The prototypical "barn find" the collector car world goes something like this: a
rare European classic, having been abandoned for decades,is discovered in a Midwestern barn by a young aficionado. Perhaps said barchetta has been in the possession of an original owner from day one. Our young connoisseur immediately recognizes the opportunity and tows his newfound prize home for a mild freshening and years of enjoyment.
That's the fantasy version, anyway.
f his time, and the Commander never got used. Upon his death Mrs. Tibus put the boat up for
sale with just 12 (twelve) engine hours having been ticked.
Oliver and Sonja immediately fell for the American time capsule when she came on the market in December 2003.
LEGENDE was pristine; the master stateroom mattress was still in its original wrapping from 1979. They bid successfully on the boat and quickly made plans to meet LEGENDE more than 1,200 miles (2000 km) away in the
Afloat for the first time in over two decades, the maiden voyage for LEGENDE was to be a shakedown cruise ending on the river Weser in
The day before the cruise to
None of this was obvious to the Oelgarts until the day before the maiden voyage. After the tanks were filled with fresh fuel, the bilges begin to reek of diesel. The wood berth structure was immediately disassembled and the Oelgarts found a local tanker to pump the new fuel out of one tank.
Once the tank was pulled from the boat (thankfully removable without further surgery), it became obvious that the other tank was the real problem!
Having already paid a stiff, nonrefundable sum for the ship to meet LEGENDE in Bremen and deliver her from one end of Europe to another, the Oelgart’s found themselves the
proud owners of the world's nicest fuel-tankless 41´Commander, 23 years and 5,000 miles (8000 km) removed from where she was built.
Foto: new stainless steel tanks
With the new tanks installed, LEGENDE was finally ready for her long-awaited maiden voyage. Everything had to go smoothly from here on out; only three days remained until the date with the Cargo ship in
A check of the weather did not bode well, however!
Crossing any portion of the Baltic Sea can be challenging even in good weather, but a window for smooth passage was closing fast and the Oelgart’s had to reach the mouth of the Weser quickly in order to make
The Herculean task of removing, rebuilding and replacing two fuel tanks and making up for lost time on the trip to
ARTISGRACHT was a week behind schedule!
Oliver and Sonja used the time to buy supplies (beer) and install new carpet in the saloon. Once the ship arrived and LEGENDE was gingerly loaded into the hold, they waved goodbye and drove the 1,200 miles (2000 km) back home to
Fourteen engine hours later LEGENDE
was in her new home Port, Vinarós.
Foto: breakfast in FORMENTERA - Cala Saona beach
Foto: FORMENTERA Cala Saona Beach
Once in
The 300 hp (224 kW) Cummmings 903 have new filters and hoses, of course, as does the genset. ( short for "generator setup")
Otherwise, the mechanicals are completely intact!
A busy cruise schedule has since been undertaken on Weekends and extended holidays to the
LEGENDE has gotten her fair share of attention in the Mediterranean much like a vintage Hispano-Suiza might were she to roll into a Saturday night muscle car meet in
As Ed Mc Knew states in his boat buying compendium the Power Boat Guide, "Whoever drew the plans for the original Chris Craft 41 Motor Yacht had his finger right on the public pulse".
One wonders if designer DICK AVERY could have guessed so many years ago that he'd see one of his most popular designs, separated by such time and distance from its inception but so completely intact as LEGENDE.
Interview + Text published 2007:
by Bill Prince from
Fotos: 2004-2008 copyright © by Sonja Oelgart, E- 12598 Peñiscola - Spain
sonia[at]tuckerboot.com (spanish = sonia)
© copyright by S. Oelgart
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