SLIDE 1
SWE 11058
CAN CAN FOR SALE
Log book
History - Owner - Present port - Specification - Purchase / 2011 ---
History
My relationship with this boat started in 1962 when my father, Lennart Brunnhage, left to eagerly await the building of his Laurin cruiser scheduled for 1963. A single summer without a boat was not to father’s melody and he was invited to take
- ver a construction in Borgå, Finland. Two identical Laurin cruisers were under construction there and the customer for
the other boat was NJK’s President, Ernst Kindberg, inhabitant of Helsingfors. Lennart and Ernst became really good friends, both inside and outside of sailing circles. At that time, a summer tour would start at Hangö in Finland and Competition Sailing and move on to offshore racing at Sandhamn and the Round Gotland Race, which was the great Scandinavian regatta of that period. After the Round Gotland Race, everyone would set course for Arkösund or Karlshamn. From there, the Silverskeppet race would depart every other year. A clipper completely in Silver, all sheets, yes everything was in silver. A highly sought-after trophy to take home. On this particular summer of 1962, my father won this yacht race with his LILECA II. You would cross the finishing line in Kiel or Travemunde. Then you would sail up to Copenhagen and RDYC, the Royal Danish Yacht Club. The Skaw Race in Marstrand would then round off the summer season. During these sailing events, things did not really go as hoped for Ernst and his crew on board his CAN CAN II, so Ernst got back in contact with Arvid Laurin, and the order of the day was for Arvid to “build a boat so that I can beat those damn Swedes“. Indeed, it was the predecessor to CAN CAN III, which was launched in 1966 and completely crushed all resistance in the winners’ list that summer. She won 9 out of the 10 sailing events. In the 10th event, she broke her mast and made her way under engine power to the Danish town of Stubbeköping (“Stubbe” means “stump” in Swedish so the name of the town was quite appropriate in the circumstances). CAN CAN was fitted with a new mast and she was part of the Finnish team that took part in the famous Admiral’s Cup in Cowes, England, in 1967. Finland and its arch rival Sweden called a truce aboard in order to form a single team for this
- event. One of its members was my father Lennart. CAN CAN did well and came in 4th in the Fastnet Race that year.
My father, Lennart, was so delighted with this boat that when she was later put on sale, he flew over with a deposit, but he pulled out at the last minute, his practical mind telling him that the boat was a little too impractical. CAN CAN was built for racing but father wanted to use her for family sailing too.
- Several decades came to pass until one autumn evening in 2011, when I saw an advert on the Internet. CAN CAN was now
registered under another name and was moored in eastern Italy. An Austrian had been bewitched by the boat and bought her in 2008/2009, before sailing her to Austria for refitting. I couldn’t stop myself from contacting the ship broker and within an hour, the owner himself phoned me and after some long and hard bargaining, we signed a contract in March 2012 and the boat thus acquired a new master. For better or for worse, the boat was damaged by hurricane winds (BORA BORA) and was docked so that I could choose a shipyard for the needed repairs. When the shipyard owners introduced themselves and showed me what they had already done with wooden boats, I was bowled over and the boat is still kept shipshape by the same shipyard today AA Custom in Monfalcone, which has an airport and is only a practical, 10-minute drive away from the shipyard. After having paid my money and all other dues, I contacted the shipyard Wihlenius Båtvarv, in Borgå, Finland, who gave me the address of Ernst’s 91 year old widow, Maja Kindberg. She remembered me well and when I enquired if I could rechristen the boat CAN CAN, she didn’t think twice, saying that Ernst would have heartily approved, upon which an order was promptly placed for the logotype. .