Classic Boat by Nhut Ha

APRIL 2014

£4.75 US$12.99

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

Awards

CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

2014 WINNERS

Your essential summer events guide

PLUS Fast gaffer Spitﬁre 18 Broads beauties The wherry yacht story

FAREWELL TO KENNY COOMBS

NEW BOATS ON TRAD LINES

THE GENTLEMAN’S GLUE KETTLE

Antigua founder

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Traditional method

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CRAFTSMANSHIP

Contents

CRAFTSMANSHIP

CLASSIC BOAT SURVEY

THE SEASON’S

EVENTS GUIDE

APRIL 2014 Nº310

p47

SONNY

On board German Frers Snr’s cutter

FEATURES

COVER STORY

14 . CLASSIC BOAT AWARDS Here are all the deserved winners in our annual prize-giving 27 . GOODBYE, KENNY In memory of the inimitable sailor and friend, Kenny Coombs 29 . LIGHTS, CAMERA… Introducing the 2014 National Historic Ships competition COVER STORY

30 . BIG ON THE BROADS The full story behind the three surviving Norfolk Wherry yachts

Classic Boat

30 RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN

6 . FAMOUS FRERS Meet Sonny, the 1935 ocean racer with a prestigious pedigree

COVER AND RIGHT: JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR

COVER STORY

Winners PAGE 14

COVER STORY

47 . DIARY DATES Plan your summer with our full guide to all the big events

PETER WILLIS

38 . SIXTIES SENSATION Climb aboard and step back in time with a cruise on Katinka

COVER STORY

82 . DESIGN STATEMENT Restoring the interior on the 1950s Fife double-ender Ellad

NICK CHAMPION

60 . NEW GAFFER The Spitfire 18 – a design departure for North Quay Marine

REGULARS 22 . TELL TALES 43 . SALEROOM 44 . OBJECTS OF DESIRE 95 . LOOKING AHEAD 96 . LETTERS 98 . STERNPOST ONBOARD 60 . SPITFIRE 18 65 . NEW CLASSICS 67 . LAZARETTE 69 . CLASSNOTES 71 . GETTING AFLOAT CRAFTSMANSHIP 78 . YARD NEWS 82 . ELLAD RESTORATION – PART 6 86 . BOATBUILDER’S NOTES 89 . ADRIAN MORGAN CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Swiss movement, English heart

Swiss made / Self-winding automatic movement / 38 hr power reserve / Marine grade stainless steel case / Uni-directional bezel / 300m (1000ft) water resistance / 4.0mm Anti-reďŹ&#x201A;ective sapphire crystal / SuperLuminova indexes, bezel marker and hands / High density rubber strap / Bracelet, NATO and leather versions also available / Diameter: 42mm / Calibre: Sellita SW200-1 / 5 year movement guarantee TM

DAN HOUSTON

FROM DAN HOUSTON, EDITOR

Looking forward to Cowes

classicboat.co.uk Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ EDITORIAL Editor Dan Houston +44 (0)207 349 3755 cb@classicboat.co.uk Deputy Editor Steffan Meyric Hughes +44 (0)207 349 3758 steffan.meyric-hughes@classicboat.co.uk Senior Art Editor Peter Smith +44 (0)207 349 3756 peter.smith@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 Technical Editor Theo Rye 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 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 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU Managing Director Paul Dobson Deputy Managing Director Steve Ross Commercial Director Vicki Gavin Publisher Simon Temlett Digital Manager Oliver Morley-Norris Events Manager Holly Thacker The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ +44 (0)207 349 3700 chelseamagazines.com Copyright The Chelsea Magazine Company 2013 all rights reserved Follow the Classic Boat team on Twitter and Facebook

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“So you going to the Cowes Classics this year?” Before I can answer my interlocutor adds: “You know, the Panerai one?” I had thought he’d been talking about Cowes Classics Week, which can now announce that it has a top sponsor in the form of stockbrokers Charles Stanley (see p22 and p50). The “Panerai one” is the longer-standing British Classic Yacht Club (BCYC) annual regatta about which more in a minute… But yes dear reader, there are two Cowes classics weeks, both of them great events, now staged over the third (BCYC) and fourth weeks in July. I was trying to remember when I first had a chat with Stuart Quarrie, representing the Cowes Combined Clubs – ergo Cowes Week (he’s CEO of Cowes Week now) and hearing that the organisers would like to be able to devolve a bit, and siphon off a good proportion of the older classes into a separate week and call it classics. It must have been at least 12 years ago and I think it may have been 2000. I thought it was a great idea, and one can imagine the sight: East and West Cowes basked in early morning sun, varnished wooden yachts, keelboats and “Instead of the dinghies dressed overall by the hundred adorning the Medina; people you could throw a rope to two weeks could who would know what to do with it; the smell that still had petrol engines; flowers we just have one” outofonboats deck – it would have had all the gosh appeal of the southern regattas of the Med. Hell, we could even have persuaded the skippers down there to bring their wooden wonders into tidal waters for a change. The owner would love it; less far for his banker to come for a day sail and it would be novel. But it wasn’t to be and unfortunately there is a little animosity between the two separate weeks where you can go and find classics, while many of the older classes still like to attend the now enormous Cowes Week in August. And you know what I’m going to say don’t you? Dear organisers please, as we do this for fun, instead of the two weeks could we have just the one? Classic Boat, of course, is a partner to both weeks and we’ll be reporting on them as they develop and when they have happened. CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

The renowned Buenos Aires-based yacht designer GermĂĄn Frers found and restored one of his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1930s offshore yachts, brought her over to the swish regattas in the French Riviera and proved her design pedigree by cleaning up STORY DAN HOUSTON

Clockwise from top left: the dull bronze on this Harken winch looks right; ﬂying the ﬂag for Argentina; forehatch built onto box; substantial metal deck turning block. Right: Germán Frers II with Sonny’s lines

acebook isn’t the best place to learn about yachting, let alone classic yachts, but in September some private pages came alive with the expectation of a special duel between two Germán Frers Snr yachts – the 1945 42ft 4in (12.9m) Vagabundo II (CB284) and an early Frers design, the 1935 48ft (14.6m) Sonny, recently restored, and helmed by the current head of the South American design dynasty, Germán Frers II. Robbie Fabre, young skipper, owner and restorer of Vagabundo II has a Facebook page that seems to bathe him in a tangerine light; triangulating from Europe to Africa to the Caribbean. He is also living the life, after Moitessier and his ilk, of a barefoot pelagic vagabond of the sea – racing his restoration from the UK to the Med and back and carrying way too much sail in places like Le Golfe du Lion (“Surﬁng down waves we got 14 knots!”). His enthusiam for getting the most from his boat is infectious and as the dates for the Cannes regatta last September grew close he and his crew were getting ready to take on Sonny and Frers and were Facebooking their pre-ﬁght focus with words like “dude” and “BOOM!”

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

But this West Side Story-style bravura was all taking place in cyberspace and at the Monaco Classic Week in early September an apparently unaware Germán Frers was in his usual sanguine, reserved mood, which, together with a shock of white hair, has given him a senior, leonine look; he was born in 1941. Sonny was tied up at the end of the dock and she is a boat that immediately catches the attention. Long lissom lines are so easy on the eye that she can literally hold your gaze. Her sharp stern ends in a nonchalant little kick, and you can imagine even short aggressive seas ﬁnding it impossible to climb aboard and poop her while her lines leave just a few whiskers of wake. I’d made a note to go for a closer look and when I do, I ﬁnd Germán aboard and with some time to talk to CB about this special boat. “She sailed over here in 40 days, leaving the River Plate on 6 June,” he explains. “I could not sail over, some crew brought her but I plan to be here for this regatta and Cannes [Régates Royales] and then St Tropez [Les Voiles]. I am here with a crew from home and we are nine aboard for the regattas. Sonny was relaunched in 2011 so we have had two seasons

DAN HOUSTON

PREVIOUS PAGE: JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR

ALL FOUR IMAGES BY NIGEL PERT

SONNY

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did a lot of work ourselves, we even cast our own bronze hingesâ&#x20AC;?

