, and have been trying to remember the owners name, broke my left hand when one of the grinders came around and hit the back of my hand during one race. i also crewed on bugeye ketch pandora III out of redondo y.c. and schooner's ranger and diosa del mar and lady ada. who were owned by capt. eddie.

Too bad this commenting engine doesn't do a better job keeping up on who wrote what. I wrote the "Anonymous" before this reply, Scotty-Denver, now just ScottyD, who grew up on sailboats. I do not know to whom my dad sold Baruna, but I believe she's still there up in Marina Del Rey, charter boat.

My father Bill Sweet and his lifelong friend Conn Findley crewed on Baruna in the StFYC big boat series until her sale by Jim Michael in 1968. I had the profound privilege as a young boy to sail on her from Belvedere one sunny Sunday afternoon. To this day, thoughts of her bring tears to my eyes. It's good to hear she has returned to her earlier glory.

Thanks for your comment. It's always so gratifying to me to hear from someone else who knew this exquisite boat, and understands 'what the fuss is all about'. People like you are the reason I leave this blog online -- many visit drawn to either Baruna or Orient, even though few leave comments. I can get a little weepy when remembering these two boats myself.

Hello Ms. Kitty, I found this blog when I was searching for Orient. I sailed on her and was part of the crew for the Ancient Mainers Race in San Diego. The owner at that time was Tom Borst. He aquired the vessel from a person that won it in a contest after it was used in the Movie "Lucky Lady". Tom brought up to Bristol condition. Sad it fell into disrepair in the 90s. I moved to Santa Cruz in the Mid 80s and lost touch. Thank you for sharing.

I just saw Orient this weekend in Santa Barbara. She's on an end-tie there, painted dark blue, and with all her brightwork looking fabulous. My understanding is that she has undergone a lot of restoration in the last decade, and it certainly looks like she is well loved.

Wow -- so nice to hear this first-hand report on this grand old boat. Thanks for taking the time!

I sailed on her in the early 1970's. Unbelievable boat.

She was that! I'm grateful I had the chance to sail on her. Love hearing from others who also have memories of this fine boat.

I apparently hit the delete rather than publish link on another comment that arrived October 28, 2016, so I'm going to do it this way. It was from Anonymous. I sailed on her in the early 70's on SF bay. The Cal Maritime Academy owned her. We were aboard just about every weekend.

Hi -- I apparently quite accidentally hit the wrong button and rejected rather than accepted your comment re Baruna. Deep apologies! Not sure how that happened, but apparently it did. Please feel free to enter your comment again and I'll try to be more careful. I suspect you and I would have been aboard at the same time(s). I wasn't out there every weekend, but I was there a lot of weekends. It was certainly a not-to-be-forgotten experience for me, as it seems to have been for you, as well. Two comments on this story in one day is unusual, tho I'm constantly astonished at how may people are drawn to this story on a daily basis, and how many leave comments about their memory of sailing on her. I love making contact with these people and thank you for your comment and interest in Baruna. Please, take a moment an re-enter your comment. I'd love to have it part of the permanent history here. The only reason I leave this blog live is the amount of interest it draws from people who know or are interested in Baruna and/or Orient.

I think I know you MsKitty, and John Betz may too, as him and I know each other and both crewed on Baruna and maintained her at the same time while CMA was honored to be her owner, albeit for a brief time. I don't think anyone really "owns" a boat like Baruna, they're just fortunate enough to be her caretaker for a time.

Jim, good to hear from you. If you were crewing during those times we probably did know one another. Sad to say I don't remember many names from those years, and probably only those because they were in my the article I wrote. The purpose of that article was to encourage people to join in the effort to get her back in shape, so there were a couple of contact names. If you can actually remember me from the hordes of people who managed to sail on her a few times, I'm honored.

