Helma was built in Kalundborg, Denmark in 1938, Helma sailed the waters off Kalundborg and Copenhagen until she was shipped to San Diego in 1960. Her name had been changed to Bout in 1950 by her second owner. In 1966, she was sailed singlehanded to Hawaii by her owner, Robert Sisler.
We believe she is still the only spidsgatter to have sailed across the Pacific Ocean. My wife and I purchased Helma in 2006 and enjoyed sailing her in the San Juans and Puget Sound until 2017 when we had to make a major decision about whether or not to restore her; she was suffering from significant iron sickness and was no longer sound to sail. After meeting with Robert D’Arcy and Douglas Jones, we decided to embark on a total rebuild of our boat. We rechristened her Helma with the help of the original owner’s granddaughter in September 2018. After five wonderful years of enjoying the finest wooden boat craftsmanship and creative skills, we are grateful to be able to enjoy our ‘little ship’ again. She is both beautiful to look at and wonderful to sail. Many heartfelt thanks to Robert D’Arcy and Douglas Jones for their oversight and craftsmanship, Pete Langley of Port Townsend Foundry, that fashioned all the bronze pieces, Carol Hasse, who designed and built Helma’s suite of sails, Walt Tisdale, who installed the new Beta 20 engine, Ian Weedman, master rigger, Gwendolyn Tracy, who fashioned all the upholstery, Kristopher Day, who installed all the navigation equipment and appliances, and many other highly skilled people who participated in this journey, and whom we will never forget. Heartfelt thanks to all of you.