SONNY

SONNY GERMÁN FRERS 1935 LENGTH OVERALL

48ft 1in (14.7m) LENGTH WATERLINE

36ft 7in (11.2m) BEAM

11ft 3in (3.4m) DRAUGHT

6ft 5in (1.95m) DISPLACEMENT

32,330lbs (14.7 tonnes) SAIL AREA

sailing in our home waters before coming to the classics here. This is Sonny’s first time away from Argentine waters and there are now three Frers boats here this season – Vagabundo II is joined by the 1942 52ft (15.9m) Horizonte, another ketch based in Buenos Aires before coming to Europe. She was also sailed by my father… It’s the first time Germán Frers boats will be together at these regattas and both Vagabundo II and Horizonte are very fast yachts,” Germán says, gallantly playing down his chances with Sonny. We get talking about the restoration – she is like a new boat now – and her history; she was always called Sonny, and her influence owes a nod to the drawings and legendary sea boats of Colin Archer… “Sonny was designed by my father and she was also built by him and his business partner, a cousin who was Che Guevara’s father in a boatyard in Buenos Aires,” Germán explains with quite an impressive introduction concerning the Marxist revolutionary and Cuban exile from those tortured times in Argentina. “She was built for a man called Figueroa Alcorta, a real sailor who wanted a double-ender, and my father had already 10

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

NIGEL PERT

JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR

1,173sqft (109m2)

drawn several Colin Archer types, so he drew her canoe stern for him. She was built of South American timbers – cedro [a mahogany type], algarrobo frames and viraro bulwarks; she has an all new deck and coachroof. “To save some money, Guevara used iron ballast for the keel so she was very tender at first. My father drew her lines for a lead keel, but he wasn’t there when the boat was being finished and they made her keel in iron. He was not happy with the boat and he took her back and changed the keel and after that she performed very well – he sailed her for two years in local offshore races. “After the war there was a shortage of boats to use for fishing in that area and so people were converting boats to fish and Sonny was one of those converted with a much larger engine and a smaller rig.” It seems the boat was forgotten; in revolutionary Argentina times were tough, although the young Germán was designing yachts when he was still at school, drawing a 32ft (9.8m) yacht for offshore racing when he was just 16. She was the first glassfibre boat built in Argentina in 1957. Within a few years, in 1965, his career took him to New York, at first designing in the Sparkman & Stephens

NIGEL PERT

Far left: the lithe lines set up a quarter wave at the stern. Above, top to bottom: a simple but elegant interior – who would have thought she’d crossed the Atlantic a few weeks earlier?; Frers at the helm; light airs and a chance to admire her elegant hull with 11ft (3.4m) beam

NIGEL PERT

office and then on his own before returning to Buenos Aires to take over his father’s design office in 1970. “I found 600 designs when I took over,” he says with pride. “And my father was 28 before he started sailing. Before that he’d raced cars and motorbikes – he even designed and built his own cars, and when he got into yacht design he followed Colin Archer designs. “Most boats in Argentina at that time had been built in Europe but he created an industry that was already quite well developed after the war but went into decline with the Perón administration [from 1946 to 1955]. “He would be so happy to see us and the boat here, and this was one of the reasons I restored Sonny – although I seem to have a habit of restoring boats! I have restored four or five of them now and I still have a Charles Nicholson 8-M from 1909, which is lying in Santo Stefano in Italy – she might be my last restoration! “I particularly like working with artisans and I like maintaining and conserving things, especially anything from family ancestors to preserve family history. Sonny was restored by Alberto Szyjka of Astillero Naval Szyjka in San Fernando, in Buenos Aires. A friend found her in

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

CARLO BORLENGHI

SONNY

2006 in Quilmes south of Buenos Aires. She was just a hull with no deck or stem. I did the lofting and made moulds from inside the boat to get control of her shape. I used my father’s drawings to rebuild her mast and other fittings. She had wrought iron floors throughout, which were mostly good – we re-galvanised them. We replaced with grown frames on 24in (61cm) centres, with two steamed frames between each one as she was done originally.” Photos on Szyjka’s website (astilleroszyjka.com) show the work done to bring Sonny back to life. The approach was to recreate her as she was, but with some touches of modernity where it does not detract. So she has a ply sub-deck overlaid with teak, and a large wheel to relay every nuance of the rudder to the helm. “We did a lot of work ourselves. We even cast our own bronze hinges,” Germán affirms as we sit in Sonny’s spartan saloon looking at her lines on the table – which incidentally lifts up to reveal her engine –a Yanmar 50hp, with a quarter-mounted propeller. “We relaunched in 2011 and it’s an emotional thing to finally sail my father’s design. For years boats like this were abandoned as people went for more modern designs and materials like glassfibre, but now it’s coming back and I think that is because the sport has become so professional, but there is also something very warm and pleasant about a wooden boat. Wood is one of those materials that people just feel good about. Boats like this are also quite romantic – certainly I spend all my

NIGEL PERT

Above: Sonny had a total restoration over a period of years before her relaunch in 2011. She was once converted to a ﬁshing boat in Argentina

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

money on this!” I ask Germán about Vagabundo II – they are quite similar, although Sonny is nearly 6ft (1.8m) longer overall and with a 3ft (0.9m) bowsprit. His calm smile says it all: “We shall see…”

CANNES IN THE CAN The attitude between Frers and Robbie Fabre couldn’t be more different. Behind the Facebook élan Robbie says he was pretty nervous about the proposition of racing Vagabundo II against Sonny over the five races at the Régates Royales in Cannes, starting on 24 September. “Germán Frers is my complete hero,” Robbie asserts. “I don’t follow football or rugby but I have followed what he’s done all my life. So it felt like a huge thing to do, and we were both in the same class at Cannes so it would matter. Before the regatta Sonny was moored alongside Vagabundo II [and Tigris] for a while, but I’d taken the boat off to do a charter at Menorca – so we were away in August. Then when we got back we saw that Sonny looked different, they’d obviously taken everything off her and we would have to do the same. That’s when it got scary, realising how professional they were. For us it meant we emptied all the tanks, took off all the tools; didn’t even have cushions or bedding – nothing that was not essential. “Then when we got to the start line we saw them and they came up and put a couple of tacks in before taking their sails down as though they weren’t being serious at all. I think they were definitely psyching us out, although Germán never says much so you don’t know. But his crew were like water – they all just flowed across the deck. The first day was amazing because we managed to beat them on time but on the second they came around us on the start line, spinning around us, and it was like something from the America’s Cup, which we were all watching at night. And they’d put the hook on us and then we’d do it to them and suddenly I saw Sonny just peel away and pull up to the weather end of the line and we’d run out of start line...” Sonny won the next three races with the vagabonds managing to beat her again on the last race. Both yachts won their separate classes at St Tropez the following week with the regatta Rolex going to Frers, though with Horizonte coming a close second one could say that Germán Frers Snr yachts dominated the prestigious end-of-season regatta. Frers and son, that is.

VII EDITION

PUIG BARCELONA FROM 16 TO 19 OF JULY 2014 TH

WWW.PUIGVELACLASSICA.COM

RESTORATION UNDER 40FT (12M)

Winner Ellad Here’s a good example of a “budget” restoration (c£160,000 including purchase), to cruise, as well as to pose at regattas, something proved when owner and restorer Didier Griffiths sailed her from La Rochelle to the Clyde in 2013 to attend the ﬁve-yearly Fife Regatta. She’s William Fife III’s very last design, drawn shortly before the war and built after it in 1957. Our serialised story of her restoration has been running ever since we featured the yacht in CB305.

RUNNER-UP Ben my Chree

The votes are in, the panel has met and here are the results – your best in classic and traditional sailing from the past year

NIGEL PERT

isted over the next ﬁve pages are the seven categories you voted in, as well as a further six judged by the CB panel: Dan Houston, Steffan Meyric Hughes and contributing editor Peter Willis, with technical editor Theo Rye and boatbuilder Jamie Clay there to keep us in line! We were amazed and relieved last year when we ﬁrst threw the doors open to a public vote. You came forth in droves (or, to be precise, 4,519) to have your say. Well, this year, 5,872 people voted on the Classic Boat website, a very welcome increase of 23 per cent, which we think gives the awards a strong legitimacy. The global spread of support was also impressive, with 10 of the 24 winners and ‘commendeds’ being British, three French, three Dutch and three American. Spain, Norway, Australia and Turkey have also made an impression this year. All of these boats, yards and people have great stories, some of which we’ve already featured, and some which are still to come. So, with thanks to our sponsors, here, without further ado, are our 2014 Awards winners.

This 1932 L Francis Herreshoff sloop became, in 1983, the Stuart Knockabout GRP sloop built in quantity by Ballentine’s Boat Shop in Massachusetts. And now the original is back, with an authentic rebuild that includes canvas decks, grown frames and her original hardware.

RESTORATION OVER 40FT (12M)

Winner Pilgrim Pilgrim BM45 is nothing less than the oldest surviving Brixham Trawler, built in 1895. The epic 74ft (22.6m) vessel was subject to an equally impressive restoration that started in 1999 when the boat returned home from Sweden. Fourteen years and £1.1 million of Heritage Lottery Fund money later, she’s in Brixham where she belongs, with an authentic deck and an interior transformed for charter.

Since 1790

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

C/O PILGRIM TRUST. OPPOSITE: C/O THE MOORS

SPONSORED BY

RUNNER-UP Saskia The Fife III 8-M showed her speed in 2013 after a restoration under various owners. The most recent work was done by Ventis Shipyard in Enkhuizen, Holland, who put in a new rig and strengthened her to race again.

TRADITIONAL NEW BUILD

Winner White Rose White Rose of Mevagissey has created a stir on our website and in these awards, where she won by a mile. A new, trad yacht at this size, 25ft (7.6m), is rare and a credit to her builders, Henry and Peter Moor in Cornwall.