My dad was the skipper of Baruna for many years and I sailed onboard her to Fiji when I was 15 years old. It took 3 months as I recall. We lived on Taveuni with Baruna moored offshore. After a couple of years my dad parted ways with the owner and the boat fell into disrepair. I had kept the sawn off stern section on display where I was working in Marina Del Rey and ended up selling it to the owners at that time who reattached it I believe. It may have been used as some sort of template. Not sure. Boat had great childhood memories for me and it’s really nice to see it back in good hands. Wes Heinmiller Orcas Island, Wa

Hi, Wes. Sorry to be so late responding. What a fabulous story! I am utterly envious of the sail to Fiji as well as the stay there. And I never knew the sawn-off stern had been kept, either. I learn so much from all of you who take the time to share their tales of these two boats, and appreciate all of it. I lived on Orcas from 2000-2002, but didn't do any sailing to speak of. Thanks for the comment.

MsKitty, Baruna is completing a restoration, back to her 1938 plans, in Europe. A book is being written and we would be interested in your experiences with the yacht. You can contact me at [email protected]. Thanks.

Raced on Baruna in the 60s when she was owned by Jim Michaels - lots of races on the Bay, Whitney Series out of Long Beach and a few times later when owned by John McIntire of Long Beach. I sailed with Bill Sweet (actually lived a short distance from him and his family in San Carlos) and Conn Findley. I started onboard as a tall, skinny high school kid and was paired opposite Conn on the coffee grinder. What an experience to be literally ground down by an Olympic medalist in rowing (gold in '56 and '64 and bronze in '60). He also medaled in sailing with Dennis Conner (bronze in '76) and sailed in the 1974 and 1977 America's Cup events with Ted Turner (winning in '77) Plus he's a two-time inductee into the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame. Great times on a great boat that will always live in my heart. To be part of the early days of Big Boat series and win it a couple of times was a fantastic experience. I can still see Orient, Ticonderoga, Stormvogel, Kialoa II and host of other BIG boats racing on the Bay. The starts with 10 - 12 boats on the line were breathtaking. Tom Isaacson - Santa Barbara, CA

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this. I've been ignoring this blog for awhile. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with these boats. I suspect there are lots of us still around who remember them fondly and with much nostalgia. I can't imagine all those really big boats on the starting line. I've been on that line, but in smaller (40, probably, early morning in dense fog. One time they put me on bow lookout to warn of boats that loomed out of the fog maybe 10 feet away (seemed like 2 feet). That was hairy, but ended well. I missed those big boats you mentioned, though. Recognize the names, but never saw them.

I was prowling around Santa Barbara Harbor yesterday and there was Orient side tied at the end of one of the fingers. She looked magnificent and is in Bristol condition. A good friend of mine had the good fortune to sail on Baruna bringing her back from Cabo after the LA to Cabo race in the 70's. He still talks about it and what a special yacht she was. Rest assured Orient is in good hands these days.

Thanks for the update -- nice to know she's in good hands. It's criminal to let these grand boats go, though I understand the cost involved and that not everyone who appreciates them can afford them, and vice versa.

Been checking on Baruna again and learned that she's been completely rebuilt by Hoek in Europe. Excellent yard and they seem to have given her the rebirth she deserves: https://www.hoekdesign.com/yacht/72-classic-baruna

OMG! I landed on this site. Coincidentally I was Baruna's Captain for 4 years after she was acquired by the newly formed California Maritime Academy Foundation which Gordon White, Jim Bryant and I founded to accept the yacht.

Popular Posts

• Uncle Bill One of the finest parts of my time selling Ferrari at Modern Classic Motors in Reno was Bill Harrah, better known to those of us who loved h...
• Naked Wood Nymph I’ve never been one to see ghosts, find fear much of anywhere. Had I been that kind of person, I would never have attempted this lengthy bi...

Welcome to My Life

A Little Explanation on Categories

Copyright notice, my other blogs.

