The following information, and the photographs attached to item 15388, were contributed in January 2018 by David Vieira of Lisbon Portugal. David is the current owner of Valhalla. He has embarked on a restoration project to bring Valhalla to her former shape and rigging plan.
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VALHALLA is a 65 foot yawl rigged ocean racer designed by John G. Alden in 1948 and built in 1949-1950 by Hinckley Yachts, Southwest Harbor, Maine, US.
She was designed under the Cruising Club of America Rule (CCA) and has participated in major US regattas from 1950 to 1965 such as Bermuda, Transpacific / Honolulu, Annapolis to Newport races.
In 1966 she was acquired by Dr. Manuel de Mello, a Portuguese yachtsman (very active sailor in the Star Class), for racing along Portugal's local and coastal regattas.
Before shipping her to Portugal, Dr. Mello ordered a new rig and sailplan from Sparkmans & Stevens, because he favored the cutter rig (image 15388-14 shows the "new" sailplan by Sparkman & Stephens, from 1965. Item 15405 shows the original sailplan.)
In 1973 Dr. Manuel de Mello decided to stop sailing and donated "VALHALLA" to the Portuguese Navy to be used has a sail training vessel for young officers. The Portuguese Navy renamed her "VEGA." She was the star of the Navy sailing fleet together with the tall ship "SAGRES."
In 1976 she crossed the Atlantic again to participated in the U.S. Bicentennial celebrations (Operation Sail 1976) Regattas and Naval Parade in the Hudson river.
From 1973 to 2007 she had a very intense and successful training and racing career, but she started to show her age and was in need of constant care. Sadly, in 2008 she was decommissioned. The Navy had just recently taken ownership of a bigger and more modern aluminum yacht built by Jachtwerf Jongert B.V. (Medemblik - Holand). Unfortunately, since 2009 she had been in the hard (but under a tent).
The Navy itself has a very deep connection with "VEGA" and wanted her to be taken care of properly. However, the process of selling any item from the Navy is complicated, in particular when it comes to such a vessel that triggers so many emotions for so many high ranking Navy officers. Finally in the beginning of 2017, after many appeals, David Vieira was able to buy and rescue VALHALLA from an uncertain future!
