gaia 36 sailboat

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Extraordinary boats: Tapio Lehtinen’s Gaia 36 Asteria

• November 29, 2022

Tapio Lehtinen’s Gaia 36 Asteria is the oldest yacht entered in the ‘retro’ solo Golden Globe Race, and has some unusual modifications for this unique event

Note: Since this piece was written Tapio Lehtinen had to be rescued in the Golden Globe Race after his beloved yacht, Asteria sank in a mere 5 minutes. It is unclear at this moment what the cause of this abrupt sinking was. As this article attests, Lehtinen was meticulous in his preparation for the event and was dismayed to lose his boat in such a fashion. 

Sparkman and Stephens aficionado Tapio Lehtinen believes his Gaia 36 Asteria is the perfect vessel for the rigours of the Golden Globe Race , despite being the oldest yacht in the fleet having been built in 1965. Lehtinen completed the 2018 edition, the first ‘re-running’ of the famous solo non stop race, in 5th place in the same boat, after being hampered by ineffective antifouling that resulted in massive underwater growth.

However, a bigger refit than anticipated meant Lehtinen was not able to fully realise his vision for the boat last time. He bought her in 2017 in Italy, but it was only after sailing home to Finland that significant delamination was discovered in the deck. Eventually the entire deck and coachroof was sliced off and used as a male mould for its replacement.

At the same time, the hull was stripped right back to a shell, with all furniture and bulkheads removed. Even the gelcoat and top 1mm of the hull laminate was ground away and then relaminated with Kevlar to improve impact resistance against collision with floating objects.

“The boat is now how I would have liked it to be four years ago,” he told me in Les Sables d’Olonne the day before the start, “but then we just didn’t have the time to get to this standard.”

The Gaia design dates from 1961 and Asteria is the second boat of a total of 15 built. She has very similar lines to the Swan 36 which was first launched just two years later, although Asteria ’s rudder is mounted on the trailing edge of the keel, rather than the Swan’s more modern fin and skeg profile.

Although much modified, Asteria is the only boat in the Golden Globe Race that was originally designed for racing. Photo: Golden Globe Race

“It’s the only boat in the GGR that was originally designed for racing,” Lehtinen added, “and I wouldn’t want to race with a cruising boat.” Nevertheless Asteria is much modified compared to her original specification.

As well as three watertight compartments and foam buoyancy in the bow, there’s a pair of watertight bulkheads aft, which are not required for the race, but make sense for the rigours of the course. The first is just ahead of the rudder tube, while the second is a couple of feet further forward. All through-hull fittings are positioned between the two, virtually eliminating the chance of a failed skin fitting sinking the boat.

Conventional cockpit locker lids are notorious for letting in water during severe weather. Therefore flush-fitting Lewmar hatches were used instead when the new deck was fitted. The deck now also has a wider cockpit coaming to facilitate the fitting of large winches – there are three each side. At the same time the cockpit well is narrower than the original. It was specified to exactly fit the width of the liferaft, minimising the volume of water the cockpit will hold when pooped by a wave.

Hand and foot steering

The very substantial aluminium tiller has an extension that in benign conditions enables Lehtinen to steer from the front of the cockpit, where there’s a clear view of the telltales. Noting that Jean Luc Van Den Heede, who won the first edition of the revived Golden Globe by a large margin, hand steered for a lot of the race, Asteria is also set up so that Lehtinen can steer from a position of comfort and safety in properly challenging conditions.

As we publish this, Lehtinen is in second in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. Photo: GGR/Etienne Messikommer

To do this he adapted an idea from Bernard Moitessier in the original 1968 Golden Globe. He can sit in the companionway, completely enclosed by the cuddy and washboards, steering with his feet in stirrups, from which lines are led back to the tiller.

The ultra-sleek cuddy is also a unique feature. Those of some Golden Globe boats look vulnerable in a knockdown, or add considerable windage aft, which may impair steering downwind in wild conditions when these boats lack the control of more modern designs with spade rudders. However, Asteria ’s cuddy design was based on those used for racing powerboats and, despite being extremely lightweight, is rated to withstand capsizing at around 100 knots of boat speed!

The 12mm standing rigging is massively oversized, while the mast, chainplates and surrounding structure are beefed up to match. Photo: Rupert Holmes

Durable rig

When the coachroof was rebuilt Lehtinen took the opportunity to reduce the width of the companionway. It now exactly suits his frame, so he doesn’t rattle around in the space in rough weather. There’s also extra strengthening at the companionway, with full height fore and aft bulkheads each side that are bonded into the hull structure.

Lehtinen says the importance of that is something he remembers from Miles and Beryl Smeeton’s experience on their 46ft ketch Tzu Hang , which lost the coachroof when pitchpoled on the approach to Cape Horn in the late 1950s.

Lehtinen demonstrating the webbing ‘cage’ over his bunk to stop him being thrown out in the event of being rolled over or a severe knockdown. Photo: Helen Fretter

For this edition of the race he also changed from a WindPilot to a Hydrovane. This suits Asteria well as the chord length of her keel is unusually short, which means the rudder hung on its trailing edge is a long way forward and has limited effect. However, the Hydrovane’s auxiliary rudder, mounted on the back of the long, drawn out counter exerts lots of leverage. In many ways it therefore works more like the spade rudder of newer designs and allows Asteria ’s main rudder to be locked off, acting like a trim tab.

Three furling headsails make for quick and easy sail transitions. Photo: Rupert Holmes

One of the changes Lehtinen has made since the 2018 race is to fit a continuous line furler to the forward forestay that enables hank-on sails to be furled. Towards the end of the race, when his big lightweight genoa was worn and weak, there was a risk of it being irreparably damaged in squalls as it was time consuming to douse. The reefing system means the sail can be wrapped away very quickly.

Downwind this stay can also be used for the hank-on storm jib. However, when sailing upwind the storm jib can be flown from the babystay in conjunction with a fourth mainsail reef (in lieu of a trysail) to give a more balanced sail plan. To give the mast appropriate support for this Asteria has a second pair of running backstays.

Standing rigging, normally 7mm or 8mm wire for a boat of this size, is upgraded to a massive 12mm, with Norseman-style terminals and both chainplates and the surrounding structure beefed up to match. The mast, new for the 2018 race, is of a heavier section than standard.

The Yankee on the main forestay and staysail are both roller furling sails and were used for the previous GGR. They’re made of very heavy Dacron, with substantial reinforcement, and have been fully serviced including re-stitching where it was found necessary.

Mainsail reefing is done entirely in the cockpit, using separate luff and leech pennants. The sail is set up with twin sheets, each with a purchase leading to opposite sides of the cockpit. It’s a simple arrangement that gives fine control over sail shape without the need for a traveller. The boat is set up with two poles for gybes, while the leeward foreguy can be led aft as a preventer. There’s also a jockey pole to keep the spinnaker pole off the guardrails.

It’s also noticeable that there are many substantial stainless steel handholds on deck and that jackstays are as close to the centreline as possible. Given Asteria’s narrow beam and fine ends Lehtinen uses a short tether to ensure he can never be washed over the guardwires.

Confined space

His bunk is on the starboard side of the saloon, with a deep leeboard supplemented by webbing straps across the top, to ensure there’s no chance of being ejected and injured even if the boat is rolled through 360°. A steering compass and barograph at the foot of the bunk means Lehtinen can immediately check key data on waking up, including the rate of change of atmospheric pressure.

The sleek cuddy was originally designed for racing powerboats and can withstand a capsize at 100 knots. Photo: Rupert Holmes

The remainder of the interior is very functional, with a sail stowage area forward, a small navstation on the main bulkhead with the permitted electronics: VHF and SSB radios, plus an old school weather fax that allows synoptic charts and even satellite weather images to be downloaded via HF radio. These are all encased behind waterproof panels.

Asteria specifications

LOA: 10.97m / 36ft 0in LWL: 7.77m / 25ft 6in Beam: 2.95m / 9ft 8in Draught: 1.83m / 6ft 0in Displacement: 6,985kg / 15,400lb Sail area: 50.17m2 / 540ft2

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Golden Globe Race – Tapio Lehtinen: ‘Within two minutes the water had gone from knee to waist height; I knew I had to leave the boat’

• Katy Stickland
• November 21, 2022

Golden Globe Race skipper Tapio Lehtinen gives his account of the sinking of his Gaia 36 and his rescue from the southern Indian Ocean

Tapio Lehtinen doesn’t know why his Golden Globe Race yacht, Asteria , sank in the southern Indian Ocean.

The Gaia 36 was 450 miles south east of Port Elizabeth in South Africa when she began rapidly taking on water, forcing the singlehanded sailor to abandon ship for his liferaft ; 24 hours later – on 19 November 2022 – he was rescued by fellow race skipper, Kirsten Neuschafer before being transferred to the bulk carrier Darya Gayatri. The Hong Kong-registered vessel is now on its way to Rizhao in China.

Tapio Lehtinen managed to leave Asteria for his liferaft within 5 minutes, and then watched the yacht sink. Credit: GGR 2022/Etienne Messikommer

‘Everything happened so quickly. I was sleeping in my bunk when I woke up around 0830. I woke up to a big bang. Although I was sleeping, I do react to the movement of the boat and I am 99% sure we didn’t hit anything. The bang came from the deck or inside the boat. I felt no impact. I have a safety net on top of the bunk so it took around 20 seconds to crawl out of my bunk and put my feet on the floor, and it was already knee deep in water. The water was rushing rapidly from the stern of the boat forward into the cabin,’ Lehtinen told Yachting Monthly from the bulk carrier Darya Gayatri.

The 64-year-old offshore sailor managed to grab his survival suit and his grab bag containing his communications equipment and make his way on deck.

Tapio Lehtinen’s liferaft was securely on deck when the accident happened. Credit: Nora Havel/GGR 2022

‘I realised I had to leave the boat. I grabbed my survival suit and communication grab bag and got to the deck. Once my survival suit was on, I got the liferaft in the water and then I went back to the companionway to get the other two grab bags, which had food, water and medication in them but, by then, the water was already up to deck level. Everything was floating inside and I realised I would need to dive to get my two grab bags, which I decided not to do in a sinking boat. I knew Abhilash [Tomy] and Kirsten were close to me, and I had 100% confidence and trust in Don’s [Don McIntyre – race chairman] ability to coordinate a rescue. I knew I would not spend more than a day in the raft,’ added the 64-year-old lifelong skipper.

Tapio Lehtinen had already cut the line securing the liferaft to the sinking boat and had tied a quick release knot which could be easily undone.

‘Whilst I was in the companionway, the knot opened and the raft started drifting away. It was about 2-3 metres from the boat. I made a leap from the boat to the raft and luckily I made it. Asteria took 20 minutes to fully sink. When I saw the top of the mainsail I stood up in the liferaft to make the last salute to my friend, which was a pretty emotional moment,’ said Lehtinen, who completely rebuilt the 57-year-old boat for the 2018 Golden Globe Race; he came fifth in the race, having sailed around the world in 322 days due to gooseneck barnacle growth on the boat’s hull.

Tapio Lehtinen in his survival suit. All of the skippers underwent sea survival training before the race start. Credit: Nora Havel/GGR

Lehtinen made further modifications for the 2022 race, including fitting new electrics and a Hydrovane windvane steering system, having found the Windpilot difficult to keep on course in the 2018 race, partly due to the fact it was connected to the boat’s rudder.

The Hydrovane steered with its own rudder blades, which reduced yaw, and enhanced Asteria ‘s  performance; it also meant the boat’s rudder could be used as a trim tab, improving upwind sailing performance.

‘I re-entered the race as I felt Asteria deserved another chance and I was super happy with the boat and everything was working fine; it was great to sail the boat without the problems of the first Golden Globe Race. I felt totally safe, and had 100% trust in the boat. I was so looking forward to the next 100 days ahead of me It is totally unbelievable that the boat sank on such a beautiful summer day.’

