Jac M Iversen 39ft National 75 SqM Sloop 1919

Any rating rule devised by such luminaries as Johan Anker and Christian Jensen couldn't fail to produce beautiful and efficient sailing yachts; GENESTA, designed and built by Norwegian, later Swedish yacht design and construction genius Jac M Iversen to their Norwegian National Restricted Rule 75 Square Metre formula, is living proof. Conceived to offer both racing and cruising, she still does both today though primarily used for cruising - with recent sail handling updates allowing effortless short handed sailing. Described by her present custodians as, "a joy to day sail or overnight on, beautiful from any angle with exceptional pointing ability, wonderfully low freeboard and exhilarating speed”, GENESTA is a love affair waiting for a lucky new owner.

GENESTA enjoyed a major refit in 2021 and a significant schedule of work and improvement over subsequent years has included:

- Mast wooded; re-varnished
- New track; all new stainless steel fittings
- Rig changed from in-line uppers to a diamond configuration
- - removing the masthead forestay
- - allowing for an asymmetric downwind sail to be flown
- Replacement of runner highfield levers with rope to winch/ clutch
- New runners in Spectra
- 2 x New self tailing Lewmar winches; new cockpit side mounts
- New custom boom providing a stiffer section (RF Upson Boatyard, 2021)
- Upgrade to slab reefing
- New main, jib, and asymmetric by OneSails
- Sails cleaned and stored at OneSails each winter.
- New sheets, blocks, and twining lines for asymmetric
- Fore hatch lowered to original height
- Foredeck stanchions removed
- Engine removed; serviced; re-painted; remounted
- Engine serviced annually
- Rudder removed; stock strengthened; replacement fastenings
- Keel bolts drawn and replaced as necessary (RF Upson Boatyard, 2021)
- Hull wooded above waterline; faired; repainted
- Cockpit seats replaced; sole wooded and re-varnished
- Companionway doors wooded and re-varnished
- Below seats/cots re-built
- Cabin sole wooded and re-varnished
- Internal hull repainted.
- A cosmetic bulkhead removed (2025)
- - opening the interior up all the way to the bow
- Hull wooded below waterline
- Deck re painted
- Coachhouse roof renewed (marine ply sheathed, 2025/26)
- New under boom canvas cockpit cover

Soon Slip & Baatbyggeri Yard No: 193

Throughout the history of organised yachting, indeed continuing to the present day, there has been the debate between the rating rule makers and the sailors. Often the sailors have felt strongly enough to devise alternatives, more often than not driven by economics, but sometimes simply because of strongly held views, and aesthetics. The resulting designs are usually superb.

GENESTA is the result of such opinions in Norway during the second decade of the 20th Century. The International Rule was perceived to be creating expensive, over-heavy, over-canvassed, and over-complicated yachts. An impressive 1912 meeting of minds, including designers Johan Anker and Christian Jensen, came up with two Norwegian national restricted rule classes named by sail area: one of 75 Square Metres, and one of 50 Square Metres. The former became the most popular, with its just short of 40 ft overall length offering both fast racing and cruising possibilities – and it was this rule that GENESTA was designed and built to (yard number 193) by Lawley of Boston-trained Jac M Iversen at his family’s Soon Slip & Baatbyggeri. Anker and the highly-talented but lesser known nowadays Iversen would design the majority of 51 boats believed built.

When launched - as KRABAT, most probably for her early 1920s listed owner Odd Bjornestad, of Kristiania (Oslo), a member of Kongelig Norsk Seilforening (KNS) - newbuildings to the class were in decline, but racing thrived through the 1920s. Such were the efficiency developments in rig design through the 1920s - and so beautifully easily driven was the hull shape produced under the rule - that the class’s sail area was reduced, first to 60 sq m and finally to 52 sq m, approximately what she very efficiently sails under now.

On change of ownership in 1927 to fellow KNS member John Poulsson, her name changed to SIGRID II, then back to KRABAT from 1930 under the further ownership of E or R Mourstad of Bergen, a member of both Bergens Seilforening and KNS. It’s not clear if she moved west to Bergen under Mourstad’s ownership, but by 1935 her new owner was Ole K Röed of Heggeli, Oslo, again a KNS member.

Not long after that, and just before the Second World War, her big change of life happened.

