1935 steering hardware

[Basil Carmody]

In the caption of the photo taken at its launching (Die Yacht n° 38 1935 p. 17 - attached), my 6mr, Joanna (ex-Michel Selig, ex-Avalun VIII), is described as "eine recht ungewönlich 6mr Yacht" having a "starck abweichende Gestalt" .

The caption continues "Die trimmänderung wird dadurch erreicht, dass die Mannschaft ganz achtern untergebracht wird."

The Drewitz plans no longer exist, so we have to try to reconstruct what he intended.

Joanna was converted to cruising in the 1960's. Strangely, a steering wheel was positioned in the middle of the cockpit.

Also strangely, Joanna has a 780 x 600 mm opening in the deck behind the rudder shaft.

In examining the steering system, the components seem to be of two different periods. The older ones are in bronze (see photo attached). The more recent ones are mainly stainless steel plates used to position the older components.

My current guess is that R. Drewitz intended the helmsman to steer from the rear opening with a wheel. The 1960's conversion to cruising then modified this system, placing the steering wheel in the cockpit.*

If the older components are German, this would tend to confirm this guess.

As shown in the photo, the part numbers of the older components are:

- steering yoke: WS 102
- flush pulley bracket: WS 4/5
- vertical pulley bracket: WS 4/2A
- pulley wheel: WS 4/4

If someone familiar with German yacht steering hardware of around 1935 recognises these components as being German, I would deeply appreciate hearing from him or her.

Thank you,

Basil Carmody

*the launching photo and a 1953 photo both show a standard tiller. A second part of my current guess proposes that Hans Collignon, the owner, rejected R. Drewitz's plan as being too radical. He had commissioned the boat as his entry for the 1936 Olympic Trials. He may never have sailed Joanna. He sold her almost at once. He bought a second-hand 6mr as his entry for the Olympic Trials. He may have told Drewitz to replace the steering wheel with a tiller. Since the part of the rudder shaft which extends inside the hull is very short, the easiest solution for the tiller may have been to link it to the steering system.

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