It really is the end of an era, but the time has come to sell our lovely yacht. We’ve set out below a short history of the vessel, recent maintenance carried out, and an inventory of the equipment. We hope the next owners get as much pleasure out of her as we have.

BRIEF SUMMARY
The Evanna is a custom built, 17 metre round bilge steel sloop, designed by a leading Australia marine architect, and built to a U.S.L. Class I Survey in 1993.

• 6 water-tight compartments.
• 3 double cabins each with en-suite.
• 2 saloons.
• Galley fitted with custom s/s refrigerators and freezer. Electric stove and appliances. Dishwasher and washing machine.
• Sailing winches, roller furling, bow-thrust and anchor are all hydraulic and operated from
• The steering position at the touch of a button, making for single-handed sailing.
• Gardner 6LX diesel.
• 10 KVA generator
• Air conditioning
• Water maker.
• Vessel well maintained and in excellent condition. Recent survey.
  

THE BUILDING OF EVANNA
When we decided to build a sailing vessel in 1990 we searched around for a suitable design. We wanted a fast, safe, ocean-going yacht that would be capable of cruising to any part of the world, with a couple of extra cabins so we could carry a few friends to help pay our way.

What material to build in?
We considered the various materials and finally settled on steel. Why steel? While cruising around the world to out-of-the-way places where charts can be unreliable, it is fairly certain that you will bump into something – an uncharted rock or coral reef, and of course there are the odd containers that have washed overboard from container ships.

We did hit a container once:
(We were on passage across the Atlantic from Cuba to France in 2007. I normally reduce sail at night, but as it was such a beautiful clear night with a fresh NW breeze, I left her under full sail and we were creaming along at 8.5 knots. It was around 2.00 am that there was a loud bang. The vessel shuddered and stopped dead in the water before picking up way again. It had to have been a container. They float at sea level, are almost invisible and the radar doesn’t pick them up. The next day during daylight, an inspection showed just a bit of paint scraped off the bow. We were thankful for a steel hull!)

CHOOSING A DESIGNER AND PLANS
After looking into various designers, we commissioned the Sydney marine architect, John Pugh to draw up plans. We decided to build the yacht to a Class I, Uniform Shipping Law (U.S.L.) survey, a very high international standard. The plans first had to be approved by the Marine Board of Victoria, who then sent a surveyor each week to the shipyard to check the building as it progressed.

Some of the requirements of the U.S.L. Class I survey.

• Water-tight compartments - The vessel was built with 6 watertight compartments. The watertight doors are clipped back, and in all our travels we’ve never had the need to use them.
  
• Windows - The survey required the window to be of 10mm lexen ,which is held in place against a rubber gasket by means of a steel frame bolted to a tapped bar previously welded around the inside of the window. Hence no bolts protrude through the superstructure.
   
• Safety rails - The rails had to be 900mm high. All rails and deck fittings are in 316 stainless steel.
   
• All pipes and lines in stainless steel - Bilge lines to the 6 compartments, as well as all hydraulic and waste pipes are in 316 stainless steel.
   
• Stability test and report - A specialist surveyor took several days to carry out a comprehensive stability test. Allowing for up to 22 persons on one side, and the vessel under full sail, all requirements were met with a good margin.

OTHER FEATURES OF THE VESSEL

The steel work
All steel work has been rounded and “bull-nosed”. (She is often mistaken for a fibreglass boat). We also resisted the temptation to put on a laid teak deck, preferring instead to be able to maintain the steel.

The hydraulic system.
During the building, it was relatively easy to install a hydraulic ring main throughout the ship. The hydraulics operate the sailing winches, the roller furling, the bow thrust and the anchor, all at the touch of a button from the steering position.

The fit-out.
The interior fit-out was done by the Melbourne shipwright John Johnson. We chose a lightweight Pacific Island cedar for the woodwork, at the same time incorporating some antique ship furnishings in the very rare Cuban mahogany. All exterior woodwork is in teak. The vessel was insulated with polyurethane foam.

Main engine.
For the main engine we installed a 6LX Gardner. This well-balanced, low revving engine ticks over very quietly. Maximum engine speed 1000 rpm, giving the vessel a speed of 9 knots. 750 rpm gives her a speed of 7 knots. Gardner claim the 6LX will do 40,000 hours before requiring an overhaul. The engine has done approx. 6000 hrs.

A full description of the layout of the vessel is given in the initial insurance survey, carried out when the vessel was launched in 1993. It is attached at the end.

MAINTENANCE
You will see from our website that we carry paying guests. (We call them “paying crew” because they also help out on board). These are a group of friends who join us from time to time in different parts of the world. It’s a fairly inexpensive holiday for them, but it brings in sufficient income to enable us to put the vessel in a boatyard each winter and have any maintenance work done. Over the years we’ve kept up with all maintenance and replacements. Below are some recent replacements and overhauls:

• 2006 Bow thrust overhauled with new bearings. Head sail furling overhauled.
• 2007. Complete hull survey, Florida USA. Results excellent. Report available.
• 2008. New anchor chain and winch gypsy. 100 metres 13mm short link galvanised.
• New in-mast roller furling. Old one replaced with latest Hood design.
• 2009 Hull sandblasted and repainted with 6 coats of epoxy primer.
• 2010 Gear box taken out and clutch assemblies replaced. Prop. shaft withdrawn and new bearings installed. All batteries replaced.
   

REASON FOR SELLING
Why do we want to sell this beautiful little ship? Since launching Evanna (the name is a combination of my mother Evelyn, and Carol’s grandmother Anna) in 1993, we have travelled some 80,000 nautical miles. The voyages have taken us around the coast of Australia, through the SW Pacific, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and via the Red Sea to this side of the world. We’ve crossed the Atlantic in each direction, once via the Arctic Circle and Greenland to Canada, and a six-week passage from Cuba to Brest. I am now 73, and while we are still able to sail the vessel, we feel we’d rather leave now rather than be forced off by ill health later.

Peter & Carol Evans