It was not uncommon for Scandinavian yachts to be purchased by north east of England yachtsman, and in the 1930s there was more than one passage race between Norway and England. Lloyd’s Register of Yachts 1938 lists KRABAT’s owner as JDS Hearder of Jesmond, Newcastle, believed to be working there as manager of the Fuller's Chocolates chain's tea shops there, and her home port as Blyth, station of the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club. His purchase’s timing made it inevitable that John Hearder would get little time with her. In fact, his decorated Second World War career - including command of an armed steam yacht, a flotilla of 150ft motor launches involved in minesweeping in Holland and the Mediterranean (sunk twice in action), and official photographer in the pacific aboard the battleship USS Missouri at the VJ day armistice signing - and its aftermath, meant that he never returned to the UK, settling in Sydney where he would become one of Australia’s premier society photographers and a marina entrepreneur. In his 2000 Sydney Morning Herald obituary written by his son, Tony “Steel” Hearder, a well-known local sailor and Sydney-Hobart veteran, there is the suggestion of a pre-war circumnavigation attempt cut short in the Caribbean by the outbreak of war. But surely this can’t have been with KRABAT as she is well recorded as having spent the war laid up in England at Petticrow’s, Burnham on Crouch.

Post war, her new owner became Tiptree preserves-maker Tom Wilkins, moored at Osea Pool, Essex, with her own winter haul-out railway and cradle. Unusually, Wilkins didn’t maintain her Lloyd’s Register of yachts entry, and it is presently unclear when her name changed to GENESTA. From 1963 the register shows her owners as Royal Harwich Yacht Club and Pin Mill Sailing Club members AV Lobban and Arthur Revett with moorings on the River Orwell at Pin Mill and Wolverstone. Subsequent changes in ownership included a long 1964 to 1998 period with Pin Mill Sailing Club member Tom Griffin, wintering at Webb’s yard, Pin Mill and Upson's, Slaughden. GENESTA remained under east coast of England ownerships until purchased by her former south west of England-based owners in 2013. In 2020 her current owner brought her back to Aldeburgh on the East Coast where she has returned to the care of Upson’s, Slaughden, a yard that has known her well over more than 30 years.

©2026 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd.

- Carvel Scandinavian pine on oak
- Cast iron keel
- Some new keelbolts (2021)
- Heavier sawn floors and frames in way of mast
- Sheathed and painted deck
- Raw teak covering boards and king planks
- Mahogany superstructure and hatches
- Marine plywood sheathed house top (2021)

FROM AFT

AFT DECK
- Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard
- Teak and bronze mooring cleat
- Downwind sail cheek blocks
- Mainsheet purchase
- Wood tiller with aluminium extension
- Mainsheet cleats port and starboard
- Traditional Scandinavian two part raised lazarette/ steering hatch

COCKPIT
- Deep with traditional Scandinavian angled lining board sides
- Coamings merge to house sides
- Teak cockpit sole grating - access to aft of engine
- 2 x Lewmar 16 self-tailing winches
- 2 x Spinlock running backstay clutches
- Bench seats port and starboard
- Open stowage under
- Engine control
- Raymarine display to port
- Sheeting cleats outboard at port & starboard coamings

COACHROOF
- Varnished mahogany uprights
- 4 x Oval ports
- 2 x round ports
- Marine plywood sheathed and painted roof
- Sliding companionway hatch
- Double leaf companionway doors; figured wood panels
- Butterfly skylight hatch

SIDE DECKS
- Headsail sheeting fairleads
- Genoa tracks and cars port & starboard
- Toerails

FOREDECK
- Sliding forehatch (2021)
- Chain pipe
- Sampson post and mooring cleat
- Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard

GROUND TACKLE
- 25 lb CQR bower anchor
- Anchor chain - c 45 ft / 14 m
- Chain pipe

FROM AFT
- Stowage areas to port and starboard
- Engine access under companionway step

SALOON
- Settee berths port and starboard
- Butterfly hatch in deckhead
- 2 x Fixed oval ports port & starboard at house sides
- 2 x Fixed round ports at forward house

FOREPEAK
- Baby Blake head to starboard
- Sliding forehatch in deckhead

RIG
- Spruce mast
- 1 x Set of spreaders plus jumper struts/ diamonds
- Douglas fir T-section boom (RF Upson Boatyard, 2021)
- Stainless steel standing rigging
- Spectra running backstays
- Harken headsail furler - control led aft to port
- Mix of traditional ash, and modern blocks

SAILS
By One Sails (2021)
- Mainsail (loose-footed, slab reefing)
- Blade jib
- Asymmetric incorporating furler

CANVASWORK
- Mainsail boom cover
- Skylight cover
- Under-boom cockpit cover
- All over winter cover

- Beta Marine 13.5 hp Diesel (2006)
- Folding 2-blade propeller offset to starboard
- Engine start battery
- 20 L Diesel tank

- Raymarine readouts port cockpit
- Depth sounder
- Hand-held compass

- Manual bilge pump at lazarette hatch
- Automatic bilge pump

- Fenders and mooring warps