In 1998, Lars and Cajsa Ljung from Ljungskile at the Swedish west coast changed from the wooden folkboat "Veronica" to the OE 32 ”Calluna”. Lars concludes that it can be summarised as "a substantial lift in the quality of life"..

Many years of ruminating preceded the change from a dear, little wooden folk boat to a large and impressive “plastic” ship. These ruminations included even the total digressions of a cottage on the seaward skerries and a private helicopter. All it took was that little advertisement in the “Gothenburg Post” on a wet Holy Thursday to scatter the fog and unite the family towards the only conceivable goal.

Have you inspected a purchasable object in the cold, pouring rain under the biggest and blackest tarpaulin that the market had ever erected? Have you stood in a queue amongst other prospective buyers in order to wind your way up under the intricate covered scaffolds, and, in a playing torchlight, inspect and try to formulate an opinion about whether you have met your dream boat or not? Then you know what we experienced that Easter of 1998. And maybe you have also experienced the “Easter Saturday agony” when you must decide upon a boat model you have never even been on board before, let alone sailed, but still seeming like your one, true love. For the boat was excellent. That could be established even in the torch light, the owner seemed fair, he was in fact the younger brother of an old school friend, and the price wasn’t a deterrent, as far as I could see.

One advantage with owning an old wooden boat is that you can more easily make a quick buying decision when it comes to upgrading, the financing can never be subject to the sale of the old boat. In other words we took a quick step over the would-be buyers and struck on Easter Sunday before the others had time to get to the bank, and suddenly we found ourselves the owners of an OE 32, a long held dream, but don’t ask me how we came from that to this.

The separation from our beloved wooden boat
The sale of our insanely well-kept folk boat was both more difficult and easier than we expected. Only one interested family registered as a prospective buyer, but they understood the right things and didn’t hesitate for long. We now understood that one could take care of folk boats even better than what we thought was possible, old Veronica shines like a sun when we visit her – good to see for an old wooden heart.

Less work with a fibreglass boat
We quickly established that a fibreglass boat is MUCH simpler to take care of than a similar wooden boat. The spring restoration was of course going to be made at a different place far away from home and it also had to be made quickly . “Early in the sea” had always been our melody, to some extent governed by the wooden boat’s own desires, and that still holds. The bottom and freeboard took two afternoon’s work, no boards needed changing, no scraping of the cabin side was necessary, nothing had to be varnished seven times with just the right interval between, as all of the linseed oil finally soaked in and you don’t have to work under tarpaulin to avoid it drying out. The former owners assisted with the launching and with the mast stepping and the engine started at the first turn of the key, no endless jerking on some line was necessary.

Sailing home with the new boat
Sailing home was of course a real adventure. Seven tons instead of two, 60 square metres (645sq ft) of sail instead of the former 24 (258sq ft), and countless unanswered questions ensured that we approached the operation with respect. Good friend Lars took part (not unwillingly) as a moral and a resolute support, as a result he became “a goner” for a bigger boat, and he has already realised his plan.

Everything went like a dream. The sails stood well and pulled nicely, the instruments showed good depth and high speed and the VHF radio crackled in a confidence-inspiring way, and, to be on the safe side left on channel 16. The first berthing at Marstrand went better than expected, despite a larger turning radius, and in the evening we could have our first little party on board, in the giant cabin and under the giant cockpit cover. The first night was bliss. Seldom has a man slept so well and even though we hadn’t yet got the central heating going, there are, as we know, other ways to keep warm.

The first sailing season
That first summer didn’t offer any bigger odysseys, it is alright to sail shorter distances even with the bigger boat, but we experienced a new independence from the weather. It is alright to sail through a gale with a folk boat, and it rains just as much in a bigger cockpit as in a smaller one, but the difference comes in the evening when one can step into the “saloon” instead of crawling down to the cabin. Admittedly there are not going to be so many fun sailings in cramped fairways anymore, we will not repeat the tacking between Koster island and the south Koster archipelago. We’ll use the engine next time. On the other hand the self draining cockpit is an excellent idea when one goes out in bigger waters and can’t dodge behind islands when the wind starts to bluster.