• Colorado Bike Trip 1983 (3)
• Encounters with fame (4)
• Ferrari (3)
• Halloween 1973 (1)
• Modern Classic Motors (3)
• Sailing (2)
• Yosemite 1976 (2)

Blog Archive

• ►  March (1)
• ►  July (1)
• ►  January (2)
• ►  December (1)
• The John Muir Trail
• Robert Mondavi
• ►  September (7)

• DutchYachtBuilding News
• Bedrijvenwijzer
• Nieuwsbrieven
• Word abonnee
• Inside Partners
• Inside Informatie

• New Launches

In VMG Yachtbuilders’ able hands, a 1938 racer comes to life again

ENKHUIZEN – VMG Yachtbuilders relishes challenging projects. Take Agile for instance, a carbon racing sailing yacht. Or, this year, the restoration of Baruna of 1938, a 73ft wooden racer that lifts the yard’s versatility to a new level.

Baruna was drawn by the US naval architecture firm that Olin Stephens and Drake Sparkman, founded in 1929. The yacht won the Bermuda Race in 1938 and, Gain, in 1948. It is now owned by a billionaire who decided to restore it and found a dedicated partner in that undertaking in VMG Yachtbuilders.

The Dutch Hoek Design studio was brought in for the naval architecture, performance optimization, structural engineering and interior and exterior design work.

“We initially received a request for a price quote for the exterior and interior restoration,” says VMG owner Tim van Daal. “But that we couldn’t do. In this classic vessel, nothing is straight and symmetrical, and everything connects directly to the structure.”

Van Daal brought in specialist parties for a project of surgical precision. “The owner wanted to preserve the yacht’s original state as much as possible. It’s very much about legacy. The yacht has to comply with class rules. We ended up doing much more work than initially planned.”

Baruna skipper, Australian Tony Morse, has his own office at VMG.

“We have weekly project meetings and daily discussions about technical details with Tony,” says Technical Director Hidde de Bruijn. The restoration required 18 workers. Finding suitable wood is no problem as VMG has good contacts with suppliers.

“Although money was no issue, we had to account for all the costs,” says De Bruijn.

“We use modern gluing techniques,” says Van Daal. “Much energy was needed to ensure the water flows perfectly along the keel and rudder. Inside, the hull skin is visible. A full-size model was first made for the technical room to see how all the installations fit into it.”

The boat’s detailing is extreme.

The deck’s underside has the same pattern inside as outside. The angle of the transom flagpole is such that the banner’s lowest point almost touches the water. The cockpit floor has a subtle 3 mm flare on each side. All the hardware on deck is custom-made. Much of the metalwork was done by VMG Yachtbuilders unit Super Duplex Hulls. The yacht will compete in two classes for classic racers. That means the sea rail and scepter pots can be removed for racing.

Baruna’s restoration is a dress rehearsal of sorts.

“Our ultimate goal is to build a J-Class yacht one day,” says van Daal. He has already expanded waterfront capacity and acquired the brands, logos, archives, drawings, designs and rights of the defunct Holland Jachtbouw yard, builder of the J-Class yachts Rainbow and Topaz.

www.vmgyachtbuilders.nl

Dutch yard expands, plans to build J-Class racer

PROFILE: Yacht interiors engineering studio SDSI

VMG Yachtbuilders levert nieuwe Puffin 50 op

Home – Yachts – Baruna

Star Sapphire

Want to be part of a great community?

CORSICA CLASSIC 2024 Ongoing

Vela Clásica Menorca – XX Copa del Rey 2024

Designed by

Olin j stephens, quincy adams yacht yard, ma, usa, sailing class, vintage marconi, sail number, bermudian yawl.

‘Baruna’ was built to the maximum size under the CCA rule and won first overall in the 1938 Bermuda Race, setting the Race record in the process. She won this race again after the war against the new S&S design ‘ Bolero ‘.

Described by Francis Kinney in his history of Sparkman & Stephens as ‘fast in light airs, fast in strong breezes, comfortable at sea and beautiful……. Every line was absolutely perfect……… Baruna is so beautifully proportioned both hull and rig’.

