The recreated ATLANTIC sets sail
Vigo, Spain, July 2010

Looking down from the quay on the deck of ATLANTIC it is impossible not to remain fascinated. The beauty of this strikingly large and slender three mast schooner is overwhelming. 56 meters of impeccably laid teak deck interrupted only by a few lacquered teak deckhouses and skylights and by a partition caused by the characteristic slightly raised aft deck. The raven black high-gloss hull reflects every ripple in the water. And looking up at the three towering masts one senses the enormous power this yacht must have. The mighty ATLANTIC, the schooner of all schooners, left Rotterdam on June 23rd and has now finished her sea trials. The builder/owner Ed Kastelein has achieved another milestone in reviving yachting history. After recreating Westward, he has gone for the world cup in recreating legendary yachts of the past and he has won convincingly with the realization of ATLANTIC.

The original, designed by William Gardner, was launched on July 28th 1903. No one could have foreseen then that the schooner would gain enduring fame winning the Kaiser’s Cup from New York to The Lizard in the spring of 1905, under command of the renowned captain Charlie Barr. The ATLANTIC set the record for the transatlantic crossing at 12 days, 4 hours and 1 minute. A mono-hull record that would stand for 100 years. The schooner was the quintessential cruiser/racer. She could do 17 knots on her steam engine of 400hp, weighing 30 tons including boiler, exclusive fuel. Two generators provided for electricity. She had heating, refrigeration, and water heaters. The lobby was executed in marble and the interior was fitted out with the finest mahogany paneling. There were large and luxurious tiled bathrooms (with bath tub) and a large galley.

The schooner measures 69.24 meters (227’) overall, 56.43 meters (185’) over the bows, excluding bowsprit and mizzen boom outboard of respectively 8.76 meters (28’8) and 4.05 meters (13’3). With her beam of 8.85 meters (29’) and draft of 5.00 meters (16’5) her displacement is 395 tons. From the different sail plans of the original, the record setting 1905 rig of 1,720m² (18,500 square feet) has been chosen for the recreated yacht.

Dutchman Ed Kastelein has reincarnated this legendary schooner. The idea had been dismissed as being too much of a premium aspiration into classic yachts, until he sold Eleonora. He started to collect illustrations and publications of the famous original and, assisted by yacht historian John Lammerts van Bueren, copies of dozens of drawings were gathered from various archives in the USA. Doug Peterson has acted as consulting naval architect warrantying the authenticity of the lines and floatation. The hull of the largest racing schooner ever having been rebuild was commissioned in the autumn of 2006. From there Kastelein has masterminded and managed the build personally, making this a totally unique project. He is the supervisor, the project manager, the entrepreneur and the owner. Through his lifetime experience in classic yachts and with the build of Zaca a te Moana and Eleonora (Westward) he has formed a team of excellent and talented craftsmen around him. They have accomplished the impressive feat to recreate this 107-year-old glorious yacht as a state of the art superyacht with all the appropriate comfort. Kastelein’s engineering philosophy is simple and effective: using the latest technology, without overloading, all the machinery and every system is mounted in a way to allow easy access for maintenance and repairs. And wherever possible back-up systems are foreseen. The deep wine glass shape hull gives her bilge standing headroom over 30 meters length, which makes life for the engineers below actually quite comfortable.

On deck the new ATLANTIC obviously misses the retractable exhaust pipe of the steam engine between the foremast and the main mast, but for all features she is just the way she was. For the vast teak deck full advantage has been taken of the new fingerjointing technology in which the Royal Boogaerdt company has specialized. All boards are invisibly joined to lengths of 13.20m providing for an incredibly beautiful and uncluttered teak deck. The solid teak deckhouses and skylights are authentic to the original design. All the deck hardware, like the anchor chain stoppers, stanchions, belaying pins and pin rails, has been custom manufactured by Absolute Projects in Portugal, using original plans and photographs to ensure the copies are as faithful as possible. Harken supplied the 36 powerful all bronze custom winches in the style of the bygone days. The immense spars stand almost 45 meters tall. Both the lower and the top masts have been built in alloy and the booms and gaffs were built in Alaskan Sitka Spruce. The U-shaped cockpit between the helm pedestal and the main deckhouse provides for considerable comfort for the owner and his guest under sail. The cockpit seats twelve and is also perfectly suited for a contemplative nightcap in port.

Going below by the companionway in the main deckhouse one enters another comfort area in the form of a small deck saloon. Immediately the warm ambiance of the interior styling becomes evident. The cabinets realized in colonial style are truthfully reflecting the atmosphere of the beginning of the past century. Aft of this area is the central switch station, the chart-table, providing all the nautical information needed, the captain’s cabin and one of the guest cabins. The unique atmosphere of the interior is created by the combination of varnished mahogany and light cream panels, colonial style furniture and ubiquitous accents of the époque. The quality of finish achieved by the carpenters and painters is extraordinary. Forward of the main deckhouse the master's suite is located to port. This cabin is furnished with a library and a writing desk, both being true joinery works of art. The bathroom features a bath. The other five guest cabins breath the same inviting atmosphere as the master’s suite. The flooring is teak and mahogany and the parquet floor exerts its aura in the bathrooms, which are fitted with warm tone greenish marble tops. Amidships is the large full width saloon with a dining table for twelve to starboard and a lounge area to port. The distinct style and coziness of the interior are achieved by a superb selection of upholstery fabrics and extremely tasteful decorations stemming from of the era of the original yacht gathered from antique dealers around the world by Mrs. Sophie Kastelein.

The ultra modern galley and pantry, satisfying the most demanding chef, is located forward of the main mast extending across the full beam of the yacht. There is ample space to prepare a special menu for a large number of guests. The same overall engineering philosophy applies: functional design with large, easy-to-clean stainless steel surfaces. A few marble and Columbian pine details have been added to create a distinct personality in comparison with professional kitchens ashore. The bow section is reserved for a crew of ten in seven cabins and a spacious crew mess with separate deck access. In terms of space there is no comparison with the old days when 39 crew and officers lived on board all year round.

The legendary ATLANTIC is sailing again and no doubt one day she will have a crack at beating the time the original yacht made to cross the Atlantic in 1905!

For more information:
The Mariners Museum, Edwin Levick Collection
Tel + 1 (757) 596-2222
E-mail CJew@MarinersMuseum.org
www.mariner.org

TOP