Boeier - Sperwer

Ship model of the Boeier "Sperwer"

The boat on which James Bond was born.

SOLD

Dimensions: 54 x 14 x 57 cm.
Scale: 1 : 33
Price: Euro 600,00
Incl. 19% V.A.T.
Excl. display case.
EXW Papendrecht.
Not an antique

The boat on which James Bond was born.

The boyer "SPERWER" was constructed in Joure, Friesland in1885 by the famous boyer builderEeltje Holtrop van der Zee (1823-1901) on behalf of Mr. Carl Jurrjens, a wealthy inhabitant of Amsterdam.
After having several owners, she was bought in 1931 by the writer Merlin Minschall, born in 1905 and recently married. With that started the adventure which made the boyer really famous. Minschall planned a trip from England to Istanbul, right across the center of Europe. They used the Ludwig channel which was an old connection between the rivers Main and Danube. Unfortunately they did not manage to reach Istanbul. In the small Rumanian town Sulina, in the Danube delta they had to give up due to illness and lack of money.
In his book "The Adventurer", Minschall reports his trip and all his events. He wrote of the red haired "Barbarossa London" who was said to be involved in espionage for the English. Herr boss was Ian Fleming. Later this gave rise to the myth about Mishall, and soon after the figure of James Bond was created.

Later the boyer was shipped to Antwerp, where she was bought, in a terrible condition, by the Belgian Mr. Mallems and his son-in-law Rosseels. The Belgian owner did everything needed to restore the boyer to its original condition.
In 1948 the boyer came into the possession of the Dutch Zuyder Zee museum in Enkhuizen where she is still on view today.

The term boyer showed up for the first time in the 15th century. At that time it was the name for a coaster of about 40 to 120 tons. In the 18th century the name was commonly used for inland ships that were used for many different purposes. Eventually the name evolved to boyeryacht, which by the end of the 19th century became famous as a yacht for well-to-do people.
Characteristic for a boyer is its short lenght/width proportion of about 3 to 1 and the sharp inside shaped bows. In spite of her round shape she has a fine shaped hull and is known as a formidable sailer.