Dimensions:

May Be Sail Plan:



History:

The vessel was originally commissioned by a rich American in the 1920s. It took several years to build and after it was launched it was acquired by Mr Ruan Rietschoten.

Mr Ruan Rietschoten was in his 70s at the time he took ownership of May Be and his son Cornelius famous for winning in the Whitbread Round the World Boat Race on boats called Flyer. Cornelius won the race in 1977-78 on handicap and outright in 1981-82. He is believed to have sailed Maybe on a regular basis whilst the vessel was in the families possession.

She has had an interesting history sailing most if not all the oceans and spent some considerable time sailing in the Baltic sea.

It is alleged that Maybe was commandeered by Rommel during World War II. How true this rumour is, we are not sure. She was used as his private yacht to entertain his officers. The boat was returned to her rightful owners at the end of the war. It is not sure how the name May Be came to be, however we understand there was a significant delay in the launch date of the vessel. So it is possible maybe "May be" came from that delay and was kept ever since.

The vessel was launched with a gaff rigged sail configuration. Then in the early 1950s she was re-mastered to be Bermuda rigged configuration which is as she is today. Maybe also took part in the first tall-ships race in 1956. There were 23 vessels in that race and we believe only 7 or 8 vessels are still afloat today.

After leaving the ownership of the van Rietschoten family, the vessel had several owners up until the 1990s when the boat was acquired by the present owners. They sailed Maybe from the South of France to Malta and then back to the UK. The vessel has since undergone an extensive restoration project. All the work was done by family members during their spare time and consequently took many years to complete.

Maybe is of composite construction using "steel frames with teak planks and decking" making for a very strong design. In addition, she has four steel bulkheads with water tight doors which again aid to her strength of construction and safety.

The deck fittings and winches remain as original although all steel fittings are above deck have been remanufactured and replaced with 316 stainless steel materials. The keel bolts and plank bolts have all been replaced and renewed with aluminium bronze bolts.

Maybe has extensive accommodation below deck including a chart room, engine room (with Volvo Penta 265hp engine & 32Kva generator), 5 fully-fitted cabins, 2 heads, 2 showers and a large lounge / galley area.

There is no gas on board for safety reasons, therefore everything is electrically powered including the oven, hob, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. For the comfort of the boat, central heating has been installed to make even winter sailing a pleasure.

Sea trials were carried out in 2007 after the restoration of Maybe was completed. She has since ventured up the east coast of Britain, through the Caledonian canal  and carried out a substantial amount of winter sailing on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. During the winter months, over 600 miles have been covered under sail including extensive heavy weather sailing. She has proven herself to be a delight to sail even in heavy weather.

In 2009, Maybe entered for only her 2nd time in the Tall Ships Race. She competed in 2 races in the Baltic seas with a crew consisting of 50% under the age of 25.

Maybe Hull Plan: