Intra 12 G 1

A German 12 Metre Thoroughbred with a Storied Past

Origins of a Racing Icon

Inga is one of the most historically significant 12 Metre yachts built in Germany, launched in 1938 by the renowned Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Lemwerder. Commissioned by John T. Essberger, a prominent Hamburg shipping magnate, Inga was constructed alongside her sistership Anita as part of a brief but intense period of 12 Metre enthusiasm in Germany.

Built to the International Third Rule, Inga was yard number 3242, just behind Anita (3241), and took the sail number 12G1. Both yachts were constructed of mahogany planking over forged steel frames, with Oregon pine decks and spruce masts. Like most 12 Metres of the era, they were originally launched without engines.

Alongside Inga and Anita, another 12 Metre—Ashanti—was under construction at the Burmester yard, built by and for Henry Burmester himself.

Early Racing and Wartime Silence

Inga made her competitive debut at Kieler Woche in 1938, racing against Anita and the British yacht Blue Marlin. Despite the elegant design and construction, the inexperienced German crews struggled, as Henry Rasmussen later noted, “...the English boat went round the buoys like a dinghy, but the German 12s were left at the buoys with their sails flapping.”

By 1939, the German fleet had sharpened its skills. At Kiel, another Abeking & Rasmussen-built 12 Metre, Sphinx, dominated the series, while Inga, Anita, and Ashanti traded positions behind her. That summer, the German 12s raced off Copenhagen—just before the outbreak of World War II put all sailing activities on hold.

Inga was laid up in a shed in Rendsburg, where she remained throughout the war.

Post-War Transition and the Royal Navy Connection

In 1947, British yacht designer David Ryder-Turner and fellow UK forces personnel discovered Inga still in storage. They became interim owners, briefly sailing her using repurposed sails from Ornsay, a yacht destroyed during the war.

In 1948, Inga was returned to her original owner, John T. Essberger, and stored once again from 1953 to 1958. That year, she was sold for a symbolic DM 25,000 to the German Federal Navy for use as a training vessel for naval cadets.

From Navy Trainer to Private Revival

Renamed Westwind, Inga served under the Kommandeur Marineschule Mürwik in Flensburg for nearly 50 years, continuing to sail and train generations of German Navy officers. Her sistership, Sphinx (Ostwind), also shared this naval fate.

In 2006, Inga was sold back into private hands. Her new owner, Alexander Böhning, and a group of London-based friends renamed her back to Inga, with Southampton as her home port.

Design Heritage

  • Yard: Abeking & Rasmussen (Germany)

  • Year Built: 1938

  • Class: 12 Metre (International Third Rule)

  • Sail Number: 12G1

  • Construction: Mahogany on forged steel frames

  • Decking: Oregon Pine

  • Rig: Originally gaff, later Bermuda sloop

Provenance

Owners Timeline:

  • 1938–1947: John T. Essberger (Hamburg)

  • 1947–1948: David Ryder-Turner and associates (UK Forces)

  • 1948–1958: John T. Essberger (returned)

  • 1958–2006: German Federal Navy, Marineschule Mürwik (renamed Westwind)

  • Since 2006: Alexander Böhning and Friends (renamed Inga, based in Southampton)

Inga Today

As of 2009, Inga had not yet undergone a full restoration program—but her legacy remains intact. She is one of the few remaining pre-war 12 Metres with an unbroken historical lineage, original lines, and deep ties to both competitive sailing and naval service.

Inga stands as a testament to Germany’s contribution to the 12 Metre class and a living reminder of how yacht design, tradition, and resilience endure across generations.