RUNNER-UP Lillebror A 17ft (5.2m) Viking boat with a silk square sail, hemp rigging and painted tar and linseed oil ďŹ nish. CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Panerai British Classic Week Paner a

British Classic Y acht C

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lub Cowes

Cowes, 12th-19th July 2014 Entries open April z Racing organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron z Super Zero Class 75ft and over z IRC Classic yachts 25ft and over z Modern Classic Division z Full Social Programme z Classic Around the Island Race sponsored by EFG International Monday 14th July z Racing Sunday 13th to Friday 18th July z Parade of Classics Saturday 19th July z Varied programme of cruising events

PHOTOGRAPH BY JONATHAN HOARE.

For further information on entry and sponsorship opportunities, please contact, Mary Scott-Jackson info@msjevents.co.uk Tel:+44 (0)1983 245100 www.britishclassicyachtclub.org/regatta Panerai British Classic Week is a British Classic Yacht Club regatta

SPIRIT OF TRADITION OVER 40FT (12M)

Winner Alexa

Dutch but not metal, the cold-moulded Alexa is the 35th yacht in the Truly Classic range from leading naval architect Andre Hoek. She was built by Metur Yacht in Turkey and she’s the 51-footer (15.5m) in the range. Here’s a relatively simple, modestly canvassed bermudan cutter designed for blue-water cruising that is easily handled by two. Pretty authentic and salty for a new boat, and one of the nicer looking SoT yachts out there.

RUNNER-UP Tempus Fugit

FROM TOP: C/O HOEK, C/0 CW HOOD; RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN

One of the breed of yachts inspired by the new J-Class, Tempus Fugit is a bit smaller at 90ft (27.4m), much cheaper and more practical! She’s designed by Briton Rob Humphreys and built at Turkey’s Arkin Pruva yard in wood-epoxy.

SPIRIT OF TRADITION UNDER 40FT (12M)

Winner CW Hood 32

Winner Snowgoose

The new CW Hood 32 foam sandwich daysailer hails from the eponymous yard in Marblehead, Mass. With her ‘mini-J’ looks, purity of purpose and light weight, she looks as though she’d be weatherly – and fast. We’ve not been aboard yet, but love the look and so, clearly, did you.

More people voted for Snowgoose than for any other boat in the short history of our awards, making this 1962 Landamore-built Broads cruiser of 37ft (11.3m), recently restored at IBTC Commercial, our most popular winner ever!

RUNNER-UP St Ayles Skiffs

RUNNER-UP Lamborghini Riva

The Iain Oughtred-designed St Ayles rowing skiffs have exploded in popularity since their birth in 2009. Now there are more than 100 built, or in build. The appeal is partly the cost: just £3,500 for a self-built boat.

Riva Aquarama with Lambo engines? Two Italian icons in one for this twin V12-powered 48-knot runabout, once owned by Ferruccio Lamborghini and restored by Riva-World in Holland. CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

2014 WINNERS

BEST BELOW DECKS

Winner So Fong

C/O OLD SALT; C/O SHACKLETON EPIC

So Fong is the only winner in this year’s awards without a runner-up, which says something about yacht interiors (there’s room for serious improvement here) and something about So Fong. Here’s an interior that simply draws gasps. Full article in CB302

PERSON OF THE YEAR

BEST HULL FORM

Winner Tim Jarvis

Winner Latifa

Winner with more than 1,000 votes, Tim Jarvis is the steadfast Australian who led a team of six men into the Southern Ocean in a keel-less 23ft (7m) lifeboat to recreate Shackleton’s amazing 1916 rescue voyage on the James Caird (CB299 and online).

Of all the creations to ﬂow from the Fife yard at Fairlie, Latifa, the 1936 double-ended bermudan yawl, ranks among the best. Built as an ocean racer but with half an eye on cruising, she has won races, cruised the world and never fails to delight the eye. Fife’s sisters used her shape to make a windvane to overlook his grave. His creation sails on.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Fiona and Ali Houston

HIGHLY COMMENDED DANEGELD

The brother and sister act who have created one of the world’s most special regattas – the quinquennial ‘Fifes on the Clyde’.

David Cheverton’s 1958 bermudan sloop that won 15 ﬁrsts from 22 starts in her ﬁrst season. Commodious, handsome, fast and seaworthy.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

C/O MARTIN BLACK

2014 WINNERS

JOHN LEATHER AWARD FOR SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT

Winner Kenny Coombs

Winner Martin Black

In 1988 Kenny (and his wife Jane) founded the Antigua Classics regatta, making the Caribbean a destination of choice for many a classic sailor. It’s true the trade winds, blue water and sunshine were already there, but Kenny developed a super-cool week that endeared him to many. Sadly, he was taken ill and died in October 2013 and will be sorely missed. Turn to page 27 for our obituary on dear Kenny

Martin Black, a Scottish lawyer and a keen yachtsman, spent more than 20 years of his spare time researching one of the greatest ever yacht designers, George Lennox Watson. His exhaustive research resulted in the authoritative and very readable biography GL Watson, The Art and Science of Yacht Design, a remarkable testament to a designer worthy of more appreciation. TR

HIGHLY COMMENDED Tom Cunliffe HIGHLY COMMENDED Witch and Alistair Randall Alistair took his 1898 gaff cutter all the way around the British Isles last year, visiting her 19th-century home port of Gigha on the way. CB301.

Tom’s 2013 book Pilot Cutters Under Sail is a deﬁnitive work on the subject of the British and North European pilots and a must-have for any historian of maritime matters. A beautiful book and beautifully written.

NIC COMPTON

MARGIE SMITH

EDITOR’S CHOICE

C/O NIELSEN

BOATYARD OF THE YEAR

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Winner T Nielsen & Company

Winner Charles-Henri le Moing

Formed in Gloucester Docks by Danish shipwright Tommi Nielsen and partner Sarah White in 1988, the yard’s dominance in big-boat restorations has been second to none. Their CV goes from Jolie Brise to HMS Gannet and everything in between. Feature in CB307.

It’s 25 years since Charles-Henri le Moing organised the ﬁrst ever raid in the Philippines, when 40 catamarans raced island to island. Then, in 1997, he organised a raid on Portugal’s Douro River, using small, open boats to row and sail upriver. It was a spectacular success and Charles-Henri has since organised raids in Scotland, Sweden and Ireland. What he’s done is create a new concept in sailing, and raids have sprung up all over the world, from Finland to Australia to Maine, and the development of ‘raid boats’ has been taken up with enthusiasm by designers. Nic Compton

COMMENDED Gilbert Pasqui Pasqui, based in Villefranche on France’s Med coast, is best known for spars, but over 47 years, he has worked on everything from Tuiga to Rivas.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Tell Tales

Classic Boat’s address: Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ For phone numbers, please see page 5

COWES, IoW

Sponsor deal for Cowes Classics Week

TIM JEFFREYS

Cowes Classics Week (CCW), the metre and keelboat event that started in 2008 as a complement to Cowes Week, has come of age with a new title sponsor in the form of London investment ﬁrm Charles Stanley. CCW is often confused with Panerai British Classic Week, the better-known BCYC event. CCW is, in fact, a larger regatta in terms of participating boats, with 100+ vessels (and the Queen) attending in 2012. With the new “cruiser/racer” class for cabin yachts successfully trialled and set to grow this year, CCW could cement its position as Britain’s biggest regatta of its kind. This year, a special invitation goes to the GRP Nicholson 36 and its wooden predecessors. Email Peter Seary (wpseary@gmail. com). For more on CCW, 21-25 July, see cowesclassicsweek.org.

C/O JOHN WATSON

MB278 1914

THAMES

C/O MICHAEL DENNETT

David Cameron visits Johns Boat Works

Classic river craft auction at Beale Park A special boat and collectibles auction will be held at the scenic Thames-side venue of Beale Park on 7 June, during the Beale Park Boat Show. Consignments are invited, and this could be a great way to sell a traditional river craft, rowing and river memorabilia, model or toy boat. Auction lots include MB278 (see above and right, est £50,000£70,000), an umpire launch, two carved walnut gondola oar rests and model and toy boats ranging from £100 to £3,000. Contact Gillian Nahum on Tel: +44 (0)1635 580595 or see hscboats.co.uk.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

MB278, First World War veteran Seeing MB278 smashing her way across the Channel at the 2010 Dunkirk commemorative return was a rare treat, confounding the sedate image of the river cruisers that formed the ﬂeet of Little Ships in 1940. MB278 is special not just for being one of those Little Ships, but for having served as a naval pinnace in the First World War. She was built by J White & Son in Cowes, IoW, in teak on oak. She was meticulously restored by Thames boatbuilder Michael Dennett in 2010.

Prime Minister David Cameron visited John Watson’s boatyard on Lot’s Ait in west London to see its transformation from dereliction to boatyard. His visit, on 27 January with local MP Mary Macleod, was timed to announce his intention to cut red tape for small businesses.

WORD OF THE MONTH

Pinch-gut money An expression used by merchant seaman for money paid to them on certain vessels at the end of a voyage to the value of such stores as they were entitled to but not have drawn. A Ansted

ANDREA FRANCOLINI

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Historic skiffs neck and neck A ﬂeet of 11 historic 18ft Skiffs was out racing in Sydney Harbour in lots of wind and sun for three days at the end of January. The winning boat was the 1932-built Aberdare, which beat Yendys by just three seconds, proving that these monumentally fast, exciting boats still provide the spectacle that class founder Mark Foy envisaged when he came up with the concept, in 1892.