Continues below…

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Tapio Lehtinen said he had time to reflect on the loss of Asteria whilst spending 24 hours in the liferaft, and has now ‘got over the disappointment’, and that he was lucky not to need rescue in stronger winds.

He said the liferaft ‘turned out to be luxury’, and with his dry suit on underneath his survival suit, he was ‘warm and comfortable’.

‘The only thing missing in the liferaft was a Gideon’s Bible and a bathroom, other than that everything was great. I trusted I would be rescued within 24 hours. The first day was light winds and the wind started picking up through the night to a Force 4. I only had one wave break into the liferaft.’

Fellow Golden Globe Race skipper, Kirsten Neuschafer was the first to reach Tapio Lehtinen. Credit: Nora Havel/GGR 2022

Tapio Lehtinen had plenty of wildlife for company; 20 black Giant Petrel gathered around the liferaft, with the dominant bird even touching his finger with their beak.

Albatross also kept him entertained as he waited for rescue.

‘I put my head out [of the raft] and two albatross were next to each other, looking like they were kissing each other with their beaks. It was very romantic. They were there for 20 minutes. Eventually they went off and in the morning a wondering albatross also came within 1-2 m of the raft. I got to see him taking over and gliding right over me. I have never seen an albatross taking off from the water before, it was so close. It was like a jet engine. Just before Kirsten arrived, a sea turtle turned up and come next to the raft. The sea life was expectational. ‘

Tapio Lehtinen said the rescue operation was smooth, with ‘no panic’ due to the compulsory sea survival training before the race start, and the strict rules surrounding the equipment in the grab bag, which included a YB3 Tracker-Texting device, satellite phone, personal locator beacon (PLB), and GMDSS VHF.

Modifications were made to Asteria before the 2022 race, including the installation of Hydrovane windvane steering. Credit: Katy Stickland

‘It [the rescue] went like an instructional film. It was great to get onto Kirsten’s Cape George 36 cutter. First we had a big hug and then a glass of rum and we had time for a nice chat. We saw Darya Gayatri approaching. It took them around half to three-quarters-of-an-hour for the ship to turn, so its side was against the wind so Kirsten could manoeuvre the boat to the lee of the ship, which is 230m long. We couldn’t get too close as there was still a 3-5 metre swell. We got to within 30m of the ship and then they threw a line to Minnehaha, which we caught and tied it to the raft. They then pulled me in the raft alongside [the ship] next to the rope ladder and then I climbed up the ladder and then they pulled the liferaft up to the deck,’ explained Lehtinen, who gave Neuschafer his dry suit as a thank you for the rescue as she didn’t have one; he hopes it will provide her with extra protection in the Southern Ocean .

He said he ‘never imagined’ he would need to be rescued, and fellow Golden Globe Race skippers could ‘trust that whatever happens, that they are in the best possible hands’ in the event of an emergency.

Tapio Lehtinen now has a three week voyage aboard the Darya Gayatri, which is expected to dock in Rizhao, China on the 6 December 2022.

Tapio Lehtinen came 5th in the 2018 Golden Globe Race. Credit: Christophe Favreau/PPL/GGR

A veteran of the 1981-82 Whitbread Round the World Race, Lehtinen is leading his own team Tapio Lehtinen Sailing in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race (OGR), a retro Whitbread Race, to mark the 50th anniversary of the original 1973 Whitbread. Like the Golden Globe Race, the OGR is being run by Don McIntyre.

The team, made up of young Finnish sailors, will be racing on board the Swan 55 Galiana .

‘I now have time to focus on the Ocean Globe Race; it is very valuable for me, psychologically, that I have the next project in the pipeline. It makes it easier to leave the disappointment behind. I have plenty of time to walk around Darya Gayatri , which even has a gym. My aim is to walk 2km after every meal so I stay fit for the Ocean Globe Race. The crew on the ship are taking splendid care of me and I’ve had some lovely Indian meals. Life is smiling,’ added Tapio Lehtinen.

