Albertina was first launched in the summer of 1939, soon to be followed by the Winter War. (Harry Relander's album)
The coastal cruiser Albertina was built at Åbo Båtvarf in the winter of 1938-1939. The boat was commissioned and designed by the engineer Harry Relander. Mr. Relander made his career in the textile business in Tampere, as technical director of the Lapinniemi cotton mill, a subsidiary of the Tampella industrial group.
Harry Relander was self-taught as a yacht designer. At the age of 14, he designed his first sailing canoe, followed by his first sailboat in his matriculation year 1916. As a summer job, Relander worked as technical foreman at the Helsinki shipyard. He followed American boating magazines and built a series of model sailing boats to explore their features. Relander later designed the Näsijolla sailing dinghy which became popular in the Tampere region, and participated in the design contest for a new Olympic sailing dinghy.
Albertina was freely designed, without regard to any measurement rule. In his drawings, Relander described her as a 22m2 coastal cruiser. The sail area of Albertina is quite large. Her stern is rather wide and buoyant, allowing a relatively large cockpit for this medium-size boat. The cabin top is in the style of the American-rule yachts. The designer has clearly been inspired by American catboats. Above all, Harry wanted a well-sailing, fast boat suitable for family trips in the archipelago. Albertina was built from mahogany on oak frames. The deck was laid in Oregon pine.
Albertina was completed on the eve of the Winter War in 1939. She was also sailed during the war, from her base at Kirstilä, the family manor at Luonnonmaa near Naantali. The boat was owned by the Relanders until the late 1970s. Joakim Håkans acquired the yacht in 2018. At the time of purchase, Albertina was in good condition, having been kept close to its original state. All surfaces of the boat were reconditioned and given a fresh coat of varnish.
Length: 7.2 m Water line: 5.45 m
Beam: 2.09 m Sail area: 22,10 m2
Displacement: 1.39 t
Year of construction: 1939
Designer: Harry Relander
Original Owner: Harry Relander