Lord Jim’s Unplanned Refit

When the famed 72-ft gaff tops’l schooner Lord Jim hit a rock off the coast of Brazil last spring and sank, many assumed that she would never sail again. But they underestimated the resolve of owners Holger Kreuzhage and Tracy Brown. Today, six months later, this 1936 classic is more than halfway through a hull refit which should make her stronger than ever.

Initially, the couple thought they would simply patch her up and sail her to a reliable yard in the States or Caribbean for a refit. But after assessing the skills of local Brazilian shipwrights and the availability of "amazing" local lumber, they got a bit carried away: "At this point we have replaced all the floors in the boat with new ones out of Ipe. . . all frames on the starboard side have been replaced with Angelim Vermelho."

As the photo shows, the planking process is well underway on one side, but – believe it or not – what you see is only one of two layers of planking. The outer "skin" will be of flawless Cumaru lumber. "In this case, beauty will not just be skin-deep," says Holger. Look for more photos and details on the refit in the November issue of Latitude 38.