Talking Sailing. Sandefjord’s Tim Magennis Has Died

by Richard Crockett

Twice recently I have shared features on ‘Sandefjord’, both of which received a good following and many comments.

‘Sandefjord’ and her crew became household names in South Africa in the mid 1960s as their circumnavigation was one of the first, but not the first, from this country. Yet it was the full length movie they made that simply mesmerised the audiences who saw it, and turned many a dream into reality.

In my case, at the age of 11, it confirmed in my mind that I wanted to take up sailing, something I achieved the following year.

Although Tim Magennis was not South African, which mattered not, he was an integral part of the crew on their adventure of a lifetime.

W M Nixon wrote the following for Afloat.ie (https://afloat.ie):
Afloat.ie regrets to record the death of Tim Magennis of Dun Laoghaire, believed to be the only person in Ireland today to have sailed round the world under gaff rig. This feat was achieved from Durban in South Africa between 1965 and 1967, as a crewman aboard the Cullen brothers’ Colin Archer-created Norwegian rescue ketch Sandefjord.

He retained his infectious enthusiasm for the maritime world in general and traditional gaff rig in particular through a long and productive life, his interest sparked by boyhood in the fishing port of Ardglass in County Down. After an adventurous early life in several parts of the world during which journalism played a significant role in his career, he settled in Dublin where his special talents were recruited for international work by Bord Failte.

With retirement, he acquired the Herbert Boyd-designed Malahide-built 23ft gaff sloop ‘Marguerite’ of 1896 vintage, and restored her to full sailing trim, while filling significant positions in the Old Gaffers Association. He was President of the Dublin Bay branch in 2013 for the OGA’s Golden Jubilee festivities, and made the fleet visit to Poolbeg Y&BC and Dublin Port a real highlight of the Association’s celebrations.

As he approached his 90th birthday, he took particular pleasure in the visit to Dun Laoghaire of ‘Sandefjord’ after she had been fully restored to demanding Norwegian standards. His many friends and family at home and abroad will have the fondest memories of a remarkable friend and seafarer whose sparkling personality was under-pinned by a quiet but deeply-felt spirituality.