A replica 18thcentury shipwright’s workshop is in build at Buckler’s Hard on Hampshire’s Beaulieu River. Members of the public are invited to help raise and fasten the oak-framed building from 1-3 August. Between now and then, various short courses on this sort of construction are on offer. When complete, the building will be run as a boatbuilding school by IBTC. Go to bucklershard. co.uk for more information.

NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Turning old wardrobes into boats A dinghy built of old wardrobes beat off millions of pounds’ worth of yacht restorations to win the 2013 Hal Harpur Award from the Wooden Boat Association of New South Wales. When asked by judges how much the timber for his 12ft (3.7m) Whitehall dinghy cost, Kiwi winner Kevin Isle replied: “Never buy the stuff. I just go out before ‘Council Clean-up Day’ and select what I want. The boat is mainly from an old wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a couple of bed frames.” The judges were nervous to let Kevin take his mahogany-framed award. Runners-up included Steve Gunns for the AUS$4.6M (c£2.5M) restoration of Hurrica V, the ketch from The Great Gatsby (CB299); Peter Kershaw for the 30-year restoration of Utiekah II, a 36ft (11m) 1911 yacht; and 82-year- old Alf Jacobson for his 10ft (3.1m) skiff, which was the 75th boat he had built. Quirky

Bounty – captain was “reckless”

QUIRKY

Boatbuilding school in build

US COAST GUARD

Captain Robin Walbridge’s decision to sail the Tall Ship Bounty into the well-forecasted path of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 was condemned as “reckless” in the official report into the sinking, which resulted in the loss of two lives. Read the report here: 1.usa.gov/OsRU1R CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

RAY LITTLE

TELL TALES

UPPER THAMES

West Berkshire says no to steamboat museum The Consuta Trust and Beale Park (Child Beale Trust) have been denied planning permission for a museum and steamboat haven. The plan was for a museum on a pond connected by a short canal to the lake at Beale Park, to hold the famous steam launch Consuta aﬂoat, together with two other historic steam launches: Cygnet and Donola. “The site is surrounded by trees and therefore has no impact on the area visually, yet the planners did not even let it get to the planning committee, despite strong support from the local council, local MP, National Historic Ships and The Steamboat Association,” said Robin Ford of the Consuta Trust. An appeal will be heard on 14 April, but Consuta and Beale Park are asking for your support. Email Robin at pr@tradboatrally.com.

Maidstone River Festival cancelled

Biggest ever Clyde ﬂotilla Inverclyde Council has put £250K into funding what it calls “the biggest ever ﬂotilla festival” on the Clyde. Various feeders will arrive in Greenock’s James Watt Dock by 25 July, before sailing upriver to Glasgow. Watch out for a special “Small Ships Race”.

MARCIN DOBROWOLSKI

The Maidstone River Festival has been cancelled indeﬁnitely, reports Patrick Boniface. The free show that has run since 1979 has struggled recently to attract funding and sponsorship. Organisers have also seen a huge increase in the cost of providing policing amid growing health and safety concerns.

New Shannon RNLI class The ﬁrst Shannon class arrived for duty at Dungeness, Kent, on 21 February by ramming the beach! She’s the RNLI’s ﬁrst all-weather lifeboat and the RNLI plans to roll out 50 of the £2M boats over the next decade. The ‘ramming the beach’ video is on our website at classicboat.co.uk

CHILE

Lord Nelson rounds the Horn The 141ft (43m) British barque Lord Nelson became the ﬁrst mixed-ability Tall Ship to round Cape Horn on 1 February. She is 15 months into her round-the-world voyage and due back in Britain this September, reports Max Mudie. Once part of the famous clipper route for sailing cargo ships, there have been very few roundings of Cape Horn by Tall Ships since World War II. The Dutch barque Europa, also on a round-the-world voyage, took the same track into the Atlantic in November 2013. Another “Cape Horner” is the Russian four-masted barque Kruzenshtern, which as the Padua, one of the famous “Flying P liners”, carried cargo around the Horn 28 times between 1926 and 1941. She recreated this voyage, as a training vessel, in 1995.

NHS-UK needs ﬂagship A special pennant, up to £1,000 and plenty of kudos are on offer for this year’s National Historic Ships’ ﬂagship. See nationalhistoricships. org.uk by 31 March.

Baltic Classics The Baltic Classic Circuit, the world’s fastest-growing classic regatta series, has signed a headline sponsor in Snoot Yachting, a new fashion yachting brand.

Look for the BMF logo and buy with conﬁdence C/O THE ORGANISERS from over 1500 accredited companies that adhere to the British Marine Federation’s Code of Practice. By following this code, BMF members offer their customers quality, competitive pricing and peace of mind. When you buy BMF, you will also experience ethical business practice and great customer service. Every company displaying the BMF logo is proud of all it represents. Buy BMF. Buy with conﬁdence. Look for the logo.

britishmarine.co.uk/logo

‘I want to work miricles!’ -Leonardo Da Vinci, Quadreni, III

BUILDERS AND RESTORERS OF FINE CRAFTS SINCE 1983

www.meturyacht.com

E: info@meturyacht.com

T: +90 252 316 40 62

OBITUARY

Kenny Coombs Antigua Classic founder The world of traditional sailing lost one of its true gentlemen when Kenny Coombs died in October last year. This year’s Antigua Classic, 17-22 April, will be the ﬁrst without him at the helm. Here, his widow Jane, friends and colleagues, share their memories

Kenny was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1950 and grew up miles from the sea in Cincinnati, Ohio. From a young age, he inherited his father’s mechanical bent (his father was a jet engineer), and rebuilt everything from cars to cameras. His ﬁrst taste of sailing was on holiday in Martha’s Vineyard with his grandparents. After leaving home to travel in the early 70s, he washed up in Norway, where he helped to rebuild a wooden double-ended ﬁshing boat and learned from the traditional shipwrights there. Two years later, Kenny became captain of the 40ft (12.2m) gaffrigged ketch Hollandia. He broke a mast in the North Sea, built a new one in Denmark and went through the French canals to the Med, adopting a ship’s rabbit called Moses Malone on the way. In 1980 Kenny found himself in San Antonio, Ibiza, where he met wife-to-be Jane, who had been working her way around the Med on traditional boats. “I was taken with his twinkly aqua eyes and friendly, relaxed persona,” Jane recalls. A romance that started on a moonlit sail on a 6ft (1.8m) tender would last until Kenny’s death.The two sailed to Antigua in 1983 and never came back. Antigua in the 1980s was

“Everybody’s funny and I’m funny too!” Kenny Coombs JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH

swinging and the decade was good to the couple, who started chartering in earnest and began the long, slow build of their Antigua home, Windy Ridge. They rescued and restored the 26ft (7.9m) Harrison Butler yacht Cora and started Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta with fellow sailors Uli Pruesse and Tony Fincham. “You could say Kenny made the Antigua Classics but the regatta was also the making of him. From an unassuming yacht captain in his late 30s, he evolved into a conﬁdent leader, public speaker and diplomat, weaving through the intricacies of running a complex event with grace, intelligence and good humour,” says Jane. “April was the highlight of his year and as the regatta drew near he would scan the sea with his binoculars waiting for the yachts to come sailing in.” Over the years, Kenny skippered and crewed on many great classics – Ticonderoga, Elena, Tuiga and Kentra – to name but a few. He especially encouraged women to be

Above: Kenny at the helm of the Fife III schooner Adventuress. Below, left to right: Kenny in his early 20s; the Harrison Butler yacht Cora; and with wife Jane in the mid-1980s

conﬁdent sailors in a man’s world; “Kenny’s Girls” made up a large part of his crew at many a regatta. He was also a considerable force behind the new ‘spirit of tradition’ yachts, giving them a separate class and welcoming them – as well as the new J Class – to Antigua. “He was a man of great strength but one of the gentlest people you could meet,” adds Jane. “He used to say: ‘Everybody’s funny and I’m funny too’. He loved a good time with friends and a rum or two and was often last to leave a party. He was an unwavering friend and his spirit will be found in the wind in your sails.”

FRIENDS REMEMBER “Kenny’s tolerance and respect for others has shown me what it means to be an advanced human being” Markus Schweiger, captain, Thendara “His spirit will sail with us on night watches when departed friends are close” Graham Knight, Antigua Sails “A great King Neptune for us all” Jonathan Cornelius, ABSAR

LEFT TO RIGHT: C/O ANTIGUA CLASSICS

“A true Grand Monsieur” Pascale Sold, Mount Gay Rum “A rare combination of seriousness and lightness” Mario Pirri, Latifa “Kenny was a giant in our little world. I grew a beard once, about 15 years ago. I looked like Kenny’s little brother. Proud to be that any day!” Donald Toﬁas, W Class CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

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.

33ft Classic Tender “LOCH LOMOND”

2007. The style of this vessel is sophisticated and classic : an ideal combination. Her 150Hp engine generates a top speed of 16 knots and technically she is in pristine condition. She can easily be transported on a trailer as she has the European standard beam for road transportation, and, she weighs only 2,25 tons when empty.

BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage Montpellier l La Ciotat l Monaco l Paris l Palma, Majorca Moscow l Hong Kong l Grenada l Turkey l California

1 rue Barthez - 34000 Montpellier - France Tel. +33 467 66 39 93 - info@bernard-gallay.com www.bernard-gallay.com

National Historic Ships UK

WIN £P500 LUS MARINE EQUIPM ENT

Upload your photos online for a chance to win nationalhistoricships.org.uk

Competition Categories A. Historic Vessels on the National Register or National Archive of Historic Vessels This category is for photos that feature all or part of a registered historic vessel, either on static display or in operational use, clearly identiﬁable by name or type. See ‘The Registers’ online at nationalhistoricships.org.uk for eligible vessels. Category Prize: E7 multifunction display chartplotter (pictured right), awarded by Raymarine. B. Traditional Maritime Skills in Action This category is for photos that plainly demonstrate a traditional maritime skill or technique (eg, hands-on vessel maintenance, rigging, caulking, seamanship or boatbuilding in the workplace/classroom). Category Prize: £250 to be spent on maritime training, equipment, tools, or educational material, awarded by the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC). C. Classic Boat Favourite: The Maritime Enthusiast This is a special category, judged by Classic Boat, for the best maritime photograph taken by an enthusiast. Entries may include maritime scenes, traditional or replica vessels, close-ups of vessel parts, etc. Category Prize: Two-year subscription to Classic Boat, plus your photograph published in the magazine.

Jock Wishart Peter Polar explorer Mumford Beken of Cowes marine photography

E. Your Local Historic Vessel or Seascape. Open to school children only, aged 4-18 years. Category Prize: An iPad for your school, awarded by Fat Beehive, plus a visit to a historic vessel for you and up to three family members. Highly Commended Prize: A nautical print, awarded by Claudia Myatt. The winning entry will also be eligible for consideration by the judging panel as the Overall Winner for 2014, chosen from all photography competition categories A-E. OVERALL WINNER: National Historic Ships UK’s Photographer of the Year 2014 One entrant will be chosen as overall winner from categories A-E and the winning photograph will be included in National Historic Ships UK’s promotional material. Overall Prize: A wireless wind, speed and depth system with NMEA system to be donated to a registered vessel of your choice, sponsored by Raymarine. An additional monetary prize of £500 to be awarded on a theme or activity involving a historic vessel on the NHS-UK Historic Vessels, sponsored by NHS-UK. Highly Commended Prizes: Illustrated book Tall Ships Today: Their Remarkable Story, sponsored by Adlard Coles Nautical.

Competition Rules & Guidelines

The Judges

Alan Watson Council of Experts, NHS-UK

D. Faces of the Sea This category is for maritime portraits and photographs of people ashore or aﬂoat, which capture their passion for, and connection with, the sea. Category Prize: £250 to be spent on wet-weather gear, awarded by the OGA.

Sam Willis Maritime historian and archaeologist

Dan Houston Peter Snow CBE Tracey Clarke Historian, Broadcaster Editor, Classic Boat television and radio presenter

How to enter: The competition opens on Tuesday 1 April 2014 and all entries must be received by the closing deadline of midnight on Sunday 31 August 2014. To enter a photograph in any of the competition categories, you will need to complete an online entry form and upload your images to the National Historic Ships UK competition web page, available at: nationalhistoricships.org.uk. Entrants can submit up to two images per category. For full rules, guidelines and entry forms, including details on shortlisting, judging and prizes, please visit nationalhistoricships.org.uk before submitting an image to this competition.

SUPPORTED BY

Meet White Moth, Olive and Norada â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the only Norfolk Wherry yachts in existence. Now, thanks to years of dedication by a charitable trust, they are back on the Broads STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN

WHERRY YACHTS

Clockwise from top: steering a course on board Norada; Norada displaying her white sail that’s so distinctive to all wherry yachts; the giant mainsail halyard winch on Norada’s bow

ast summer, the sole surviving trio of wherry yachts – Olive, Norada and White Moth – slipped their moorings to sail together for the first time in more than a decade. As they weaved in between the anchored boats on Norfolk’s Ranworth Broad, a dedicated band of volunteers were able to reflect on a remarkable two years in which the Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust (WYCCT) has successfully completed two major restorations – the refurbishment of its Wroxham base, and taken on the responsibility of operating the wherry yacht White Moth. Twelve years ago, such achievements were just a dream for the enthusiasts when they established WYCCT to provide a long-term future for the three wherries operated by Peter Bower and the late Barney Matthews. This intrepid duo individually owned Olive and Norada respectively before joining forces in 1984 to establish the not-for-profit organisation Wherry Yacht Charter (WYC). Shortly afterwards, they acquired the Edwardian pleasure wherry Hathor when she came up for auction.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

However, by the turn of the 21st century, Peter and Barney’s attention was increasingly turning towards securing the long-term future of their three wherries. These concerns led to the foundation of WYCCT in 2002 under the leadership of the late Professor Aitken Clark, who had been the Broads Authority’s first chief executive. Two years later, the trust secured a grant of £492,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and acquired WYC’s fleet. Despite this progress, the wherries were increasingly showing their age, which resulted in the temporary retirement of all three by 2009. However, before any of the wherries could be restored, the trust’s volunteers had to refurbish their Wroxham base, which included the construction of a new slipway and workshops. The completion of this work in 2011 enabled the trust to once more turn its attention to the revival of its wherries, starting with Norada. Her restoration had commenced in 2006 and, as it came to fruition in 2012, WYCCT received an unexpected boost when the Norfolk Broads Yachting Company (NBYCo) sold its entire fleet of traditional

Broads sailing craft. Martham Boats purchased the bulk of this ﬂeet but could not take on the wherry yacht White Moth due to the location of its yard above the medieval bridge at Potter Heigham. Therefore, one of WYCCT’s trustees, Andrew Scull, agreed to buy White Moth and lend her to the trust for three years to provide much needed income, as well as practical experience for its volunteer crew who had not sailed a wherry since the end of Hathor’s farewell tour in 2009. Shortly after White Moth’s arrival in Wroxham, the trust staged a special event on Salhouse Broad to unveil the rejuvenated Norada, which was followed 12 months later by the recommissioning of Olive. Once the initial euphoria of these events had passed, the trust had to adapt to a different set of priorities. Previously, it had concentrated exclusively on the restoration of its facilities and wherries. However, within the space of 18 months it had become the operator of three charter craft. For the owners of several historic vessels, charter work is simply viewed as an effective method of generating a signiﬁcant contribution towards

Above: the three remaining wherry yachts back together on Ranworth Broad – (left to right) Norada, Olive and White Moth. Left: White Moth’s cabin is certainly spartan, but there’s no doubting the quality of the brightwork

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

WHERRY YACHTS the annual running costs, yet for WYCCT it also provides the opportunity for its wherry yachts to perform their original role. Although a few were built for private owners, their development was triggered by the embryonic Broadland tourism industry in the late 19th century. In the early 1860s, a few enterprising owners temporarily converted the holds of their trading wherries to take parties of wealthy Victorians on sailing holidays. At the end of the summer months, these craft would revert to their commercial role of moving cargoes of reeds, timber and coal around the Broads. As demand grew, purpose-built craft, known as pleasure wherries, were built with high-quality varnished teak or mahogany interiors. By the turn of the 20th century, approximately 100 of these wherries were available for hire.

LUXURY LIFESTYLE However, a few Victorians demanded a more refined experience thereby leading to the creation of the final and most luxurious incarnation of the Norfolk Wherry. With a straight stem and counter stern, the carvel-built wherry yachts combined the elegance of the finest cruising yachts with the internal volume and single, gaff-rigged mainsail of their predecessors. The counter stern’s additional deck space provided the perfect place for the hirers to enjoy their cruise without being interrupted by the lowering and raising of either the mast or sail. In contrast to the previous two versions, only a handful of wherry yachts were built before White Moth became the last of her kind to be launched in June 1915. By a curious twist of fate, the three surviving wherry yachts were all built by the Wroxham-based boatbuilder and designer Ernest Collins. They spent more than 30 years within his hire fleet prior to enduring mixed fortunes in private ownership after the Second World War. The recently restored 56ft (17.1m) Olive is the oldest of the trio. Named after Ernest’s youngest daughter, she

joined his hire ﬂeet on completion in 1909. According to Blakes Holiday Boating’s brochure of 1916, she could be hired for between £10 and £14 14s depending on the time of year. The fee included the services of a skipper and attendant to enable the customers to do as little or as much as they wanted. Although the outbreak of the war curtailed Olive’s sailing duties, she continued to generate an income for Ernest as a houseboat, while acting as a deterrent for German seaplanes on Wroxham Broad.

