Albin Vega 27 Yacht

I had a return trip to Whelpton Yacht Services at Upton Dyke today. I was carrying out a Pre-Purchase Survey on this Swedish built Albin 27. The Albin Vega was designed by Per Brohall in 1964, for Larrson Trade AB, builders of Albin marine petrol engines, who were looking for a way to increase sales of their engines. A wooden prototype was built in 1965 and extensively sea-trialled, and from this prototype the moulds were made for the Albin Vega. The company soon became Albin Marine, and concentrated on boat building, by 1971 replacing their own Albin engines with Volvo Penta diesels in the by then very popular Vega. Nearly three and a half thousand Vegas were built, until production stopped in 1979, and they have a remarkable reputation for seaworthiness. At least three have circumnavigated, and one has even explored Antarctica.