We are happy to announce New Author Carl Zetterstrom to the Errol Flynn Blog! Carl, we look forward to your post and comments! Welcome aboard!
Karenita (formerly Sirocco) under full sail!
— David DeWitt
We Welcome New Author Carl Zetterstrom to the Errol Flynn Blog!
19
Jun
Welcome aboard!
Thank you Inga :-)
Hallo everyone and thank you David for letting me be an author on this blog. As I told David I have followed the blog for a couple of years now and it’s amazing how much knowledge you all have that is published here.
I will make a short presentation of myself soon. Take care all of you / Carl
We look forward to your contribution, Carl!
Välkommen till bloggen, gamle vän!
Tack så mycket Robert :-)
Hello Carl I have fond memories of meeting you in Los Angeles! Welcome!
Tom McNulty
Hallo Tom – great memories from the fabulous party 3 years ago, thank you :-)
Welcome to u, Carl to the blog.
My father, Jim Mackinnon, apparently designed the Sirocco for his friend, Errol Flynn. It was built in Roadtown (Tortola, B.V.I.) sometime (though not 100% sure) in the early 50’s before Errol moved to Mallorca. After my father’s passing in ’78 I found many photos and some drawings of this beautiful boat; the original sails were BLACK, so it looked like a pirate ship. I saw the Sirocco a few years ago at the Palma Yacht Club (at their annual vintage sailboat event) under the ownership of a French company (I think it was Blanc Bleu or Blumarine). I returned to give the captain a lovely old black & white framed photo of the boat (with its black sails) and signed by Errol, and I thought the chap would keel over, he was so happy. I have not seen it since as the Karenita, and am surprised they changed its name (isn’t that supposed to be unlucky?). The name Sirocco comes from the scorching Saharan wind that blows north from Africa to the Mediterranean and (coincidentally) dumps sand and dust all over Mallorca.
Hello Gabrielle, the things you tell us here are very interesting! I wonder though, if the boat you speak about is a different one (Sircocco number III maybe?), as it seems to have been proved that the famous (or notorious) Sirocco was originally the Karenita and was re-christened Sirocco, like Errol’s first boat, which brought the bad luck to Errol. This Sirocco/Karenita here was built, according to renowned sources, in 1929 and bought by Errol in 1938, and sold somewhen in the 1940s. So I really wonder what boat your father designed, maybe you could post a picture? Or maybe the history of the boat will have to be completely re-written??
Hello Inga, How interesting (I did not know any of this). I gave the original signed photo away (as explained above) but unfortunately I did not make a copy! I clearly remember that B&W photo showing the name on the stern of the black sailed ship (just the words Sirocco, no numbers), and Sirocco again written by EF and signed (it’s engraved in my memory). My dad only left half a dozen belongings behind, one of which was this framed photograph, along with others snapshots of Flynn and friends, so I can’t add more to the story, unfortunately. My mother gave away the drawings (I am sure they were part of what was auctioned off in the 80’s). So you may be right, in that this boat is probably another Sirocco.
Thank you for the additional information, Gabrielle. It’d be great to find out more about the ship, maybe there is a way or our experts have an idea how to proceed. It’d be great, as I said before, if we were allowed to see the photographs that remain. Take care!
I know this yacht was for sale awhile ago. Does anyone know who bought it? Would of loved to have it on my vacation in The Caribbean back in February!
It might still be for sale: www.boatinternational.com…
Thanks for the link.I hope when they renamed the boat they went through the proper “Renaming Ceremony”.
Which would look like? I have no idea about such things, would be interesting to know.
Having sailed from Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I. I can only attest to the many fine yachts and sailboats that both berth and frequent the area. The Sirocco has quite a history so it is plausible that Gabrielle’s father worked on it. We know it was built in 1929 and there you go.