Classic Boat SEPTEMBER 2013
£4.50 US$12.50
CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES
T H E W O R L D’ S M O S T B E A U T I F U L B O A T S
Summer
CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES
on the sea From Cowes to Barcelona
Fabulous Fifes Return to the Clyde Tug on the heartstrings New life for Dunkirk veteran VOYAGE TO THE GREAT LAKES
Aboard a Tall Ship
SUFFOLK SPLENDOUR
Down the Deben
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WARTIME WINDFALL
Luftwaffe yacht
9 770950 331134
Rustler 44 | Rustler 42 | Rustler 36 |
Rustler 33
| Rustler 24
comfortable easy performance
Rustler 33 A beautiful, performance 驶weekender始 that始s easy to live with and comfortable to sail To discover more please visit us at www.rustleryachts.com email: yachts@rustleryachts.com or telephone +44 (0) 1326 310120
Beautiful yachts, beautifully built Rustler 33 Principal Dimensions: LOA: 10.36m Beam: 2.44m Draft: 1.67m Disp: 2695kg Ballast: 1133kg
Tel: 01326 310120 | www.rustleryachts.com Rustler Yachts | Maritime Buildings | Falmouth | Cornwall | TR10 8AD
CRAFTSMANSHIP
CLASSIC BOA T SURVEY
Contents
On test super-fast trailer sailer PAGE 40
LOGBOOK
Sun, sea and summer regattas. Here’s our round-up of the best action on the water
26 54
FEATURES
26 . WINDFALL YACHT Sailing Sea Scamp – the fully restored ex-Luftwaffe yacht
PETER WILLIS
12 . HIGH FIVE FOR FIFES A bevy of beautiful classics return to race on the Clyde
PETER WILLIS
COVER STORY
PETER MUMFORD BEKEN OF COWES
IMAGE RIGHT AND COVER PHOTO: GUIDO CANTINI/SEA&SEE
SEPTEMBER 2013 Nº303
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40 . POCKET ROCKET Fast, nimble and stylish – meet François Vivier’s Pen-Hir 46 . LIFE OF LUXURY Few superyachts can match Christina O’s rich history 48 . GREAT SCOT Part three looks at Charlie Barr’s incredible Atlantic race record COVER STORY
54 . POWERHOUSE It’s been a struggle but the tugboat Challenge is back
66 60 . HANDS ON DECK On board a Baltimore cutter for the Tall Ships 1812 Tour 66 . SECLUDED CHARM Find out why the River Deben should be on your to-do list
REGULARS 20 . TELL TALES 34 . NEW CLASSICS 37 . SALEROOM 38 . OBJECTS OF DESIRE 95 . LOOKING AHEAD 96 . LETTERS 98 . UNDER THE VARNISH ONBOARD 66 . RIVER DEBEN 72 . COURSE TO STEER 74 . BOOKS 75 . LAZARETTE 77 . CLASSNOTES CRAFTSMANSHIP 84 . YARD NEWS 87 . BOATBUILDER’S NOTES 89 . ADRIAN MORGAN CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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R a i n B Ow 1 8 9 8
BluE BiRd 1938
100m schOOnER
s T. paT R i c k 1 9 1 9
O U T S TA N D I N G D E S I G N S & P R O J E C T S
s . y. n a h l i n 1 9 3 0 R E s TO R aT i O n
w E a c T E d a s O w n E R ’s R E p R E s E n T a T i v E s , d E s i g n a u T h O R i T y , E x T E R i O R d E s i g n E R , ya c h T m a n a g E R a n d i n T E R i O R d E s i g n E R O f c R E w a n d s E Rv i c E a R E a s .
Owne r’s r e p r e s e ntatiOn | D esign | Yach t ManageMent p rO j e c t M a nag e M ent | tech nical suppOrt | ar c hive TEl: +44 (151) 601 8080
c l a s s i c s @ g lwaT s O n . c O m
w w w. g lwaT s O n . c O m
EMILY HARRIS
FroM daN HouStoN, Editor www.classicboat.co.uk Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ Editorial Editor Dan Houston +44 (0)207 349 3755 cb@classicboat.co.uk Senior art Editor Peter Smith +44 (0)207 349 3756 peter.smith@classicboat.co.uk News/Features Editor Steffan Meyric Hughes +44 (0)207 349 3758 steffan.meyric-hughes@classicboat.co.uk Production Editor Andrew Gillingwater +44 (0)207 349 3757 andrew.gillingwater@classicboat.co.uk Contributing Editor Peter Willis peter.willis@classicboat.co.uk Consultant Editor John Perryman FRINA Publishing Consultant Martin Nott Proofing Vanessa Bird advErtiSiNg advertisement Manager Edward Mannering +44 (0)207 349 3747 edward.mannering@chelseamagazines.com Senior Sales Executive Patricia Hubbard +44 (0)207 349 3748 patricia.hubbard@chelseamagazines.com advertisement Production Allpointsmedia +44 (0)1202 472781 www.allpointsmedia.co.uk Published Monthly ISSN: 0950 3315 USA US$12.50 Canada C$11.95 Australia A$11.95 Subscribe now: +44 (0)1795 419840 classicboat@servicehelpline.co.uk http://classicboat.subscribeonline.co.uk Subscriptions manager William Delmont +44 (0)207 349 3710 will.delmont@chelseamagazines.com Subscriptions department YACHTS 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU CHELSEA CHELSEA A RZ II NN EES ARINE M M A G APaul MAGAZINES Managing director Dobson M deputy Managing director Steve Ross Commercial director Vicki Gavin Publisher Simon Temlett digital Manager Oliver Morley-Norris Events Manager Holly Thacker YACHTING
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Shanghai’d to the Folly Inn It was the BCYC Regatta – the British Classic Yacht Club – and some of us had been sailing all day. The 27nM long, so-called inshore race had proved too much for some of the yachts and clearly a few people had got a head start at Panerai’s hospitality tent, having retired rather than fight the tide into the western Solent and then back out to the North Sturbridge cardinal in Spithead. Sailing on the Lymington-based 36ft (11m) centenarian Beeleigh (story coming soon), we had crept along the shallows to Ryde (above) before braving the west-going flood to make our mark. Other boats seemed to sag away as the deeper water, running much faster, gripped their keel in its unforgiving, watery embrace. But that’s why it’s called the inshore race – it’s a rock dodger’s dream. The dock was convivial as we celebrated a good day on the water; I thought it felt good just to have finished. I’d learned rather late that there was a dinner with the sponsors but I thought my sailing déshabillé would let the side down. “What do you think, it’s the Squadron?” I asked, only to be met with very disapproving looks and shakes of the head. I texted my apologies and got the next round. Ian from the “I felt guilty Classic Sailing Club was talking about supper at despite the Folly’s the Folly Inn and suddenly a group of us were walking down to the pontoon and untying the enduring appeal” springs from the sweet Buchanan-lined Caressa. The Medina was placid and quiet and it was good to get into a more relaxed mode, sans notebook as it were. I got a text – ‘dress immaterial, come for fun!’ Oops. Suddenly it felt as if I was letting the side down. But it’s difficult to know when you are working, or not, at events like these. Luckily, I had the age-old sailor’s excuse: ‘Been Shanghai’d, going upriver on a boat.’ The texts went quiet and I felt a little guilty despite the Folly’s enduring appeal. Making my apologies the next day I learned that the phrase, ‘… Shanghai’d…’ was somewhat new to the international assemblage at the Squadron. But I doubt my situation explained it... After all, it means a bit more than just ducking out of dinner... CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Logbook UPFRONT
Cowes Yacht Haven
Cowes Classics With 127 entries in 11 classes, Cowes Classics Week (not to be confused with the BCYC Regatta, right, that immediately precedes it or Cowes Week, which follows two weeks later) has built up an impressive gathering in its five-year history. This year, in addition to the usual collection of classic dayboats and keelboats, a strong Metre yacht entry featured two 12-M and three 8-M boats. Perhaps even more
significantly, the long-mooted classic cruiser class, which was touch and go for a while, came to fruition with 16 yachts, including three SCODs and four Nic 32s. These venerable glass classics at a regatta like this show the passing of time: the first Cowes Classics Week T-shirts bore the saying: “If God had wanted plastic boats, he would have planted plastic trees.� A full report on this regatta will follow.
tim jeffries
Spinnaker work on Pazienza
Sunbeams have been supporting the event since the beginning 6
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Infanta and the dark-hulled Zarik
Below: overall winner Saskia owned by Murdoch McKillop
Saskia is a Fife 8-Metre back in the UK from Oz, last year
Above: the McGruer Cuilanaun in a brief tangle with Infanta
Panerai BCYC With just 44 yachts attending, this year was one of the smallest BCYC regattas since the club was founded in 2001. But glorious conditions and the Panerai hospitality made up for that. The CB crew joined on day five, shipping aboard the centenarian Beeleigh for the 27-mile inshore race down the Western Solent and back east into Spithead. The patchy wind and some strong contrary tides got the better of many boats and many did not finish. The week (and the watch) was won by Murdoch McKillop’s Saskia, a Fife 8-M beauty brought back from Australia last year, and cleaning up. Superb sailing! CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
main image: kathy mansfield; others: c/o bcyc
Start of the long-distance inshore race
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with with Runabout Moonphase & Riva Historical Society The glamorous, powerful wood-hulled motor boats - so popular in the 20’s and 30’s - were the inspiration for the Runabout Moonphase, a timepiece designed to evoke passionate images of magnificent crafts and roaring engines, racing across the white-capped waters of pristine lakes. Frederique Constant proudly supports the Riva Historical Society. Available in two limited editions: CHF 2’550 in rose gold plated, CHF 2’150 in stainless steel. Contact. + 41 22 860 0440 . w w w.frederique-constant.com
LOGBOOK
ALL photos: nico mArtÍnez, c/o puig
Allegra Gucci (behind the bottle of champagne) and her winning crew on Avel
A record number of boats turned out this year
Moonbeam III (foreground), topped the Big Boats group
Yanira was victorious in the Classics class
Puig Vela Classica Thank God for thermal wind. In heatwave conditions this 10-13 July, the sea off Barcelona might have been completely flat but for the land breeze that arose in the afternoons, giving 6-7 knots and a little more on the last day. This produced relaxed racing over shortened courses for the annual Puig Vela Classica, in contrast to the capful of wind it has had most years. This year more than 700 sailors and 44 yachts came for what has become a fixture in the CIM-racing calendar in the last five years (CB297). This pipped last year’s record by two boats. Among them were enough big yachts to warrant a ‘Big Boats’ class of six that
included Moonbeam III (above, centre)and IV; Mariette; and Mariquita, the latter racing under British ownership and looking very vintage with the windward crew lying down in the traditional manner on each tack. The other end of the scale was represented by a Kim Holman Twister, two Scandinavian Folkboats and a wooden Dragon. Eventual winners were Moonbeam III (Big Boats), Yanira (Classics), Peter (Marconi) and Avel (Gaff). CB was out on two days, first in the chase boat and then racing on the beautiful American-designed-and-built 1938 Sam Crocker sloop Mercury. Full report coming soon! CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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A stylish performance cruiser
This gentleman’s day sailer cruises in style. However, looks can be deceiving. During every stage of design and production the focus has been to create a yacht that is not only good looking, but also extremeley fast and easy to sail single handed. The Essence 33 embodies performance, elegance and style For more details visit our web site or call.
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LOGBOOK
ECOD Wraith (right) and two Royal Burnham ODs
Ian Wilson of Maylandsea at the helm of his ECOD
Tied up alongside the yacht Hardy outside the Queens Head
ECODs
Celebrate 100 years all images den phillips
Above: seeing Chittabob – ECOD No1 was the icing on the cake
Seven of the 10 East Coast One-Designs took to the water – and in some cases the mud – as the fleet celebrated its centenary on 6 July on the River Blackwater in Essex, writes Dave Selby. From the neighbouring River Crouch came seven Royal Burnham One-Designs (RBODs) – for most the furthest north they’d ever been. Classic Sprite dinghies and a lone West Solent joined in too. Seeing seven of the classic GU Laws 30ft (9.1m) ECOD keelboats is a rare spectacle, for just 10 were built and remarkably all 10 survive, despite many flirting with oblivion at some stage in their lives. Months before the event the fate of Chittabob, ECOD No1 built in 1913, was in doubt, with interest from an overseas buyer. To prevent her leaving these shores the ECOD Association acquired her and after an appeal in CB, local sailor Rob Moffat took her on. Seeing the boat that founded the class back on the water was the icing on the cake. Delphine (No6), helmed by Clint Swan, won the race, which culminated with a party in the Maldon Little Ship Club where the RBOD crowd entertained everyone with their antics, although no one could understand a word they said. The sole West Solent, Mischief, took gold in the West Solent class!
Above: ECOD No8, Wraith, owned by Sam Adams (the woman in the photo)
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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FIFE’S FInESt Every five years yachts built at the William Fife yard at Fairlie on the Clyde return to race and celebrate the design genius of their creator. Here’s our guide… story KAthy MAnsfield PHotoGrAPHs MArc turner
W
hat a week of extremes! The Fife Regatta in Scotland, the fourth of this quinquennial event, packed in enough wind, weather and excitement to challenge the timbers of these most beautiful of classic yachts and the skills of their sailors. Within minutes, stern Scottish rain and wind up to 30 knots would give way to azure seas and sunlit mountains, headlands and islands – surely the most scenic and unspoiled sailing imaginable in those conditions. There were duels aplenty, including a memorable one between the schooner Astor, here from California via the Caribbean and Gibraltar; Latifa, a canoe-sterned yawl
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
sailed here from Italy; the 1931 8-Metre Saskia and the schooner Kentra, who has been relaunched after seven years ashore at Fairlie, the Fife yachts’ birthplace. Another good battle during the week was between the Clyde Linear 30 Mikado, built in 1904, and the 8-Metre The Truant, 1910, kept locally and still sailing hard. Yachting scribe Bob Fisher made an appearance sailing his dimunitive Mignon, having turned to the classics for his personal enjoyment, and Olympic champion Shirley Robertson took the helm of The Truant. The oldest of the 20 boats was Ayrshire Lass, built by William Fife II in 1887, while Solway Maid, newly refurbished, was the last boat built (continued on pg17)
FiFe Regatta
Kentra The 105ft (32m) schooner has enjoyed a long and varied history, being built in 1923 for Kenneth MacKenzie Clark of the Paisley thread-making dynasty. After just a year she was sold to Charles Livingstone (of the Cunard shipping family) and then to the wife of LSD guru Timothy Leary. But her present owner Ernst Klaus rescued her from near oblivion around 20 years ago and took her to Fairlie Restorations in 1994, who put a copper bottom over her planking, on which she sailed around the world for five years. She celebrated her 75th birthday at the first Fife Regatta, and has just been relaunched at Fairlie after a spruce up in time for her 90th birthday. Our photo above shows Mr Klaus (second from left) with regatta organiser Fiona Houston (middle) with the folk from Astor and a cake of Latifa. LOA 105ft 6in (32.2m) LWL 61ft (18.6m) Beam 17ft 2in (5.2m) Draught 10ft 2in (3.1m)
Clockwise from above: the unquestionably elegant Kentra; Kentra’s owner ernst Klaus (second left); ayrshire Lass; Olympic star Shirley Robertson on the truant
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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FiFe Regatta
Tringa
Astor
Tringa is a most perfectly executed gaff-rigged example of the famous Clyde 19/24 class, named for her length on the waterline and her measurement on deck. The class was formed in 1896, after the earlier 17/19 class was thought to have reached its full development with Fife’s Hatasoo (who competed in the 2003 Fife Regatta), which no other boat managed to beat. Helmut and Gisela Scharbaum have built this yacht in Germany, having first built a quarter-scale, radio-controlled model and, over the years, their working models have been their primary focus. In the hours after their day jobs, much research has been done and the full-sized replica that you see here has taken them 3½ years to build, launching in 2010. Every detail has been carefully crafted and she sails well too, as only one would expect.
This 86ft (26.2m) schooner was built of teak on oak frames in 1923 for an australian surgeon, who owned her until she was attacked by Japanese submarines in Sydney Harbour in 1942. Her third owner raced her extensively in the Sydney Hobart Race and came fourth in the 1963 Transpac. Her present owner has owned her for 26 years, sailing her extensively in the Pacific and then setting out from California in 2007 to sail through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean, winning the Concours d’Elegance at the antigua Classics in 2009, and spending the last 18 months in Gibraltar where a new engine has been fitted.
LOD 32ft 10in (10m) LWL 19ft (5.8m) bEam 6ft (1.8m) DRauGHT 5ft 11in (1.8m)
Opposite, left to right: the iconic Fife dragon on Fintra’s bow, a skiff rowing race; Mikado was the overall winner of Class 2
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
LOa 86ft (26.2m) LWL 56ft (17.1m) bEam 15ft 6in (4.7m) DRauGHT 10ft 8in (3.3m)
Latifa
Although calamity struck her owner Mario Pirri (right), sailing solo on his way to the Clyde (see main story) this elegant 70ft (21.3m) canoe-sterned yawl built in 1936 won the regatta overall. She was a favourite of Fife III’s, and rightly so. She finished second in two Fastnets just after she was built and Mario has sailed her around the world, as well as completing over a dozen transatlantics, many of them singlehanded. The weather had conspired against her coming to the last Fife Regatta in 2008, but even Mario’s accident could not stop Latifa from snatching a well-deserved victory, just a single point ahead of Astor, in Class 1. LOA 70ft (21.3m) LWL 52ft 6in (16m) beAM 15ft 4in (5m) dRAughT 10ft 5in (3.2m)
by William Fife III at the Fairlie yard in 1938. Some of the big Med boats did not make it this time, but to have such an array of historic Fifes, seven of them over 100 years old, was an incredible achievement. It’s also worth remembering that 40 years ago many of these yachts were just old boats, mouldering in the mud or fashioned into houseboats. The classic-boat revival has prompted not just a reappraisal but a surge of interest, passion, skills, knowledge and enjoyment, and the boats designed by the three generations of Fifes have been a vital spearhead of this interest. Who can fail to be moved by the power and artistry of their hull shapes, their exquisitely curved stems, or their voluminous sails? CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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FiFe Regatta
The Truant Rediscovered in an Irish potato patch in 1963, The Truant was sailed hard for some years and then given to the owner’s godson – who wouldn’t want a 1910 Fife 8-Metre as a present? However, the boat was in need of a complete restoration and Ross Ryan was starting out as an artist, without the funds to do the job. Years later she was restored locally by Adam Way. The Truant was commissioned by Ralph Gore, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, who won many races in her. In 1912 she was UK class winner, as well as European champion in Stockholm, and she remained there during WWI, moving to Norway and then Ireland, where she was used for cruising. She has a relatively full body, good for the bouts of heavy weather encountered during the week. LOA 41ft 9in (12.8m) LWL 27ft (8.2m) bEAM 7ft 7in (2.3m) dRAUGHT 5ft 9in (1.8m)
Oblio Oblio is a gaff cutter built in 2007 by the boatyard of Hubert Stagnol in bénodet, France. The lines are from an 1899 design by William Fife III, and she is as fast and bonnie as one would expect from the designer. Her owner, Gordon Turner, sailed her well all week, even gybing her in heavy winds when most boats were tacking. LOA 35ft 9in (10.9m) LWL 19ft (5.8m) bEAM 6ft 1in (1.9m) dRAUGHT 4ft 1in (1.2m)
Olin Stephens said that Fife boats are the most beautiful, and they can now be found around the world, but to see them sailing among the coasts and islands of their origin is incredibly moving. Several owners also reported their fastest ever sailing times, thanks to the constantly changing and challenging Clyde conditions. Equally moving is the dedication of the owners who have brought them back to Scotland for this special regatta. Mario Pirri had brought Latifa all the way from Italy, and was sailing her during the regatta despite having broken his leg off Portugal on the way to the event (CB302, p19). Sadly, on the Wednesday his injury proved too much and he was re-hospitalised but is thankfully now making a recovery. 18
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Latifa went on to win the regatta under local skipper Pete Wright, along with Jon Fitzgerald and a strong Clyde-based crew that Mario had invited to sail with him. Astor returned from the Pacific for the first time since she was built in 1923; Viola and the recently restored Ellad came from La Rochelle in France, and so the list goes on. Over past and present regattas, 45 different Fifes have made their way to Fairlie, and with people like this and boats like this, the future of classic yachts, Fifes in particular, looks set to power ahead for years to come. For more details, including galleries of the 2003 and 2008 events, go to www.fiferegatta.com. CB will be covering sailing on Ellad and her restoration soon.
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iriSH cOASt
Tall Ship lost: was it water in the tank? The Tall Ship Astrid’s recent grounding off the Irish coast might have been caused by something as simple as filling the diesel tank with water. The Dutch-owned ship was under the command of her 62-yearold owner, Pieter de Kam, on 24 July when engine failure forced her onto rocks off the Sovereign Islands near Kinsale harbour, County Cork. A spokesman from Southern Shipwrights Ltd in Brighton, recently approached for advice by Astrid’s crew, told CB that the diesel tank had recently been filled with water and
that the Astrid crew had sought to resolve the problem themselves.
Hope of salvage A concerted rescue by the Coastguard and the RNLI ensured that all 30 souls on board were saved without injury; but now the 95-yearold, 138ft (42.1m) brig is in a perilous state, half sunk and wedged onto rocks. A salvage plan was in discussion as we went to press. Diver Colm Harrington had dived the wreck and pronounced Astrid to be “pretty much intact apart from those
Above: Astrid, half sunk, shows only her masts at High Water, with more visible, as here, at other states of tide
bAltic tAll SHipS rAce
Gaff ketch sinks: man dies Volunteer crewman Koen van Gogh of the Dutch Tall Ship Wylde Swan went missing at sea on 11 July, off the southern tip of the Swedish island of Gotland. He had been among three crew who had volunteered to aid in the rescue attempt of the sinking 60ft (18.3m) Colin Archer-designed ketch Wyvern (see left). The ketch had started taking on water earlier that day, while sailing in the Tall Ships Race from Aarhus (Denmark) to Helsinki (Finland). The 10 crewmembers were airlifted to safety. Van Gogh was last seen by a member of Sjöfartsverket (Swedish Coastguard) stuck in Wyvern’s rigging.
