Regina under construction at the Yard
Regina's hull was molded as the sixth in order of the new Hallberg-Rassy 40 type.

The first five HR40's were built as demo-boats for Hallberg-Rassy to be shown at exhibitions all over the world, so our HR40 is in fact the first "civilian" boat they build.
In the beginning, there was an empty hull, which soon was to grow into a perfect beauty. This is how the HR40 looks when she has just arrived from the molding factory in Kungshamn, near Smögen, north of Ellös. The bulkheads have been molded against the hull and coach roof from both sides, giving the extra strength Hallberg-Rassy's are famous for.
HR40 No 12 "Red Shoes" ordered by our friends Barbara and Brian Anderson, Canada, taken on 16 January 2003
Please compare this with other boatbuilders, who prefabricate the whole interior and then sets it into flexible Sikaflex into the open hull from above. The deck is then put onto the hull as a last step when everything is readily built. For sure, this is cost efficient for other yards, but for safety reasons and long lasting value, it is essential to have the bulkheads firmly laminted to both hull and deck from both sides in addition to the built in stiffness of the "double hull" with Divynicel as distance material. Not many boatbuilders build like Hallberg-Rassy and if you think of buying a boat, ask this essential question before taking any decision!
The first time we saw our own Regina was on 29 November 2002. The following pictures were taken when we visited the yard in Ellös on that day. The wood-work was almost completed and the technicians took over to install water, electricity, engine, steering etc.

The HR40 was announced to replace the HR39 just a couple of weeks before our hull was to be moulded. Originally, we had ordered a HR39, when we suddenly had to take the decision whether to stick to our original order or to upgrade to a new type, which was offered to us.

You may understand how great this question was for us! Should we stick to the boat we actually had ordered or should we change the order into a new, unproven but, at the same time, very promising boat. We were the first ones who were offered this upgrade!

After dividing forward and backward, comparing specifications and drawings, we did, eventually change our order to a HR40. We have definitely not regretted this decision, especially after having read so much positive about the HR40 in a huge number of marine publications from around the world.
To visit the yard with your own boat under construction is a very special feeling and difficult to describe. The best I can compare with is when I had this bubbly joy inside my body when, as a boychild, I was waiting for Santa Claus to come or when having my birthday.

There she was, lying like a baby in an incubator at hospital with all cables, pipes an hoses connected to her. How exciting!

The yard was, as usual, totally within time schedule and they had already come half way! But before launch, there was still a lot to do, since no engine, electricity or water yet was installed.
Leon testing the bath platform on our Regina on 29 November 2002

It is an extreme joy to see the eagerness of these skilled boatbuilders when working on Regina!

It was great to talk to the people who were doing their best to turn our boat into our dreams. The three men currently working on Regina all had been building boats at Hallberg-Rassy for over 25 years!

And what do these boatbuilders do in their free time? Building their own boats, of course! Per, as one was called, had a French Beneteaux 43 in his garden, where he had taken out all interior and he was currently transforming this boat into a deck saloon boat!

Santa Claus and Christmas got even more realistic when looking on deck, where all boxes with equipment were placed. This was even better than all Christmas presents I ever had seen under a Christmas tree as a child!

One could feel and touch the "presents", even open the boxes and inspect the equipment, which was just waiting to be installed in due course.

To approach the gifts this much in detail was, of course, strictly forbidden as a child, when I secretly inspected the parcels under the Christmas tree the night before Christmas Eve! And here, on the deck of Regina, I still for sure didn't know if it was allowed or not, but I did it anyhow... Again, this feeling from way back as a child approached my stomach. I had almost bad conscience to look into the boxes. Yes, there was the autopilot, there the fridge and here the toilet. I will never forget when I found the six yellow boxes with "Hella Turbo Fans" written on them (you can see them in the background). Have we really ordered six turbo-fans to cool down the cabin when sailing southbound?