DAWN OF A NEW ERA Afterwards, Olive resumed her pre-war sailing duties. Unfortunately, however, tastes were changing and the era of big, skippered hire yachts was drawing to a close. Olive was the last of the trio to be hired by Ernest Collins and sailed her final season in 1958 before enduring the indignity of being hired out as a houseboat for four seasons. Her fortunes improved in 1964 when Stanley Page bought her to restore her to sailing condition. She changed hands again in 1971 and 1973 before Peter Bower purchased her in August 1974. Her recent restoration commenced in 2012 and the work carried out by the trust’s craftsmen and volunteers during her £65,000, nine month-long restoration included renewing 10 per cent of her planking, fitting a new stem, installing a Lynch electric motor, as well as stripping all of the timber back to bare wood. When Ernest drafted the lines for Norada in 1912, he created a more slender hull form to enable the new craft to pass under Ludham Bridge, thereby avoiding the problems encountered by Olive. However, the changes proved irrelevant when that year’s floods caused the offending structure to be replaced by a new bridge with an increased clearance. Norada became the first of the trio of wherry yachts to be retired from the Ernest Collins hire fleet when she completed her final season in 1950. Unlike the other two, Norada managed to

“Pleasure wherries were built with high-quality varnished teak”

NORFOLK TRADING WHERRIES

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

1898

1899

ALBION

MAUD

Launched in 1898, the 58ft (17.7m) Albion is the oldest surviving wherry and the only carvel-built trading wherry ever built. In 1949 she became one of the ﬁrst historic vessels to be saved in the UK by a preservation group. Today she is still operated by the Norfolk Wherry Trust, which offers her for charter during the summer.

Built in 1899 by Halls of Reedham, the 60ft (18.3m) Maud traded under sail until 1918 when she was converted into a dumb lighter to move dredged mud. She was sunk in the 1960s to reinforce a spit of land between Ranworth and Malthouse Broad. In 1981, she was raised and spent the next 18 years being restored to sailing condition.

Clockwise from above: Olive back on the water after her £65,000 restoration; stripping Olive’s hull; ﬁtting the new keel to White Moth

PLEASURE WHERRIES 1903

1905

1927

SOLACE

HATHOR

ARDEA

Halls of Reedham built Solace’s 67ft (20.4m) hull in 1903. She competed on the Broadland regatta circuit after the original oak clinker planking in her hull below the waterline was replaced with mahogany carvel planking. She is the only wherry to have been privately owned and maintained in sailing condition since launch.

Built in 1905 by Halls of Reedham for Ethel and Helen Colman, the 56ft (17.1m) Hathor will be the last pleasure wherry available for hire when she rejoins WYCCT’s ﬂeet in 2015. She cost a staggering £2,039 5s 4d to build and now requires an equally eye-watering £100,000 of work to complete her two-year restoration.

The 65ft (19.8m) Ardea was built in 1927 by Leo Robinson in Oulton Broad. She was the last wherry to be built and spent 46 years in Paris as a houseboat. The varnished teak pleasure wherry returned to her native Broadland waters in 2005 and was restored in Horning for the late Philip Davies by Maynard Watson.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

WHERRY YACHTS

Above, left to right: Peter Bower on board Hathor; White Moth under cover at the WYCCT’s recently refurbished HQ

avoid a spell as a houseboat and was sold off sometime after the 1950 season to Mr Andrew, who renamed her Lady Edith after his wife. She changed hands again in 1964 when Barney Matthews bought her for £1,800 – roughly the same price as a bungalow at the time. As a young man he had worked for Ernest Collins as the skipper of the 38ft (11.6m) pleasure yacht Blue Diamond. He initially used Norada for private cruising until the early 1970s when he started an extensive refit. She did not sail again until 1982, by which time she had been fitted with new cabinsides, coachroof, decks, planking and frames. Following internal restoration work during the winter of 1983/84, she returned to charter work alongside Olive for the first time since the early 1950s, and reverted to her original name in 1987 as part of her 75th celebrations. The restoration work by the WYCCT included rebuilding the counter stern along with the replacement of the tabernacle, several planks, frames and linoleum on the decks, as well as the coachroof. In contrast to her two sisters, the 59ft (18m) White Moth wherry was built in June 1915 for private ownership. Her first owner, Arthur Moore, used her for family cruises until Ernest Collins bought her back to supplement the other wherry yachts in his hire fleet for the 1921 season. She remained in hire until the end of the 1956 season when she became a houseboat at Wroxham. After the 1962 season, she was sold to the Lindford family who restored her to sailing condition.

By the late 1960s, White Moth ended up partially submerged in a dyke at Neatishead and was then raised in 1971 by Len Whiteside, who took her to Newsons yard to have her bottom replanked. He continued to work on her with his wife but they never managed to complete the restoration before they parted with her in 1976. The details of the next nine years are sketchy as White Moth’s future became increasingly precarious. Colin Facey saved her from the chainsaw in 1985 and took her back to his Horning yard to begin a major four-year restoration. Afterwards, she briefly passed through the hire fleets of Colin Facey and Broads Tours prior to being purchased by NBYCo in 1992. Following her latest change of ownership, White Moth has undergone several changes including the fitting of a steel keel and a new wind vane.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT Despite WYCCT’s recent achievements there is no room for complacency. WYCCT still has to raise enough match funding to access all of the HLF money, including the remaining £30,000 that is required to complete the restoration of Hathor. Having applied to the HLF on the basis of a 2:1 ratio, WYCCT has to raise £2 for every £1 it draws down from its grants. To generate this, WYCCT relies on grants, donations and charter income. Equally, WYCCT is potentially facing a ticking time bomb in the form of its loyal band of ageing supporters. In 2012, the record-breaking yachtsman Sir Timothy Colman, in his role as president of the Norfolk Wherry Trust, highlighted this point by issuing a plea for all of the wherry owners to start actively involving young people in their work to ensure their long-term survival. For its part, WYCCT had already started to address the issue by employing Dean Howard as an apprentice. Dean is now the trust’s operations manager and he will work with the trust’s new education ofﬁcer to liaise with local schools and arrange presentations on the history of wherries as part of their curriculum. While this action may not seem as pressing as the immediate tasks of restoration and maintenance, it will safeguard the legacy of everyone who has worked so hard to ensure that future generations will have the chance to sail on board the biggest of these indigenous Broadland sailing craft. wherryyachtcharter.org Tel +44 (0)1603 781475

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Tr u l y

Hoek Design congratulates the owners and her builders at Metur Yacht with the Truly Classic 51 as winner of the Classic Boat Awards 2014.

www.hoekdesign.com info@hoekdesign.com

NL:+31 299372853

ES:+34 971221987

USA:+1 4016190550

Lino, Formica, Bakelite and acres of sumptuous mahoganyâ&#x20AC;Ś step back to the Sixties with a ride along the river in the Broads cruiser Katinka STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS PETER WILLIS

KATINKA

Clockwise from left: the cabin oozes traditional touches; there’s more than a hint of wartime MTB about Katinka’s contours; modern washing facilities; retro Bakelite light switches

hen Emmet Hart put his Broads cruiser (the 1962 Landamore 37ft/11.3m Snowgoose) into the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) for a restoration job, he didn’t want to be without a boat for the summer season. His search for a replacement led him to the discovery of a mint Broom boats Admiral-class cruiser from 1961 that the company didn’t even know it had. “An old guy in Wroxham told me Brooms had this boat – an extended Admiral – and also a Captain.” The Admiral class was the top of the range in the 1960s, a 42ft (12.8m) central wheelhouse design. The Captain was two sizes down, at 33ft (10.1m). When Emmet called at Brooms’s sales ofﬁce, however, he was told that the Captain was gone, and that they didn’t have the Admiral at all. “Then another old guy in Wroxham told me it was deﬁnitely there, and he could take me to see it. He met me at Brooms, took me into a

wet shed and there it was, stuck between a couple of other boats, roof folded down, covered in tarpaulins. “I climbed up on the stern and using my iPhone as a torch I had a good look at her. She was beautiful inside, and I could see the entire hull was varnished. I decided to make an offer.” Next step was to commission the IBTC to do a survey. “They lifted her out and could ﬁnd nothing wrong. No faults at all. Put her back in, started her up. Fine.” The boat was Katinka, commissioned in 1960 by a Cambridge-based metallurgist, Dr Jack Mayne. He’d had the design lengthened by a couple of feet, to 44ft (13.4m), and strengthened for coastal cruising. Not that there’s any evidence he ever did any. Katinka was very lightly used, for a few weeks in some summers, and latterly not at all, but meticulously maintained and stored, always in the water, under a protective cover. Over her 53-year life she had clocked up just 768 hours – an average of less than 15 hours a year. Dr Mayne had CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