A feature on  Galiana  and Tapio Lehtinen Sailing will be published in the January 2023 issue of  Yachting Monthly , out on the 8 December 2022.

Current positions of the Golden Globe Race 2022 skippers on 21 November 2022 at 1000 UTC

Simon Curwen , (UK), Biscay 36, Clara Kirsten Neuschafer, (South Africa), Cape George 36 cutter, Minnehaha Abhilash Tomy , (India), Rustler 36, Bayanat Michael Guggenberger , (Austria), Biscay 36, Nuri Jeremy Bagshaw, (South Africa), OE32, Olleanna Elliot Smith ,  (USA), Gale Force 34, Second Wind Ian Herbert-Jones (UK), Tradewind 35, Puffin Arnaud Gaist , (France), Barbican 33 Mk 2, Hermes Phoning Guy Waites (UK), Tradewind 35, Sagarmatha

Edward Walentynowicz , (Canada), Rustler 36, Noah’s Jest Guy deBoer , (USA), Tashiba 36, Spirit Mark Sinclair (Australia), Lello 34, Coconut Pat Lawless , (Ireland), Saltram Saga 36 , Green Rebel Damien Guillou , (France), Rustler 36, PRB Ertan Beskardes , (UK), Rustler 36, Lazy Otter Tapio Lehtinen, (Finland), Gaia 36, Asteria

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Review of Gaia 36

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The Gaia 36 is equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

The Gaia 36 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.83 - 1.93 meter (6.00 - 6.30 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Gaia 36 is 1.56, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.8 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Gaia 36 is about 153 kg/cm, alternatively 859 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 153 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 859 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio) Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind: - Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15 - Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20 - Racers have ratios above 20 - High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24 Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 13.97

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 28m 2 (301 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Gaia 36 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

• Benello Gaia - S&S 36
• Fairlane 38 Phantom
• Swan 46 MK I
• Finngulf 33

BENELLO GAIA - S&S 36 - Refit for GOLDEN GLOBE RACE 2018

Name   Asteria Type   Gaia 36 Masthead sloop Designer   Sparkman & Stephens Builder   Cantiere Benello (ITA) LOA   36.00ft / 10.97m LWL   25.50ft / 7.77m Beam   9.67′ / 2.95m Draft   6.00′ / 1.83m Displacement   15400 lbs / 6985 kgs Sail area   540sq. ft / 50.17sq. m

Tapio Lehtinen

will be campaigning a Benello Gaia 36, a Sparkman & Stephens design that won the first One Ton Cup in 1965 and a long keeled forerunner to the Nautor Swan 36, which he sailed from the Mediterranean back to Finland in 2017 prior to her being extensively refurbished at the Nordic Refit Center in Larsmo.

Built in 1965, Asteria is the oldest boat entered in the GGR, and work to restore her to racing standard has been extensive. Her deck moulding has been replaced and the interior stripped out to leave a bare hull prior to rebuilding with stronger bulkheads and fastenings. Tapio expected this work to be completed by Easter 2018 when he intended to give the boat a proper shakedown prior to arriving to Falmouth for the Suhaili 50 Falmouth Parade of Sail on June 14, 2018.

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• Sailboat Guide

Gaia 36 is a 35 ′ 11 ″ / 11 m monohull sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Benello (ITA) starting in 1965.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Based on ‘Hestia’, a successful racer under the RORC rule.(S&S#1478) This was the first production version of this design. There were a number of other later variants including the SWAN 36, and the SIGMA 36 by Cheoy Lee.

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Extraordinary boats: Tapio Lehtinen’s Gaia 36 Asteria

Tapio Lehtinen’s Gaia 36 Asteria is the oldest yacht entered in the ‘retro’ solo Golden Globe Race, and has some unusual modifications for this unique event

Note: Since this piece was written Tapio Lehtinen had to be rescued in the Golden Globe Race after his beloved yacht, Asteria sank in a mere 5 minutes. It is unclear at this moment what the cause of this abrupt sinking was. As this article attests, Lehtinen was meticulous in his preparation for the event and was dismayed to lose his boat in such a fashion. 