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rivets that have popped on some of her plates, so it will be possible to salvage her. The job will involve getting slings under her and lifting her with specialist equipment because she’s a heavy ship – 254 tonnes – and with all the water inside her, you’d need the slings underneath to provide the support.” The salvage team must now agree a removal plan with the insurance surveyors. The Marine Accident Investigation Bureau had not opened a file on the incident as we went to press at the end of July.
tAll SHip bOunty
Blogger creates Bounty timeline The blogger known as gCaptain – real name Mario Vittone – whose blog was the authority on the Bounty Tall Ship tragedy last October – has created a timeline of the disaster as it unfolded. Titled ‘Into the Storm’, it represents one of the clearest and most informed accounts of its type we have ever seen. Have a read at www.gcaptain.com.
TELL TALES classic Boat’s address: Jubilee house, 2 Jubilee place, london, SW3 3tQ For phone numbers, please see page 5
USA
Dorade wins Transpac – again! The legendary yawl Dorade crossed the finish line off Hawaii to win the 2013 Transpac ocean race on 20 July. It was not the first time for the 52ft (15.9m) 1930-built boat that launched the career of Olin Stephens – that was in 1936. This victory, confirmed on 22 July, took more than a day off the 1936 race, giving an elapsed time of 12 days, 5 hours, 28 minutes and 8 seconds. That’s a mean speed of 7.8 knots – 8 per cent faster than the race 77 years ago. Owner Matt Brooks is on a quest to enter her in all the venerable ocean
races that she dominated in her heyday of the 1930s. His restoration of the yacht (detailed in CB287) has been carried out to enable her to reprise her original role, as much as just her original appearance. The crew sailed 1,000 miles in preparation for this race, and studied videos of Olin Stephens at the helm of Dorade in the 1930s (he kept the tiller centred most of the time). Navigation was, again true to the 1930s, by sextant. Dorade’s voyage into her past will bring her, via a transatlantic race, to Britain for the Fastnet in 2015. Sharon Green, ultimateSailinG.com
chriS Slack photoGraphy, c/o pilGrim
Phyllis 1913
Last example of Royal Mersey RC
phyllis is thought to be the last-built example of the royal mersey restricted class – 11 cabin boats based on the lancashire nobby for the royal mersey yacht club on the Wirral. many were designed by alfred mylne, but this one, 1ft (0.3m) shorter than her classmates, was designed by Gh Wilmer and built by Samuel Bond of rock Ferry. She’s 26ft (7.9m) long with a beam of 8ft (2.4m) and draws 4ft (1.2m). She has belonged to kevin Goulding for 12 years and was restored by david moss in 2010, making it onto our restoration of the year shortlist.
Classic Boat on the road
brixhAm TrAwLEr pilgrim’s first season after her 14-year, £1.1 million restoration has gone with a bang, winning the king George v cup in may – and more recently having prince charles on board to present the cup on 16 July. he called the restoration, carried out by volunteer determination, lottery money and ashley Butler, a “remarkable achievement”. he also told of his education in gaff-rig sailing at Gordonstoun School. pilgrim Bm45 is the oldest surviving Brixham Sailing trawler built and rigged in Brixham, in 1895. She’s now for charter. See www.
kevin GouldinG
Prince Charles awards Pilgrim
CB will be at the Southampton Boat Show from 13-22 September (stand H007) and at Monaco Classic Week, 11-15 September. The Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association will also be at Southampton (see page 95).
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Yacht Brokerage
SALES, CHARTER & MANAGEMENT
102ft “MOONBEAM OF FIFE III” 1903. The story of the Moonbeams began in 1858 with Moonbeam I &II. In 1902 Charles Plumtree Johnson, an eminent London lawyer, decided to go back to William Fife for the creation of his 3rd yacht taking into account his navigation projects as he wanted to race under the new RORC tonnage which included sailing ships with fitted-out interiors. Moonbeam III was launched in 1903, hull n° 491 to leave the Fife yard. The result was a magnificent yacht which has now become one of the most successful classic yachts in the world. Her streamlined shape and large sail surface area both make for an extremely elegant and unique yacht.
100ft Classic MY “SPREZZATURA” 1971. Extensive refit in 2013. A classical, yet freshly-styled gentleman’s motor yacht, with opulent woodwork and furnishings. She has unusually spacious staterooms and attached bathrooms, a very large main saloon, a superb forward main deck dining saloon, an enormous top sun-deck and top-deck dining area and much more. She has recently benefitted from a one-year refit costing considerably more than US$1-million.
Commuter 50 “ALLEGIANCE” 2004. Inspired by Camper and Nicholson plans from 1925 and updated by builder, she is a very nice classic true gentleman’s yacht in the style of power boats from the beginning of the last century and constructed with quality materials and modern techniques – the spirit of tradition.
Montpellier l La Ciotat l Monaco l Paris Palma, Majorca l Moscow l Hong Kong l Grenada l Turkey
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage
1 rue Barthez - 34000 Montpellier - France Tel. +33 467 66 39 93 - info@bernard-gallay.com www.bernard-gallay.com
PAUL CAMPBELL
All-star Skiffs More than 30 St Ayles Skiffs raced on Loch Broom in the sun from 8-14 July for the first ‘Skiffie Worlds’ – a title justified by entries from Australia, Holland and the USA. Princess Anne was there to open the event, which was won by Achiltibuie.
GREAT BRITAIN
Biggest ever fleet of racing gaffers? It’s still all go for the Old Gaffers Association in their 50th anniversary year. Not only is the round-Britain voyage (MaldonMaldon, clockwise) now complete, the various events around the coast have been busy too. The recent Ipswich Rally on 21 July, for instance, was attended by 65 boats. The grand finale is, of course, still to come on 15-18 August,
Sea Cadets ship to be built The £4.8 million contract to build a new flagship for the Sea Cadets, to replace the 40-year-old TS Royalist, has gone to Spain. The new 105ft (32m) ship will be built at Astilleros Gondán shipbuilders in Spain and enter service in 2015.
LONDON
Volunteer awards National Historic Ships seeks nominations for this year’s Marsh Volunteer Awards, worth £1,000 to the winner and £500 to the junior category winner. If you know a volunteer who has given his or her all to the service of preserving maritime
bigger group of Beetle Cats racing off America’s East Coast in the 20th century? We’d love to know so, as always, please send your answers to the editor! Keep up to date with the OGA’s goings-on with Sue Lewis’s popular blog on our website at www.classicboat.co.uk – and do, if you have not already, have a look at the OGA’s new narrative site, www.sailing-by.org.uk.
heritage, please enter at www.nationalhistoricships. org.uk
SAFETY
Barbecues warning The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) has issued a warning about barbecues on boats, citing the twin dangers of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. Their advice is simple: don’t do it.
Keep abreast of all the action by reading the online blog by veteran marine journalist Bob Fisher at www.yachtsandyachting. co.uk/bob-fisher-americascup-blog/
Round-the world voyage for Tall Ship
WORD OF THE MONTH
MALTA
Seamanship award Frédérique Brûlé skipper of the yacht Amadour has been awarded our CB prize for seamanship in this year’s offshore Bailli de Suffren race from France (Saint-Tropez) to Malta.
AMERICA’S CUP
Follow the race with Bob Fisher
AUSTRALIA
Lord Nelson, the wheelchair-accessible Tall Ship operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, reached Freemantle, Australia, on 17 July, nine months after leaving Britain on her first circumnavigation.
C/O BAILLI DE SUFFREN
SPAIN
when the round-Britain voyage officially ends and the big one-off regatta is held at Cowes. In fact, it might even be the biggest gaff-rigged sailing event every seen. Some 125 have so far registered for the main race on the 17th, enough to break the record according to the OGA. But have there been bigger fleets of racing gaffers before? For instance, has there been a
CB binders are back! Each one holds 12 issues and will take the current size and the old size of the magazine. They are only £12.99 in the UK and £14.99 abroad.
Order at
www.chelseamagazines.com/ classicboat-binders
Parliament heel “A term used to imply the situation of a ship when she is made to stoop a little to one side, so as to clean the upper part of her bottom on the other side, and cover it with a fresh composition.” (Dictionary of the Marine, W Falconer)
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Jamie Medlin - Marine Artist Photo-realistic Oil Paintings
Private Commissions Limited Edition Prints
+ 4 4 ( 0)1326 2 1 9 2 7 5
www.jamiemedlin.com
C/O MySTIC SeAPORT
TELL TALES
connEcTicuT
Historic whaleship prepares to sail again she was preserved by Whaling Enshrined Incorporated and bought by Mystic Seaport in 1941. Since then, more than 20 million visitors have boarded the Morgan. In the spring of 2014 she embarks upon her 38th voyage to ports of call in New England that she has a historic connection to. She will be open to the public and Mystic Seaport is working with local institutions in each port to create educational programmes.
Above: early next year, the Morgan will set sail as a double topsail bark – the same sail configuration as she had in her last days
“We believe restoring and sailing the Charles W Morgan wooden whaleship is potentially the fullest expression of the Museum’s dual responsibility of stewardship and education, giving us the unique chance to demonstrate what we have learned over time about the challenges our ancestors faced as they sailed in search of solutions to our nation’s needs,” says Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.
TED HooD 1927-2013 Sailing lost a legend on 28 June when American Ted Hood died aged 86 in his adopted home of Rhode Island, reports Chris Museler. Hood had an unrivalled career in every area of the sport, revolutionising sailmaking by creating his own form of Dacron, drafting some of the most roomy and fast cruising boats, and excelling as a top helmsman. “His real mark was he did so many things so well,” said Olin Stephens. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Susan Blake Hood, his children Richard, Frederick, Robert and Nancy, and eight grandchildren. Full obituary in Classic Boat to follow.
TuRnER MATTHEWS 1943-2013 Turner Matthews, attorney, devotee of small boats, CB contributor and a leading light in Florida’s vibrant small-boat scene, died on 8 June. CB’s Adrian Morgan, a close friend, remembers his “extraordinary generosity” and provided this photo of him “in typical stance on his Arch Davis Penobscot 17”.
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
leFT TO RIgHT: CORy SIlkeN; ADRIAN MORgAN
Thousands of spectators lined the shore at the famous Mystic Seaport Museum on 21 July to witness the relaunch of America’s last surviving wooden whaleship, the Charles W Morgan, reports Caryn B Davis. Sarah Bullard, great-great-great granddaughter of the ship’s namesake, christened her with a bottle of seawater from the oceans she sailed during her illustrious career. The 350-tonne vessel was hauled out in 2008 for a $7m (c£4,500,000) restoration, recently completed by shipwrights at the Seaport’s Henry B duPont Preservation Shipyard. This was the Morgan’s third and most extensive restoration yet. “In the 1970s she had a lot of bottom work done to stabilise her to remain afloat as a static exhibit. In the 1980s we worked on the topsides and redecked her. This time we replanked and reframed the area from the waterline down to below the turn of the bilge,” says Quentin Snediker, director of the shipyard. Built in 1841 by the Hillman Shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Morgan made 37 voyages that yielded over 50,000 barrels of whale oil used to illuminate lamps and lubricate machinery. After her last commercial voyage in 1921,
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Boisterous sea scamp From the Luftwaffe to the Royal Marines, and now a syndicate of owners, this yacht is more than just a Windfall story SAM FORTESCUE
SEA SCAMP
SAM FoRTeSCUe
PReVIoUS PAGe: PeTeR MUMFoRD BeKeN oF CoWeS
“She was used by the Luftwaffe for sail training, and carried an enormous swastika for an ensign”
B Previous spread: Sea Scamp liked the windy conditions. Above, left to right: well maintained thanks to a winter work roster among syndicate members 28
oats, like people, can be good and bad; and classic boats, having long histories, perhaps have more complex personalities than modern yachts. When I joined Sea Scamp for a morning’s racing, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After all, it’s not so long ago that she appeared in The Independent and Daily Mail for the wrong reason, having run aground spectacularly in Thorness Bay, off the Isle of Wight (CB291). But also because this 41ft (12.5m) Abeking & Rasmussen-designed sloop is part of what they called the ‘Windfall Fleet’. Built in Germany before the Second World War, she was used by the Luftwaffe for training, and sailed under the swastika. But towards the end of hostilities, acute fuel shortages meant that many of the flying schools on which the boats depended were closed, and Zeisig (siskin), as she was then known, lay mostly idle. Then, in 1945, she was seized by the Royal Navy as part of the Allied claim for reparations, and a new chapter began. Naively, I wondered if there would be any brooding evidence of her Nazi years, perhaps etched into her timbers or cast on a stanchion base; if there was, I missed it. Instead she felt lively and fun, with the well-mannered dignity that you might expect from a venerable lady of 77 years – and a foreigner at that. In the tightly packed berths of Cowes Yacht Haven – for once a sea of bobbing wooden boats – she could have been tricky. Her prop is offset to port and, with her long keel, she can be feisty astern. “Sometimes, she’ll walk sideways; sometimes she’ll do what you ask her; and
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
sometimes, anything could happen,” says race skipper Mike from Milton Keynes, with a worried glance astern, where an 8-Metre is manoeuvring. Out in the fairway without incident and for a blessed hour or so, the sun is out and the wind is a delightful 12 to 15 knots. The first thing I notice is how little she heels upwind. Even with the clew of the jib nearly touching the cars on the toerail, the main sheeted hard in, she is well balanced. Mike shows me how she will steer herself, close-hauled, as he takes his hand off the tiller and lets the massive bronze rudder stock swing free. My second observation is that very little heel is needed to bring water over her low freeboard. “She goes best with the scuppers awash,” says Bill (from London) with relish. He told me several days ago to bring full foul weather gear, even if the forecast was not for rain. She has a very efficient roller-boom reefing system, but the headsail is hanked on, and we have a whale of a time on the downwind legs, jockeying between spinnaker and jib halyards. Adrian, a semi-retired product designer from Brighton, is at the mast and needs little help from the winch. Rob from Swindon makes a very capable bowman although, at one point, the snap-shackle at the spinnaker clew comes loose, and I have to rush forward and snatch the corner of the flailing purple sail. I glance at the log, and notice to my surprise that we’re making nearly 7 knots downwind. She was built to be fast, certainly, with her 8ft 6in (2.6m) beam. Her crew is of varying experience from all over Britain (and one from France), some of whom are meeting for the first
PeTeR MUMFoRD BeKeN oF CoWeS
time; everyone has a go at the helm. As we settle into a good routine, I notice how lithe she can be when everything clicks into place – accelerating without fuss. On the last leg of our run, now in light drizzle, we narrow the gap to an old gaff cutter and a 5-Metre from 1937. We even start to talk of overhauling them, but it’s not to be. “She does better on a windy day,” everyone says. Indeed, next day in 20 knots and rain, she’s much faster with most of the Metre boats deciding to stay put. Tidying up afterwards in the incessant rain, I look around her dry, cosy interior. There are berths for five, including the quarter, a pair in the saloon and two more in the fo’c’s’le. There’s a sensible countertop with a high fiddle, which serves admirably as a navigator’s station to port, and a simple galley facing it. The heads – a venerable Simpson-Lawrence – lives under a flap that folds down to form additional bunkage up for’ard.
Above: Sea Scamp makes an effortless 7 knots downwind. Right: her plain tongue-and-groove deckhead, pleasingly convex, is one of her best features, says Bill
Sea Scamp has changed considerably since her war years – not least with the addition of a 20hp Beta engine – but in her simple finish and with the mahogany planking on oak frames visible below, she’d still be recognised by the likes of First Lieutenant Wilhelm Meyer, who sailed her during the war. He contacted Sea Scamp’s owners in 2004 with memories of his years aboard, when she was attached to the Air Reconnaissance Sea School at West Dievenow on Wollin – now Dziwnów in Poland. Herr Meyer sailed Zeisig and the 100-Square Metre Pelikan (now renamed Overlord) from 1941, and he recalled a private cruise with his commanding officer,
SAM FoRTeSCUe
Zeisig years
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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SEA SCAMP
“Because of my heartfelt emotions, I am so grateful that these two boats are being well looked after”
SEA SCAMP Length OVeRALL
41ft (12.5m) LWL
32ft 11in (10m) beAm
8ft 6in (2.6m) DRAught
5ft 11in (1.8m) DispLAcement
17,860lb (8.1 tonnes) sAiL AReA
537sqft (50m2)
beKen OF cOWes
where he met a “pretty young girl” who later became his wife. “Because of my heartfelt emotions, I am so grateful that these two boats are now being well looked after… and I hope that they will continue to have a long and successful sailing life,” he wrote. But Zeisig would have to wait for a year after the end of the war before she tasted British waters. First, in July 1946, she had a 60-mile shakedown cruise from Kiel to Rødbyhavn, a fishing port on the Danish island of Lolland. Despite having no charts and an unreliable compass, Zeisig and her crew won the race on the way back. She’s always been fast. Operation Homeward brought her to Plymouth in 1946, through the Dutch canals, and later that year she was rechristened Sea Scamp. She was allocated to the Royal Marines and given sail number 425, which she carries to this day. She was used for naval training – first in Plymouth, then Dartmouth, and finally back in Plymouth – and kept her winning ways, coming second in 1948 and first a year later in the College Yacht Rallies.
A successful syndicAte By 1984, and after many years of service, wooden boats were beginning to feel like too much hard work for the Admiralty, so Sea Scamp was sidelined and put on the disposal list. With just a few days to go before the closing date, Tony Venables and three partners hand-delivered a bid of £9,000 to the Admiralty’s Bath office. They were successful, much to their surprise – a reaction stemming in part from the fact they didn’t as yet have the money to pay for her, but they scrabbled it 30
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
together, and after a short refit, Sea Scamp set sail for a new home in Shamrock Quay, Southampton. Sea Scamp started out on Civvy Street as she meant to continue, with a syndicate of active members bringing the pleasure of sailing a beautiful classic boat to hundreds of people since 1984. Her syndicate presently numbers around 80 fee-paying members, and, skipper Bill Scatchard admits, “a lot of friends who don’t pay fees”. Membership costs £75 per year, then members must ‘put in’ for sailing days throughout the season. Each day costs £38, but a discount is available for those who help maintain her. “It amounts to £1.60 off every sailing day for each refit day worked,” says Bill. Of the six aboard for Thursday’s race off Cowes, everyone has done their bit. The only lady among the crew, a French sailor called Anne, says she put in six days over the winter. The syndicate balances its books, albeit with hundreds of hours of free work from members each year. Bill, who chairs the Refit Committee, reckons the enterprise turns over £15,000, almost half of which is swallowed up by berthing fees and storage ashore. After maintenance, there’s not much left over for major work, although the boat is sailed hard for more than 100 days a year. They tend to save up for the big jobs, so in 1991 the teak decks were relaid; the garboards, frames, floors and keel bolts were renewed in 2001; and, at the time of writing, the next job was to have her stem looked at. The syndicate will have to loosen the purse strings a little, Bill says with a smile. “We need to replace the mainsail. And, to annoy the treasurer, we ought to replace the mast and return to a full-sized rig. She’s undercanvased in light airs.”
Above: Sea Scamp in 1951, when she was attached to the Royal Marines training group in Plymouth
The M46 shown is a rendered image.
A boat reflects who you are. This one also adapts to what you want.
INTRODUCING THE M46 Your boat says a lot about who you are. But the new M46 from Morris Yachts is more than just a status symbol. Racers will love the Sparkman & Stephens-designed hull that delivers quick acceleration and great handling. Families will love the innovative fold-down transom that provides a large swim platform for the kids. Singlehanders who just want to get away for a few hours will love the easy sail handling systems. Purists will love the standard teak decks, and cruisers of all types will love the large, flush-mounted hatches, bright and airy saloon, large cabins, generous galley, and even the “home office” with full wireless capability. If you’re looking for more out of life, maybe it’s time to get more out of your yacht. Be the first to own one, call today.
M-Series
29
36
42
46 New!
52
Ocean Series
45
48GT
52
morrisyachts.com
+1 207 244-5509
SAM FORTESCUE
C/O BILL SCATCHARD
SAM FORTESCUE
C/O BILL SCATCHARD
SEA SCAMP
He asks if I’ll be writing about the grounding incident (barely a scratch, by the way, though she lay on her side for several hours), before explaining the mast issue more fully. “In 1976, Sea Scamp fell over onto hard sand by the quay at Jubilee Point. She was owned by the Navy in those days, and the mast broke.” Two scarphs later, the mast was 1ft 9in (58cm) shorter than originally designed, and the boat slower (and drier) ever since. Sea Scamp offers a unique opportunity to get afloat, as Bill says, “we’re a friendly club, all with the common aim of sailing a classic yacht. We offer the chance to sail, and sail regularly, without having to own your own boat.” After my day aboard, it’s easy to see why the syndicate has proved so popular. But perhaps the Duke of Edinburgh says it best, writing in the foreword to Michael Cudmore’s book The Windfall Yachts: “It has long been a custom for victors in war to claim reparations from the defeated enemy, but I very much doubt whether any such reparations have achieved so much social good as the acquisition of the German Navy’s sailing yachts.” Sea Scamp is just one of the Windfalls, but with members across the country and from all walks of life, I wonder if any could better personify that social good. www.seascamp.info 32
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Clockwise from top left: skipper Bill Scatchard is also chair of the Refit Committee; as Zeisig in Germany – note the swastika ensign; with German crew in 1943; her well weathered builder’s plate
The Windfall yachts One man’s windfall is another’s stolen fruit, so perhaps it is an appropriate term for the dozens of wooden training yachts brought back from Germany by Britain’s armed forces as reparations for the Second World War. The Windfall Fleet topped 140 boats, although some were quickly disposed of due to poor condition. They were mostly built in the 1930s as training vessels during Germany’s rapid military expansion; all but a few by Abeking & Rasmussen. These Seefahrtkreuzer boiled down into three main classes: 100-Square Metre, 50-Square Metre and 30-Square Metre, measuring 57ft (17.4m), 41ft (12.5m) and 32ft (9.8m) respectively. There were a score of other Windfalls, largest of which was the 85ft (25.9m) schooner Duhnen, sold on arrival in the UK. Many of the yachts had an eventful passage to Britain as part of Operation Homeward in the wet and windy summer of 1946, before being allocated among the forces by the newly formed Association of Service Yacht Clubs. They all found their way into private hands – as well as Sea Scamp and Overlord, dozens of others are reckoned to have survived.
