Any information on Halmatic 30 for sale in Spain, probably called 'Christobel' or 'Cristobel'

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sytos

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Hi all,

I'm interested in a Halmatic 30 for sale in Lo Pagán, Spain, listed on eBay:

Sailing Boat, Halmatic 30, same hull as Hallberg Rassy, moored in Spain | eBay

There's something a little bit odd about the sale. The listing recommends for "videos on YouTube search Halmatic 30 spain". And there are a few videos that seem to show the boat for sale:


November 2017


November 2017


April 2021


December 2021

As you can see the videos are spread out over a wide time range.

There's also this Inautia listing that's closed, also suggesting the boat was for sale / sold in Alicante, Spain at some point - pretty sure it's the same boat.

The boat has apparently sailed to Australia and back, but in at least one of the videos the narrator wasn't sure if it had crossed the Atlantic, so presumably he wasn't the owner at the time.

Finally, the seller (saminbournemouth on eBay) is currently selling two other boats, in the same place.

Does anyone know anything about this boat & history and / or the seller?

Thanks in advance!
 
I actually went aboard this boat if it’s the one I think it is, but it was a long time ago. I also owned a Halmatic 30 at the time and we ended up moored alongside this one in Gibraltar - that would have been 1992 or 93. The then owners did indeed sail across the Atlantic (and beyond) and if my memory serves, returned to Europe via the Suez Canal but didn’t quite complete a circumnavigation for health reasons, leaving the boat in the Med’.

I think the name might have been ‘Christobel of Hamble’ but I’m afraid I’ve long since lost contact with the owners. The boat is Mk2 version - shorter boom, mainsheet to bridge deck instead of transom and no pilot berth on the starboard side of the saloon.

I haven’t looked through all the videos, where is she lying?


Edit: I just checked the OCC list of circumnavigators and it does indeed list them completing a circumnavigation. Obviously my memory is not as good as I thought!
 
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Yes I do. I was good friends with the owner (now sadly dead). We buddy boated in the Caribbean (where we first met) and across the Pacific to Australia (on & off). Maurice was my linehandler through the Panama Canal.

Christobel was very well maintained with updates in New Zealand and a new engine fitted in Fiji. She had a mishap with a reef approaching Australia and quite extensive damage. The insurers paid up in full and she came out of it in even better condition. AFAIK he sold her in the Med c 1999 - I do not know what happened to her after that.

He wrote several excellent articles for the OCC magazine Flying fish including living through hurricane Luis in '95 when it hit St Maarten..

PM me if you want more info.

Edit: Goldie. We first came across Cristobel in Barbados after they had crossed.
Christobel of Hamble
Here's Maurice & Rosie on Christobel at anchor in Fatu Hiva c1996. They had arrived in Fr. Polynesia a week or so before us. Happy days.

 
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Goldie said:
I actually went aboard this boat if it’s the one I think it is, but it was a long time ago. I also owned a Halmatic 30 at the time and we ended up moored alongside this one in Gibraltar - that would have been 1992 or 93. The then owners did indeed sail across the Atlantic (and beyond) and if my memory serves, returned to Europe via the Suez Canal but didn’t quite complete a circumnavigation for health reasons, leaving the boat in the Med’.

I think the name might have been ‘Christobel of Hamble’ but I’m afraid I’ve long since lost contact with the owners. The boat is Mk2 version - shorter boom, mainsheet to bridge deck instead of transom and no pilot berth on the starboard side of the saloon.

I haven’t looked through all the videos, where is she lying?


Edit: I just checked the OCC list of circumnavigators and it does indeed list them completing a circumnavigation. Obviously my memory is not as good as I thought!
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the swift reply.

She's lying in the Mar Menor (Europe's biggest salt water lagoon) near Murcia in Spain (Med side).

I'm considering buying a Halmatic 30 - from everything I've come across they seem like fantastic boats (esp for offshore cruising).
 
Tradewinds said:
Yes I do. I was good friends with the owner (now sadly dead). We buddy boated in the Caribbean (where we first met) and across the Pacific to Australia (on & off). Maurice was my linehandler through the Panama Canal.

