Sailing yacht Cass: an amazing story of creation

Barry Kass is the mastermind

In the early 1990s, home and boat builder Barry Kass had the idea to purchase a boat from Holman & Pye. The yacht was built in 1968 and was named Negomi, although she will be renamed Cerinthe in the future. However, fate was not favorable to Barry - another buyer managed to buy it first. What does a real engineer do when a dream boat is taken away from under his nose? That's right, he does his own.

Kass ordered from the same shipyard Holman & Pye a project for a new yacht. Initially, the project was created as a fast family cruiser, but was redesigned to meet the needs of Barry. Before starting work, the man built a separate hangar, which, however, looked more like a repair shed. In 1998, work on the project began.

For the first few years, Barry hired a local shipbuilder to work on the hull. However, this did not last long, and after a short time, Cass himself began to put the plans into practice. Alas, building a full-fledged sailing boat is not a quick process, even for a shipyard. What can we say about a single engineer. The project started to falter. 

Barry spent a lot of time selecting and experimenting with woods and metals in search of the perfect combination of material quality, durability and aesthetics. The man often called friends to help with work. Alas, this could not go on forever - Barry was torn between the creation of a dream yacht and a paid job. In 2012, he finally realized that he did not have enough strength to complete the project.

limbo

As of 2012, the boat had a nearly complete iroko wood hull, agba planking and laminated oak frames, iroko and cast bronze floors, and a 4.5 tonne keel entirely made of lead. 

The half-finished project was put up for sale. Peter Gregson of Wooden Ships took over the boat at that time. In the process of negotiations with a potential buyer, it was decided to change the sailing plan. As planned, it was planned to install a gaff sail instead of the classic Bermuda sail, but the matter did not go further than discussions.

The yacht continued to be in limbo until 2015. Then Simon Mitchell - a former pilot in the then Her Majesty's fleet - decided that he would finish the project. Simon often visited the Wooden Ships website and always came to the conclusion that Barry's boat was a worthwhile project to complete. However, Mitchell rejected the idea of buying a yacht, because at that time his employment did not allow him to fully engage in bringing the yacht to mind.

Fateful visit and start of work

At the beginning of 2016, Simon decided to see the boat live. He went with his old friend David Bentley. Together they came to the conclusion that the already finished part of the boat was assembled to last. Simon recalls: “When I saw it, I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something really special.” However, the question of the cost of the work remained: “I had no idea at that time how I would pay for it and how everything would turn out.” 

And yet, despite not the most favorable conditions, Mitchell took a chance. He had two trump cards up his sleeve. First: the boat could be finished in the same shed where it was built and not spend money on transportation. Second, Simon had two experienced boat builders in mind who would really help bring the boat to perfection.

It was decided to act immediately - one of these shipbuilders was Bentley himself. Work boiled over. The deck was chosen as a starting point, it was planned to complete the roof of the cabin. To complete the work on the deck, the craftsmen used teak, meranti, Douglas fir and plywood. For greater reliability, plywood was coated with epoxy.

The cockpit has been expanded. The seats are made of teak, and the flooring is made of agba. By the way, the history of the origin of this wood is very interesting - the agb for flooring was rescued from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, on which Mitchell managed to serve for several years.  

An important step was the creation of the interior. Simon says he wanted to do his best to ensure that both the interior and exterior of the yacht worked as a single mechanism, "like a good ship." 

Interior

Bentley and his partner spent a lot of time working out the interior space. It was decided to start from the stern. The galley is located on the port side, the chart table on the starboard side. Comfortable places to sleep and rest are on both sides of the cabin.

The interior decoration is made of European oak. Among other things, the yacht is equipped with a Mastervolt power management system and inverter, Leesan electric latrine, Henderson Plastics fuel and fresh water tanks, Webasto heater. Most lockers have LED lighting.

Aesthetics and comfort

As a separate point, Simon highlights the aesthetics of the yacht as a whole and the comfort of use. Ideally, the boat should be ideal for a full crew of 3-4 people, as well as for solo sailing.

Most of the sheets are brought to the cockpit for easy control, winches, for the most part, are located in the same place. Most of the deck equipment is made by Antal.

Before the yacht was launched, the first wave of lockdowns due to COVID-19 swept the world. The boat was literally hidden under lock and key. However, at the end of 2020, the project was nevertheless completed and the yacht was fully launched. In gratitude to the original mastermind - Barry Kass - the boat was named after its founding father. 

Specifications Cass

Source: Yachting Monthly by Nigel Sharp.

Don't forget to rate the content! You can find other interesting articles on the links below or in the "News" section!

28.03.2023