The Americas Cup. It created two enduring legends From Shamrock through to Shamrock V, Sir Thomas Lipton chased The America’s Cup for over thirty years claiming he was destined to “never get his hands on that auld mug.” But his legacy was to be just as great. In Shamrock V, he commissioned the very first J-Class Yacht: a sweeping design that has influenced the world’s finest boatyards. None more so, than here at Arkin Pruva where homage to the legendary J-Class is being reinterpreted and redefined by Rob Humphreys.
Arkın Pruva Yachts Tempus Class DL : +44 1590 671 727 Shipyard : +90 242 259 01 59 info@arkinpruva.com
Shamrock V - 1934
Our craftsmen have taken the values and skills of those days and have brought them together in the most contemporary, comfortable and technologically advanced way. Discover The Tempus Class by visiting www.arkinpruva.com
New Classics
TC 51
Hooked on a Hoek Alexa is the 35th yacht in the Truly Classic range from Dutch Spirit of Tradition designer Andre Hoek. She was built by Metur Yacht in Turkey in cold-moulded wood, and is the seventh ‘TC 51’ – the 51-footer (15.5m) in the range. The 51s are blue-water yachts with several circumnavigations to prove it. This is a sturdy, capacious yacht and combines a classic 1930s look with a refreshing lack of complexity – so less to break down while far from home. Accommodation comprises two aft guest cabins and a day heads; an open-plan saloon and an en-suite cabin. The rig is a modestly canvased bermudan cutter with furling headsails sheeted to electric winches on an aluminium mast. The 80hp engine will allow powering into head seas, and the boat can be sailed by two. The TC 51 is semi-bespoke, with various keel options. Cost: €650,000-€900,000 (£560,000-£775,000) ex VAT. Contact the Hoek office on Tel: +31 299 372853 or go to www.hoekdesign.com 34
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
C/o Hoek
MAyFlOwEr 50
Bermudan Bonaventure A pretty 28ft (8.5m) traditional plank-on-frame transom-sterned yacht sat on our stand at the 2009 London Boat Show. Builder Ashley Butler later extended her by 6ft (1.8m) by adding a counter stern (CB272), to make the first yacht of the Mayflower Class, which was bought by an art collector. Since then, Ashley has built two Mayflower 50s: one with basic fit-out and gaff-yawl rig for his own family (right); and a second, more luxurious one for a client. That is the point of the Mayflower Class – the boats are built to the same lines but everything else is up for discussion. This yacht – Bonaventure – is bermudan cutter-rigged with a battenless main, furling headsails and electric winches for easy handling, Chesterfield upholstery, and modern tech that includes remote-controlled central heating. More traditional elements are the carvel build, hollow spruce mast and tiller. The price range is £650,000-£750,000 ex VAT.
SPECIFICATIONS LOA
50ft 8in (15.5m) BeAM
12ft 2in (3.7m) dRAuGhT C/O AShLeY BuTLeR
6ft 3in (1.9m)
Tel: +44 (0)1326 221657 www.butlers-wooden-boats.co.uk
Back to tradition
51ft (15.5m) BeAM
13ft 8in (4.2m) dRAuGhT
7ft 9in (2.4m) deSiGneR
C/0 A&R WAY BOATBuiLdinG
Hoek Design
Ashley Butler
SPECIFICATIONS LOA
OBAN SKIFF
SPECIFICATIONS LOA
deSiGneR
18ft 4in (5.6m)
A&R Way Boatbuilding has launched the second of its traditional clinker ‘Oban Skiffs’, based on the 127-yearold Gylen – a typical salmon fishing boat of her time. Builder Adam Way said: “The large sail area reefs down well and is very seaworthy with the main reefed and the jib rolled up on the Wykeham-Martin gear. The strong flair on the hull and huge reserve buoyancy of the stern help seakeeping, while the fine entry, plumb stem and narrow waterline beam make her fast. You can sail comfortably with six adults, run onto a beach and get ashore almost dry-footed.” The Oban Skiff is a very attractive trailer-sailer. See her at Southampton Boat Show in September. From £18,000 ex VAT.
BeAM
5ft 11in (1.8m) SAiL AReA
192sqft (17.8m2) BuiLdeR
A&R Way Boatbuilding
Tel: +44 (0)1546 606657, www.aandrwayboatbuilding.co.uk CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Yves Christian
William McBryde 56 ft Gaff Ketch 1952
£280,000 Lying UK
YVES CHRISTIAN is a proper little ship drawn at a time when this was appreciated – sea kindly and comfortable she has plenty of beam, which with her firm sections and snug ketch rig make her very stiff. Originally designed for long sea trips and Mediterranean cruising she has a 5 part sail plan so shortening sail is a simply a matter of lowering sail and not reefing! Her current owners have attended with great attention and dedication to the period and detail of the boat’s structure, meaning that her systems and interior are impressive. There’s little left to do but prepare a passage plan - very confident she will look after you.
Valerie
Stow & Son 47 ft Gaff Yawl 1895
£200,000 Lying UK
VALERIE has been beautifully and sympathetically rebuilt, commensurate with her vintage, which at nigh on 120 years makes her a genuine historical artefact. Thus an object of such rarity, beauty and desirability can be experienced and enjoyed as was intended by her maker so many tides ago. The simplicity of her finish and fit-out with the re-introduction of her original yawl rig makes her a handy craft capable of being easily sailed by a small crew. Partial completion of her interior enables a new owner to specify his own accommodation arrangements, for which an outline option exists.
email: info@sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk
33 High Street, Poole BH15 1AB, England. Tel: + 44 (0)1202 330077 www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk
Saleroom BONHAMS, CONNECTICUT
Amphicar prices are buoyant BY DAVE SELBY
DARIN SCHNABEL ©2013 COURTESY RM AUCTIONS
twin props. On land the Amphicar could lumber to 70mph; at sea the maximum was 7½ knots. Steering in both environments was by the front wheels; in the water the Amphicar cornered with all the precision of a soggy log. Nevertheless, in a publicity stunt in 1962, a flotilla of Amphicars crossed the English Channel from France – and none of them sank. Trippel had envisioned building 20,000 Amphicars, but when production ceased in 1968, less than 3,000 had been produced. Survivors are far fewer as bodies were prone to
Above: not quite as sleek or fast as James Bond’s Lotus Elise, but Hanns Trippel’s Schwimmwagen was just as innovative
C/0 COYS
Some say Amphicars are all at sea on land; and out of their depth when at sea. Certainly, there’s no doubt the German amphibian is a classic compromise, but these plucky hybrids have managed to cross the English Channel and when it comes to crossing the auction block they’re riding the crest of a wave. The Amphicar was the creation of German engineer Hanns Trippel whose experiments with amphibious vehicles bore fruit with the military Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, more than 14,000 of which served in WWII. In 1962, when he launched his Amphicar, he hoped it would become the amphibian equivalent of the Volkswagen Beetle, bringing car-boats to the masses. The pretty four-seater cabriolet was powered by an 1100cc Triumph Herald engine with power take-off to
C/0 BONHAMS
RM AUCTIONS, MONTEREY
Million dollar motorboats Three classic powerboats from the estate of classic car and boat enthusiast Tom Mittler could fetch well over a million dollars when they come under the hammer in Monterey, California. Top boat billing at the RM Auctions classic car auction on 16-17 August goes to the 1938 Ventnor K-2 Gen VI (above middle). The 26ft (7.9m) racer is powered by a 520bhp 25-litre marinised Packard V12 aero engine,
rusting, which is not good as holes are bad for buoyancy, while some sank when owners forgot to put in the bilge plug and lock the doors. Today, these quaint amphibious novelties are highly prized and in June two made a rare appearance on the open market. In the US, at a Bonhams Connecticut classic car auction, a lovely 1964 baby blue example, thought to have covered just 3,600 miles from new and restored in the mid-2000s to a high standard, made £38,400 ($59,400) – a relative bargain considering the pre-sale estimate had been £45,000£52,000 ($70,000-$80,000). In Athens, at the end of June, London auction house Coys sold a white 1962 Amphicar that had been stored in a museum for some years for £36,450 (€42,642). Seems the Amphicar market is pretty buoyant.
giving it a top speed close to 70mph. It’s expected to fetch £390,000-£450,000 ($600,000-$700,000). The 1958 TimossiMaserati KD-13 hydroplane (above right) has an original 520bhp 5.6-litre Maserati V8 race-car-derived engine and is estimated to fetch £160,000-£200,000 ($250,000-$300,000). More affordable is the Californian-built 1955 F-4 hydroplane Z-Z-Zip (far left). The 450hp V8 alcohol-fuelled water hot-rod, which in 1958 broke the one-mile class record at 146.945mph is expected to fetch £45,000-£55,000 ($70,000-$80,000).
See Salermooorme online
www.clas sicboat.co .uk/ saleroom for more stories
Above, left to right: the mega fast 450bhp Z-Z-Zip; the 520bhp Ventnor K-2; the 520bhp TimossiMaserati KD-13
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Objects of desire Brushstrokes Jamie Medlin’s work falls into the very top of the category known as photographic style. He is a marine artist of astonishing accuracy and attention to detail, yet his work captures motion and passion due to his skill at conquering one of the most difficult of all things to paint – moving light. Recently his work “The Triumphant Return of the J-Class” sold in a Christie’s auction for £127,250. That’s not to say his work is unaffordable. Commissions start at £15,000 and he also sells his work as limited-edition prints. This, we feel, is a solid and enjoyable investment. www.jamiemedlin.com
Hang it out in the hallway Why have a common-or-garden coat hook hidden away on the back of the understairs cupboard door, when you can have one standing up in your hall constructed from antiqued Oxford Varsity rowing oars! As functional as it is fashionable, it stands just under two metres tall and features polished brass hardware, varnished wood, a turned finial, and a rattan key and change basket. £275.00 plus p&p www.boatique.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1491 410840
Master Mariner In the world of nautically inspired clocks, the Chelsea Clock Company from Boston, Massachusetts, is right at the top of its game and its Mariner clock (first patented and produced in 1911) is widely considered to be one of the finest ship’s clocks ever made in the USA. All of which makes this rare limited-edition ‘yacht wheel’ set all the more appealing. The clock boasts 11 jewel movements and 364 brass and goldplated precision parts; the matching barometer features a holosteric movement. Both sit on a solid mahogany base. £5,737 plus p&p www.skipjackmarinegallery.com Tel: +1 757 399 5012 38
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Time check We all love a sporty chronograph and here’s one with a distinct nautical theme. The Newport Yacht Club is the latest addition to Michel Herbelin’s flagship collection, and key details include a polished steel and titanium case, blue sub-dials and it’s water resistant to 100 metres. £665 inc p&p www.michelherbelin.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1992 815545
CirCumnavigation of the globe a 21 D a Y l u X u r Y t o u r b Y P r i v a t e J e t Ever since the discovery that the world was round, travellers have been fascinated by the idea of circumnavigating it. Now, Captain’s Choice offer you the opportunity to make this once-ina-lifetime journey in the comfort and luxury of our private jet. Freed from the constraints of scheduled transport, this 21 day itinerary lets you explore the world’s most iconic and exotic places in a style which would simply not be possible otherwise. You will travel aboard our spacious jet, stay at the finest hotels and enjoy gourmet dining, with your every need taken care of by an experienced escort team which includes a tour doctor. Taking off from London, you will head west across the Atlantic to Merida, in Mexico, gateway to the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza. Your second stop is vibrant Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, alive with the rhythms of the Samba. Then it’s a short flight to one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls, Iguassu falls. Heading out over the Pacific, you’ll touch down on remote Easter Island, dotted with its almost 800 mysterious Moai statues. Tahiti, the spectacularly beautiful island nation is your next destination, before your flight across the international dateline to Australia. Here, you’ll land in Sydney, often described as one of the world’s favourite cities. Climb the harbour bridge, or simply marvel at the iconic Opera House from your hotel window. After a three night stay you’ll head north aboard your private jet to Cambodia where you will visit the astonishing temple site of Angkor Wat. Then it’s onward to India, and a stay in Agra, with a view of one of the world’s most iconic buildings, the Taj Mahal, from your bedroom window. The final leg of this incredible journey takes you to Africa, for a stay in the Serengeti National Park, with its breathtaking scenery and fascinating wildlife. Then, boarding your private jet for the last time, you’ll fly back to London with memories of your trip that will last a lifetime. Captain’s Choice Circumnavigation of the Globe tour departs 5th March 2015, and prices start from £34,850 per person. Begin your journey today by calling us for a copy of our brochure or by visiting our website, www.captainschoice.co.uk
meXiCo
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easter islanD
ta h i t i
australia
CamboDia
inDia
afriCa
Simply the fineSt way to See the world Call 0845 304 7134 www.CaPtainsChoiCe.Co.uk/arounDtheworlD
C/o françois vivier
PEN-HIR
TrOuncIng BermudAnS Pen-Hir is little bigger than the 19ft trailer-sailers that are so popular; so what do you gain by adding a few feet? story STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES
C/o françois vivier
P
en-Hir, designed in 2009, is one of the latest in the series of little yachts from the drawing board of François Vivier. It was during my recent trip to the Semaine du Golfe regatta (CB302), that I got a chance not only to interview François but also to spend a day sailing with him on this shockingly attractive little boat. This particular one, Pen-Hir, sail number P1, is the first of the class, and drawn by François, for François. He previously owned a Stir Ven raid boat and spent four years designing Pen-Hir to be a yacht big enough for a fortnight’s cruise, but easy to handle, able to sail the shoal Breton waters of his youth, and to be trailable. In his own words: “My goal was to draw something in the same spirit as the American knockabouts by Alden and Crowninshield, very simple, fast and handy sloops. During the same period, the first third of the 20th century, similar boats were also sailing the Morbihan Gulf (27ft 9in/8.5m SI class), designed by Louis Dyèvre and Gaston Grenier. I was also very fond of Herreshoff designs with their extreme purity.” In appearance, Pen-Hir embodies something of the yacht and something of the workboat too: the plumb stem and short, sawn-off
counter speak of workboats from the Brest area, while the yacht-style touches like the pretty cabin, varnished wood, gentle sheer and lower freeboard soften the effect.
ON DECK First impressions stepping aboard Pen-Hir are of airy space and simplicity. The cockpit, often so restrictive on old classic yachts, is seriously big – definitely enough to live up to her RCD rating of six adults. The cockpit lockers under the broad seats are similarly capacious and would easily swallow a small (or even not so small) outboard motor, although François has gone for the Torqeedo electric option. The cockpit is as uncluttered as it is big. There are no winches,“they make a terrible noise,” says François, not to mention the complexity and expense. The mainsheet horse runs along the aft deck leaving the space free. This feeling of simplicity extends to the rig as a whole. François wanted Pen-Hir to be a gaff sloop. Cutters, as well as involving bowsprits with associated retracting or raising gear, need an extra pair of headsail sheets, an extra stay and so on. Pen-Hir’s easily driven hull profile and light weight mean that even without dividing the sail area in front of the mast CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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PEN-HIR
PEN-HIR HULL LENGtH
24ft 7in (7.5m) LWL
22ft 6in (6.9m)
bEam
8ft 2in (2.5m) DraUGHt
3ft 9in (1.2m)
DispLacEmENt
3,970lb (1.8T)
saiL arEa
364sqft (33.8m2) rcD catEGory
katHy maNsfiELD
in two, the headsail is under 108sqft (10m2 ), about the maximum practical area to sheet in without winches. A gaff sloop is also easier to handle of course, at this size at least, and... malheureusement as François says... the world is now full of marinas. Again, an inboard rig (Pen-Hir does actually have a very short sprit) triumphs in a marina. The simplicity of rig extends to the mast foot. There are no halyard winches here – the separate peak and throat halyards pass through simple blocks just above deck level, then through jammer cleats. Other deck gear includes proper bronze fairleads and cleats; a tabernacle for the mast for singlehanded raising and lowering; two strong eyebolts for easy lifting by crane; stainless-steel stanchions and guardrail; nicely crafted wooden grabrails on top of the cabin; a surprisingly unobtrusive stainless-steel pulpit; and even a little anchor well set into the foredeck, a very nice touch. The lazarette area under the aft deck has been designed to house the engine in the sensible inboard/ outboard arrangement that has become standard these days. The rudder stock goes through the sole to free up the space here and, thankfully, there is enough space for the outboard to tilt forward when not in use, lifting the propeller out of the water, so there’s no need to unclamp it and stow it in a cockpit locker every time. If the wind falls and the juice runs out, there are still two more 42
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
katHy maNsfiELD
katHy maNsfiELD
C or B
options on Pen-Hir. The sculling notch in the transom tells its own story and below, out of the way under the cockpit, are two full-length oars for rowing, more for harbour manoeuvres than for distance work.
BELOW DECKS Below decks, the sense of space continues. So many ‘trailer gaffers’ like this are 19ft-20ft (5.8m-6.1m) in length. The extra 5ft (1.5m) makes all the difference. In the bows, there is a full-sized double berth with a lot of storage space under it – François uses it for Torqeedo’s batteries. There is also a heads of the chemical variety to starboard, meaning fewer through-hull fittings, with hanging space over. The heads is spacious enough to be comfortable and the whole of this forepeak area is separated from the main saloon by a pair of curtains, which slide on tight-fitting tracks for privacy. This usually dingy place is enlivened by a hatch above. The saloon has a broad, long berth each side, with a 60-litre integrated water tank occupying part of the starboard berth and bags more stowage each side. Standing headroom was never going to happen on this sort of boat – but at least on Pen-Hir it is a good foot (30cm) above head level when sitting down. An oval porthole above each berth provides the light, and a shelf above each provides more stowage. At the forward end
Above, left to right: a slide-out chart table above the starboard berth; sailing in the Golfe du Morbihan; the port berth, with stowage above and (foreground) the galley
© HERBELIN Michel Herbelin Newport Yacht Club collection Watches inspired by the spirit of adventure of the America’s Cup, Newport Rhode Island. Model featured: Swiss Quartz Ronda Chronograph movement with stainless steel and blue PVD treated case, screw down crown, water resistant to 10 ATM, scratch proof sapphire crystal. ref. 36655/AN65 RRP £665. As a reader of Classic Boat, we’ll give you a special 20% discount on any mens or womens watch in our collection. Simply enter the discount code CLASSIC20 at the online checkout or call us on + 44 (0)1992 815545 to place your order. Offer valid until 31.12.13
www.michelherbelin.co.uk
PEN-HIR
“The construction method is unusual with planks running vertically from broad garboards to the gunwales”
kathy mansfield
Above, left to right: Pen-Hir’s accommodation is very acceptable for a boat of this nature; the boat is built using vertical planks
of the port berth is space for a small Wallas stove/heater, with a small sink on the other side. The aft end of the berths stop short of extending under the cockpit into quarter berths. This means that most of the boat’s ample stowage space is in the cockpit – the best place for it. The two 10ft (3m) oars are stowed in the narrow space under the cockpit sole and slide out from there. Also stowed here are the two drying legs – the compromise that lets Pen-Hir sail like a witch but also take the ground sedately at low water despite her short keel. Overall, there is as much usable space on Pen-Hir as on the 32ft (9.8m) classic yacht I’d been staying on during the Morbihan regatta.
UNDER saIL
Below, left to right: the motor tilted up; the halyard falls in their jammer cleats
Lack of instrumentation on the day means that I can’t give hard facts here. All I can say with certainty is that in lively sailing conditions (Force 3-4 with a taste of 5 in the gusts), we put one reef in and sailed past everything we saw – apart from the 1970 12-M yacht France. The winchless sloop rig means that tacking and gybing are more akin to dinghy sailing than yacht sailing. The mainsheet is on a purchase with a jammer cleat and the jib simply needs a yank on its new side and making off, again through inwhale-mounted jammer cleats. There is no centreboard to worry about (or to intrude into cabin space). The helm is neutral and the boat did not feel particularly tender in the fairly sporty conditions we had
C/o françois vivier
during our day of sailing. There is an extra jammer cleat each side for a spinnaker – but we had plenty of wind that day. The last jammer takes a traditional jib furler. François has opted out of the bulkier roller-reefing system, disliking the aluminium tube on the forestay for aesthetic reasons. “Also,” he adds, “roller furling makes for a much better sail shape.” To windward the boat again performed well, pointing as well as a bermudan yacht with her high-peaked rig. The only fault I could find was that the cockpit coaming dug into my back, making it tricky to be completely comfortable.
UNDER POWER We motored up the channel into Vannes at the end of our day in near silence. “It gives four knots at 800W,” François explains. “That’s not much more than a lot of domestic appliances!” The drawbacks are great expense, limited range, and a lot of stowage needed for batteries. A small, water-cooled outboard would be tolerably silent (they are pretty civilised these days), take up much less space, cost a fraction of the price and give good range – and a means of charging the domestic battery, as even small outboards have an alternator output.
