Spectacular rebuild of racing yacht Ester

Designed by Gunnar Mellgren and built by the legendairy yard of Plym, Ester was unquestionably one of the most progressive racing yachts of her time. Engineering to the finest detail, pushing the envelope to the limits to save weight. Her hull and deckplanking tapered in thickness, her spars super light and skinny, her complex web frame structure, her hollow aircraft fastenings and custom built fittings, cutting edge to the finest detail. In her first season she had a perfect score of 29 races entered and 29 won. Ester continued her racing career until in 1937 she sank. Her records remained unmatched and the myth continued to inspire curiosity on her whereabouts for decades.

For more than seventy years, Ester lay alone beneath the waves she once conquered and on which she articulated brilliance. Later, onboard a search vessel in 2012, Per Hellgren, Bo Eriksson and Jan Olof Backman peered down through a screen at a distant shape on the muddy bottom. She was brought up and lead by Bo Eriksson a team including Theo Rye, Juliane Hempel, Jean-Michel Rouve was assembled to rebuild her to the way she was. An amazing journey through time unfolded as seemingly impossible materials had to be sourced in dimensions beyond anything which anybody had supplied for decades.

Touchwood was able to source all mahogany, Sitka spruce and Oregon pine for the rebuild, an utter complex and spectacular project.

For more information see: www.ester1901.se