THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS

CHINOOK

Aboard Chinook, two emotions prevail: a sense of warmth and – unexpectedly, these days – happiness. One after the other, crew members share their joy with me. Some say it with words, as if moved by an urgency to tell. Others with the authenticity of their facial expression – the bright eyes and calm smile of those who travel for life. Up to the very last moment, they tell me about a shared feeling; when I return to the pier, Jono the captain looks straight into my eyes: “I’m happy, you know? I’m lucky.”

What’s the secret of this happiness? What makes Chinook so special?

In 1916, the New York Yacht Club launched a new class, the New York 40 which, at 59ft on deck, was 10ft (3m) shorter on the waterline than the previous New York 50, and by the same designer: Nathanael

Herreshoff, who was briefed to draw a yacht that could be cruised as well as raced. The NY40s proved to be extraordinary racing creatures, earning the nickname of “Fighing Forties” for their capability to compete hard all day, and “Roaring Forties” for the hard drinking by their crews at night.

In only six months, between 1915 and 1916, a fleet of twelve sister yachts was born, for competitions that tested solely the crew’s capabilities. In 1917 the United States entered war, sailors were sent to the front and the boats had to wait years in order to race again. Over time the fleet was dispersed: only four are known to survive today. “Their shape is unmistakable” – Jono’s eyes shine – “I spent whole months looking at all of Europe’s ports from above. You see? They’re wider than European boats. You can recognise them immediately.”

Jono and Sandra won three Panerai Classic Yacht Challenges with Rowdy, another of the magnificent 12. “We wanted our own. We found one in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. We sent someone to inspect her: a restoration was necessary. We wanted to transport her back to our home in southern France but the tunnels on the Italian side stopped us, so we put her at sea in Genova. That’s how our first adventure with Chinook began”.

Sandra and Jono look at each other laughing, with the complicity of those who have shared many adventures.

“We were in a regatta”, says Sandra. “We arrived in Genova by train. It was the first time we actually saw Chinook: she was in a terrible state. Offshore by Alassio we got stuck in a storm. Water came in from everywhere: saltwater from below, rain from above. We had to create drip trays with tape in order to protect our mattresses! When the storm calmed down we resumed sailing with a support dinghy: it was our safety escape in case the boat sank”.

Jono continues: “We had estimated time on the basis of a five-knot velocity, but Chinook could sustain only three and a half. So we tried everything! We had enough fuel for the dinghy, so we pushed and pulled. When we finally arrived in Côte d’Azur, we took her out of the

water”. “And what did you think?” I ask. Sandra laughs again: “We are aliveeeee!”.

Chinook’s restoration was performed in Tunisia and lasted a year and a half. The wooden structure was rebuilt; the interiors were carefully restorerd, maintaining original bunk beds and precious details such as bronze lights, water pump and ceramic sink.

I go inside. The interior is bright and airy: “American design is quite different from the British one, with its dark wood,” explains Sandra. “One can live here quite happily. Children used to sleep in the bunks, parents in the cabin. Chinook was built for cruising as well as regattas.”

Contemporary features such as a fridge, tilting oven and shower were added to enhance liveability. Bunks in the prow, at once crew lodging, have been transformed into storage space.

I look at the smiling faces all around. Emmanuel the helmsman – also known as Manu or Manuski – has been sailing with Sandra for 20 years; Stefano has been aboard for four; others, like Andrea, are friends and neighbours. “You must choose your crew carefully,” Sandra explains. “Aboard Chinook a spontaneous selection occurs: who joins us does so for love – even the owner. There are no power dynamics. Instead, there’s the love of an elective family that has grown over the decades, kept together by the passion of our life: sailing, and doing so aboard a classic. Classic boats must be felt. You can’t just push a button like in modern yachts. Chinook doesn’t do what you want. You must listen to her, understand what she can or cannot do, and how she wants to do it”. Sandra caresses the bridge: “I know every single screw here. She is the most beautiful thing in the world.”

Then what is the secret of such joy?

“To feel the boat, to experience her as the living creature that she is. To feel all the relationships constructed over the years – people with whom you share everything, from fear – when you know you are risking your life – to relief when you survive and happiness when you reach a goal.”

Sandra and Jono have certainly reached many goals together. Five-time winners of the Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge – three times with Rowdy and two with Chinook – they are true champions of the Mediterranean.

Finally, there’s Baselstein: a basil plant destined to death that, taken aboard and watered, has become a six-year old tree with trunk and all. He goes on the podium too, with everyone else. I look at the plant carefully placed on the bridge – it’s almost a metre high. “Do you make pesto with some leaves?” The crew laughs: “Oh no! It would be cannibalism: Baselstein is a member of the family.”

Classic boats must be felt. You can’t just push a button like in modern yachts