BUILDING aND cOst The construction method for Pen-Hir is unusual with planks running vertically from broad garboards to the gunwales. This, according to François, is a very easy method, avoiding the potential for inaccuracy that occurs over great lengths of planking. It is also what gives the boat her “non-ply” appearance. For a trailer-sailer, Pen-Hir is nothing short of spectacular on the water – but at 3,970lb (1,800kg), she’d need a powerful car to tow her on land. And she’ll cost you dear, either in money or labour time: €98,000 (£84,000) of the former for the ‘sail-away’ boat from Cherbourg-based builder Icarai; or 2,000 hours or more (and £30,000-£35,000) of the latter for a home build. Try one though, and you might just not care. Plans: www.vivierboats.com. Boats: www.icarai.fr/index-en.html
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
‘I want to work miricles!’ -Leonardo Da Vinci, Quadreni, III
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
45
hIgh LIfe
In a world of increasingly lavish new superyachts, Christina O offers something much more appealing: pedigree story sam hamilton photographs edmiston
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
CHRISTINA 0 Below, top to bottom: Richard Burton and (right) Liz Taylor on board; the library; one of the two mahogany tenders
Below, left to right: deck jacuzzi and Minoan mosaic swimming pool; the stately dining room
I
f you were to go out and order a new superyacht, you would not get much for £20 million. Spend it on a classic superyacht like this one though, and what you would get is priceless. Christina O started life as the Canadian frigate HMS Stormont. Built in 1943, she accompanied Atlantic convoys and was present at the D-Day Landings. She was bought by Greek shipping owner Aristotle Onassis in 1954 and converted into the most luxurious yacht of her time. Her post-war history is even more impressive: Churchill first met JFK on board the boat (according to some reports, Churchill initially mistook the latter for a waiter) and the boat has played host, over the years, to Marilyn Monroe, Maria Callas, Frank Sinatra and Greta Garbo. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III of
Monaco had their wedding reception on board. The Minoan mosaic floor of the swimming pool rises up to form a dance floor. Her decor includes ‘artwork’ by Renoir, the original Baccarat crystal light fittings, Maria Callas’s only gold record (framed), a Steinway grand, a fireplace trimmed in lapis lazuli stone, and even, in ‘Ari’s Bar’, the original bar stools made from leather from the penis of a sperm whale. Her amenities comprise every conceivable luxury, including a beauty salon, a fully equipped gym and a sports centre. Christina O can accommodate 36 charter guests in 19 grand staterooms, and she charters for around €65,000 a day. Her range is 2,700 miles with a top speed of 19 knots. Her crew complement is 35. Christina O is currently for sale, see www.edmiston.com
CHRISTINA O LOA
325ft (99.1m) beAm
36ft (11m) DrAught
14ft (4.3m) YeAr buILt
1943
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
47
CHARLIE BARR
rAcIng rOyALTy In the third and final part of our profile of America’s Cup legend Charlie Barr, we chart his equally remarkable transatlantic race record and a skirmish with the Kaiser WORDS BaRRY PicKthall
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Barr turned on his visitor: “The Kaiser ceases to be the Kaiser when he steps on board a racing yacht.” Then, addressing the quartermaster at the wheel of Ingomar, he added: “Hold her as she is.” Moments later, Meteor and Ingomar came together but without damage – the Kaiser had blinked first. The wager stipulated that the victor would select a trophy, and that evening, Barr was summoned by Wilhelm to ‘talk yachting’ with him. It was then that the Scot demanded that Meteor’s ensign be lowered and handed to him as his trophy. The Kaiser objected, but Barr would settle for nothing less and the flag is now on display in the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Pavilion.
atlantic launch That winter, when back in America, Barr was approached by Wilson Marshall, a somewhat reclusive American millionaire who had commissioned William Gardner to draw what was then the largest private yacht of her day – the schooner Atlantic. At 187ft (57m) overall, 138ft (42m) on the waterline, and with 29ft 5in (9m) beam, 303 tonnes displacement, 18,514sqft (1,722m²) of sail, and a 350hp triple expansion steam engine driving a folding propeller, Atlantic was also one of the first yachts to be equipped with 120ft (36.6m) hollow steel masts. Marshall had specified the best materials and Atlantic was built using the most expensive method then available – ¼in (6mm) wrought-iron plates, flush riveted to produce a smooth hull finish. He then had the yacht fitted out with all manner of stately items, including solid marble bathtubs, gold-plated taps, mahogany furniture in her staterooms, and a system of bell-pushes to summon her 12 stewards to any part of the ship. When it came to her launch, Marshall invited 200 of New York’s finest to witness her passage down the slipway at the Townsend-Downey Shipbuilding
BEKEN OF COWES
O
ver the last two months we have celebrated the 34th running of the America’s Cup by looking at one of its unsung heroes – the ruthless British captain, Charlie Barr, who successfully defended the Cup three times in succession between 1899 and 1903. Following this success, Barr was a man in demand and there were no shortage of offers. One of the more interesting came from Morton F Plant, Commodore of the Larchmont YC, to take command of his 118ft (36m) schooner Ingomar on an excursion across the Atlantic to compete against the cream of the British and German fleets. Barr oversaw her rating conversion at Herreshoff’s yard in Bristol, Rhode Island, to fit the English measurement rule. This included the removal of her centreboard and lowering of her keel, which increased draught by 2ft (0.6m) to 16ft (4.9m). Small changes were also made to her rig, and to her interior for the 28 crew. The principal aim was to win back the Brenton Reef Cup, which had been held by the Royal Yacht Squadron since Genesta had won it nine years before in 1895, but Ingomar did much more, winning 19 out of her 22 races in the Solent and Baltic that year. The most notable was a challenge from the German Emperor, Wilhelm II or ‘Kaiser Bill’ as he became known in English-speaking circles, to race Ingomar against his schooner Meteor. Since Ingomar’s American owner was not a member of the Imperial YC of Kiel, Barr was obliged to carry a club representative on board for the match race. As the start time neared, Barr approached the line hard on starboard tack. The Kaiser had the wheel of his yacht, which was on port tack and was bound to keep clear. But as the two yachts began to converge and it became apparent that a collision was imminent, the club representative shouted: “Captain. The Kaiser. Tack!”
Barr’s Ingomar (left) and the Kaiser’s Meteor (right) nearly clash. Barr held his course and won and his prize was the German’s ensign
ian dear archive/PPL
Above: Barr at the helm of Atlantic with the owner, Wilson Marshall (centre), and a guest, Mr F M Hoyt (right)
50
Company in July 1903. But it soon became apparent that something had gone badly wrong. The $750,000 yacht was a dog, reaching poorly and unable to point into wind. Quite simply, Gardner had miscalculated the positioning of Atlantic’s drop keel – a design fault that looked like condemning the yacht to an early date at the breakers yard. In desperation, Gardner had an 80-tonne fixed keel bolted on the bottom and the result was dramatic. The extra weight pulled Atlantic far below her waterline, making her very wet, but also remarkably stiff. Like many schooners, she was still sluggish to windward, but on a reach Atlantic could beat anything on the American East Coast. Marshall was delighted and looked for a worthy occasion to show off his new yacht. Enter the German Kaiser once more. Hearing that his British uncle had almost been killed by a falling block while sailing with his tea magnate friend, Sir Thomas Lipton, aboard the America’s Cup challenger Shamrock III, the Kaiser joked: “Serves him right for going yachting with his grocer!” This bitchy wisecrack got back to both the New York Yacht Club, and the hierarchy within the Royal Yacht Squadron, who, miffed at this slight to King Edward VII, blackballed the Kaiser from their two clubs or racing in their waters. Not a man to apologise, the Kaiser responded by commissioning The Kaiser’s Cup, and offering what was billed as a $5,000 gold ewer trophy for a yacht race to
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
be run entirely in international waters from the Sandy Hook Lightship off New York to a line drawn across the Western Approaches between Lizard Point and Ushant. This was just the type of challenge Wilson Marshall was looking for, but being a man who had trouble tying his own shoelaces, he relied heavily on Charlie Barr’s experience. The Scotsman, who already held the East/ West Atlantic crossing record with Vigilant, signed up 31 of the toughest Nova Scotian fishermen who viewed racing on Atlantic as infinitely more preferable to fishing for cod on the cold fog-strewn Grand Banks.
master tactician Eleven yachts took up the Kaiser’s challenge. German hopes lay with Hamburg, the most powerful two-masted schooner in Europe, which had begun life in 1898 as the Clyde-built Rainbow. One to be heavily tipped, however, was another schooner, the 137ft (41.8m) Endymion, owned by New York banker George Lauder, which already held the record between Sandy Hook and the Lizard – a time of 13 days, 20 hours and 36 minutes. There was Lord Brassey’s 159ft (48.5m), 532-tonne Sunbeam, and the Earl of Crawford’s 245ft (74.7m) square-rigged Valhalla. Another contender was the 150ft (45.7m) Thistle, owned and skippered by Wall Street stockbroker Robert E Todd. And then there was Marshall’s Atlantic. Not only did she have Charlie Barr,
CHARLIE BARR
the most celebrated skipper of his era at the helm, but the yacht had already beaten all comers in both the Brenton Reef and Cape May races the previous year. How would she fair with her low freeboard in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean? The rules of the race, laid down by the Imperial YC of Kiel, required propellers to be removed and displayed on deck to avoid any chance of cheating when the yachts were out of sight on the open ocean. Count Hebbenhaus, the German naval attaché in Washington, fired the start gun at 12:15 on 17 May 1905. The day dawned with a slight wind from the east and mist over the water. Hamburg was the early leader followed by the 103ft (31.4m) Fleur de Lys, the smallest in the fleet and the only entry with a woman on board – Candace Stimson, the daughter of a doctor from Gloucester, Massachusetts. The yachts beat into the easterly breeze to get into the Gulf Stream that would then carry them north-east at a helpful two knots towards the Labrador Current. It was from here that tactics came into play. One option was to stay on the 40th parallel and head due east towards the Azores, then run before the prevailing southwesterlies across the Bay of Biscay to reach the English Channel. The 198ft (60.4m) barque Apache took this route, had an easy voyage and finished a week behind the winner! Another course was the shortest Great Circle route across the Grand Banks – the only place where you can encounter thick fog and 40-knot winds at the same time. Fleur de Lys went this way, suffered light, variable winds on the Banks, and finished seventh.
miles noon to noon, to break the 328-mile 24hr record set by the British yacht Dauntless back in 1887. A jubilant Barr ordered a double issue of rum all round. By 26 May, nine days out from New York, Atlantic was running before a full gale, and carrying nothing more than a squaresail and storm trysail. As darkness loomed, she was running wildly, her decks awash and with oil bags deployed along her weather side. Two men lashed to the wheel and working in half-hour shifts were needed to keep her from broaching out of control. Barr was faced with a tough choice: if the weather worsened during the night, he would be forced to send crew aloft and clamber out on the yards to furl the squaresail. If he altered course to run directly before the wind and breaking waves there was the perilous chance of Atlantic broaching and being knocked down, or worse, have her rigging carried away. But the person running most scared was Marshall. He pleaded with Barr to lie hove-to and wait for the storm to pass. That drew a withering look from his skipper. “Mr Marshall, sir. You hired me to try and win this race. I’m keepin’ her going.” Barr then escorted the shaking owner back to his stateroom and locked the door. The chastened Marshall spent the rest of the night on his knees, leading his six guests in prayer! Barr’s commitment was rewarded the next day with a run of 279 miles, a rate that Atlantic maintained for three more days as the weather eased. On the morning of 29 May, the schooner sped past Bishop Rock lighthouse, marking a time of 11 days, 16 hours and 21 minutes since the start from New York. Then, as so often happens in the Fastnet Race, the winds died, and Barr spent a nail-biting 12 hours pacing the deck to keep his crew alert to the slightest zephyr over the final miles to Lizard Point. There, the German cruiser Pfeil was on hand to record Atlantic’s finish time
“You hired me to try and win this race. I’m keepin’ her going”
The third option, the one favoured by Charlie Barr, was to sail to a point just south of the Grand Banks, and from there, steer a Great Circle track to the Lizard. Alfred F Loomis reported in Yachting magazine: “Barr seems never to have made an error, never to have wasted as much as half an hour.” That of course is the way to break records, though at one point, owner Wilson Marshall would have willingly swapped all his millions and his yacht, to be sitting safely under a tree. During their second day at sea, the winds backed round to the south-west, and by midnight, Atlantic’s huge rig had her reaching along at 10 knots. The following day, the wind swung west and Atlantic’s main topsail split, forcing her crew to climb up and cut away the remnants and set another sail. The fourth day was less eventful, and the fifth saw Atlantic make her worst day’s run – just 112 miles from noon to noon as Barr dodged between icebergs south of the Grand Banks. The sixth day drew few remarks in Atlantic’s log as the wind backed SSE. On the next, 24 May, she began to make the most of the freshening winds, covering 341
charles barr archive/ppl
weathering the storm
Below: Atlantic at full sail as she crossed the line finishing close to Lizard Point
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
51
BARRY PICKTHALL/PPL
of 12 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 17 seconds – a remarkable record that stood for a further 75 years. Barr continued winning races. In 1910, he skippered the Herreshoff-designed Westward for New York carpet magnate Alexander Cochran. He sailed her across the Atlantic to take on the cream of the European fleet, including Germania, Hamburg and the Kaiser’s Meteor, at regattas in Cowes, Cuxhaven and Kiel, winning all 11 races. Cochran was so pleased that he calculated exactly how much Westward had cost him to date and made out a cheque for the same amount to be distributed among all the hands at his carpet factory as a thank you for making it possible for him to have such a lovely boat. Then, on 24 January 1911, just when the Scotsman was at the height of his powers and seemingly in good health, Barr suffered a massive heart attack and died. The 56-year-old captain was buried in Southampton Cemetery. Newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic printed fulsome eulogies and the good and the great paid their respects at his funeral. Sir Thomas Lipton who had seen his America’s Cup ambitions thwarted three times at the hands of Barr, sent a telegram saying: “I am greatly shocked to learn the sad news of your great and terribly sudden bereavement. I held your dear husband in the highest possible respect and esteem and had for him the utmost admiration, both as regards his high personal character and his wonderful ability in his profession.” Lipton sent the crew from his motor yacht Erin to act as pallbearers, and Alexander Cochran was so shocked by Barr’s death that he never sailed on Westward again. Barr was buried close to the chapel in Southampton Cemetery under a granite cross with an anchor at his feet. When historian John Rousmaniere, a member of the New York YC, set out to locate Barr’s last resting place a few years ago, he found the grave largely reclaimed by nature. Moves are now afoot for either the New York YC or the America’s Cup Hall of Fame Foundation
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
CHARLIE BARR ARCHIVE/PPL
CHARLIE BARR
(which inducted Barr only last year) to refurbish the grave and have it maintained into perpetuity. Like his grave, memories of Barr’s feats might have faded into history had Atlantic’s 12-day record crossing not stood the test of time. In 1980 The Sunday Times newspaper resurrected her record with a £10,000 prize and a trophy made from Atlantic’s wheel for the first boat to beat what was still seen as a near impossible feat.
RECORD BREAKERS The record lasted just four months. Ironically, it was another legendary sailor, Frenchman Eric Tabarly, and a crew of three who took over Barr’s mantle. They didn’t just beat Atlantic’s time; they shattered it by two days, setting a time of 10 days, 5 hours and 14 minutes aboard the 56ft (17.1m) foil-assisted alloy trimaran Paul Ricard. It was another 17 years before a monohull finally bettered Atlantic’s time. In April 1997, Swedish sailor Ludde Ingvall, sailing the 80ft maxi Nicorette, took 14 hours, 38 minutes and 50 seconds off the time. Today, the outright record is held by Pascal Bidégorry’s 131ft (40m) French trimaran Banque Populaire V, which set a time of 3 days, 15 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds in 2009 – an average of 32.94 knots over the 2,880-mile distance. And what happened to the Kaiser’s gold cup? In 1917, Wilson Marshall put it up for auction and it raised £150,000, but when it was later broken up it turned out to be made of thinly plated pewter. “I wish it was lead, so that we could fire it back at the Kaiser as bullets. The feller is obviously a cad,” said the indignant Marshall. Replicas of the yachts Barr raced have been built in recent years. Eleonora, built at the Van der Graaf yard in Holland in 2000, is an exact replica of Westward. Van der Graaf also completed a new copy of Atlantic in 2007, and then started a new replica of Ingomar last year. Make no mistake, Charlie Barr’s remarkable seamanship and racing success over such a short space of time, mark him out as one of the greatest captains the yachting world has ever seen.
Above: Sir Thomas Lipton’s sailors acted as pallbearers at Barr’s funeral – the ultimate sign of respect. Left: America’s Cup historian Bob Fisher views the inscription on Barr’s gravestone
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Pulling POWER
Few tugboats have a more celebrated history than Challenge. But when her working life was over, she was sidelined for scrap. Thankfully, a group of devoted volunteers had other ideas… STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS PETER WILLIS
S Above: Challenge restored and steaming again. Left: after her wartime effort, she was put to work on the Thames
oon after noon on 5 May this year, the steam tug Challenge berthed in her new home, Dock 49 at Southampton’s Ocean Cruise Terminal. Her arrival was greeted by a cannon, fired from the foredeck of one of her escort vessels by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, and within moments of the gangplank going down, swarms of visitors were coming aboard. Family groups – men with toddlers clamped to their shoulders, inquisitive small boys, teenage girls in summer outfits – crammed the narrow-sided decks, clambered up to the bridge and squeezed past each other in the confines of the engine and boiler rooms. The level of enthusiasm was quite extraordinary. “My dad used to work on one of these!”, people were exclaiming. But what few of these eager visitors would have known was that the joyous quayside celebrations very nearly didn’t happen at all, since Challenge had just survived her third brush with the breaker’s yard since retirement from active service.
For the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust (DLSRT), which owns Challenge, the day was the climax of a long, tenacious fight to secure her future. The tug has been laid-up in Shoreham Harbour for the last eight years, until a £900,000 Heritage Lottery Fund award paid for a new boiler and released her from captivity. Challenge was escorted up Southampton Water to her new berth by six historic vessels, including four fellow Dunkirk Little Ships: Tahilla, bearing Prince Michael of Kent, Patron of the DLSRT; Bluebird of Chelsea; the former Lowestoft lifeboat Michael Stephens, which carried DLSRT vice-president Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and his cannon; plus three military craft: MTB 102, HSL 102 and HMS Medusa. If it had not been for the Trust, set up in 1993, it’s doubtful that Challenge would have survived. The tug was its second and biggest purchase – as well as probably the cheapest. She was bought in the same year for just £1 to save her from the scrapyard for the second time.
Challenge was built in 1931, by Alexander Hall of Aberdeen, as an ocean-going tug to work on the Thames. In 1939 she was placed under Admiralty orders and, as a result, she became part of Operation Dynamo – the famed evacuation of Dunkirk. Her initial task was to tow a barge loaded with supplies across to the beaches. On her way back to Dover, Challenge took in tow a damaged destroyer loaded with troops, which she delivered safely back to port. Other wartime jobs involved towing the offshore anti-aircraft forts, known as Maunsell Forts, out into the Thames Estuary, and delivering sections of the prefabricated concrete Mulberry harbours into position for D-Day. Seemingly her only serious wartime damage, however, was a near-miss from a German V-1 rocket in July 1944 in London’s Royal Albert Dock. Some of the shrapnel holes can still be seen. After the war, Challenge returned to work out of Gravesend. In 1950 she took part in the 10th CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
CHALLENGE
“She’s probably now in a better state than when she was first built in 1931”
anniversary return to Dunkirk. She was converted to oil-burning power in 1964, but by 1971 her working life was over. Her first rescue for posterity came in 1973 when, about a week before she was due to go to scrap, construction group Taylor Woodrow, which at the time was reviving the then-closed St Katharine Docks, bought her to join a collection of historic Thames vessels to be moored there. Although she was still in steam, and was cruised out onto the tideway in 1974, later efforts to raise steam burst a series of boiler tubes, and a decision to replace them all was taken. Even so, funding could not keep up with demands of the collection, hence the sale to the DLSRT in 1993. She was pushed and pulled out of the dock by muscle power alone, before being towed down to Tilbury. The first of a series of volunteer restoration projects
Memories of a ship’s boy One of the visitors at southampton was former crewmember Eric Dunlop (right), who joined in 1963 as ship’s boy when she was still fired by coal. he had plenty of memories: “When we got a leaky tube, we’d pull out the fire, then I’d have to crawl up through the firebox to plug it.” And another:
“I remember once we went aground going up to Harwich – went the wrong side of a buoy and were stuck hard and fast. We pumped water and we chucked I don’t know how many tons of coal over the side to lighten the ship.”
under the DLSRT was under way. In January 1995, the boiler was fired for the first time in 21 years and Challenge moved again, briefly, under her own power, before being towed, in 2000, to the former Husbands Shipyard at Marchwood in Southampton Water, for further work, including the removal of harmful asbestos. Her eventual departure in 2003, coincidentally from Southampton’s Dock 49, was logged as Challenge’s first voyage under her own steam in almost 30 years, but nearly didn’t happen. A first effort at raising steam led to her being shut down by the Port Health Authority under the 1993 Clean Air Act. After much adjustment, and not without the occasional ‘dark’ emission, she headed up the Channel, bound for the Thames Estuary. As the engine turned evermore smoothly, speed crept up to 9 knots. Her log records: “Challenge had a bone in her teeth. She was going home and she knew it!” Indeed she was. At 8am the following morning she was back at Gravesend, welcomed with whistles from the river’s working tugs. This was the beginning of a busy period for Challenge. She appeared at the London Boat Show, visited Dordrecht Steam Festival in the Netherlands, the Portsmouth D-Day anniversary, Liverpool, Brest and Bristol all in 2004. Then in 2005, after a second boat show appearance, it was off to her new home in Shoreham for some more tube work before joining fellow Dunkirk Little Ships for the 65th anniversary return to Dunkirk, under the command of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Barely a month later, Challenge was taking part in the Trafalgar 200 Fleet Review at Spithead, followed immediately by the fifth International Festival of the Sea in Portsmouth Harbour. Then back to Shoreham for dry-docking to work on the hull – and the discovery that the boiler had, finally, had it. Unsteamable and beyond repair, it meant Challenge couldn’t be moved. Nevertheless, there was, as chief engineer Clive Purser puts it, “a lot of heart-searching before we got rid of the old boiler”. An identical replacement was considered, but was not an option due to the banning of
Above, left to right: Challenge back where she belongs; skipper Robert Allen
CHALLENGE BUILDER
Alex Hall & Co, Aberdeen, 1931 LOA
110ft (33.5m) BEAm
26ft 3in (8m) DRAUght
14ft (4.3m) DIspLAcEmEnt
526,905lb (239 tonnes)
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CHALLENGE
Above, left to right: giant towing hooks; chief engineer Clive Purser; compass binnacle with ironcorrecting spheres
heavy oil and other restrictions. In any case the old boiler had only been 45 per cent efficient when new. So a bid was put in to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a new boiler. “It was that or be scrapped – it was a very close-run thing,” says press officer Chris English. And it would have been a tragedy for the dedicated band of volunteers who had been working on Challenge in Shoreham. The engine had been dismantled so that its bearings could be remetalled (at the Bluebell Railway workshops) and the engine itself realigned. The propeller shafts, rudder, steering quadrant and stern gland were replaced and where the hull was found to have worn thin it was replated. The deck and funnel were replaced and the wheelhouse, a late addition dating from the 1990s, was found in need of rebuilding. Finally, thanks to the £900,000 grant, the old boiler was scrapped and the new, more efficient (85 per cent) and environmentally friendly one was installed in its place in late 2012. At last, earlier this year, Challenge was ready to take her place in society once again. “She’s probably now in a better state than when she was first built in 1931,” admits skipper Robert Allen, who brought her from Shoreham to Southampton in a voyage that was as testing as the epic restoration saga had sometimes been, as they faced winds of Force 6 to 7 on the nose for over
13 hours. “It was the first proper trip since her refit,” Bob added. “So there was lots of work to do on the way – stopping, starting, steering tests. Normally such a trip would take six to seven hours. She’s capable of 12.5 knots, but we usually sail her at 8 knots to keep it as economical as possible.” Challenge’s future lies in stirring memories, and providing a living example of a bygone marine workhorse. Jerry Lewis, chairman of the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust (and owner of Tahilla) outlines a programme of cruises. “This September she’ll be going up to Great Yarmouth for its Maritime Festival and calling in at London and of course Gravesend. Next year she’ll be going to the West Country and later on, perhaps up to Hull. It’s all about taking the history to the people.” And of course she’s planning to take part in the 2015 Dunkirk return. Perhaps sadly, though, she’s unlikely ever to tow again. Although she’s equipped with a new boiler, it has less output than the old one, and in any case her immense tow hooks have long since seized up. Instead, she will tug at the heartstrings of those who remember the old days of mercantile marine and the traditional Thames river traffic, and of those whose fathers and grandfathers spent their working lives immersed in it.