Sparkman and Stephens aficionado Tapio Lehtinen believes his Gaia 36 Asteria is the perfect vessel for the rigours of the Golden Globe Race , despite being the oldest yacht in the fleet having been built in 1965. Lehtinen completed the 2018 edition, the first ‘re-running’ of the famous solo non stop race, in 5th place in the same boat, after being hampered by ineffective antifouling that resulted in massive underwater growth.

However, a bigger refit than anticipated meant Lehtinen was not able to fully realise his vision for the boat last time. He bought her in 2017 in Italy, but it was only after sailing home to Finland that significant delamination was discovered in the deck. Eventually the entire deck and coachroof was sliced off and used as a male mould for its replacement.

At the same time, the hull was stripped right back to a shell, with all furniture and bulkheads removed. Even the gelcoat and top 1mm of the hull laminate was ground away and then relaminated with Kevlar to improve impact resistance against collision with floating objects.

“The boat is now how I would have liked it to be four years ago,” he told me in Les Sables d’Olonne the day before the start, “but then we just didn’t have the time to get to this standard.”

The Gaia design dates from 1961 and Asteria is the second boat of a total of 15 built. She has very similar lines to the Swan 36 which was first launched just two years later, although Asteria ’s rudder is mounted on the trailing edge of the keel, rather than the Swan’s more modern fin and skeg profile.

Although much modified, Asteria is the only boat in the Golden Globe Race that was originally designed for racing. Photo: Golden Globe Race

“It’s the only boat in the GGR that was originally designed for racing,” Lehtinen added, “and I wouldn’t want to race with a cruising boat.” Nevertheless Asteria is much modified compared to her original specification.

As well as three watertight compartments and foam buoyancy in the bow, there’s a pair of watertight bulkheads aft, which are not required for the race, but make sense for the rigours of the course. The first is just ahead of the rudder tube, while the second is a couple of feet further forward. All through-hull fittings are positioned between the two, virtually eliminating the chance of a failed skin fitting sinking the boat.

Conventional cockpit locker lids are notorious for letting in water during severe weather. Therefore flush-fitting Lewmar hatches were used instead when the new deck was fitted. The deck now also has a wider cockpit coaming to facilitate the fitting of large winches – there are three each side. At the same time the cockpit well is narrower than the original. It was specified to exactly fit the width of the liferaft, minimising the volume of water the cockpit will hold when pooped by a wave.

Hand and foot steering

The very substantial aluminium tiller has an extension that in benign conditions enables Lehtinen to steer from the front of the cockpit, where there’s a clear view of the telltales. Noting that Jean Luc Van Den Heede, who won the first edition of the revived Golden Globe by a large margin, hand steered for a lot of the race, Asteria is also set up so that Lehtinen can steer from a position of comfort and safety in properly challenging conditions.

As we publish this, Lehtinen is in second in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. Photo: GGR/Etienne Messikommer

To do this he adapted an idea from Bernard Moitessier in the original 1968 Golden Globe. He can sit in the companionway, completely enclosed by the cuddy and washboards, steering with his feet in stirrups, from which lines are led back to the tiller.

The ultra-sleek cuddy is also a unique feature. Those of some Golden Globe boats look vulnerable in a knockdown, or add considerable windage aft, which may impair steering downwind in wild conditions when these boats lack the control of more modern designs with spade rudders. However, Asteria ’s cuddy design was based on those used for racing powerboats and, despite being extremely lightweight, is rated to withstand capsizing at around 100 knots of boat speed!

The 12mm standing rigging is massively oversized, while the mast, chainplates and surrounding structure are beefed up to match. Photo: Rupert Holmes

Durable rig

When the coachroof was rebuilt Lehtinen took the opportunity to reduce the width of the companionway. It now exactly suits his frame, so he doesn’t rattle around in the space in rough weather. There’s also extra strengthening at the companionway, with full height fore and aft bulkheads each side that are bonded into the hull structure.

