Visiting Vega, our neighbour, an historic vessel built in Norway 1893 to 1894
Here in our snug berth in Rebak Island Marina, life is pretty quiet in these times of Covid 19. We have been busy doing maintenance on Stardancer but needed to come up for air so we decided to visit our neighbours. We were intrigued by our beautiful 128 years old neighbour, the historic vessel Vega LOA 25m, beam 5m, draft 2.5m. She was built as a sturdy trading boat to carry heavy loads. Today her interior could grace House & Garden magazine.
Meggi and Shane have remodelled her beautifully using the 3D plans made by Meggi over many months spent on her computer. I often get asked what women sailors do on their sailboats. Meggi is forever busy with the Vega. Currently she is sewing huge awnings with proper UV resistant thread. As you can see in the photo below taken from the stern of Stardancer, they need to cover a huge area. It is the rainy season here in Malaysia; heavy storms, strong wind gusts and very hot sun in between; tough conditions for the much- needed canvas awnings. Sadly the boat next to us has her awnings in tatters.
As you may know I am a good-coffee addict and Meggi promised me a good coffee. As I watched her making a great brew I had time to appreciate the clever artistry of her galley. The make-over of the interior was done in Bali in 1992 and the Javanese wood - craftsmanship is superb. I particularly enjoyed the practical layout with artistic flourishes that are totally in keeping with the period of the boat. A warm and welcoming feeling pervades the boat which naturally flows from one part to another. I intend to write an extended article about this romantic but practical boat shortly.
HV Vega is a wonderful example of social entrepreneurship. She works as a charitable trust, collecting supplies of donated medical equipment and educational aid to distribute among remote islands in South East Asia. If you are interested either to donate to a very worthy cause or become a volunteer on their annual sail to the islands, check out the relevant section on their website.
The history of this Hardanger Jacht is available on, https://vega1892.com