Rescuing and restoring Dunkirk Little Ships The Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust (DLSRT) was set up in 1993 with the aim of rescuing and restoring Dunkirk Little Ships and then finding new owners for them. Challenge, its second purchase, is the exception to this rule. After 20 years in ownership, “We’re committed to keeping her going now,” says chairman Jerry Lewis. So far the Trust has intervened on behalf of over a dozen boats, most of which have been passed onto, and restored by, trusts and volunteer groups of their own. They include two Leigh cocklers, Endeavour (CB203) and Resolute, four motor-cruisers, three lifeboats, some passenger ‘tripper’ boats, and the Thames Barge Tollesbury. Currently under restoration are the ex-Royal Navy pulling launch Dorian and the former Dungeness lifeboat Caresana. Patron of the DLSRT is Prince Michael of Kent and its vice-presidents are Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Professor Donald Longmore. www.dlsrt.org.uk; www.stchallenge.org
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Former lifeboat Michael Stephens in full flow
Discover more at www.tnielsen.co.uk +44 (0)1452 301117 Restored London Fire Boat Massey Shaw undergoing trials in Gloucester. www.tnielsen.co.uk
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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I
t was a warm, star-pinned night and the wake hissed behind us as we ran around the foredeck while orders were called and repeated, eight of us lit only by the moon and its path on the flat water. Looking around I realised there was absolutely no way to tell that we weren’t back in 1812, sailing through Lake Ontario readying to engage with the British fleet. It started in Brockville, a small but significant historic town on the Canadian side of the St Lawrence River that
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was hosting the first stop off in the Tall Ships 1812 Tour. On the banks were re-enactors and period encampments all explaining ‘how it was’, and moored up all along the riverbank were 12 Tall Ships of varying sizes and authenticity. For the trip, I was stepping aboard a Baltimore Clipper named Pride of Baltimore II – a giant vessel measuring 170ft (51.8m) from spar tip to stern, with masts that raked backwards as if already under sail. Down below in the large and lofty dining area I met with
“
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn
”
With Benjamin Franklin’s classic quote ringing in our ears, Classic Boat joined the Tall Ships 1812 Tour in Canada as a deckhand on board the majestic Pride of Baltimore II STORY GUY VENABLES PHOTOGRAPHS NATE HATHAWAY
the young, tanned and smiley crew and Captain Jamie Trost, a striking young skipper with a mohican who was accurately quoting from Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. This, I thought, is going to be an interesting trip. The captaincy is shared, the other being Jan Miles, with whom I managed to talk briefly before we slipped and left him ashore. We discussed the shape of the sharp-built Baltimore Clippers, unusual in their wide
hourglass hull design, being perfect for the light seas and manoeuvrability of the creeks and rivers of Chesapeake Bay, with shortened keel and sharp raked stern and bow, leaving as little in the water and as much on top as possible. Being a topsail schooner, she is a fast vessel that sails well into the wind, with plenty of canvas to haul her up to a top speed of 14 knots – two gaff sails, several headsails, a main gaff topsail, a square topsail and flying topgallant on the foremast. She also flies the rare CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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TALL SHIPS 1812 TOUR
“So we politely loaded the 700lb cannon and deafened the lot of them” stun’s’ls. These additional squaresails are set out along the edge of the square topsail and the course mainsail, supported by additional stun’s’l booms. We slipped from Brockville and headed downstream through the Brockville Narrows after the Herculean task of raising the fore and mainsails. The St Lawrence River flowed steadily beneath us, with Canada’s Ontario to our right and the American shores of New York State to our left. This is the area of the river known as The Thousand Islands (of the sauce fame) and every island no matter how small was inhabited, some with tiny shacks that overhung the rock on which they were perched, some with ghastly looking mock castles, and others with elegant colonial-style dwellings. The inhabitants, all serious river dwellers, came out to ride alongside in their Fletchers and aluminium Princecrafts, asking questions and taking photos, whilst cormorants ducked to avoid them and ospreys circled from their conveniently placed nesting spots on the tops of the large marker buoys.
her captain and three crew with her. The board of directors had no official plans to build another but they hadn’t planned for the quiet determination of the locals. Money just came pouring in, ranging from huge cheques to the now infamous ‘jar of pennies’ donated from the pocket money of local schoolchildren. And so the work began in earnest in the same Inner Harbour downtown Baltimore shipyard area that built Chasseur in 1812. Pride of Baltimore II was bigger and had higher headroom, but little is known of the original ship, there being no lines to study nor paintings and the original builders, although highly skilled would nonetheless be mostly illiterate. There were, however, tax records of her
Above, left to right: one of the many tiny islands dotted along the St Lawrence River; firing the ship’s cannon
Below: the battle between Chasseur and the schooner St Lawrence, 1815
loud and proud
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
origins of Chasseur Chasseur was the Baltimore Clipper on which Pride of Baltimore II is based and she was commanded by the colourful privateer Captain Thomas Boyle. Angered by the British blockade of the east coast of America in 1814, he sailed from Baltimore to the British coast where he attacked the British fleet, captured a merchant ship and sent it to deliver a cunning message to George III by a note pinned to the door of the shipping underwriters Lloyd’s of London, declaring the whole of the British coast under blockade by Chasseur alone. This caused the desired effect of panicking the Admiralty to order vessels back across the Atlantic, thus weakening the blockade in America. After sinking or capturing 17 vessels, she returned home in 1815 where the Baltimore-based Niles’ Register dubbed her the Pride of Baltimore.
ToP RIGhT: Guy veNABLes
The waft of warming red pine breezed across the river and I made a mental note to revisit this fascinating spot when I had a little more time on my hands. By mid afternoon we’d reached Clayton, home of the Antique Boat Museum and where Captain Trost had a few friends. Being an American boat and crew, the correct way to politely proclaim your arrival is with a teethshattering explosion, so we politely loaded the 700lb cast-bronze cannon, sailed to within shaving distance of the people quietly milling about on the waterfront and deafened the lot of them. After producing a shockwave that would have blown a beard back in, we made our escape through our own cloud of white smoke. This noisy sense of playfulness was instantly infectious and I went down to the chart table to see who else we could politely greet along the way. The Pride of Baltimore II was commissioned in 1988 by sheer force of will by the people of Baltimore. The original Pride of Baltimore (like Pride II it was a reproduction of the 1812-era topsail schooner privateer named Chasseur) was tragically sunk off the coast of Puerto Rico when she was hit by a white squall taking
C.G. Pettersson
1925
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BYWORTH BOILERS RISE
S TO THE CHALLENGE
Phil Carr, Sales Engineer at York shire Phil Carr picks up the story. “ based Byworth Boilers, received Challenge was originally equipped what he described as his most unus ual with a coal fired two pass triple furnace request earlier this year when the marine `Scotch` type boiler whic h was industrial boiler manufacturer was later converted to simple pressure asked to replace the old boiler in jet the heavy oil burners. The boiler was steam tug Challenge. very short in length but large in diameter Challenge is a true national and had, sadly, succumbed to sever treasure, being the last steam tug e to sea water corrosion.” have worked on the Thames, but is He adde d.” As you can imagine best known for the role she playe d in space in the boiler house is extremely Operation Dynamo evacuating troop s confined so our challenge was to from the Dunkirk beaches in 1940 . produce a boiler to fit the restricted Thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund space and at the same time be arran grant of almost £1 million, confirmed ged in such a manner that tubes could earlier this year, Challenge is being be replaced by withdrawing through completely restored to her former the very narrow passageway from engin Full details the steam tug Challenge glory. e story can be to boiler room.” found on www.stchallenge.org
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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TALL SHIPS 1812 TOUR
Above, left to right: the rigging has been strengthened with steel cabling; the Ontario city skyline; our man Guy at the wheel
GUY VENaBLES
Below: the crew ready for action on board Pride of Baltimore II
tonnage and studies of similar ships of that era (ironically their capture by the British and subsequent study would be the first time their lines were put to paper). One of the captains of Pride of Baltimore, Peter Boudreau, was named master shipwright and the previous designer, Thomas Gillmer, was re-employed as supervising architect. She had a new remit this time, to be licensed as a subchapter ‘T’ vessel and coded to carry passengers, thus enabling her to better carry out her duties, namely being a non-profit living and travelling education about the War of 1812 and the Baltimore Clippers, the traditional practices of seamanship, and giving the likes of you or me the opportunity to experience her speed under sail. All you need to be is willing to muck in and fairly fit and if you’re not fit now you certainly will be by the end of your trip, either on a day sail, overnight passage or full charter. The attention to detail of the old, married with the convenience and safety of the new, is a difficult equation to achieve and yet here it feels they got the pitch just right. The crew is spared no work as the sweating and tailing is done exactly as it would have been, but with Roblan polypropylene sheets. The rigging is no easier to climb, even though it’s strengthened with steel cabling.
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It’s when you take the wheel that you can feel thankful for the logic of decision-making. Just three-and-a-half feather-light turns with no lag is achieved with shaft gearing, rather than heavy chains. Idling away the night watch we discussed what the original captain would have thought of the boat now, and decided that although amazed by the nav equipment and engine room, he’d probably frown at the female bosun and first mate.
a case of beer As the evening fell the river opened out and we entered Lake Ontario. The air cooled and the lights of Cobourg glowed in the distant north. The style of the crew interested me and I discussed this with Chad and Will on watch with me. There are no fancy sailing jackets on board as the likelihood of a snag and rip would prove too expensive. This lot wear Carhartt and Dickies. When it rains, rubberised fisherman’s jackets are donned: tough work-wear for a tough boat. Nautical tattoos also indicated the crew’s sheer enthusiasm for this way of life, and the blokes sported a range of hairstyles that incrementally ascended from a mohican up to full grizzly beard. All of them wore rigger’s kits and I noted that the knife and the marlinspike all had leather lanyards. Dropping anything whilst aloft is an offence punishable by buying the entire crew a case of beer, so when my lens cap came floating down there was much joy. And so we sailed on. The wind dropped, the sun sparkled and I kicked myself for not packing my scrimshaw kit. By noon, however, my watch (or “The Windbringers” as we insisted on being called) was on. The wind picked up to 15 knots and Pride of Baltimore II reared and flew. On the water the hiss of the wake was like sweet music and I could feel that irresistible smile. Under full sail and in these near-perfect conditions she’s a magnificent spectacle, her size outweighed by her grace. We arrived in Toronto and approached the harbour entrance with the other Tall Ships on the tour, blowing off cannons and filling our sails. As soon as we docked I headed off to find that case of beer to share with the crew, all of whom I now considered good friends. www.pride2.org; www.tallshipsbrockville.com
Essex Oyster Smack William & Mary CK32 Circa 1860. Totally rebuilt and in immaculate condition Laid deck. Bronze fastenings throughout Nanni diesel twin hydraulic drives 3no berths
ÂŁ60,000
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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claudia myatt
Onboard
THE DEBEN
VOYAGES . SEAMANSHIP . EQUIPMENT
THE
DEBEn DEVIL Suffolk is home to one of the most picturesque stretches of navigable water in the UK. Find out why it’s so special story PETER WILLIS
illustration: claudia myatt
I
ts famous bar is probably the thing that does the most to determine the Deben’s character. These notorious shifting sands at the river’s entrance are not actually that fearsome – they change position each winter, and sometimes more often, but they are well buoyed – it’s just that its reputation tends to frighten off more timorous and less experienced boaters. This, as well as the complications of timing your departure from, and arrival at, Woodbridge, has ensured that, of all the Suffolk rivers, the Deben is less well-visited than its charms merit, and, somehow, has become the haven of choice for traditional wooden boats. Moreover, the aforementioned bar discourages large commercial traffic, ensuring a restful cruise up the nine-mile navigable length to Woodbridge. Standard advice on crossing the bar is to do so on a rising tide, from half-flood up to High Water, and to leave on the
flood, or, even if you’ve experience of these waters, very soon after. The ebb, which can rush out at up to 6 knots needs to be taken into consideration. The bar, at least this year, forces you over to the west bank, but once inside, and having made sure to keep clear of a wicked little mid-river spit, just before you reach the second Martello tower, you’ll need to edge over to the eastern, Bawdsey, side to avoid the Horse Sand Shoals in the middle of the river. Best to pre-arm yourself with an up-to-date chartlet from harbourmaster John White (see information panel on page 70). Once safely inside, it’s worth picking up a mooring and going ashore. Felixstowe Ferry on the west side is a pleasantly clapboard-shack and fishing boat sort of place, where you can buy fresh fish off a stall, and walk out to the two Martello towers. There’s a pub, The Ferry Boat Inn (the other pub, the Victoria, has closed down), CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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ONBOARD THE DEBEN
and the Ferry Café, a classy greasy spoon with homemade cakes, whose breakfasts are so superlative that Nancy Blackett’s crews have been known to drive out from Woodbridge in order to partake of them, on the pretext of inspecting the bar. The other side has the Boathouse Café, overlooking the river and more of a tea and scones sort of place. It also has the resplendent Bawdsey Manor, a Victorian gingerbread Gothic pile with oriental turrets and other embellishments, just waiting to be chosen as a location for an Agatha Christie adaptation. It was built in 1886 by Sir Cuthbert Quilter, MP and telephony entrepreneur, who also established a steam-powered chain ferry across to Felixstowe Ferry. Opened in 1894, it ran until 1931. The Manor was taken over by the RAF in 1936 for the secret development of radar. Its array of prominent transmitter and receiver towers became a local landmark and the Transmitter Block is now a museum. Immediately above Felixstowe Ferry there is a short stretch of unrestricted speed, for the benefit of waterskiers. Then an 8-knot speed limit kicks in to ensure the relative tranquillity up to the head of navigation. The land on either side of the river here is generally rather flat
– marshes in some parts – and mainly undeveloped, thanks to 19th-century landowners who kept the area clear for wildfowling – even to the extent of pulling down Ramsholt village. As a result, it’s great birdspotting terrain, particularly for overwintering avocets. Nowadays, Ramsholt is known as a mooring, with a length of quay providing landing and shelter for row-ashore dinghies, an attractive grassy strand and an isolated riverside pub, the Ramsholt Arms. This has one of the best locations of any pub in Britain – sunsets a speciality – but has struggled to maintain viability in recent years, and in fact closed down briefly earlier this year. Good news is that it’s open again, under new management but, shock horror, has lost its Suffolk pink-wash exterior in favour of a genteel cream render. Tasteful enough, but indicative of its gastro-ised ambience. Approach via low-tide mud in seaboots is unlikely to be welcomed, so visiting yachtsmen may need to come ashore armed with spare shoes and plastic bags, or resign themselves to eating in their socks. Above Ramsholt, the character of the riverbanks changes, with the addition of low, wooded cliffs. The Rocks – aptly named, for those not removed to build
PETER WILLIS
“Approach via low-tide mud in seaboots is unlikely to be welcomed”
Shellfish business thrives on the Deben employed a driver and in no time at all have added eight purification tanks and six full-time, plus three part-time, employees, and an additional creek, rented off the Crown Commissioners. Unsurprisingly, Robert is a little vague about the exact location: “Cultivating oysters has always been a secretive business,” he says. “We’ve always known there were oysters in the Deben and there are a few native oysters if you know where to look.” The Simpers now farm a mixture of native oysters (which have a closed season by law) and Pacific Rock
oysters, which can be sold all year round, plus the popular mussels. The boats used were initially the 1902 15ft (4.6m) Pet (below left) and the 1896 18ft (5.5m) Three Sisters, both originally built to fish off Thorpeness beach. Later, another Thorpeness boat, called Dodger, was bought. “We like her because she’s got winches on,” says Robert. “The oysters are grown in bags and they can get quite heavy.” They supply local pubs and restaurants, and outlets further afield – London and Norwich – and recently rebranded from Deben oysters to Simpers of Suffolk.
Below, left to right: the beach boat Pet; Robert Simper (centre) with his son, Jonathan, and grandson, Harry
CoURTESY RoBERT SIMPER
Up above Ramsholt is one of the Deben’s newest traditional industries – a thriving shellfish business, farming oysters and mussels. You won’t see much evidence of it unless you spot some wooden boats working under sail – or perhaps a van outside a pub labelled Simpers of Suffolk. The enterprise was set up about two years ago by an old friend of this magazine and Ramsholt resident, Robert Simper and his family. Then his son, Jonathan, realised that growing the shellfish was only half the business; the other half was marketing them. They bought a van,
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ONBOARD THE DEBEN
RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN
Orford Castle litter the river’s bed – provides a pleasant landing spot with a sandy beach. Then, on the west side, is Waldringfield. There used to be a thriving cement industry here, with barges coming and going, but perhaps mercifully there’s little evidence of it now. Instead, there’s a popular inn, the Maybush, and a small boatyard, which also offers river trips and, as of this season, incorporates a gallery and shop run by local artist (and CB contributor) Claudia Myatt. Still on the west side, and shortly before the river reaches Woodbridge, lies Martlesham Creek, accessible about an hour either side of High Water, and with its own secluded boatyard, which has pontoons and swinging moorings. Five minutes’ walk through the woods and up the lane brings you to the Red Lion pub. The fierce figurehead of a red lion on the wall comes from the Dutch ship Stavoren, captured – so I’ve been told – in the Anglo-Dutch battle of Sole Bay, 1672. And so to Woodbridge, a rewarding finale to this upriver passage, despite its tendency to be fringed by mud rather than water for a large half of each tide.
CLAUDIA MYATT
RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN
Several of Classic Boat’s friends and contributors live there, including Richard Hare, Andrew Craig-Bennett, and Moray MacPhail of Classic Marine. But you will need to time your arrival with some care. The river pretty well dries here at Low Water, and entry into the Tidemill Yacht Harbour is feasible for less than a couple of hours either side of High Water. The marina is protected by a sill at its entrance and the depth over the sill is shown there on a tide gauge. You’ll notice at once that this is not your normal marina, being a horseshoe of water and pontoons, surrounded by grassy banks. In fact, it was converted from the old tide mill pool by Whisstocks, then the town’s chief boatbuilder, in the 1960s. The tide mill itself, an iconic Woodbridge sight, still stands at the head of the marina. Built in 1796 (though previous mills date back to 1170) it was still working commercially in the 1950s. Now a living museum, it provides daily demonstrations according to tide times. A walk from the tide mill along the river wall will take you past the now-abandoned Whisstocks sheds
Clockwise from top: Ramsholt Arms; view to Bawdsey Manor; Woodbridge harbour; sandy landing quay at Waldringfield
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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ONBOARD THE DEBEN
ALL BY RICHARD JOHNSTONE_BRYDEN
Above, left to right: Deben Yacht Club; Woodbridge town centre; Everson & Sons boatyard. Below: the ultimate cruising companion, East Coast Rivers, by Janet Harber
(they come to life every other year for the Woodbridge Maritime Festival), the Ferry Dock and Bass’s Dock, both full of intriguing liveaboard boats, including a number of Dutch barges. Then there’s the black-timbered home of the Woodbridge Cruising Club, a particularly lively organisation and as much a social centre for the community as it is a sailing club. And no visit to Woodbridge would be complete without a diversion to see the array of boats for sale at Andy Seedhouse’s yard. Walk the other way, upstream – find a footpath between the tide mill and the railway line – and you’ll reach Robertsons boatyard, with its lagoon full of more liveaboard barges, and then on, past the odd mooring as the river becomes more rural and tranquil until, within a mile, you’ll happen on the Granary Yacht Haven, known to all as Mel Skeet’s, a rambling collection of pontoons and temporary tarpaulin boatsheds where restoration and rebuilds are under way. Here, for example, John Krejsa is slowly restoring the Albert Strange yawl Mist – just one of the several Albert Strange boats in the area. Further upriver, Larkman’s Boatyard has a large winter lay-up area, and is a useful source of chandlery supplies. Woodbridge has been a boatbuilding town for hundreds of years – going back to Tudor times and beyond. It bequeathed its river with two named yacht designs – the 25ft (7.6m) Deben Cherub by Everson and the 22ft 5in (6.8m) Deben 4-tonner by Whisstocks.
Most of the work these days involves repairing and restoring, but the skills are alive and active at the local yards, and things are still evolving. The Woodbridge Boat Yard (Everson & Sons) is planning a bigger boatshed, capable of taking boats up to 35ft (10.7m). Meanwhile, the redevelopment of the Whisstock’s site seems at last to be coming to fruition, with plans for a communal open space, a community boatshed and a project to build a replica of the Sutton Hoo longship. The Sutton Hoo ship-burial site, directly across the Deben from Woodbridge, is considered one of the UK’s most important archaeological finds. It revealed an Anglo-Saxon longship used for a ceremonial burial around 630AD. It contributed enormously to our understanding of Anglo-Saxon ship technology and to the significance of the Deben in the trading routes of the time. But only the form of the ship remained as an imprint in the burial mound; the fabric had long since rotted away. So a full-scale replica – built with help from the International Boatbuilding Training College at Lowestoft – would be quite a thing. Meanwhile, though, the River Deben continues to provide its devotees with its characteristic mixture of beauty, peace, mud and infuriatingly tricky tide schedules. It’s a combination that seems to inspire affection and a deep sense of ownership that other, grander rivers, don’t quite manage.
