Entry no. 5 : Magnus – Skipper Evert Groenewald
St. Helena Race 2024 – Magnus
Magnus was previously Majimoto II and I bought her from Paul Mare in 2018. The boat was renamed Magnus which means Master of the Magical Arts. She is a Farr 38 Mod designed by Bruce Farr in 1991 and built by Ajax Yachts in 1993 originally for Geoff Meek. I don’t think that there is any member of RCYC that has not sailed on her at some point when she was Majimoto II so she has a long history and has somehow touched many sailors lives at some point or another.
Having taken over ownership of her, it was decided that she needed a total refit to get her ready to race and be competitive again. I must admit it took a lot of convincing by my partner Paul Swanepoel to take on this project with no way to tell how long it would take and what it would cost. I could not as an engineer plot out the milestones, create a gantt chart or price what would be required. As a result, it was a decision of passion and not of logic to take on this project. She would also have to live up to her new name.
It has been an exciting and passion-driven journey with Magnus, from the complete refit to preparing for the St Helena Race! The blend of sailing expertise and engineering innovation, along with the commitment from the team, makes this campaign truly extraordinary and special.