KATINKA

C/O BROOM BOATS

Above, left to right: Katinka’s immaculate cockpit with the cantilevered roof folded down; Martin Broom (far left) and the yard boys celebrate the launch of Katinka

as Katinka and remembers summer holidays passed on, but she was still owned by the as a boy on the Broads with her – his family family. “We found correspondence between KATINKA were friends of the Maynes, and they would Brooms and the owner over maintenance BUILDER be loaned the boat for a couple of weeks. jobs, with Brooms expressing doubt that Broom & Sons “We’d usually go out of Norwich through the boat was to be used – it was quite Breydon Water, sometimes up to Barton, or wistful in places,” says Emmet. LOA maybe to Beccles. She was a beautiful boat When Emmet found Katinka she was 44ft (13.4m) to drive – lots of strength in the propeller – and still is – a remarkable time capsule. and she turns on a sixpence.” Simon detects “We’ve done very little – changed the galley BEAM a bit, but kept the Formica surfaces, and 10ft 6in (3.2m) some MTB heritage in her shape. “There’s almost a chine – if they’d put a bigger changed the lino on the cabin sole and DRAUGHT engine in her she could power through replaced soft furnishings.” 2ft 4in (0.7m) Breydon Water at 10 knots!” Katinka has an iroko hull below the Unfortunately for Brooms, this potential waterline on oak frames and floors, with HEADROOM jewel in the crown of their recent 115th mahogany used for the topsides and 6ft 3in (1.9m) anniversary rally (CB306) was not available interior. The fold-back wheelhouse is top of for the event. Emmet had elected to take her the range. Whereas the standard to the Thames for the summer (by road – both quicker specification was for a 50 per cent hard roof, with canvas and cheaper than coming round the coast) and she graced extension and sides, Katinka has a solid, cantilevered the Thames Trad Rally in July, where she would have roof, and drop-down, counterweighted side windows. doubtless won prizes had Emmet entered her for any. Some of the extra length has gone into the wheelhouse, There is, though, one piece of Katinka-related Broom allowing for a pilot berth along its starboard side. history in existence, in addition to the boat. When I met There are seven berths all told in an interior that still him, Emmet pulled out a photo (see above) and explained boasts plenty of chrome fittings, and the original light its significance. “This was taken at her launch – there was switches, in white Bakelite (Broom boats generally used a tradition of the owner buying the lads in the yard a brown). Some more of the additional 2ft (61cm) length drink. Martin Broom is on the left, with Barney Broom, enabled the installation of a shower – or “showerbath” in spectacles, and Jack Mayne in the centre, in a white as Brooms called it. It was the first on a Broads boat shirt. And that’s the roof of Katinka in the foreground.” (it replaced the standard sit-down bath) and they didn’t Emmet had his two boats stored side by side for the expect it to catch on. winter and planned to launch Katinka on the Thames The engine is a BMC Commodore 3.41 diesel with a and take her to Henley again this year, but as this issue Parsons Marineomatic gearbox, which obviates the need went to press he let us know that he had sold her. for a separate gear lever. Simon Palmer, owner of Our best wishes go to the new owners. Dunkirk Little Ship Hilfranor, was born in the same year 40

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

It’s not the winning... . . . but she was ﬁrst overall in the ‘Spanish league’ in 2013. Argyll will be taking part in 11 classic regattas across the Med this coming season. Charter a legend. Competitive rates for a competitive classic. Phone Mary on +44 (0)7910 947 296 or go to www.classicyachtargyll.com

Organised by:

The Royal London Yacht Club

21-25 July 2014

www.charles-stanley.co.uk

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

www.cowesclassicsweek.org

Saleroom

BONHAMS, NEW YORK

BY DAVE SELBY This builder’s presentation model is an epitaph to the roaring twenties, an age of gilded opulence when America’s Wall Street wolves raced each other through Long Island Sound in high-speed commuter yachts to harvest their growing fortunes in New York’s skyscraper eyries. Time was money and if like Cornelius Vanderbilt you had enough, you could afford a craft in which you could shave without nicking yourself as you skimmed to work at 50 knots.

It was a world of Gatsby excess that came tumbling down in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. And that was when the dreams of mining heir Clarence H Mackay also foundered. What remains is this model of his proposed 80ft (24.4m) commuter yacht by Mower & Humphries, produced around 1929. After the crash Mackay had to curtail his spending and he cancelled his dream boat. At Bonhams’ most recent New York Maritime auction, the 41in (1m) model of the boat that never was, sold for $4,375 (£2,630).

C/O BONHAMS

Model investment

Above, top to bottom: the model of Mackay’s dream boat; miniature chart of Oyster Bay in the cockpit

BONHAMS, NEW YORK

C/0 RM AUCTIONS

Titanic letter implicates Ismay

RM AUCTIONS, USA

Cheeky bid on Baby Gar

It’s a debate that has raged for 100 years: who exactly was responsible for ordering the Titanic to proceed at perilous speed in the north Atlantic on 14 April 1912? A letter written by surviving passenger Emily Ryerson, recalling a conversation with White Star Line chairman J Bruce Ismay (pictured below) just before the ship struck an iceberg, supports the cause of Captain Edward J Smith. Written on 18 April 1913, it offers ﬁrst-hand evidence that Ismay approved the increase of speed to 22 knots. Ryerson writes that it was her distinct impression that the decision was Ismay’s, and adds: “Mr Ismay’s manner was of one in authority and what he said was law.” However, in a sense this just deepens the mystery, for although the letter was written before the enquiry, Ryerson did not voice these views when she gave evidence. This fascinating footnote to a tragedy that claimed 1,500 lives is expected to fetch $10,000-$15,000 (£6,000-£9,000) when it goes on sale at Bonhams, New York, on 7 April.

If you’re in the right place at the right time a “cheeky” bid can pay big dividends. When this 1990 recreation of a 1920s Gar Wood 33ft (10.1m) Baby Gar appeared at RM Auctions’ Arizona classic car sale in January, it was estimated to fetch $175,000-$225,000. On the day, a lucky punter topped the bidding with $150,000; that’s $165,000 (£99,190) including the 10 per cent buyer’s premium. Not only would an original Baby Gar cost far more, the $165,000 paid must surely be substantially less than the 1990 build costs of this updated evocation. www.clas sicbo salero at.co.uk/ for extra om stories

See Salermooorme online

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Objects of desire

Turning the table This beautifully engineered table is a British design now finding its way aboard some top superyachts. The Fletcher Capstan Table takes the round pedestal Regency table to a whole new level as it almost doubles in size (see opposite) with a simple turning motion of the hand. As you do so, a clever leaf system, supported by steel and aluminium gears and levers, opens out the top layer to reveal a lower star-shaped layer. Different finishes and designs are available. Costs are well into six figures. fletchertables.com Tel: +44 (0)1258 472277

The swinger

The electric tilt This wacky new design from Italian manufacturer Stable is called Swing and it claims to be the world’s ﬁrst self-levelling table. The system has two boards that tilt up to 20 degrees and also rise or fall, overcoming the common problem with swinging tables that get higher or lower in relation to your sitting position. A built-in sensor controls the motion, so it needs electricity but only requires 2 to 3Ah on a 24V system. These tables are bespoke and are available in different materials and designs. Guide price: around £14,000 stable.sp.it Tel: +39 338 5098630 44

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

We were impressed with this swinging table, which we found aboard Witch as she embarked on her round Britain voyage last year with the OGA (CB301). It’s a simple folding three-board type, suspended from the deck beams with bronze A-frames. It’s been on the boat for years but owner Alistair Randall says it’s mainly used in harbour as it does swing a bit freely at sea. A table like this can be made by a competent carpenter or shipwright. Approx build cost: £1,000 wbta.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1559 363201

K I A LOA II

GIR L

LEGENDARY S&S OCEAN RACE YAWL

A. ANDERSON SK95 SQUARE METRE FROM 1911

Loa: 22.40 m

V I VA OF CONOV ER COV E

M A SQU ER A DE

VERY RARE CHRIS – CRAFT SEDAN CRUISER IN MINT CONDITION

STEPHENS DESIGN REPLICA ENDORSED BY S&S

Loa: 9.50 m

I NDIG O

ROA R I NG WAT ER

STUNNING CHRISTIAN JENSEN 10-METRE YACHT

MORRIS M36  MODERN CLASSIC

Loa: 16.64 m

|Beam: 3.36 m |Draft: 2.60 m |Price: EUR 620,000 |

|Loa: 11.00 m |Beam: 3.10 m |Dr aft: 1.69 m |Price: EUR 245,000

Member of t he Robbe & B erk i ng fa m i ly

YA C H T S

+49 (0)461 31 80 30 65 · BAUM+KOENIG@CLASSIC-YACHTS.DE · W W W.CLASSIC-YACHTS.DE

EVENTS GUIDE 2014 From UK shores to the warm waters of the Mediterranean, and further aďŹ eld to the Baltic, USA, Caribbean and Australia, now is the time to grab a highlighter and start planning your sailing summer with our classic events guide ILLUSTRATIONS CLAUDIA MYATT

Stornoway

FULL EVEN S classicboat.T co.uk GUIDE

14-19 JULY Sail Stornoway Stornoway Harbour, Isle of Lewis sailstornoway.co.uk info@sailhebrides.info General maritime festival with classic sailing and shoreside fun

Campbeltown 6-8 JUNE Campbeltown Classics (OGA) Campbeltown, Kintyre Peninsula Neal Hill, scotsec@oga.org.uk The ﬂagship event of the Scottish area of the OGA

Portaferry 20-22 JUNE OGA Traditional Boat Weekend Portaferry, Co Down, NI Peter Lyons, nisec@oga.org.uk Sailing, music and craic with the Northern Ireland OGA