Text courtesy of Classic yacht info www.classicyachtinfo.com

Interactive

Achievements.

• Yacht Members
• Become a Member
• The Championship
• News & Updates
• Classic Regattas
• Legal Information
• Terms of Use
• Cookies & Privacy Policy

©2020-2024 Vintage Classic Yacht Club – All rights reserved

Privacy Overview

Congratulations!

You did it.

Now you will get the latest updates, straight into your email inbox. 

Do not worry, we hate spam as much as you do. 

• €10,00
• €25,00
• €50,00
• €100,00
• €250,00
• Custom Amount
• Stripe - Credit Card

First Name *

Email Address *

Donation Total: €1,00

Baruna 72′ Yawl, Olin Stephens Design No. 222

• New construction and restoration

A legendary beauty and a piece of sailing yacht history comes to the Robbe & Berking Classics shipyard

Specifications.

Baruna at Robbe & Berking Classics

©kos/kosphotos.com

Related article

Robbe & Berking 40ft Commuter

Robbe & Berking 72ft Commuter

Robbe & Berking 33ft Commuter

72' classic Baruna

LOA     21.9 m LWL     15.2 m Beam     4.5 m Draft     2.9 m Yard     VMG Yachtbuilders Year     2021

trending now in World News

Mike Lynch's family break silence after bodies of tech mogul and...

Investigators probe whether subtle mistake could have caused...

Maker of doomed Bayesian yacht blames crew for 'indescribable,...

AI recreates 'face of Jesus' from the controversial shroud of...

3 dead, several injured after knife-wielding maniac attacks...

Ex-pilot who tried to down flight while on magic mushrooms trip...

Mike Lynch's wife describes cutting her feet on broken glass as...

Dad of six dies skydiving, leaving his family in fear of losing...

Maker of bayesian yacht blames crew for ‘indescribable, unreasonable errors’ in doomed vessel’s sinking.

The CEO of the company that built the $40 million yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily this week has blamed the crew for the tragedy — saying they had 16 minutes and could have easily saved the seven who died.

“The boat suffered a series of indescribable, unreasonable errors,” Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, told Reuters of the Bayesian sinking Monday, killing seven of the 22 onboard.

“The impossible happened on that boat … but it went down because it took on water. From where, the investigators will tell,” he said.

Blaming the crew for the “incredible mistake” of not being prepared for the storm, he said: “This is the mistake that cries out for vengeance.”

Costantino, whose company includes Perini Navi, the Italian high-end yacht maker that built the 183-foot superyacht in 2008, staunchly defended its construction — saying it had survived far more extreme storms during 22 years of trouble-free navigation.

Instead, he expressed horror that the crew was unable to save the seven who died — including the Bayesian’s owner, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

He said the crew had a 16-minute window before the craft sank — plenty of time to get everyone to safety.

“The torture lasted 16 minutes,” he told the Financial Times.

“It went down, not in one minute as some scientists have said. It went down in 16 minutes. You can see it from the charts, from the AIS [Automatic Identification System] tracking chart,” he said.

Additionally, doors and hatches should have been closed, and the keel should have been lowered to increase stability, among other safety measures, Costantino said.

Had correct procedures been followed, all passengers would have gone back to sleep after one hour, “and the next morning they would have happily resumed their wonderful cruise,” he added.

“The captain should have prepared the boat and put it in a state of alert and of safety.”

“Ask yourself — why were none of the Porticello fishermen out that night? A fisherman checks the conditions and a ship doesn’t? The disturbance was completely readable on all the weather maps. It was impossible not to know,” he said.

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:

• A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing seven passengers.
• British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, was the final one to be recovered.
• Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage,  according to the Telegraph . 
• Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the  Bayesian sank Monday  shows it disappearing.
• A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the  Bayesian’s speedy demise , maritime experts say.