Lehtinen says the importance of that is something he remembers from Miles and Beryl Smeeton’s experience on their 46ft ketch Tzu Hang , which lost the coachroof when pitchpoled on the approach to Cape Horn in the late 1950s.

Lehtinen demonstrating the webbing ‘cage’ over his bunk to stop him being thrown out in the event of being rolled over or a severe knockdown. Photo: Helen Fretter

For this edition of the race he also changed from a WindPilot to a Hydrovane. This suits Asteria well as the chord length of her keel is unusually short, which means the rudder hung on its trailing edge is a long way forward and has limited effect. However, the Hydrovane’s auxiliary rudder, mounted on the back of the long, drawn out counter exerts lots of leverage. In many ways it therefore works more like the spade rudder of newer designs and allows Asteria ’s main rudder to be locked off, acting like a trim tab.

Three furling headsails make for quick and easy sail transitions. Photo: Rupert Holmes

One of the changes Lehtinen has made since the 2018 race is to fit a continuous line furler to the forward forestay that enables hank-on sails to be furled. Towards the end of the race, when his big lightweight genoa was worn and weak, there was a risk of it being irreparably damaged in squalls as it was time consuming to douse. The reefing system means the sail can be wrapped away very quickly.

Downwind this stay can also be used for the hank-on storm jib. However, when sailing upwind the storm jib can be flown from the babystay in conjunction with a fourth mainsail reef (in lieu of a trysail) to give a more balanced sail plan. To give the mast appropriate support for this Asteria has a second pair of running backstays.

Standing rigging, normally 7mm or 8mm wire for a boat of this size, is upgraded to a massive 12mm, with Norseman-style terminals and both chainplates and the surrounding structure beefed up to match. The mast, new for the 2018 race, is of a heavier section than standard.

The Yankee on the main forestay and staysail are both roller furling sails and were used for the previous GGR. They’re made of very heavy Dacron, with substantial reinforcement, and have been fully serviced including re-stitching where it was found necessary.

Mainsail reefing is done entirely in the cockpit, using separate luff and leech pennants. The sail is set up with twin sheets, each with a purchase leading to opposite sides of the cockpit. It’s a simple arrangement that gives fine control over sail shape without the need for a traveller. The boat is set up with two poles for gybes, while the leeward foreguy can be led aft as a preventer. There’s also a jockey pole to keep the spinnaker pole off the guardrails.

It’s also noticeable that there are many substantial stainless steel handholds on deck and that jackstays are as close to the centreline as possible. Given Asteria’s narrow beam and fine ends Lehtinen uses a short tether to ensure he can never be washed over the guardwires.

Confined space

His bunk is on the starboard side of the saloon, with a deep leeboard supplemented by webbing straps across the top, to ensure there’s no chance of being ejected and injured even if the boat is rolled through 360°. A steering compass and barograph at the foot of the bunk means Lehtinen can immediately check key data on waking up, including the rate of change of atmospheric pressure.

The sleek cuddy was originally designed for racing powerboats and can withstand a capsize at 100 knots. Photo: Rupert Holmes

The remainder of the interior is very functional, with a sail stowage area forward, a small navstation on the main bulkhead with the permitted electronics: VHF and SSB radios, plus an old school weather fax that allows synoptic charts and even satellite weather images to be downloaded via HF radio. These are all encased behind waterproof panels.

Asteria specifications

LOA: 10.97m / 36ft 0in LWL: 7.77m / 25ft 6in Beam: 2.95m / 9ft 8in Draught: 1.83m / 6ft 0in Displacement: 6,985kg / 15,400lb Sail area: 50.17m2 / 540ft2

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Published on December 1st, 2022 | by Editor

Sunk despite meticulous preparation

Published on December 1st, 2022 by Editor -->

Of the boats competing in the 2022-23 Golden Globe Race, Tapio Lehtinen was stunned that it was his Gaia 36 Asteria which sank. Yet that’s what happened 460 nautical miles SE from Port Elizabeth, in South Africa.