LOCAL INFORMATION asf
Deben Bar Downloadable chartlet for current year: www.debenestuarypilot.co.uk. Call Harbourmaster John White, ‘Odd Times’ VHF ch8 Mob: 07803 476621 East Coast Rivers by Janet Harber Fernhurst Books £24.99 www.visitmyharbour.com MOORINGS AND MARINAS Felixstowe Ferry John White, as above ferry/water taxi Mob: 07709 411511
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Ramsholt Harbourmaster George Collins, Mob: 07930 304061 Waldringfield Harbourmaster Mob: 07505 035456 VHF ch37A Martlesham Creek Boatyard www.martleshamcreekboatyard.co.uk Contact Mike Ingham, Tel: +44 (0)1394 384727 Mob: 07850 754726 Woodbridge Tidemill Yacht Harbour (VHF ch80) www.tidemillyachtharbour.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1394 385745
Granary Yacht Harbour, Melton www.granary-yacht-harbour.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1394 386327 (and ask for Mel) BOATYARDS Felixstowe Ferry Boat Yard www.felixstoweboats.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1394 282173 Waldringfield Boatyard www.waldringfieldboatyard.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1473 736260 Robertsons Boatbuilders of Woodbridge www.robertsons-boatyard.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1394 382305
Woodbridge Boat Yard (Eversons) www.eversonboats.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1394 385786 Larkman’s Boatyard, Melton www.larkmansboatyard.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1394 382943 EAT/DRINK Ferry Boat Inn, Felixstowe Ferry Tel: +44 (0)1394 284203 Ramsholt Arms, Ramsholt Tel: +44 (0)1394 411229 Maybush, Waldringfield Tel: +44 01473 736 215 Red Lion, Martlesham Tel: +44 (0)1394 382169
Anderson Ferdinandsen Gaff Ketch
Hatch Latch by Osprey Marine Ltd
Designed and manufactured in Britain Securing boats in harbour and at sea with our robust and easy to install locks since 1995 Built 1931 at the ‘Rolls-Royce’ yard in Gilleleje, Denmark: Josefine 66’ OA, 50’ OD, a first class small ship one of only 20 her size built, perfect for trans-world private use or commercial charter, currently MCA Code 2 registered. Extremely sea-worthy, well maintained, massive oak on oak construction, beautiful lines, can be sailed by 2 persons. Bare hull rebuild 2002, all original papers since 1931. Ford 140HP, low hours, mooring available. Ready for work, or ultimate pleasure. Plymouth, UK. £129,000 T: 07971 376 172 or sailjosefine@gmail.com
Hatch Latch conforms to ISAF Offshore Special Regulations 3.08 in Categories 1,2,3,4 and 5
Osprey Marine Ltd 121 Defoe House, Barbican, London EC2Y 8ND
Tel: 0203 137 3870 www.ospreymarine.co.uk
BUY BRITISH BUY QUALITY
BUY J eckells SAILS
A FAST GAFF RIGGED DAY SAILER WITH FAMILY CAMPING CAPABILITIY DATA LENGTH O.A 5.46M LENGTH W.L 5.11M BEAM 2.06M DRAFT - PLATE UP 0.32M DRAFT - PLATE DOWN 1.03M SAIL AREA 17.9SqM ASSYMMETRIC 12.7SqM TRAILING WEIGHT 400KG BALLAST (Included) 130KG With elegant good looks that you would expect from North Quay Marine the new Spitfi re 18 is a true new tradition in boat building. Fast and responsive and
We’ve been making sails since 1832, so nobody knows more about sail design and production. We offer exceptional quality and service at an affordable price.
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VISIT US AT THE SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW, STAND GO59 T: +44(0)1603 782223 E: sails@jeckells.co.uk W: jeckells.co.uk
incredibly light at only 400kg she is easy to trail and will quickly get up on the plane. Her innovative main sail makes her easy to rig and stow. See her being built on our Facebook page and see her for yourself at the Southampton Boat Show.
“North Quay House”, Conyer, Nr. Sittingbourne, KENT ME9 9HL Jeckells of Wroxham Ltd, The Sail Loft, Station Road, Wroxham NR12 8UT
Telephone 01795 521711 info@northquaymarine.co.uk www.northquaymarine.co.uk
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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ONBOARD AIDE-MÉMOIRE
How to set a
course to steer Remember your night school nav? Plotting EPs (estimated position), both running and three-point fixes, and a course to steer? story DAN HOUSTON Using our high-tech GPS plotters may have made us lazy about plotting a navigation course, but it’s an essential skill for any sailor. Make no mistake, a well-executed course to steer (CTS) will save you miles and hours of sea time. Navigation at sea is the practical application of factors affecting our course. The most important of these is tide and the benefit of working up a course to steer is that we formally plot the tide on the chart. This gives us an accurate idea of where the tide is going to set us; carrying us, tarrying us, or moving us to either side of our intended course – potentially into shoals or areas of danger. Plotting a CTS is an essential part of planning before we set out, and should also be something we update while making way. We can get a rough idea of the likely tide
we will expect by looking in a tidal atlas. And for longer passages, like a cross-Channel, totting up tidal vectors (distance and direction) for each hour gives us a good idea of what to expect from the tidal set. But once under way we should use the chart’s tidal diamonds, reading the chart’s data table for the correct hour before or after High Water. We can make a CTS from a fixed position or from an estimated position (EP). The CTS gives us our most efficient planned direction and allows us to alter our plans as we go; if the tide is against us, we will need to add more time, or re-do it, but if it’s with us, then we’ll be saving time. Opposite is a typical CTS procedure from a “fix” just south of the NW Goodwin west cardinal on a UKHO small craft chart of the Goodwin Sands between the North and South Forelands of East Kent.
10-step guide to: Setting a course to steer
1
4
2
5
3
6 7
From your charted position draw a line to your destination, this is your ground track; measure the distance using the latitude scale at the sides of the chart. one minute = 1nM. Assume your likely speed and work out how long to the nearest hour it will take to get there. Plot this as your ground track. It may overreach or fall short. that’s oK.
Based on this time, work out how much tide to plot. Look up HW (for your chart) and calculate how many hours before or after you are. remember to add an hour for Bst. Don’t forget the tidal info will be for half-an-hour before and half-an-hour after the hourly times from HW. thus if HW Dover is 1200, then the diamond relates to tide running from 1130 to 1230.
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Decide whether it’s springs or Neaps, or between. Interpolation of tidal rates can be looked up in the almanac. select the relevant tidal diamond tables and read off the direction and rate. remember that while wind comes from, the tide goes to; a westerly tide is therefore heading at 270 (°t). Plot the tide from your position. you may need to plot more than one hour.
From where the tide puts you, open your dividers to the same distance as in step 2 and from the end of the tidal vector mark where the dividers “cut” the original ground, track from your position to your destination. this direction is your course to steer. Again,
you may have shortfall or overreach... that doesn’t matter, but it’s crucial you do this!
8 9
read off your course to steer in true. Use a Breton plotter or parallel rules.
Convert your Cts for the helmsman using the mnemonic true Virgins Make Dull Company (see right). to the true course add or subtract variation (shown in compass roses), which will give you the magnetic course. then add or subtract deviation – the effect of the boat’s own magnetic field.
10
Add or subtract leeway – measured with a hand-bearing compass looking aft as the difference between the boat’s centreline and the wake – before you finally give the compass course to the helmsman.
ONBOARD
Example NW Goodwin Cardinal to Ramsgate approaches
From our fix we want to get into the marked Ramsgate channel in the shoal waters of the Brake sandbanks south of Ramsgate. We’re doing four knots through the water and it’s just over four miles away, so we plot our intended course based on an hour of sailing, which at this stage looks further than we need.
It’s three-and-a-half hours before HW Dover. We choose a tidal diamond, G, and read off the direction and rate of tide in knots. We’re on Springs. We can see that the tide will set us back and to the west, running at 202° and at a Spring rate of 2.4 knots. We can see that it will be against us, seriously slowing our ground speed.
We plot the tide. Doing this at this stage allows us to see what the tide will be doing and how it will be moving the boat during the next hour of sailing. Here it’s a serious setback...
From the point where an hour of tide will put us, take the dividers and cut the first line with the hour (4nM) of sailing. This is our True course; we also need variation, deviation and leeway – this will be our CTS.
Converting your true course, from the chart, to a compass course
Helpful mnemonic
Remember the mnemonic: True Virgins Make Dull Company True = (°T) True, Virgins +/- Variation, Make = (°M) magnetic, dull +/- Deviation, Company= (°C) Compass
Should we add or subtract easterly or westerly deviation? Again, we have a handy mnemonic for when we are tired: C A D E T Compass (C) to true (T): add East (AD E). Therefore °T to °C: add West. CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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ONBOARD
Books Sailing Gaffers
SUNDOWNERS
by Viv Head
WITH GUY VENABLES
When an organisation the size and importance of the Old Gaffers Association turns 50, it’s time to take note. A roundBritain cruise this year, culminating in a spectacular one-off regatta in Cowes in August are fun while they last. But this book, by OGA member Viv Head, is a souvenir to remember it by forever. It serves as the definitive history, but as well as the when and the who and the where and the what, the more important question of ‘why’ is addressed here too, through a collection of stories from throughout the OGA years. We travel from where it all started on the Solent, all the way around the British areas, then onto waters blue in Holland, France, Australia, NZ, Canada and the USA. There is a chapter on the boats that were lost at sea and one on the rig itself, which contains articles loved by all, like the popular ‘LWL or LOA debate’ (LWL devotees are fierce!), the ‘gaff or bermudan’ debate (a classic) and, for slightly more serious devotees, the ‘jackyard topsail debate’. There is even a short section on the two men OGA sailors seem to have an unhealthy obsession with, Tom Cunliffe and John Leather. Like all else the OGA does, this book is warm, messy, funny and human. A fitting tribute. SMH Quartet Books, 2013, 170x238mm paperback, 297pp, RRP £20
THE YACHTING YEAR From the publishers of CLASSIC BOAT the
Yachting Year NEW!
Full guide to events in 2014
A review of the year gone by – including the most noteworthy restorations and new builds, as well as the main regattas and events – brought to life in vivid detail through stunning photography and top class features. … also including a 2014 events guide and a FREE 2014 Yachting Year calendar!
Fastnet and America’s Cup Antarctica and the Bahamas Top yachts, must-have gear
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www.chelseamagazines.com/yachting-year +44 (0)1795 419 840 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 5:30pm GMT) Published by Chelsea Marine Magazines. The Yachting Year will be published and mailed in November. *Add £2 postage for orders outside the UK.
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Time for a toast I’ve often thought that when it comes to drinking toasts there’s invariably something sentimental about them. “Well, obviously,” I hear you say, as they’re usually conceived with an arm around a best friend and a bellyful of wine. Being a keen amateur enthusiast in the life of libation, I’ve collected in my head (but first of all on bar mats or it’d be a nonstarter) some of my favourite toasts from around the world. Firstly, I heard the following in an Irish pub somewhere up the Shannon during a three-day sailing-drink marathon: “Here’s to you and here’s to me, friends may we always be! But, if by chance we disagree, up yours! Here’s to me!” My second favourite is a loose translation from the Russian: “May we suffer as much sorrow as the drops of wine we are about to leave in our glasses!” But the most relevant on a classic boat is probably this, heard on a Thames Barge full of barrel-chested men at the opening of several bottles of rum. “There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships, are friendships, and may they always be.” Fine and witty sentiments I’m sure you’ll agree. In a move befitting of our age when nervous bureaucrats wait tentatively in oak-lined offices for non-existent people to be offended, the Navy is changing its time-honoured traditional daily toast system. On a Monday, they used to toast, glasses raised, thus: “Our ships at sea.” Tuesday: “Our men.” Wednesday: “Ourselves.” Thursday: “A bloody war or a sickly season.” Friday: “A willing foe and sea room.” Saturday: “Sweethearts and wives (may they never meet)”, and Sunday: “Absent friends.” In order to reflect the number of female sailors now serving at sea Tuesday’s toast will be simply, “Our sailors” instead of “Our men”, which I understand and am fine with. They are doing their job and Tuesday’s toast never stirred the soul nor granted a smirk. Saturday’s toast on the other hand has been changed to the joylessly Disneyfied: “Our families”, thereby robbing a poetic and witty phrase of common usage and squeezing more and more grey and cowering apologetic sludge in its way. This was a move not due to a single complaint but of this creeping meddling by Whitehall that will soon have enough clout to decide everything for the Navy as they’ll finally have their way and actually outnumber them.
ONBOARD
Lazarette
Compiled by Guy Venables
Handy multi-tool For a while now Leatherman has appeared to be resting on its laurels but it seems it was just busy inventing. What it has come up with is the Leatherman OHT, which importantly sports one-handed tools (hence the name) such as pliers that flick out and are sprung in the open position and lockable once closed. The interior holds myriad tools, including a strap cutter and two razor-sharp knives – one serrated, one with a straight edge. Although not designed specifically for us, once applied with the “One hand for you, one hand for the boat” rule, this is one of the best multitools for sailors yet devised. All it needs is a marlinspike/shackle-key. £80.99 inc p&p
Deck shoes
www.leatherman.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1539 721032
Clarks is really moving into the high-end deck shoe market. Take these Orson Lace models, for example. Comprising salt-resistant tan leather (odd colour, should fade), a tough rubber sole with good grip, moulded construction, water drainage, and the soles, which take a little getting used to, massage your feet as you walk about. Available in three other colours: brown, denim blue and navy blue. £79.99 inc p&p www.clarks.co.uk Tel: +44(0)8444 995544
Ratchet clamp
Laser flare Flares have been with us a long time and although they work, they’re hard to dispose of, they have a fairly short shelf life, they’re dangerous, hot to handle and they only last a minute or so when lit. To counter these problems, there’s the new Odeo laser flare. Instead of using explosives it uses battery-powered flickering lasers that last for five to 10 hours. It emits no heat, can be seen from a distance of 3.5 nautical miles, and it can also be taken on aircraft and sent through the post. £176.50 inc p&p www.odeoflare.co.uk Email: info@ odeoflare.co.uk
A fantastic, inexpensive product that’s ideal for all kinds of clamping, whether on the boat or in the workshop. As you repeatedly squeeze the grips together, they tighten to high pressure (so you can apply just the right amount of pressure) and they disengage with a quick-release trigger. We found them more useful than the springloaded ones. From £7.95 plus p&p www.rutlands.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1629 815518
Water filter
When it comes to water purity we can take a lesson from the Germans. This sponge-looking object is made from mesh netting that is treated with a silver layer to stop fungus and germs building up in your water tank without using external power or any chemicals. All you do is lay it in your water tank and fill it up. That’s you done, guaranteed for a year. When you’ve finished with it, send it back and they’ll recycle it. Comes in various sizes; this one is small (for 40Lt tanks and under). From £18.89 inc p&p
www.wm-aquatec.de Tel: +49 7158 98 38 844
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Since 1790
So Fong sailing with her suit of Ratsey and Lapthorn sails 42 Medina Road, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 7BY T. (01983) 294051 E. ratseysails@ratsey.com
www.ratsey.com/ratseysails
Solent Sunbeam
Photo: Sue Kent
Photo: Sue Kent
The classic racing keelboat
Sail and Race a Sunbeam at Itchenor – Great Racing – Great Company
Ask about boats for sale, join a syndicate or crewing. Come for a trial sail. Enjoy the Sunbeam experience www.solentsunbeam.co.uk Tel: 07836 768225 76
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
ONBOARD
Classnotes Kestrel BY VANESSA BIRD
I
f you want to test your new design to the limits and see what it is capable of, then there is nothing like trialling it in gale-force conditions and driving snow on a lake in the Welsh mountains. For it was on Llangorse Lake in the middle of the Brecon Beacons on a cold December day in the mid-1950s that the first sailing trials of the Kestrel dinghy took place. Despite the challenging conditions, however, the 15-footer proved exciting and more than capable of meeting its requirements as a high-performance family cruising/racing boat. Ian Proctor, the Kestrel’s designer, was relatively unknown at the time. His first professional dinghy design – a National 12 – had been launched in 1950, and although it had proved very successful, along with his Merlin Rocket design of 1952, it wasn’t until 1957 that arguably his most famous design – the 16ft (4.9m) Wayfarer dinghy – was launched. The 15ft 7in (4.8m) Kestrel was launched two years previously, in 1955, and initially met much skepticism. It was the first sailing dinghy in the UK to be built in glassfibre, and although designers were beginning to use the material, there was still a lot of uncertainty about how successful it would be, in an industry that was, at the time, primarily dominated by plywood dinghies. The skepticism continued for some time, and although six boats were also built in wood to try and attract interest, the class’s future looked dubious – even the yachting press at the 1956 London Boat Show were unconvinced by the quality and durability of the material. However, following the build of Kestrel No7 by John Gmach at Fordingbridge in Hampshire, the class’s fortunes began to change. Production techniques were honed and the quality of the boats being produced gave the class enough credibility that interest soon grew. Over the next 25 years, John Gmach
VANESSA BIRD
built 1,473 Kestrels to the MkI and MkII models, before production was taken over by Martin Services in Essex. They built 22 and then in 1999 production was taken over by Derby-based Hartley Boats, who have since modernised the design, relaunching it as the Kestrel 2000, and who now build racing and cruising versions. Although the hull design is essentially the same today as Ian Proctor’s 1955 design, several modifications have been made. The aft decks on the MkI were removed on the MkII, which also had buoyancy tanks running from the mast to the stern, and the distinct ‘vee’ of the foredeck was also made less acute. This was totally removed on the Kestrel 2000, whose foredeck ends horizontally at the mast, and which has more rounded sidedecks and a spinnaker chute as standard. The original brief for the design was for a “stable, roomy cruising boat and a fast high-performance racing dinghy” – two conflicting requirements that many designers have found difficult to combine. However, the Kestrel has succeeded as both a cruiser and a racer. It is one of the fastest racing dinghies without a trapeze, with its reasonably fine entry, firm, yet well-rounded bilges and long run aft combining to produce an easily driven hull that performs well in all conditions. It may not be as popular as the Wayfarer, but from a shaky start a very credible design has emerged that continues to gain popularity today.
Above: the Kestrel has that enviable quality of being a comfy cruiser one minute, racing dinghy the next
BIRDS OF A FEATHER Many of Ian Proctor’s designs are named after birds: The 17ft 6in (5.4m) Osprey was designed in 1953, the 11ft Gull and 18ft 6in Bell Seagull were launched in 1956, and the 22ft (6.7m) Seamew was conceived in 1963.
FAR-FLOWN KESTRELS Kestrels have also proved popular abroad and, according to the class association, there is a thriving fleet in Bahrain! Unlike most of the class boats, however, these particular Kestrels are all rigged with trapezes.
FOR SALE SPECIFICATIONS
LOA
15ft 7in (4.8m) LWL
14ft 3in (4.4m) BEAM
5ft 6in (1.7m) DRAUGHT
4ft 1in (1.3m) SAIL AREA
152sqft (14.1m²) WEIGHT
264lb (120kg) DESIGNER
Ian Proctor
Second-hand Kestrels can be picked up for as little as £500, but expect to pay more if you want one with a full racing spec. Derby-based Hartley Boats are still building new Kestrels – cruising versions cost around £8,000, while racing versions cost £9,000.
WINDFALL YACHTS The Kestrel’s designer, Ian Proctor, was involved in receiving the Windfall yachts on behalf of the RAF when they were brought over to the UK from the Baltic as reparations from Germany after the Second World War. Proctor was involved in organising the yachts’ reception and their dispersal among the various branches of the Services. Vanessa’s book, Classic Classes, is out now. For more details, go to www.classicboat.co.uk CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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BOATS FOR SALE
Boats for sale Looking to sell your boat? Reach over 50,000 readers each month
To advertise call Edward Mannering +44 (0) 20 7349 3747 Edward.Mannering@chelseamagazines.com Copy Deadline for next issue is 22/08/2013
STEAM LAUNCH ARTEMIS
Yacht’s tender built Summers and Payne 1899 for yawl Artemis. 21ft carvel cedar on rock elm. Simpson Strickland ¼ A engine. Boiler new 2008. £24,000. Tel: 01223 245616.
Bespoke Broom AdmirAl Commissioned in 1962 remaining in the same ownership to date. Housed and maintained by the Broom factory. In mint condition, an absolute beauty. “Probably the most magnificent broads cruiser ever built” Full details http://www.vintagewoodenboats.co.uk Phone 01234 712065
15 foot dayboat
ClassiC style 8ft Clinker sailing dinghy by Wootton industries
Mahogany on oak. Stored about 15 years, used only once. Never rigged, all sails, mast etc as new.Launching trailer. Some tlc needed. Contact 01929 552925 £2,250
u Of nD fe er r
Built Cowes, 2000 for present owner. 15 foot dayboat in 3/8” clinker mahogany. Gunter rig, tan sails, gun metal fittings. Galvanised trailer, 3HP Tohatsu outboard. £4,000. Tel. Alan Matthews, 01794 514943 email: alan.wmatthews@btinternet.com
ClassiC Day Cruiser
Woodnutt & Sons, St Helens, Isle of White 1938. Designed by Alfred Westmacott. Extensively renovated, excellent condition. Lying Suffolk, UK. £11,000 Contact: 01394 385600 or email mylesfromhere@doctors.org.uk
Pinus Motor Launch
NOMAD
For further details email: binkhorst@medischaspect.nl
This fast motor launch last saw action with the forces on Strangford Loch. Built early last century of pitch pine on oak, this beautiful boat, the “John B”, comes complete with Perkins diesel engine and 4 wheeled trailer. The hull is complete but the superstructure needs re-building to suit your needs. Length approx. 8m and beam approx. 3m. The boat is in storage under cover, laying N. Brittany, France. Offers invited. Contact +447768596967 +33661 83 48 89
South CoaSt one DeSign “Marbella” iS for Sale
In her current ownership for 17 years. She is a serial prize winner. This class of Yacht is the entry level for the growing number of Classic regattas. She has been and still is lovingly maintained. For details of her restoration and her racing history go to www.marbella.coastaloccasions.co.uk E mail marbellasc28@gmail.com Offers invited on £15000.00
INTERNATIONAL ONE DESIGN
Moe
Oysterman 22 (Pelagia ex-Curlew) 1988 For sale, Ardrossan. Fine example (http://www.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=256643). £22,000. Phone 01751 417338, 0788 4435971
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
A wonderful 40ft Edwardian bustle stern saloon launch built c. 1904 by renowned boatbuilder Alfred Burgoine of Kingston-onThames. For price and further information on this rarely available unique piece of River Thames history, please phone 01628 824382 or visit www.peterfreebody.com
A great example of this classic racing class, Sanchia (built 1958) has raced regularly with the IOD fleet in St Mawes and in Falmouth Week. She has been based in the Carrick Roads, Falmouth for many years and has been well looked after. She has been upgraded for racing since 2007. Length 33ft 5”, draft 5ft 6” £18,750. Call 01872 580184 or E-mail: ncoppin@gmail.com for more information.