Bayesian had 22 people on board — 12 passengers and 10 crew — when it capsized and sank during a storm while anchored off the coast of northern Sicily.

Of those on board, 15 people — including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares — were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat. 

Rescue divers located Lynch’s teen daughter Friday, the final missing person, the Italian coast guard said.   

The bodies of the other dead passengers, including Lynch and New York attorney Christopher Morvillo, were recovered Wednesday and Thursday from inside the hull of the sunken yacht. Those on board were there to help Lynch celebrate his recent acquittal in a major US fraud trial. 

Meanwhile, Italian authorities launched a manslaughter investigation into what downed the $40 million yacht after it was struck by an intense storm early Monday, local media reported.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Termini Imerese had started making inquiries and was looking at a slew of offenses — including “shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide against an unknown person,” sources told Palermo Today.

With Post wires

Advertisement

BIG NEWS project update nr1: Baruna of 1938

BIG NEWS is coming up at VMG! Over the past two years we have been working on one of the most prestigious projects in the yachting industry. This project means the complete restoration of a sailing yacht that won her first Bermuda Yacht race back in 1938. Since then, many major victories have followed for this yacht.

During the upcoming months we will take you, our followers, through the resurrection of this mighty racing yacht. We will show you every step of the process, so you will see this yacht coming together piece by piece.

Subscribe to all our channels and make sure to follow us. We can’t wait to share our progress with you in these last months of working towards the launch of the 72ft, Sparkman & Stephens design, BARUNA of 1938 .

Related items

Baruna 1938

What happens at the yard: May

Saloon boat Sally from 1910 relaunched after restoration

Start your journey here, how can we help you.

Send us your inquiries!

• [email protected]

Extraordinary boats: Baruna – stunning seven-year restoration

24 january 2024.

Baruna is a 1938 S&S yawl that was relaunched this summer by owner Tara Getty after a seven-and-a-half-year restoration to return her to as close to original as possible.

Designed by Olin Stephens in 1938, at 72ft LOA Baruna was at the top of the size limit permitted by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) to race offshore. The year of its launch, Baruna took part in and won the biennial 635-mile Newport Bermuda offshore race, creating a storm of publicity on both sides of the Atlantic. Olin was the navigator, and Baruna got in eight hours ahead of the next boat.

Seven years previously Olin and his brother, Rod, with their crew had won the 1931 Transatlantic Race , as well as that year’s Fastnet Race in their revolutionary new 52ft (15.8m) yawl Dorade . Olin was then just 23, and America was so pleased with him, his crew and his design that they got a ticker tape parade in New York on their return.

Sparkman & Stephens, Olin and his brother’s company, went on to dominate yachting, from the early Corinthian days of the 1930s to designing six out of the seven successful 12-Metre America’s Cup defenders between 1958 and 1980. Dorade was followed by a series of highly successful yawls, including the famous Stormy Weather (1934). Olin was a rules-beating designer over a wide range of developing hull shapes, but when I interviewed him at the age of 80 in 1998 he maintained that Dorade and her type of hull and rig were still the best mix of speed and seaworthiness for sailing and racing offshore.

While these yawls are all slightly different and vary in size they can nevertheless be considered as a kind of special class boat. Being superbly comfortable and stable at sea they remain very popular with yachtsmen who want a great seaboat. This year at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez the Rolex Trophy was awarded for the yawls – 12 raced, of which seven were S&S designs, including Baruna .

Fully restored, Baruna is a slippery hull that requires up to 20 crew on deck to maximise performance. Photo: Kos

Tech test bed

Baruna was built at Quincy Adams yard in Massachusetts for the New York textile agent Henry C Taylor, with a twin skin of mahogany over cedar planks on oak frames. Taylor, an ex-wartime naval officer who served his country in both World War I and World War II, wanted a large yacht within the CCA rules to race offshore. But he also wanted a comfy cruising boat for his family. He’d gone to S&S and ordered her after spending a bumpy family night aboard his yacht in Massachusetts Bay; Taylor told Olin it was a matter of either giving up cruising altogether or getting a better boat.