Our dreams became more realistic than ever!
By coincidence, I took two very similar pictures, one when we saw the HR40 for the first time on 19 August and one now on 29 November of our own Regina. It is great to compare and see how she eventually will become!
As seen on HR40 No 1 on 19 August 2002
Our HR40 Regina on 29 November 2002
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The second time we visited Regina was on 16 January 2002. By now, the technicians had finalized the installation of the equipment and the next crew took over, the ones to do the final touch-up, putting all doors, strips and coach roof in place.
Now you really can understand that you get value for money when buying a Hallberg-Rassy! The technical stuff is far beyond your power of imagination. The professionalism of the workforce can only be observed when examining a boat at this stage of progress. To "feel" your boat under her skin can never be compared with looking at a boat at a boatshow.
Here, behind the scenes and wood-work, there were professionally laid cables and plumbing, all neatly marked for future reference.
One of many places where hundreds of meters of cable is being laid
It is an easy task to pick a watermaker as an equipment, but it is hardly understood at that time how much work actually is involved to have it installed. No wonder many sailors are experiencing "installation problems" as it is often referred to in the yachting press.
The 12V Spectra Watermaker making 60l per hour under the fore peak berths (and now: where did all that wonderfull stowing area go...?!)
The so called "engine room" for sure is a room fully packed with various technical equipment. What is what and will it really work out at sea? One can certainly get doubts when looking at this complicated installation. I need to study for quite some time to understand it all. An eldorado for an engineer (I'm glad I am one)!
The engine room:
Top left: Webasto diesel heater, underneath the Isotherm hot water boiler heated by the engine cooling water alternatively by shore power. The read "ball" just to the right of it is the expension tank for the pressure water system. The black box to the right of it is the fresh water pump and to the very right in the foreground the 230V earth leakage circuit breaker. The big green thing in the middle, I believe is the engine; I remember Volvo painting them green (for environmental reasons?).
Especially impressive is that everything is so thought-through. Serviceability is optimized, from the engine room door, one reaches all important service places of the engine, like oil stick, oil filter, diesel filter and impeller. Even a built in manual pump is accessible directly by the entrance, where one can pump up possible water and sediment from the very bottom of the diesel tank.
"Electrical corner" in the engine room with 110V/230V isolation transformer, 2kW inverter from 12V to 230V, 110V/230V shore power, 12V 60A battery charger, 24V battery charger and 24V power supply from 230V. To the left also the raw water intake filter for the engine.
My personal favorite, however, is the communication onboard. Since I professionally work as a marine marketing consultant for the leading marine communication companies, I am proud to have marine equipment from Sailor, Thrane&Thrane, Comrod and Jotron onboard. Admittingly, it is a bit exaggerated and over-equipped. On the other hand, being a radio amateur, marine mobile communication is one of my big passions which has lead me throughout my professional career. To all you, more profound sailors: please excuse my childish experimental interest to let waves through the ether reach directly or via satellites half way around the world...
Radar transmitter surrounded by Comrod MAS-1 multi-functunal-antenna (Navtex, VHF DSC, MF/HF (SSB) DSC, AM/FM), Comrod AC15 GSM, Thrane&Thrane Inmarsat Mini-C and Sailor Iridium.
Navstation with electrical panel including control panels for Inverter (top left), DCC4000 Battery supervision and heater (round with red circle). On top a standard Pinoeer car stereo with CD-player. Handsets beneath for VHF (left), Iridium (middle) and MF/HF SSB (right). Raymarine chartplotter+radar with Mini-Arpa and Radar Overlay (big with grey cover). Beneath Navtex and MF/HF loudspeaker (not visible). To the right Raymarine Multi-instrument (small with grey cover) and Sailor's 150W MF/HF SSB (green). The various grey cables leading out from the side just beneath the radar are to be plugged into the laptop computer and are for data transmission via Inmarsat Mini-C, GSM and Iridium as well as plugging the laptop into the Raymarine Navsystem Seatalk/NMEA. Additional VHF handset with DSC emergency button in cockpit
Enough technical details! Let me just finalize with some pictures where our happiness and pride for our new home speak for themselves.

On 12 February 2003 we got an E-mail from Magnus Rassy with some latest photos of Regina! Please imagine me sitting in my office grumbling over some task that has to be ready within shortly, the phone is ringing and the fax-machine is trying to call for my attention, when suddenly an E-mail jumps in showing its sender as "Magnus Rassy". This can only be good news! Priorities are quickly changed and Magnus Rassy's e-mail is opened immediately. Everything else has to wait now, since there are pictures included!

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Please note how far Regina has come! See the antifouling on the hull? The anchor in place? The name proudly shown?

Despite the current snow outside my window: this is the proof: Spring is definitely on its way! I just had to post these pictures here to share my happiness!
Left and above: Regina taken by Magnus Rassy on 12 Feb 2003. Thank you, Magnus!

On the following day, I got an e-mail from a fellow from Norway: Eirik Time, who currently has their HR34 No 414 "POESI" under construction at the yard got so inspired by my pages here, that he decided to go to the yard to see his own boat taking shape. And even if you are not that lucky having an own boat currently being built, it is always worth while to see these wonderful boats under construction an inhale the atmosphere of pure handcraft and the workmen's pride. The best way to do so is to visit the yard on the third week-end each August when Hallberg-Rassy and the yards close by have their "Open House".

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Eirik was so kind to also take some photo's of Regina.
Magnus Rassy marking the requested placement of the aft window for Eirik Time on his HR34 No 414 "POESI", currently under construction at the yard.
Regina taken by Eirik Time on 13 Feb 2003 while visiting the yard to see his own HR34 being built. Thank you, Eirik!
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On 7 March, two days after the birthday of our children Jessica and Jonathan (yes, they do have birthday on the same day), REGINA was born. At 9.00 am in the morning the happy message came across by Magnus Rassy e-mailing pictures of REGINA. She had just been launched into the freezing sea!

From judging by the snow on deck that must have fallen during that night, I believe she was actually launched last thing on Thursday night, thus on 6 March, but she was still under the crane in the morning of the 7th. In any case, we had a birthday party at home that day!

The deep snow on deck does not really invite for an immediate sail trip, but that can be disregarded right now. The fact that REGINA is launched, is enough proof that spring is on its way and there is not too long until commissioning and us moving onboard!
Thank you, Magnus, for taking these pictures and giving us the joy to follow our boat's development!