S/Y Santana to Risør Classic

The boat is an Ocean 71, designed by the Dutch designer E.G. van de Stadt and built at Southern Ocean Shipyard in Poole, England.

The Ocean 71 was developed at a time when fibreglass technology was revolutionising the construction of large sailing yachts. Around 1970, the model was considered the world’s largest mass-produced fibreglass yacht, and more than 20 boats were built at the shipyard in Poole.

Santana is the sixth vessel in the series. The boat is rigged as a ketch, with two masts, and measures 21.5 metres in length and weighs around 35 tonnes. With six cabins, a large deck saloon, two bathrooms, a spacious galley and two cockpits, it was built for long sea voyages and life on board.

The story of Ocean 71 begins with another famous Van de Stadt design: Stormvogel. This fast ocean racer from the early 1960s competed in several major international regattas, including the Fastnet Race, the Sydney Hobart Race, the Bermuda Race and the Buenos Aires–Rio de Janeiro race. Ocean 71 carried on some of Stormvogel’s legacy, but in a larger and more comfortable form, suitable for regattas, long-distance cruising and private use.

Santana has also sailed in the waters for which such boats were built. The boat has completed several Atlantic crossings, including participation in and victory at the ARC – Atlantic Rally for Cruisers – as well as voyages and cruises in the Mediterranean.

Over the years, Santana has had several owners and has been well looked after. The boat has undergone extensive renovations, both in the 1990s and the 2000s.

Santana is currently owned by Simen Løvgren, who is also the skipper. Løvgren has extensive sailing experience, ranging from dinghies and windsurfing in his youth to owning his own ocean-going yacht since 1984. He has sailed both for pleasure and in regattas, and in recent years has been particularly active in ocean sailing and shorthanded sailing, where one sails alone or with just two people on board.

Santanas norske historie begynner likevel med Leif Høegh. Han var en av de store norske skipsfartsentreprenørene på 1900-tallet og grunnla rederiet Leif Høegh & Co. i 1927. Rederiet utviklet seg til å bli et av Norges største, med pionerarbeid innen blant annet bilfrakt og transport av flytende naturgass.

Before Santa II, Høegh owned the 12-metre Santa, designed by Johan Anker in 1918. When he decided he wanted a larger and more comfortable boat, he chose the Ocean 71 – a modern fibreglass ocean-going yacht, yet with lines and aspirations that remain firmly rooted in the classic yachting tradition.