The boat went on to win the Newport-Bermuda race again in 1948 – booming along at nine knots with Henry’s oldest son, Stillman, in command. Taylor owned Baruna , notching up a distinguished racing record, until 1953 when he was nearly 60. The yacht then went to California.

Baruna ’s long-term owner on the west coast was Jim Michael who, in partnership with Tim Moseley, formed the Barient winch company. Moseley was a fellow S&S fan, owning the 1938 cutter Orient , and the company was named after compounding the names of their yachts. Both boats were used for the development of deck hardware, especially winches and pedestal grinders, or innovative running backstay drums.

Work begins on dismantling Baruna to see the full extent of how much timber needs to be replaced. Photo: Kos

Pieces of wood

Tara Getty had wanted to buy Baruna since 2009. “We were looking for a suitable yacht to restore. But back then Baruna ’s owner wanted something like $2m in gold bars delivered to a place in Mexico and we were never going to do anything like that. We ended up buying Skylark at the end of 2010. And she has been a great boat.” Skylark is also an S&S yawl, a 53ft (16.3m) LOA 1937 design, which Getty also restored.

“But then in 2015 Baruna was for sale at a much better price,” he recalls. “I think it was $200,000 which is about the right price to pay for a few pieces of wood.”

At the time Baruna was languishing at Marina del Rey in Los Angeles, California, and when Getty’s long term Australian captain and shipwright, Tony Morse, went to pay for her he found she was dilapidated. “Lifting up the floorboards you could see the water coming in. And the pumps were running continually to keep up with it,” he says. “There were no headsails and it looked like the mast was going to go through the bottom of the boat – especially if you put any pressure on it. We could motor her but not sail her.”

The new planking, with yellow cedar above the mahogany, is in place under Baruna’s new frames. Photo: Kos

Baruna was moved by ship, first to Fort Lauderdale and then to the Robbe & Berking yard in Flensburg, Germany, which has a very high reputation for restoring wooden yachts. Robbe & Berking did the hull, and at first it was thought the team could preserve some of the timber, but Morse, who was project lead under Tara Getty, found that every frame, apart from some in the forepeak, was cracked under the bilge stringer.

“We had thought we could keep some of the original material, but as we started, we realised that almost everything would have to be changed out,” Morse says. “Plus there’s the problem that if it isn’t in good enough condition now then you’ll end up redoing it anyway in three years’ time.”

Work began with replacing the frames, laminating in new ones in white oak (as Baruna had originally) before the work of replacing her planking could begin. The double skin hull was replaced with mahogany planks outside a skin of yellow cedar. The cedar, all from one tree, saves weight but is only used from the sixth strake up to the strake below the sheer. The planks were fitted over the oak frames, in a style of a careful restoration. The sheer clamp, beam shelf and bilge stringer, all structurally vital, are made of Douglas fir from Oregon. In many places aboard, the hull structure is fully visible.

Wedges in place prior to dropping off the lead ballast keel, which appeared in remarkably good condition for its age. Photo: Kos

Morse was able to source an original builder’s plan which he used – and needed – to recreate the detail of the 1938 boat, especially where some material or joinery had gone missing over the years. To hear him and Getty talking about the work it sounds more like they were restoring the Mona Lisa. Asked how much it might have cost Getty says “It’s too much to mention,” before adding: “Let’s just say she is by far the most expensive 72ft boat ever built, modern or old.”

On the move

When the hull was finished Baruna was trucked to VMG Yachtbuilders at Enkhuizen in the Netherlands for her interior to be fitted. Even though VMG made a full-size model of much of the boat to see how all the installations could fit into it, craftsmen were challenged by the nature of a 1938 hull which had been restored with the original imperfections of the Quincy Adams yard replicated, with brand new materials.

The 100ft hollow main-mast is built of pieces of spruce that were sonic-tested to measure their elasticity. Photo: Kos

The modern way of working is to design using CAD drawings and then make things in a workshop before bringing them on site to fit. But Baruna is not completely symmetrical and so making something like a water tank for one side of the boat and then fabricating its mirror image for the other side created several headaches for specialists unfamiliar with traditional methods, such as making spiling patterns.

Some 18 people were employed on the project with some craftsmen coming from Southampton Yacht Services in Hampshire, and naval architect Andre Hoek also consulted on the restoration.

Interior fit-out is traditionally sumptuous, but systems are fully up to date. Photo: Kos

Gleaming finish

Baruna ’s deck is swept teak with her teak deckhouses varnished in one-pack Epifanes, while the two-pack system is used for all the mahogany and joinery below. Her hollow main-mast was designed by Jim Gretzky, of Sail Spars Design in Connecticut, and then built of spruce by Ventis at Enkhuizen.

Morse says the 150hp engine, generator and watermaker are all as low as possible. The 950lt of fuel are carried in two main tanks plus a day tank. Water capacity is 540lt, with the watermaker able to produce 150lt an hour.

With Getty’s in-depth restoration knowledge of his motor vessels Talitha (1930) and Bluebird (1938), and the S&S yawl Skylark (1937), together with Morse’s undoubted appetite for detail, the project became highly specialised with every single piece of equipment or fitting being of bespoke design and make. Thus even the below-decks nickel-plated door handles and striker plates for the doors’ latch bolts are unique (nickel is the typical material for metal fittings on mahogany in traditional yachts).

Baruna has a suit of Dacron sails for Classic CIM racing. Photo: Kos

Baruna has a suit of 3Di North Sails for IRC racing as well as Dacron for classic CIM racing. Since her relaunch in late 2023 she has been put through her paces racing in classic fleets at Antibes, Argentario and Les Voiles de St Tropez, where she scored two podium places. The 1938 design also took on the moderns at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2023 in Porto Cervo, where Baruna averaged 9.6 knots over a 38-mile course in 9-ish knots of breeze.

Getty reports that he has got the boat he wanted, since the project began all those years ago, though notes that it is still early days to be getting the best from her. However, he maintains that tacking is a joy, she never gets stuck in stays and the sense of balance on the helm when trimmed is superb and much better than Skylark .

Baruna’s aft cabin retains the twin bunks layout Stephens designed, a surprisingly ascetic choice, though made slightly larger for comfort. Photo: Kos

Baruna sails with up to 20 crew on deck, four of them professional, and Getty and Savage, his tactician, have noticed that the yacht is not losing VMG while tacking.

“We have cameras on the mast and deck and we are running Expedition software during races,” Savage explains. “And interestingly the boat speed drops down and picks up again but the VMG line stays flat.”

Effectively the boat is being carried to windward by her weight in these conditions. “So that changes the strategy hugely,” Savage continues, “it means you can pop a tack in without worrying about it. In fact, provided you are up to speed, it can benefit you to tack.”

One of Baruna’s hatches in early morning light after rain, note the protected mushroom vents and blanked off dorade (cowl) vent. Photo: Kos

Baruna ’s hull and deck gear have been designed to take the full loads of her powerful rig as she was restored to be capable of racing or cruising offshore. The team has been able to push the yacht hard early on, sailing upwind with a full flattened main in 29 knots true wind.

“She’s a rocket ship. Beautifully balanced with mizzen lowered, the board [centreboard, original] deployed giving zero degrees of weatherhelm, pointing high, slippery as hell,” comments Savage on sailing her fully pressed. Getty envisages cruising her in the south of France before perhaps taking her to the Caribbean. “Then of course,” he says, “the Newport Bermuda Race is calling…”

If you enjoyed this….

