SY "HEATHERBELL" anno 1932
Our family name simply means "the place you can see the ocean". You could probably say we are born to sail.
Tonje is also born as a boy. As it turned out she kept herselfe occupied on land, running the family business -
Havstad Pewter - spending time looking out on the ocean or working on old wooden boats in need of restauration.
In 2017 things started to change, Tonje came out as transgender and decided time had came to spend more time at sea. Fredrik Havstad, Tonjes son attended the School Ship "Gann" at the same time, and do now work in the Norwegian Coast Guard. Both Tonje and Fredrik has necessary courses for commercial crewing.
We had a 473 Beneteau for a couple of seasons, but now we are concentrating on SY "Heatherbell", our 65' Miller/Fife motorsailer from 1932. Tonje has been recaulking the teakdeck at Hardanger Fartøyvernsenter in Norheimsund, the Hardanger Fjord during the pandemic, and kept on working in Bergen since. Our goal is to invite you for sailing in 2023.
Gardener engine
"Heatherbell" originally had a Daimler engine from the start, but in 1958 it wast replaced with a 6LW Gardener engine made in Manchester. The engine was sea water cooled and at last it stopped due to poor cooling in the heads around 2004.
Fortunatly we found Tangent Gardener in Northern Irland, and Joe rebuilded the hole engine and gears, making a new hydraulical and electrical system.
