Marina took part in a race straight after joining the Åbo Båtvarf Classic Fleet in 2022. (Erik Lähteenmäki)
Marina has a special place in Finnish 5 metre fleet because, as its sail number indicates, it is the first Five-metre built in Finland. The two first Fives, Marina (L-1) and Barbro (L-2), were built side by side in Åbo Båtvarf in the winter of 1935–1936. Today both of these boats are part of the Classic boat fleet of Ruissalo Boatyard.
Marina was commissioned by Olof Wallin (1913-1971). Despite his relatively young age, he was an experienced sailor. Wallin was the nephew of the legendary sailor, Henrik Ramsay, and he was part of his crew on board the 6mR boat, Arneta, in the 1937 Gold Cup in the US. A year earlier, Wallin was part of the 8mR Cheerio team in the Olympic Games held in Kiel. Wallin ordered the drawings for Marina from the two-time sailing Olympic medalist, Norwegian Henrik Robert (1887–1971), who worked as a designer and technical director at Holmen Yachtværft, situated by Oslofjord, Norway.
According to boatyard documents, Marina was built of ‘premium materials’, from best quality mahogany planks on oak frames, and it was delivered to the customer fully equipped. Wallin was actively involved in the building process – keeping in constant touch with the boatyard and being personally responsible for designing theengraved details in the stripe on the side of the boat. Looking at Marina, one’s eyes are immediately drawn to her long lines and the relatively small sail area, which make the spectator think of a boat designed for strong wings. Wallin was an avid competitor and took part in numerous sailing competitions, winning many of them. For example, in the 1938 International Sandhamn regatta he came fifth in a fleet consisting of 25 boats.
In 1941, Wallin sold Marina to Sven Fazer, and the boat passed through the hands of several owners until the 1960s. That’s when, like so many other former racing boats, Marina had her cockpit extended by a doghouse. The boat ended up as a cruising boat on Lake Näsijärvi and didn’t return to salty water until several decades later. Petri Suominen, who purchased Marina in 2011, decided to start renovating the boat. He wanted to remove the doghouse and Marina to have once again a deck layout better suited for the character of a racing boat. Allan Savolainen, the managing director of the Red Sky boatyard, acted as the mentor of the renovation project. As part of the renovation work, some of the frames were renewed, and some of the bow stems were changed.
Marina became the property of Ruissalon Telakka in the summer of 2022. Like the other classics owned by the boatyard, she remains in active use in sailing competitions, and she is included in the activities offered to the public by the sailing center.
Length: 9,22 m
Water line: 6,23 m
Beam: 1,80 m
Sail area: 21,47 m 2
Year of construction: 1936
Designer: Henrik Robert
Original owner: Olof Wallin
Sail number: L-1
Club: ASS