BOATS FOR SALE
STEWART MARINE Classic Boats for sale 1932 Andrews Slipper
1950s Andrews Day Boat
Original Baby Greyhound Fully restored 2005 Original Austin engine Very rare original craft In excellent condition
gAtSBY’S YAcht
Ford Watermota engine Lovely interior New Winter cover Re-furbished by Freebody In A1 condition
£35,950
£25,500
Wanted all types of classic launches Classic Boats for Charter 1897 Day Launch “EM”
1974 Fairey Spearfish
Based in Kingston Upon Thames this boat is ideal for special events for up to 12 people with skipper. Catering available on request.
Based in the Solent this boat is ideal for film and TV due to its stability and speed. Available for Cowes and other Solent regattas
www.hartsboats.com
0208 399 0297
SAMPLE STYLE A
SAMPLE STYLE B GoLAnT GAffEr
No. 8. Excellent 2 berth coastal cruiser, built 1999. Length 18’ 9” Beam 7’ Draft 2’ 9” long keel, designed by Roger Dongray. Yanmar GM 10 regularly serviced. Very attractive boat lovingly maintained, Lying Fowey. £12,000 ono. Email: name@classicboat.co.uk 0000 11111111
cuTTEr
Built 1991, mahogany & epoxy hull similar to GRP, 1930’s spars & fittings, beautifully maintained. Visit www.idclark.force9.co.uk for photos and specification. £25,750 Contact 00000 111111
There are two styles of Boats for Sales ad to choose from and with our special Spring offer, if you buy two months, your third month will be free. Pick the style which suits your requirements and email: Edward.Mannering@chelseamagazines.com with your text and image or call +44 (0) 20 7349 3747. The deadline for the next issue is 22/08/2013
35FT CLYDE CRUISER-RACER
One of a small class designed to race on the Clyde. Built in Berlin in 1965, mahogany on oak with layed teak deck, has tiller steering, cockpit control and Volvo Penta engine, new in 2010. Maintained in excellent condition, mainly by one owner for 25 years. £32,000 Tel. 02891454725 Email. ken@hawtins.co.uk
Reach over 50,000 readers each month
AK BAlflour ex fyffes, HoneyBee
MUDJEKEEWIS was built in 1964 at Largs by W T Boag of Mahogany on Oak frames and raced extensively in the Clyde and Ireland. She was fully renovated 3 years ago with a new Beta 20hp engine, 2 new plastic fuel tanks, new keel bolts, new Sikta Spruce mast and rigging, new sails by the original maker WB Leitch of Tarbet, new Rotostay furling headgear, new Lewmar windlass and 60 metres of chain as well as complete renovation of the 2x4 berth cabins in teak. All standard electronics included. £19500.00 Call 07791254833 or email koreacatty@yahoo.com
Looking to sell your boat?
STYLE A. 5cm x 2 columns. Either 160 words or 80 words plus colour photograph. £275 inc VAT and Internet STYLE B. 5cm x 1 colums. Either 55 words or 30 words plus colour photograph. £155 inc VAT and Internet
• 1924 60ft C E Nicholson documented restoration • Discretely modernized for ease of use and sail • 3 double cabins, coach house for 8 berths, 2 heads • Manageable size, large cockpit, See CB April 2013 • Any broker with a potential buyer is welcome
huge price reduction hurricA-V uS$2.495m steve.gunns1@gmail.com 61 (0) 408 237 430 www.hurrica-v.com CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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BROKERAGE
Brokerage
To advertise Call Patricia Hubbard +44 (0) 207 349 3748 Patricia.hubbard@chelseamagazines.com Copy Deadline for next issue is 22/08/2013
33 High Street, Poole BH15 1AB, England. Tel: + 44 (0)1202 330077
70 ft Laurent Giles Motor Yacht 1948 Designed by Jack Laurent Giles for a knowledgeable yachtsman in 1947; this stunning 70 ft motor yacht with her nimble semi displacement hull form can be used easily by just 2 people. WOODPECKER underwent a full restoration ten years ago and remains in impressive condition considerable attention has been paid to ensure her original character was retained with modifications made in some areas to enhance her practicality as a family cruising yacht. WOODPECKER is remarkably economical and capable of cruising well over 1,000 miles on one refuel. £395,000 Lying Malta
54 ft McGruer Ketch 1973 TALISKER MHOR was designed by James’s son George, a graduate in naval architecture who ran the business from 1969. From this time it seems McGruer’s hallmark yachts were of another aesthetic dimension, reflecting George’s own artistic qualities. Indeed more than one commentator has remarked that three ketches of that era TALISKER MHOR - as she now is, CUILAUN OF KINSALE and GLORY BE IV are among the finest yachts of their size – anywhere. A superb cruising yacht she has moreover been set up carefully with the aim of sailing shorthanded; her owners sailing à deux with considerable ease – her condition is impressive. £275,000 Lying UK
47 ft Laurent Giles Yawl 1951 As with Jack Laurent Giles’ Vertue design ISMANA displays that purposeful charm blending style with function as only he knew how - a style that has the onlooker captivated; more subtle than the very long overhangs that seduce so easily and far more seaworthy as a result - her current owner has fully restored her with the help of Hubert Stagnol and he seems to have known exactly what he wanted to achieve. Her structure is impressive enough but it’s in the simple detailing and original fittings on deck and below that make this boat very special. €235,000 Lying France
52 ft William Fife III Cutter 1902 In her current ownership since the mid eighties, when SIBYL was lovingly restored to her current fine condition and rig configuration, she has enjoyed many seasons of cruising and classic regattas; always sailing with just a husband and wife crew and proving not only her pedigree but that in her current guise she is a well mannered and easily sailed vessel. SIBYL’s lines are quite breathtaking – She could only be a Fife.
46 ft John Bain Silver TSDY 1937 Bain is considered the father of family owned and operated power yachts and the Silver Leaf Class (1932-1951) ranging from 42 to 52 feet, of which CAIRNGORM is a fine example, demonstrates exactly why – elegant and timeless in appearance, good sea keeping ability, high quality materials and precise construction. This boat has benefited from a very comprehensive maintenance programme and an owner, one of only 4 since she was launched in 1937, who fully appreciates the vessel’s character – beautifully unspoilt yet well equipped and versatile even in this modern era. She is impressive. £220,000 Lying UK
44 ft Christian Jensen Cruiser Racer 1946
45 ft A M Dickie & Sons Motor Sailer 1936 Dickies knew better than most how to build a strong and supremely seaworthy vessel. Designed on the lines of a fishing boat - but as a yacht – her finer lines make her the more beautiful while retaining all the seagoing qualities of a working vessel. TUNNAG’s wonderful varnished teak hull and the warmth of her characterful interior are fully revealed. These inherent qualities have kept her in long and loving ownerships – Her most recent having lavished a superb refit, fully revealed in her wonderful condition today. She is totally ready. £155,000 Lying UK
42 ft Sparkman & Stephens Yawl 1957 FAIRWYN was built by McGruer & Co with no expense spared under the close supervision of Rod Stephens himself. She is essentially a larger version of FINISTERRE; three-time winner of the Newport – Bermuda Race. FAIRWYN’s 50 years could be considered a game of two halves; as a successful racer, fondly remembered by many former crews and then as a comfortable, safe and versatile cruiser; ever displaying the style and qualities for which her designer and builder are so highly regarded.
£225,000
Lying UK
49 ft Alfred Mylne Ketch 1920 Beautiful boats were to be found aplenty from the board of Alfred Mylne and GUDGEON has proved to be useful with it as she has been sailing pretty well non stop since her 1920 launch. Her rig is now Bermudan yawl rather than gaff, making her a remarkably easy boat to sail. Extensive refits in the 1980s attending to her structure - and more recent updates to her interior and systems render her more than ready to carry on sailing! £165,000
Lying UK
email: info@sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk 80
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
A breathtakingly beautiful yacht from a wonderful builder, KRABAT is virtually original thanks to the best possible materials, short seasons and only a few very careful ownerships. KRABAT is a direct result of her first owner’s passion for the designs of Johan Anker and Christian Jensen. It is no surprise therefore that this yacht has such purity of lines, exhibiting her International Rule racing provenance yet with the cruising capabilities that these Scandinavian designers seemed to achieve so effortlessly.Why don’t all cruiser racers look like this?
£220,000
£125,000
Lying UK
Lying Spain
www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk
Total Harmony - A spacious 30’ Broads Cruiser with traditional sliding canopy. Antifouled and varnished this year, she is ready for sale in excellent condition. Comfortably sleeping 4, and with a heater for chillier nights, she is cosy, elegant and practical and is powered by a BMC Diesel engine - £20,000
Fantasy II - 1958, Toughs of Teddington, great motor yacht for river or sea, currently lying Thames, large aft saloon with galley, flying bridge, good wheelhouse.
Lorita - 1923 Thornycroft launch - 35’ of elegance. Featuring an aft cockpit that seats 8, a beautifully light saloon with buttoned leather seating, rich mahogany panelling and striped holly and teak floor and, most importantly, a ship’s bar, she is a trly beautiful vessel. With a foredeck of 23’ (fully restored) and a 2009 Thorneycroft diesel that is quiet and reliable, Lorita is magnificent - POA Jobelle - one of several slipper stern launches currently for sale through HSC. Offers invited for this very original slipper launch now available for viewing afloat in central Henley with potential mooring.
EH 16 - a totally new addition to our range of Contemporary Classics with a choice of propulsion. Soon to be featured in CB and now taking orders for this summer. Built in the UK by English Harbour Yachts Ltd from £21,500 inc VAT
Esmerelda - 12ft Stirling dinghy built in 2011 complete with electric outboard and cover in excellent condition
Peerless Admiral - stunning 25ft Andrews Day Launch with galley and loo, one of three currently for sale with HSC
Bunny - Contemporary clinker built open boat built in 2010 to a 1925 design. Built of varnished mahogany on oak with mahogany fittings and seating and with an 11hp Vetus diesel, her decks are laid in half inch Douglas fir, on English oak deck beams. Sold with new BSS, a year’s guarantee still on the engine, full length cover and a trailer - £15,950
Amoreena - simply the loveliest Bates Starcraft with 45ft of internal space, large flying bridge, acres of varnish, suitable for river and sea, maybe for charter too as she would be amazing at Cowes for spectating.
For more information about any of these boats call 01491 578870 mobile 07813 917730 email sales@hscboats.co.uk www.hscboats.co.uk For model boats, dockside clothing and lifejackets visit www.boatique.co.uk
BROKERAGE
www.TallShipsforSale.co.uk
17.6m (58ft) Classic Teak and Mahogany Italian Yawl by Sangermani, 1948.
11.5m (38ft) Modern Classic Yawl, hull by Spirit Yachts, 2000
Beautifully restored, great performer on the Med. Classic Yacht racing circuit. Eight berths, New Sails Euro 300,000 - Italy
10m (33ft) Fairey Marine Swordsman, fast cruiser.
14m (46ft) Modern Classic Sloop built Astilleros Mediterraneo, Spain 2003.
17.5m, 57ft on deck, Wishbone Ketch, built Oak on Oak in 1928.
6 berths in three cabins, Lister 30hp diesel, absolutely beautiful! Survey available - Please ask for a copy - £145,000 - Location - Chichester Harbour UK Location - Dorset UK
Construction is cold moulded, double diagonal over strip plank Cedar, all epoxy / glass sheathed. 6 berths. Yanmar 40hp diesel. A real stunner! Euro 139,000 - Lying Costa del Sol, Spain
She offers accommodation for up to 17 in 5 cabins. Engine is 121kw (162hp) 6-cylinder diesel (1979) Recently chartering. Euro 89,500 Location Gdynia, Poland
9.9m (32ft 6ins) Barbary Ketch, 1972.
9.14m (30ft) Double Ended Lifting Keel Classic Yacht built Souter’s, 1950
10.7m (36ft) Maldon Fishing Smack, Built Howards, 1889
Six berths in three cabins, Mercedes 42hp diesel, Superbly equipped with radar, heating, h&c water, holding tank, electric anchor winch, autopilot, dinghy, etc.. Comfortable all-weather Motorsailer. Survey available. £24,450 Location River Colne, Essex
Up to six berths, two heads, excellent galley, Twin Volvo Penta TAMPD41P-A 200bhp diesels installed 2000. Superbly maintained. 2010 SurveyPlease ask! - £59,500 Offers Invited! Location River Colne, Essex
www.ClassicYachtsforSale.com
Carvel Mahogany on Oak. New Beta engine fitted 1999 very few hours. Four berths, Largely restored. Very Pretty! £15,750 Location River Orwell Suffolk
Larch on Oak. Professionally sheathed in 1991, re-decked in 1995. 4 Berths BMC diesel. Great fun! 2007 Survey available, please ask £15,000 Location River Colne, Essex
www.EasternYachts.com See Website for Photos, Specifications & Surveys 19 Colne Road, Brightlingsea, Essex, CO7 0DL • Tel: +44 (0) 1206 305996. Planning to sell: Please call Adrian Espin for details.
M.J.LEWIS & SON (Boat Sales) LTD DOWNS ROAD BOATYARD, MALDON, ESSEX. CM9 5HG
E-Mail: info@mjlewisboatsales.com • Tel: 01621 859373 • Mob: 07736 553487 Specialists in the brokerage of Classic Vessels, Traditional Yachts and Working Boats
40ft Beecham’s Motor boat, 1960 Undergoing restoration. Twin Fords Essex OIRO £50k to finish.
10m G.U.Laws Gaff Yawl, 1905 Professionally restored. Pitch pine on Oak. Volvo Penta MD2. Devon £45,000
12m Robert Clark Mystery, 1936 No:1Bermudan Cutter. Fully restored, Teak deck.Yanmar 2Cyl. Suffolk £48,000
40Sq Metre Rule Sloop, 1919 Beta Marine eng, new Blakes head. In good order. Suffolk £18,950
Inchcape 38 Motorsailer, 1965 Twin Kelvin F4’s. Requires re- commissioning. survey May’13. Yorkshire £35,950
42ft Cornish Lugger, 1904 Built & designed by Pierce’11. Twin engs. Chartered to 6pax. Cornwall £90,000
36ft Essex Sailing Smack, 1855 Several rebuilds, new deck ’10. Engineless. Essex £35,000
Heard 29 Gaff Cutter, 1983 GRP & hard wood finish, Noble spars, 40hp Perkins. Cornwall £POA
30ft Easton Yawl, 1930 Cook’s of Maldon. Beta Marine. Needs an interior. Essex £7,500
40ft Gaff Ketch, 1963 Weatherheads ex MFV Larch on Oak, Gardner 6LXB. Scotland £56,000
8m Stirling 28, 1968 A1 Holman design. Uphams built. Shipwright maintained. Kent £26,000
12m Bawley Yacht, 1922 Rebuilt 2003. Yanmar. Pitch pine. Essex £26,500
23ft Gaff Cutter, 1930 E.Woods of Cantley. Pitch pine on oak. Outboard. Suffolk £19,950
10.6m Crossfields Prawner, 1900 Pitch pine on oak. Restored. Essex £19,950
22ft Clinker work boat, 1920’s Petter 2cly. All weather cover. Essex £5,495
www.heritage-marine.com 82
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
BROKERAGE
2 Southford Road, Dartmouth, South Devon TQ6 9QS Tel/Fax: (01803) 833899 – info@woodenships.co.uk – www.woodenships.co.uk
34’ Gaff Yawl. Designed by G.U. Laws, built in Falmouth in 1905. Complete rebuild over last 20 years including hull, rig and machinery, now stronger than new. 2011 sails and interior. First class period yacht ready to sail away Devon £43,000 offers
38’ Alden Challenger yawl. The last design worked on personally by John Alden, she is a very similar yacht to the great S&S Finnisterre. 1961 Halmatic GRP hull. Interior completed by Le Comte of Holland. Major refit in 2002. Superb eye catching yacht from the early years of GRP construction, a ‘classic’ in every sense of the word. Cornwall £39,500
33’ Admiralty launch, built in Portsmouth for the Admiral. Mahogany on oak timbers. Perkins H635 125hp diesel. Large aft cockpit with seating, spacious cabin with saloon, heads, galley and v-berths forward. Lovely concept for a coastal cruiser Cornwall £23,000
37’ Gaff cutter built by Whisstocks in 1937. Absolutely stunning yacht with a lovely short counter and sweeping sheer line. Very rare to find a yacht of this size and type, she is a real gem. Teak planking on oak frames. Only three owners in her life. Suffolk £36,000
43’ Robert Clark sloop one of four built by Berthon in 1962. Honduras mahogany hull, lead keel, solid teak deck and coachroof, new alloy mast, 5 berths. A very elegant and fast yacht with real pedigree. Scotland £59,950
40’ Wood Epoxy sloop built by Farrow and Chambers, Grimsby in 1995. Constructed using mahogany and cedar ‘Speedstrip’ sheathed in epoxy cloth. Many innovative design features makes her a fast and comfortable cruising yacht. 2 double cabins, large saloon, the epitome of the modern wooden yacht. Hants £48,000
35’ Bermudan sloop. Designed and built by Dartmouth shipwright Tom Owens in 1995. Triple diagonal Iroko all epoxy bonded, long keel with separate skeg hung rudder. Enormous interior volume with 5 berths. Big comfortable blue water yacht in as new condition Devon £75,000
25’ Folkboat built by Medina Yacht Company in 1961 to the standard Folkboat lines. Very smart yacht with much work carried out by experienced owners. Mahogany planking, Yanmar 1GM diesel. 2005 sails on alloy spars. A fine Folkboat ready to race Sussex £8,500
30’ Alices Mirror Cold Moulded Race Yacht designed and built by Adrian Thompson in 1982. Very successful yacht on the short handed racing circuit in last 25 years. Cold moulded mahogany construction built on the space frame principle. Recent major refit. Beta 13.5hp, New Selden spars and deck hardware, ready for the next adventure Devon £34,000
Boats don’t have to be ancient to wooden, neither do they have to be wooden to be Classic.
Anglia Yacht Brokerage New 12’ Dinghy available with either larch or Mahogany planking. Class celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2013. Prices from £8,500 Inc VAT
2005 Swale Pilot 16’ in good condition and ready to sail complete with cover, sprayhood, Mariner 4HP 4-stroke outboard and Easy-launch Road Trailer £7,950
New 18’ Deben Lugger day/ camping dayboat. Prices from £13,500 Inc VAT
1994 Winklebrig Dayboat with cover, 2011 Parsun 4HP 4-strok outboard and Easy-launch road trailer. £4,350
New 10’ GRP clinker lug sail dinghy. Prices from £2,950 Inc VAT
1978 Drascombe Longboat Cruiser Mk2 in good condition with recently varnished wood work and painted hull. New R&J sails 4 years ago. Comes complete with 2008 Mariner 4HP 4-strokeand Break-back road trailer. £4,750
See full listings at www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Email. sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Craftsmanship Yard News
Edited by Steffan Meyric Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 steffan@classicboat.co.uk
PORTUGAL
Restoration of a Laurent Giles
Clockwise from top: replanking was carried out on the port side; new deck extends to the bow; original cabin trunk detailing C/O FELIx OTT
The 1938 Laurent Giles yacht Greetings is coming to the end of a restoration in Vilamoura on the Algarve by British boatbuilders BEB Carpentry. She’s a bermudan cutter, design number 38, measures 37ft (11.3m) long and when relaunched late this summer, SwissEnglish owner Felix Ott will charter her from his adopted home on the Algarve. Work, which started in January, has included replanking the port side, putting in some new frames, plus a new deck, rudder and spars. Only the caulking and finishing was still outstanding as we
NEW ZEALAND
IRELAND
Rebuilding the IDRA 14 class The first new Irish Dinghy Racing Association (IDRA) 14 for 30 years is in build at the boatshed of the Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club in Dublin. The boatbuilders in question are six class enthusiasts, led by Ronan Melling. The IDRA 14, though not well known today, was once very popular, with 122 boats built between 1946 and 1995 – 34 of them in GRP. The IDRA 14s, as they became known, were conceived before the war, with a prototype launched in 1938, and the first one built to class ratification appeared in 1946 to a design by George O’Brien Kennedy. This present boat is from the original plans, but with “modifications so that the boat retains as much of the original features, while still being able to compete with newer glassfibre versions,” as Ronan puts it. Ronan and his friends hope to launch the boat by summer 2014. She’s built in Sitka spruce and mahogany planking. 84
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
The last yacht Arch Logan designed, Gypsy, which was built by Bill Couldrey in 1939 and was destroyed in a near-deadly accident in Auckland Harbour during the Auckland Anniversary Regatta 2012, has been beautifully restored, not just as she was before the accident, but as she was originally designed back in 1939, writes Chad Thompson. Owner John Pryor had spent five years and $100,000 restoring his beloved yacht only to see her run down and sunk in the incident which injured his partner Jill Hetherington. But Gypsy has been brought back to “as launched” condition (plus engine). See more at gypsy.org.nz
CHAD THOMPSOn
C/O IDRA EnTHuSIASTS
Last Logan back from dead
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Clockwise from top left: shed space at John's; boat in build; carpentry workshop; Thames barge General IX in dock during the yard's working life; John Watson
C/O LOT'S AIT
LONDON, UK
Lot's Ait on the Thames goes back to its boatbuilding roots The little Thames island of Lot’s Ait in west London, for decades used as a services and repairs yard for Thames Barges, is once again ringing to the sound of hammers after opening as John’s Boat Works last year. A smart blue steel bridge links the island to the north shore of the Thames near the Watermans Art Centre in Brentford. As well as being home to John’s Boat Works, the boatbuilding service offered by John Watson, who set up the yard through its difficult planning to present-day incarnation, the island now boasts 8,000sqft (743m²) of hard-standing and 5,000sqft (465m²) of covered shed space, divided
into 14 plots, each of a size suitable for building a boat up to about 18ft (5.5m) long (a bit shorter would be more practical), although larger plots are available too. DIY projects under way currently include a John Welsford-designed SCAMP, an Iain Oughtred Auk and a Selway Fisher electric riverboat. From its beginnings as a barge yard in around 1904, Lot’s Ait was operated by the Thames and General Lighterage Company until it closed its doors in about 1980, after containerization and motorways put an end to Brentford’s role as a transfer station for goods arriving into the Pool of London.