Lehtinen was successfully rescued, but remains at a loss for what failed on Asteria which was profiled in this report by Yachting World:

Sparkman and Stephens aficionado Tapio Lehtinen believes his Gaia 36 Asteria is the perfect vessel for the rigors of the Golden Globe Race, despite being the oldest yacht in the fleet having been built in 1965. Lehtinen completed the 2018 edition, the first ‘re-running’ of the famous solo non-stop race, in 5th place in the same boat, after being hampered by ineffective anti-fouling that resulted in massive underwater growth.

However, a bigger refit than anticipated meant Lehtinen was not able to fully realize his vision for the boat last time. He bought her in 2017 in Italy, but it was only after sailing home to Finland that significant delamination was discovered in the deck. Eventually the entire deck and coach roof was sliced off and used as a male mould for its replacement.

At the same time, the hull was stripped right back to a shell, with all furniture and bulkheads removed. Even the gelcoat and top 1mm of the hull laminate was ground away and then relaminated with Kevlar to improve impact resistance against collision with floating objects.

“The boat is now how I would have liked it to be four years ago,” he said in Les Sables d’Olonne the day before the start, “but then we just didn’t have the time to get to this standard.”

The Gaia design dates from 1961 and Asteria is the second boat of a total of 15 built. She has very similar lines to the Swan 36 which was first launched just two years later, although Asteria’s rudder is mounted on the trailing edge of the keel, rather than the Swan’s more modern fin and skeg profile.

“It’s the only boat in the GGR that was originally designed for racing,” Lehtinen added, “and I wouldn’t want to race with a cruising boat.” Nevertheless Asteria is much modified compared to her original specification. – Full report

Event details – Entry list – Tracker – Facebook

2022 GGR competitors: Abhilash Tomy (43) / India / Rustler 36 Arnaud Gaist (50) / France / BARBICAN 33 MKII (long keel version) Elliott Smith (27) / USA / Gale Force 34 Ertan Beskardes (60) / UK / Rustler 36 Guy Waites (54) / UK / Tradewind 35 Ian Herbert Jones (52) / UK / Tradewind 35 Jeremy Bagshaw (59) / South Africa / OE32 Kirsten Neuschäfer (39) / South Africa / Cape George 36 Michael Guggenberger (44) / Austria / Biscay 36 Simon Curwen (63) / UK / Biscay 36

Retired Edward Walentynowicz (68) / Canada / Rustler 36 (dropped out, Sept. 8) Guy deBoer (66) / USA / Tashiba 36 (ran aground, Sept. 16) Mark Sinclair (63) / Australia / Lello 34 (retired in Lanzarote, Sept. 22) Pat Lawless (66) / Ireland / Saga 36 (retired in Cape Town, Nov. 9) Damien Guillou (39) / France / Rustler 36 (retired in Cape Town, Nov. 14) Tapio Lehtinen (64) / Finland / Gaia 36 Masthead sloop (sank off Cape Town, Nov. 18)

About the 2022 Golden Globe Race On September 4, 2022, the third edition of the Golden Globe Race started from Les Sables d’Olonne, France. Sixteen skippers will face eight months of isolation sailing 30,000 miles across five oceans solo non-stop and unassisted.

In 1968, while man was preparing to take his first steps on the moon, a mild mannered and modest young man was setting out on his own record breaking voyage of discovery. He had entered the original Golden Globe. Nine men started that first solo non-stop sailing race around the World. Only one finished. He was 29 year old Sir Robin Knox Johnston. History was made. Navigating only with a sextant, paper charts and an accurate and reliable time piece, Sir Robin navigated around the world.

In 2018, to celebrate 50 years since that first record breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It instantly gained traction with adventurers, captivated by the spirit and opportunity. Eighteen started with five finishers.

To embrace the original race, competitors must sail in production boats between 32 and 36 feet overall and designed prior to 1988 that have a full-length keel with rudder attached to their trailing edge. Additionally, sailors have limited communication equipment and can use only sextants, paper charts, wind up clocks, and cassette tapes for music.

Tags: Gaia 36 , Golden Globe , Tapio Lehtinen , Yachting World

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