The post Extraordinary boats: Baruna – stunning seven-year restoration appeared first on Yachting World .

If you need support, please send an email to [email protected]

• Live StormTracker 6 and Sky 6 Watch Now

Body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch is among those recovered from yacht wreckage, officials say

PORTICELLO, Sicily -- The Italian coast guard said Thursday the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch is among those recovered off the coast of Sicily from the wreckage of a superyacht whose builders had called unsinkable.

One woman remains missing. She has not been identified, but Hannah Lynch, Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, is reportedly unaccounted for. The family had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with the people who defended him at trial in the United States.

Five others were recovered by rescue crews following Monday's tragedy.

The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (half a mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.

Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor's Office investigators were collecting evidence for a criminal investigation, which they opened immediately after the tragedy despite no formal suspects having been publicly identified.

The chief executive of The Italian Sea Group, which owns the Bayesian's manufacturer, told AP in an interview on Thursday that superyachts like these are "designed to be unsinkable."

"And it is unsinkable not only because it is designed in this way, but also because it is a sailing ship and sailing ships are the safest ever," CEO Giovanni Costantino said.

Costantino added that "obviously they must not hit the rocks violently, discarding the hull, and they must not take in water," suggesting the second possibility was the most likely in this case.

Investigators are now looking at why the Bayesian, built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed. Fifteen of the 22 people aboard survived by escaping in a lifeboat, including a mother who reported holding her 1-year-old baby over the waves to save her. They were rescued by the sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell.

The sailboat's captain, Karsten Borner, said his craft sustained minimal damage - the frame of a sun awning broke - even with winds that he estimated had reached 12 on the Beaufort wind scale, the highest hurricane-strength force on the scale.

He said he had remained anchored with his engines running to try to maintain the ship's position as the forecast storm rolled in.

"Another possibility is to heave anchor before the storm and to run downwind at open sea," Borner said in a text message. But he said that might not have been possible for the Bayesian, given its 75-meter (246-foot) tall mast.

"If there was a stability problem, caused by the extremely tall mast, it would not have been better at open sea," he said.

Yachts like the Bayesian are required to have watertight compartments that are specifically designed to prevent a rapid, catastrophic sinking even when some parts fill with water.

Lynch is the only person confirmed dead; the other bodies have not been formally identified by the Italian coast guard.

Besides Hannah Lynch, those missing are Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch's U.S. lawyers, and his wife, Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley's London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife, Judy.

The body of chef Recaldo Thomas was the first to be recovered, on Monday. His death was confirmed by his family.

Divers have struggled to find the bodies in the yacht's hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater.

"We would need a crystal ball to know when we'll be able to find the next body," said Luca Cari, spokesperson for the fire rescue service.

"It's very difficult to move inside the wreckage. Moving just one meter can take up to 24 hours," Cari said.

Related Topics

• BOATING SAFETY
• U.S. & WORLD

Top Stories

Rapper affiliated with Philly street gang 'YBC' shot dead: Sources

AccuWeather: Perfect August Weekend!

• 2 hours ago

Man dead, child hurt in Philadelphia shooting; 2 suspects wanted

Former pilot who tried to shut down engines in-flight shares his story

Jersey shore town seeks to ban snakes, other reptiles on boardwalk

Police ID woman killed in arson fire; suspect charged with murder

Video game meetup turns into brazen home invasion; 3 wanted

Boy, 4, accidentally shoots mother in her bed, police say

SuperyachtClassics

MEMORABLE EVENTS

"Baruna had been on our radar  for some time," says the boat’s skipper,  Tony, who has been with  the owner and his various other yachts for a long time. In  fact, she had first been offered to us back in 2010. At that time,  however, it was for a completely unrealistic price, which the  seller wanted to receive in gold bars!"  At that time, the decision  was made in favour of the somewhat smaller, and already  at the time half-restored classic yacht Skylark, which has since  been successfully participating in the classics regattas in the  Mediterranean for years.