FRANCE
Breaking a mast is a life-threatening scenario, yet it happens frequently in classic-yacht racing. It happened to the 1930 65ft (19.8m) bermudan cutter The Blue Peter this April at Antigua Classics, and now her owner, Mat Barker, is trying out a new technique for his replacement mast. It will be 8ft 2in (2.5m) longer than the old one, yet 661lb (300kg) lighter, thanks to thin-wall Sitka spruce with bamboo-like horizontal plates throughout to make it stiffer. With new chainplates, runner winches and mast step, she looks like she will be even faster than before.
CORNWALL, UK
Mini Crusader Our feature on the forgotten land speed record holder John Cobb (CB291), who died in 1952 trying to become the fastest man on water in the jet hydroplane Crusader, was of particular interest to CB readers Leonard and Julie Newton. Julie’s father, John ‘Lofty’ Bennetts, was one of the two de Havilland engineers who installed the engine, and Leonard has built a 1:6 scale model, including the 35lb-40lb (16kg-18kg) thrust jet engine – a thirsty monster that drinks a litre of aviation fuel a minute! This is not the first model of Crusader – the first one (built as a test boat in the 50s) reached 97.5mph, and Leonard hopes for similar speed when he pilots his creation by remote control on Loch Ness later this year.
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
C/O LeONArD NeWTON
C/O MAT BArker
New mast for The Blue Peter
85
Grayling
1905 Rowels Built Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter ‘Letty’ We are looking for like-minded active partners who would like to share in the completion and ownership of this historic vessel. An ‘expression of interest’ is sought at this stage for equal equity partners to help complete the restoration & sail Letty in a full schedule of classic races and regattas in the UK and France, earning charter income to finance her running costs.
HRH Princess Anne & Sir Tim’s visit to Cockw ell’s Yard in Falmouth to see Letty under restor ation
Applications for a full prospectus to: steve@theletty.net • FB; Letty Pilot-Cutter 86
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Boatbuilder’s Notes 1
2
3
Stepby-step guide 1 The three parts ready for assembly 2 It is important that all faces are planed flat and edges are straight and square. Here we are planing an edge of the base board with a No4 bench plane
4
Build a bench hook
5
4 Gluing up. Dowels help to locate the cross-batten
BY ROBIN GATES Sawing small pieces of timber is much easier if you have a bench hook. It’s a very simple device – a base board and two cross-battens, one the width of the board (the hook), the other ¾in (19mm) shorter (the fence). The bench hook is most commonly used with a back saw for cross-cutting work that might be difficult to hold in a vice – half-round nosings, quadrant, dowels, and tenon shoulders. The hook fits over the edge of the bench, the workpiece is pushed against the fence and everything is held firm by the force of the sawing. Since the fence is shorter than the width of the board it helps with lining up for a straight cut and also means that the sawing ends in the base board, saving your bench, table or cockpit seat from damage. You can use a bench hook anywhere with a reasonably flat surface – on the harbour wall, for example, with no risk of blunting your saw. You can also use a bench hook for the tricky business of planing end grain. Flip the bench hook over, position the workpiece so as to protrude a fraction beyond the base board and use the plane on its side. The end grain is well supported and protected from splitting. It’s an all-round mini-workbench in itself, handy for chiselling too, giving you something to push against – or as an emergency bread or cheese board! Use saw-friendly wooden dowels rather than screws, which blunt saw teeth. I used 5/32in (4mm) beech kebab sticks. Make the bench hook any size you like. This one has a 10½in x 5½in (267mm x 140mm) base of recycled ramin with 1in x 15/8in elm cross-battens – large enough to be practical yet small enough to stow on the boat. It is vital that faces are planed flat and edges are straight and square.
5 Hammering dowels all the way home
6
7
6 Saw away surplus dowel with coping saw 7 Chisel dowels flush with the batten 8 Finished bench hook in use, crosscutting at the bench
8 ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBIN GATES
EXPERT ADVICE
3 Drilling holes for wooden dowels (kebab sticks)
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
87
All sizes catered for! 2013 catalogue now online
See us at Southampton Boat Show Stand FO15A
CRABBER 26
THE NEW GAFFER FOR THE MODERN CRUISING SAILOR
www.ClassicMarine.co.uk +44(0)1394 380390
Crabber 17' C O R N I S H
Shrimper 19'
Crabber 22'
C R A B B E R S
L L P
Crabber 24' R O C K
Crabber 26'
C O R N W A L L
Pilot Cutter 30' P L 2 7
6 N T
Tel: 44 (0)1208 862666 Fax: 44 (0)1208 862375 Info@cornishcrabbers.co.uk www.cornishcrabbers.co.uk
Davey & Company Est. 1885
BOAT BUILDING & REPAIR - Since 1984
Continuing The Craft of Wooden Boat Building in Nova Scotia. 0751 Bronze Down Light
One of many traditional lights that we still make in the UK. All lights now have LED options to suit 10 – 30 volts.
www.davey.co.uk
88
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
• New yacht design & construction • Restoration of vintage yachts (IOD) • Yacht interiors • Sailing skiffs and rowing craft • New mast & rig construction • Custom wooden mast hoops • Wooden skylights & hatches
BOA FOR S TS A VISIT LE! WEBSOUR ITE
LUTWICKYACHTS.COM • TEL: 1 902 624-9008 Mahone Bay • Nova Scotia Canada
Hanlon Marketing Design Inc. 902 422-6453 Email: hanlon @eastlink.ca
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Charlotte watters
Adrian Morgan inclinometer above the saloon, and those must have been from an alarm clock. But why on earth should anyone screw something to that beam, and there, of all places? A coat peg for oilies, perhaps? There’s more to discover in the bilges, not least the sterntube, which once exited the quarter and now through the deadwood amidships. When was the old hole capped and the new one bored, and what mishap precipitated the change? Was it Sally’s refusal to answer to her tiller in reverse, or rather her constant intention, no matter which way it was waggled, to swing to port, to her owner’s increasing fury and, once coming in to Lymington, extreme embarrassment. My efforts to equip Sally with new toys has resulted in a few more holes, some of them strategically placed to cover old ones, as I am reluctant to leave my marks to her next owner to tut tut about, as I am doing now. And yet, there are a few, of which the latest carry the mounting plate for the chartplotter and two in a deck beam for the echo sounder. There are others. In principle it is best to keep a boat free of unnecessary electrics and electronics, which always fail. Give me a fiver for every time the skipper has said to me on taking over the wheel: “Ignore the wind instruments, they lie. I’ve not got round to fixing the masthead unit, and they never really worked from the day I bought the ruddy thing.” And why would you need a dial to tell you from which direction the wind that is caressing your right cheek, at an angle of about 30 degrees to your nose, is coming from? I imagine these musings are typical of a man who in late August will have reached 60. No longer can I imagine myself as I was in the photo at the bottom of the page, freshfaced and enthusiastic. No, now it’s “all that newfangled technology” and “all you need is the wind on your cheek…” – ie, old man’s stuff, for we as writers for and readers of Classic Boat are, I imagine, on the maturer end of the age spectrum, for the most part curmudgeonly and cantankerous. “Echo sounder? Pah! GPS? They don’t teach proper navigation any more,” and so on. But who cannot have felt the excitement in fitting a new gadget days before the spring launch, and watching the dials come to life, showing not only the seabed (in colour) but a shoal of fish at three metres below the keel (or was it three fathoms, where’s the handbook?). Sally’s 75th birthday present last year was an ultramodern Garmin chartplotter. Sailors may well have navigated by sextant and migrating birds long ago, but personally, to see that little triangle creeping across the screen and know that you are 34.5 miles from your destination, which is bearing 200° magnetic, and that given a current speed over the ground of 4.5 knots you should be tucked up around a glass of Talisker in under eight hours, is rather comforting, and well worth the drilling of a few extra holes.
Marks of distinction
Adrian ponders the origins of all the holes in his boat
T
he two screw holes in the cockpit bulkhead probably once held the bracket for a compass, and the two below an early echo-sounder. The others are harder to define; most probably the result of an earlier owner’s trip to Earls Court and the seductive charms of a super-duper Walker’s electric log, to replace his old trailing log, so outdated in these modern times, according to the salesman. And those holes, plugged, are evidence of an early wind indicator of some sort, long defunct – you can see where the cable had been clipped up the back of the mast. I wonder when the owner, frustrated at seeing a dial that resolutely showed Sally to be permanently close hauled, tore it down? Or maybe the anemometer spun off in a gale? Whatever, each hole has a tale to tell of owner’s whims and fancies, technical innovations and weak moments at boat shows and jumbles. There are more piercings the more I look at Sally’s 75-year-old woodwork. Those two clearly once held an
“Each hole has a tale to tell of owner’s whims and fancies”
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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MARINE DIRECTORY
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Looking ahead
CARLO BORLENGHI C/O YCDM
Things to do in the next few weeks
NEXT MONTH
CENTENARIANS Boats that outlast us are über classic and they deserve to be cared for. We look at the types of craft that make it to 100 and how they are celebrated
MONACO CLASSIC WEEK 11- 15 September Port Hercule, Monaco, Tel: +377 93 10 6300, www.yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/ Being a biennial event, Monaco Classic Week is always a bit special, but more so this year in its 11th coming, as it celebrates 60 years of its organising club – the Yacht Club de Monaco. As always, there will be the signature mix of steam yachts, sailing yachts and motorboats, and this year all four Fife 15-M yachts will be racing on the water. In addition to the 100+ boats expected, this year’s special guests will also be present: the International 12-Foot Class clinker dinghies, celebrating their centenary this year.
SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW
SAILING TODAY
IN THE LATEST ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2013 – ISSUE No 197
GROUP GEAR
Tough cameras
We throw sand, salt water and sudden drops at six of the best
Salvaging a ketch amidst the jungles of Panama
Jeremy Rogers
BOAT ON TEST
Fast cat
Contessa builder’s latest boat
Lagoon’s new 39 thrills a monohull sailor
CALLY CANAL
Sailing up the Great Glen with the Old Gaffers
COPPERBOTTOMED
Sparkman & Stephens’ Swan 38 holds its own
UPGRADE TIME
Why NMEA2000 kit is harder, better, faster
CROSS THE POND
How to get to the start line for your Transat
Perfect pictures – six of the best waterproof cameras on test
EXCLUSIVE
Hannah's story Life after Olympic glory
12
Ways boost to your
SPEEd
EXPERT TIPS
www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk
PANAMA • CALEDONIAN CANAL • LAGOON 39 • SHOTLEY • CAMERAS
Cool catamaran – sailing Lagoon’s fabulous new 39
£4.30 Issue #1665 | SEPTEMBER 2013 www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk
hannah MiLLs | RoutE dEs PRincEs | hiking | tEst: sB20
Into the wild
IN THE LATEST ISSUE sEPtEMBER 2013 | issuE #1665
Jungle fever – salvaging a ketch in Central America
SEPTEMBER 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk £4.20
She’s a centenarian herself, built in 1888 in Cumbria, and she is so well looked after she has just made it around Britain. We’re aboard!
VIVIER
From the publishers of Classic Boat GO FURTHER I SAIL BETTER I BE INSPIRED
BONITA
Hiking How to win, what to wear
america's cup Bob Fisher's exclusive report from San Francisco
boat test
SB20: Our verdict on this popular sportsboat
NeW desigNs
We reveal the boats you must see at Southampton
autumN breaks
Hannah Mills – life after Olympic medal glory Showtime – must-see new boats at Southampton America’s Cup – Bob Fisher’s exclusive report
Plan your end-of-season sailing holiday
Available at all good newsagents or order now post-free from www.chelseamagazines.com/shop
France’s foremost designer of modern classics sails with us in Brittany and talks about his life’s work and influences. Don’t miss it!
PLUS The OGA celebrating at Cowes, the incredible lugger Grayhound, and more
ON SALE 12 September 2013
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
TOP AND BOTTOM: KATHY MANSFIELD
CB ARCHIVES
13-22 September Tel: +44 (0)1784 473377, www.southamptonboatshow.com Much though it saddens the soul to write of September in the heat of July, the Southampton Boat Show is always a silver lining to autumn’s early embrace. Over the last few years, it has quietly become an alternative epicentre (the other being Beale Park in June) for dinghies since the Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association set up shop there a few years ago. This year, 15 WBTA members will be showing off their range of craft and, for the first time, they will be demonstrating how these boats are built, with two dinghies in build. There are also two boats of interest to Classic Boat readers coming this year: the 1904 West Country Trading Ketch Bessie Ellen (CB190, pictured left) and the Phoenician ship replica Phoenicia.
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Letters Letter of the month supported by oLd puLteney Whisky
If I may be allowed two for the price of one, I would like to respond to a couple of readers’ letters in CB300 (congratulations, by the way). Firstly, RAF High Speed Launches. In the early 1950s our small group of boy scouts was encamped in the valley above Compton Bay on the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight, when there came a warning of strong southwesterly winds with rain. Our resourceful scoutmaster telephoned a Mayday to the island’s Commissioner of Scouts, who promptly offered us berths on his houseboat in Yarmouth Harbour, including the use of his little pram dinghy! The front soon passed and our expected week under canvas was transformed into something of a boys-only Arthur Ransome adventure. I learned to row, we explored the upper reaches of the
C/o jonAthAn tAtLoW
Second opinion
Above: return from the River Yar expedition. Note the proud novice oarsman
River Yar and, by chance, I was taken to meet the great Edgar J March who lived somewhere nearby. Just 14 years old, I was already a budding ship modeller and I knew my brigs from my barquentines, but I had no idea of the stature of the man whose hospitality and ship models I was politely enjoying. The Commissioner’s houseboat Spinwam was an ex-Second World
Wondering about The Wanderer
Name the boat i am trying to find out about this boat. All we know is that she has been in salcombe (south devon) for well over 60 years but beyond that we have no records as to where she was built, what she was used for, etc. one idea was that she was used to ferry soldiers around the estuary during the war… i do hope you can include her in one of your issues. however, if you think it unlikely i would be grateful if you could point me in the direction of any other experts who might be able to help. her key measurements are: LoA 17ft 6in (5.4m), beam 5ft (1.5m), draught 12ft-18ft (3.7m-5.5m). Sarah Stark by email 96
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
Does anyone know the whereabouts of The Wanderer (ex-Humber) – a 73ft (22.3m) ketch that once belonged to the British composer and Royal Yacht Squadron member Sir Hubert Parry – famous for his rousing hymn ‘Jerusalem’? Kevin Desmond by email
War small inshore craft of some kind lying alongside the road, more-or-less where the sailing club is now. After all these years, I would be interested to learn something of her earlier career and her ultimate fate. Secondly, Biche. At the Brest Festival in 2004 I saw her out of the water before restoration (a daunting sight) and it’s good to know she’s sailing again. Elsewhere, you refer to her so-called “Dundee” rig, concerning which I have a theory. In the 19th century on the English side of the Channel, the term “dandy rigged” was applied to a cutter setting a small sail aft of the main. Perhaps the French adopted the rig and its name but mispronounced it approximately as “dondee”? Evidently the English abandoned the rig but the French did not, so that after a generation or few the English misheard the word as “Dundee” and the name has stuck. A tenuous argument I admit. Perhaps others can do better? Jonathan Tatlow, Surrey
A drinking problem! my letter on Zacapa rum in Cb299 had an unfortunate but common misprint – “per cent proof”. both “per cent” and “proof” are ways of measuring alcohol content, but are very different figures. Zacapa is in fact 40 per cent alcohol, but about 80 degrees proof, normally written as 40% or 80°, the proof being roughly double the per cent figure. so “per cent proof” is akin to measuring it in “foot metres” – a nonsense. best to get the details right on such an important subject as rum… ! Also mentioned in Cb299 was bundy rum, which, as poor Guy Venables found, is very much at the other end of the scale. researchers, including several Australians, tested it in Australia (darwin) in 1991. the locals involved had been drinking it for years, but only with Coke; they had never tried it neat, as research demands. the comments were as follows: “bundaberg Australian rum, 74 degrees proof.” “reminiscent of a Welsh beaujolais.” “i was a fairly good-looking bloke before i started on this stuff.” “Almost meths.” “terrible innit.” Average tasting score out of 10 was 1.7. need i say more… Mick Skeatis, Wiltshire
LETTERS Send your letters (and also any replies please) to: Classic Boat, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ email: cb@classicboat.co.uk
Could Biche and Mutin share the same lines?
Separated at birth? I was really delighted to read your article on Biche in the last issue. Extremely interesting and a great story. Just two weeks ago I was on holiday on the Helford River and Mutin sailed in. As you probably know, Mutin is now a French Navy Sail Training ship based in Brest, but originally was a pilot-training vessel built in 1927 to the lines of a tunnyman. During WWII she was requisitioned by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) who were based in a house called Ridifarne on the Helford River, and used to transport agents, supplies and documents back and forth to France. She was chosen as she had the appearance of an innocent fishing boat. I’m a keen model maker and
have been planning to build the Mutin for a while, so I took the chance to go on board and take dozens of reference photos. However, there are no line drawings of her hull in existence, according to the crew who I spent some time with. Then CB dropped through my letter box with your article on Biche with line drawings prepared by Jean-Claude Rosso. I attach a photo of Mutin, which I’ve overlaid with a scan of the line drawing from your article, and bingo, it’s a very close fit! Do you think there’s any chance that M. Rosso would let me have a copy of his drawings, ideally as a CAD .dwg file? I’ll happily make a good contribution to Les Amis. Hope you can help. Nick Farmer by email
Delighted to receive July Classic Boat, and the campaign for the use of sturdy ‘cut-and-slash’ boat knives for safe sailing is definitely needed. I think we have sent photos of our well used boat-knife collection some time ago. As to “what is a classic anyway?” Timewise, my early ‘classic designs’ produced in the 1960s and early 70s fall in this category, both in their traditional lines and rigging. In fact, their heritage goes back more than 1,000 years to the original Polynesian boats these designs were based on. In 1970, I wrote an article in Yachting World about my then new 50ft (15.2m) catamaran design Tehini (right). After it was published we received an email from one owner describing the long ocean voyages she had made, the storms she had ridden out, and the number of people she had made happy. By many of your definitions she is a classic. At this moment we are working on a 55ft (16.8m) design that’s evolved from the Tehini with improved construction methods and a refined hull form. This weekend the French owner is coming to meet us to finalise the deck cabin details. As he intends to sail this boat in Patagonia, I expect I will have to remind him that the boat could be totally covered by a toppling wavecrest. It happened once to our 63ft (19.2m) catamaran on the way from New Zealand to Fiji in the turbulent zone where polar air meets the tropic airflow. So we must keep the deck cabins low and sleek. There is in France a ‘classic’ group of early offshore racing multihulls and I have been invited to become a ‘godfather’ to the group. Keep up the good work with the knife legalisation. James Wharram FRGS, Cornwall
Fast lady liked her liquor
RIGHT: C/O ADRIAN MORGAN
Well done Classic Boat Just a note to commend Peter Willis on his brilliant article about the OGA at 50. He covered the origins of the OGA in such a fair and logical way that the many highlights of its history, of which I was aware as I researched Essex Melody’s history, all fitted in place for me. I have ordered a copy of Viv Head’s book and he seems to have done a remarkable job, despite having to edit so much out of the original draft. I have obviously been in communication with him in the early stages of the book and he was grateful for all the information I gave him about Essex Melody and her owner, John Scarlett. Despite not having a gaff-rigged boat I was proud to see that you included a picture of the relaunch of Essex Melody in your article and thought to myself that if I had not responded to that email in Jan 2008 and brought her home for restoration, quite a large chunk of OGA history would have been lost and I would have had little involvement with the OGA. John Rogers by email
C/O NICK FARMER
Catamarans are classics
The death of Lady Arran brought back happy memories of the time I raced with her in Poole years ago as a young reporter. The first thing I noticed strapped to the cockpit bulkhead was a bottle of what I assumed was water, or squash, except it was a light brown colour. Coca-Cola, perhaps? Too weak. Cold tea? More like it. Throughout the race she took sips via a plastic tube, rather like cyclists do. The day was hot and it was clearly thirsty work. At the rolling start, we lined up abreast with 20 or so other boats, engines snarling, exhaust fumes curling around us, all jockeying for
advantage. Lady Arran totally ignored them, eyes fixed straight ahead, hand on wheel and throttle. At the signal she hit the throttle and, I suspect, kept it hard against the stops until we crossed the line, complete with the scrap of family tartan on her helmet fluttering out behind her. During the race she gave absolutely no quarter. She showed no deference to gender or age and her competitors clearly made no allowance either. The only woman in the race, and probably the oldest driver, she was clearly regarded as more than equal. And that peculiarlooking liquid? Whisky, of course. Adrian Morgan by email CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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Under the varnish No 4: “The Bowman” Guy Venables casts his entertaining eye over another traditional sailing stereotype
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CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
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