Northmead sailboat sold after 34 years
“Noel’s Ark” was like a fish out of water for years in Northmead.
The 42-foot (12.8m) long sailboat, which has a 18m mast, was an unfulfilled dream for its owner, Noel Smith.
“It was a dream that never came to fruition,” said Smith.
The 75-year-old owner said he purchased the Vickers 41 in 1983 from a Boksburg business.
The sailboat was bought for about R30 000 and consisted only of the hull.
Smith planned to restore the boat and sail it across the world, but his booming business left little time for the completion of his dream.
Over the years, Smith worked on the boat, but last did so in 2008.
He said the half-finished project was recently purchased by a Cape Town resident who will sail it competitively.
“I am a bit heartsore, but my health has gone now so I will never finish it,” he said.
The Dingwall Street resident’s wife, Bev, said her husband is an “absolute perfectionist” and that the boat was renowned in the area.
“It has been here so long that the neighbours have called it Noel’s Ark,” the wife said.
On October 9, the boat was lifted over the property’s wall using a crane.
This was made possible after a jacaranda tree was cut to make way for it to pass over the wall.
Smith said the new owner will complete the watercraft and give him the honours to be part of its maiden sail, which is expected to be in about six months’ time.
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