Christobel was very well maintained with updates in New Zealand and a new engine fitted in Fiji. She had a mishap with a reef approaching Australia and quite extensive damage. The insurers paid up in full and she came out of it in even better condition. AFAIK he sold her in the Med c 1999 - I do not know what happened to her after that.

He wrote several excellent articles for the OCC magazine Flying fish including living through hurricane Luis in '95 when it hit St Maarten..

PM me if you want more info.

Edit: Goldie. We first came across Cristobel in Barbados after they had crossed.
Christobel of Hamble
Here's Maurice & Rosie on Christobel at anchor in Fatu Hiva c1996. They had arrived in Fr. Polynesia a week or so before us. Happy days.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I'd love any further info you could provide on Christobel / Maurice's voyages.

Sounds like the Halmatic 30 is a fantastic cruiser. I'm just not sure about the situation with Christobel now - the fact she seems to have been for sale on & off for years around Spain, the lack of detail on the eBay listing, the lack of comms from the seller ...

It's a shame because she's set up for long distance cruising (solar and windvane) and is already in Spain ?‍♂️
 
Visit the OCC Flying Fish archives - look for articles by Maurice Sumner (downloadable Pdfs)
Flying Fish Archive
Search years 1995 -1998
eg 1995-2 "Surviving Hurricane Luis"

If mentioned I'm Rose of Wight.

Formerly a Base Commander in the Antarctic nothing much fazed Maurice -a master of the art of understatement.

Bear in mind that much of Christobel's equipment will be old by now and newer stuff will be post Maurice'scircumnavigation. She looks tired. Halmatic 30s are very capable boats. She deserves a decent owner.
 
sytos said:
I'm considering buying a Halmatic 30 - from everything I've come across they seem like fantastic boats (esp for offshore cruising).
Click to expand...

They really are good boats. A few relevant points from memory:

Check the chain plate attachments for support and adjacent crazing. Early examples (mine was 1979) weren’t great and most will have been upgraded.

Access to stern gear (through cockpit sole hatch) needs very long arms!

Maybe a little tender at first but stiffen up nicely. They will sail at a greater heel angle than more ‘modern’ hull shapes.

Standard water capacity can be increased by at least 50% as there is space under the cabin sole for a much bigger flexible tank than was originally fitted. Having all the tankage below the sole (where it should be imho) frees all the under bunk space for storage.

Manoeuvring astern is interesting - typical long keeled boat.

Great heads compartment for a boat of that era and size.

VERY sea-kindly and slips along better than you might expect in light airs. As the wind increases, reefing early lightens the helm (Mk 1, longer boom, bigger sail) but it’s a heavy helm rather than weather helm as the tiller remains close to the centreline. They seem to go well with wind vane steering too.

Apart from the Mk1 and Mk2 versions, some were ‘hybrids’ with Mk1 rig/Mk2 interior or vice versa.

Good luck in your search.
 
My mate has one that I’ve sailed on a fair bit. Wonderful boat. My more modern boat’s a foot longer and about half the weight, but I know which I’d prefer to be on in a blow.
 
I actually bought Christobel from Maurice in Gocek in Turkey and lived on her and sailed the length and breadth of the Med for 5 years. By the time I sold her the boat wanted a heck of a lot of work. She had bad osmosis which was supposed to have been sorted in Greece but Maurice clearly got ripped off there. The sails were also no good, the mast was twisted and the deck had sunk.

I sold her quite cheaply just to get rid and the new owner thought he could sell her for a quick profit and hence didn't have a survey done and then spent at least ten years trying to sell her with no luck. He did have the hull epoxied but I think that is probably just covering up the osmosis, I don't know if it has been sorted properly since.

I had five fantastic years living on Christobel and still have a sextant I bought from Maurice.

I've been land bound the last fifteen years now but will never forget Christobel.
 
Thanks for the info! I don't know if the 'new owner' you mention is the same guy I messaged with on eBay, but the latter was ... unhelpful. Weird vibe, not for me.
 
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