The second year
Concerning the workload in the spring, it can vary. We learned that in our second spring, when it was time to exert ourselves on the hull, which had been painted repeatedly over the latest ten years or so. Already in February we had thus got going somewhat, and we were fairly tired before the hull was scraped clean, epoxy painted and blue again. Now it is done, so we hope we can go back to the simple business again. Though, new projects will show up, if the boat itself doesn’t demand them, then the skipper will or the skipper’s wife. There is of course so much bigger space for clever gadgets, and stowage space for “good things to have”. The boat already weighed seven tons according to “Crane-Janne” (the crane driver) so a few more instruments, a little dinghy maybe, a cd-player, new curtains, not least a roller blind for the skylights etc. won’t make such big a difference. Besides, it would be good with an onshore power unit and an extra forestay for a proper working jib, because even if the furler was awfully convenient, it has it’s limitations. The bow thruster project has already been skipped, since there has to be a little sport to get her into the harbour, but a wind vane is not a bad idea, eventually. It is true that things go well with “Helmer”, the hand, especially when assisted by a wind accessory that we believe exists, but what about voyages stretching out across oceans? It will need a heavier device. Up till now our ocean sailing has been limited to the Kattegatt, but there are several of the world’s seas in the vicinity.

A sea bathe, bathroom and toilet
It is almost a meter down to the water now, so one must now use a thermometer rather than the hand to settle the question of whether to take the morning dip. If that dip is going to be taken, it is going to be more reckless, but it is easier to get back onboard since there is a decent ladder to grab. On the other hand you don’t need to bathe in the sea so much since one has a bathroom on board, admittedly without a shower, but still... The water toilet is a real hit, but one hardly dare to use it while lying in a harbour, because the neighbours don’t know if you have a holding tank on board or if it pumps directly out.

Plenty of fresh water and a roomy galley
The water consumption has generally increased. Before, we got by with two 10 litre (2.2 gallon) cans for several weeks, now we fill our 230 litre (50 gallon) tank in every other harbour. I don’t think that we are drinking so much more water now, especially not now when we have such suitable spaces to store considerably better drinks in. One could expect that the catering would have undergone a total metamorphosis with this new galley with oven, coolbox and masses of cupboards and boxes for all sorts of unimaginable tools. But we already ate and drank well in the folk boat environment. The main difference perhaps, was that one could create a tempting aroma of toasted bread from that “little tray” (our old folk boat) that you’d hardly notice under the gunwhale of all other OE 32’s and even bigger crafts. Instant coffee powder and tea bags can be avoided even if the boat is small, and you can bake in the spirit oven, even if it is naturally considerably simpler with LPG.

Head room in the cabin!
With increasing age one experiences less and less pleasure to bend down when one is below deck. The dancing space is much better now, even if the broadloom carpet is worse as a dance floor than varnished mahogany. It is much easier to entice the children and grandchildren to join us on a trip when there are places for everyone to sleep at the same time. Sea berths are perfect for small sailors, both for the day and the night. The voyages can be considerably longer when there are places for good books, dry clothes, a private corner when you want it, where there is no risk that water will begin dripping in even from a heavier downpour (I think, anyway). Quite simply, where one has “accommodation” instead of a camping environment when on a voyage. Then one has to abide the fact that the space weighs a lot when one shall bear off during mooring, that the insurance is ten times dearer and it smells less of wood and turpentine, but on the other hand one can be happy that it isn’t more complicated with the sails, that the engine handling is so much easier and more reliable and that, in fact it goes faster (even though the folk boat is the next fastest!)

Also see the article Esperiences and changes in connection with taking over an OE 32.

Lars Ljung