Isle of Man 25-27 JULY Peel Traditional Boat Weekend

Baltimore

Peel, IoM peeltraditionalboat.org Mike Clark, Tel: +44 (0)7624 450146 Festival is 23 this year. Trad regatta with quick ‘n’ dirty boatbuilding

23-25 MAY Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival County Cork baltimorewoodenboatfestival.com Boats, ceilidhs and more at this major Irish event

Menai Strait

Conwy

28 JULY – 9 AUGUST Menai Strait Regattas

9-17 AUGUST Conwy River Festival

Nr Beaumaris, Anglesey, N Wales menaistraitregattas.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1248 810354 Dinghy and daysailer event with racing in 17 classes

conwyriverfestival.org secretary@conwyriverfestival.org Includes an OGA class and Nobby and Gaffers Race

Cork 13-15 JUNE Crosshaven Traditional Sail County Cork, Ireland crosshaventradsail.com Pat Tanner. Tel: +353 (0)87 2811458. With music, food and entertainment. 60+ boats

27-29 JUNE Cobh Traditional Sail Regatta County Cork cobhtradsail.ie Includes a maritime lecture series in addition to sailing

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Cardigan Quays Festival 17-19 AUGUST Cardigan Quays Festival Cardigan Bay, Pembrokeshire cardiganquaysfestival.co.uk Community-minded festival, including a rowing race around Cardigan Island

Milford Haven 7-14 JUNE Seafair Haven Pembrokeshire seafairhaven.org.uk Martin Sykes, Tel: +44 (0)1348 840420. Pembrokeshire’s answer to Morbihan Week (CB302) with trad yachts and longboat racing

Portsoy 27-29 JUNE Scottish Traditional Boat Festival Portsoy, Aberdeenshire Tel: +44 (0)1261 842951 stbfportsoy.com 21st year with rowing, sailing and much shoreside activity. 100+ boats. Sponsorship from Aberdeen Asset Management

Lake District 6-8 JUNE & 12-14 SEPT OGA Lake District Rally Glenridding SC, Ullswater Barry Healas, ldsec@oga.org.uk OGA trailer-sailers. Re-live Swallows and Amazons!

Anstruther 15-17 AUGUST Anstruther Muster Anstruther, Scotland anstruthersailingclub.org.uk Part of Anstruther Harbour Festival, includes classic rally

Bridlington 2-9 AUGUST Yorkshire YC Regatta ryyc.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1262 672041 Including Yorkshire ODs. All sizes of wooden boat; 20-plus boats

1-4 AUGUST British Classic Motorboat Rally Windermere, Lake District bcmbr.co.uk Usually attracts around 35 runabouts and other motorboats

Norfolk Broads

Suffolk Rivers 14-15 JUNE Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta Levington, River Orwell syharbour.co.uk Jonathan Dyke Tel: +44 (0)1473 659465 Bermudan and gaff racing on the Orwell and Stour; then Cruise in Company (see below) to Dartmouth for the BCYC event

18-20 APRIL OGA Easter Egg Rally

15-19 JUNE Cruise in Company To Dartmouth

Mersea Island, Essex merseaweek.org Maggie Haddow, Tel: +44 (0)7837 866562 Family friendly event with races for classic yachts and dinghies. 41st year. Up to 800 competitors expected

Levington, River Orwell syharbour.co.uk Jonathan Dyke Tel: +44 (0)1473 659465

31 MAY – 1 JUNE Three Rivers Race The Ant, Bure and Thurne threeriversrace.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1692 630507 Popular Broads day/night race, where you can choose the order in which you take the rivers

28-29 JUNE NEW OGA Mistley Rally Mistley Quay, Essex oga.org.uk eastcoastclassics.co.uk One of a number of new OGA events on the East Coast

20 SEPTEMBER Yare Navigation Race Norfolk Broads coldhamhallsailingclub.co.uk Alan Sant, Tel: +44 (0)1603 431509. 32-M passage race. Thrills and spills in the biggest yacht race on the Broads

EVENTS FROM ISLES OF SCILLY TO CHICHESTER see pa ge 50

Blackwater Tollesbury, Essex oga.org.uk/eastcoastclassics.co.uk First time this rally has been held in the historic, atmospheric Tollesbury

10-16 AUGUST Mersea Week

30 AUGUST West Mersea Town Regatta West Mersea, Essex mersearegatta.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1206 382543 Racing for up to 200 boats in 16 different classes

27 SEPTEMBER Maldon Town Regatta Maldon, Essex maldonregatta.co.uk Perennial favourite and season closer for many East Coast sailors

Chatham 14-15 JUNE NEW OGA Chatham Rally Chatham, River Medway oga.org.uk eastcoastclassics.co.uk New event in historic Chatham

Swale 2 AUGUST Swale Barge Match Hollowshore, Swale Channel oga.org.uk, kentishsail.org Sprit-sailed racing in one of Kent’s forgotten corners

River Thames 6-8 JUNE Beale Park Boat & Outdoor Show Pangbourne, Berkshire David Read, Tel: +44 (0)1235 538134, davidread22@aol.com Under new organisation, but same good old Beale Park

19-20 JULY Thames Traditional Boat Rally Henley-on-Thames, Oxon tradboatrally.com Tony Goodhead Tel: +44 (0)1932 872575 One of Europe’s largest gatherings of traditional river craft, including Dunkirk Little Ships, with ample shoreside entertainment; 200+ boats. 36th festival this year.

27 SEPTEMBER Great River Race Thames, London greatriverrace.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)208 398 8141 Huge, colourful, 300-boat, 21-mile rowing race upriver from London Docklands to Ham in Surrey

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

South Coast

FULL EVEN S classicboat.T co.uk GUIDE

Mylor

Isles of Scilly

Brixham Start Bay

1-5 SEPTEMBER NEW The English Raid

2-5 MAY Pilot Gig Worlds

Mylor, Falmouth raidengland.org The series of English raids continues, this year visiting its most glorious location yet, in the coves and bays of Cornwall

Isles of Scilly Tel: +44 (0)1720 422670 worldgigs.co.uk 100+ rowing gigs

oga.org.uk Gil Hayward, swsec@oga.org.uk OGA South-West’s main event

Dartmouth

Fowey 1-4 AUGUST Fowey Classics Fowey, Cornwall foweyclassics.com Tel: +44 (0)1726 833843

4-6 JULY Start Bay Rally

11-13 JULY Sea Salts & Sail Mousehole, Cornwall seasalts.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)7552 990802 Popular biennial in a lovely setting

Falmouth 26-31 MAY Pendennis Cup Falmouth thependenniscup.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1326 211344 Biennial invitational for big yachts

13-15 JUNE Falmouth Classics Tel: +44 (0)1326 312126 falmouthclassics.org.uk Since separating from Falmouth Week, the event has been on the up, now three days long, with free berthing, and sea shanties!

28-31 AUGUST Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta falmouthtallships.co.uk 40+ Tall Ships will gather before racing to Greenwich, London

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Brixham, Devon brixhamheritagesailing.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1803 853332 From trawlers to small gaffers

Yarmouth

20-22 JUNE NEW BCYC Dartmouth Regatta

30 MAY – 1 JUNE Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival

Dartmouth, Devon britishclassicyachtclub.org

yarmoutholdgaffersfestival.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1983 760655 Flagship event of the Solent OGA, with an average attendance of about 120 boats

Plymouth Mousehole

23-24 MAY Brixham Heritage Regatta

11 MAY BLUE WATER Jester Challenge Plymouth, Devon, to Newport, RI, USA jesterinfo.org Informal transat challenge for yachts under 30ft (9.1m) in the spirit of the original OSTAR

6-8 JUNE (DATE TBC) 22 SQM Championships and Classic Keelboat Regatta Plymouth Sound cremyll-keelboats.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1752 869000 Now in its third year

25-28 JULY Sutton Harbour Plymouth Classic Boat Rally plymouthclassics.org.uk mail@plymouthclassics.co.uk Three days of racing ending with a 20-mile passage race to Fowey

29 JULY – 7 AUGUST BLUE WATER Plymouth – La Rochelle Revival Race Plymouth – Brest – La Rochelle yachtclubclassique.com Tel: +33 (0)5 46 50 02 75 First raced in 1939, it was revived in 2012 and now looks as though it’s becoming a biennial event

25-27 JULY Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta Yarmouth, Isle of Wight royalsolent.org Tel: +44 (0)1983 760256 IRC, Swans, cruisers, gaffers, 6-Ms, Dragons, FBs, XODs, YODs

Portsmouth 28-29 JUNE ONE-OFF Portsmouth Regatta Portsmouth, East Solent popeyejim.com A weekend special during the annual Portsmouth Festival, to celebrate 150 years of its hosts, the Royal Albert Yacht Club, and 80 years of the local and venerable Victory Class keelboats

Chichester Harbour 6-7 SEPTEMBER Bosham Classic Boat Revival Bosham SC, Chichester Harbour boshamsailingclub.com Tel: +44 (0)1243 572341 Classic and SoT dinghies and dayboats up to 20ft (6m); 50 boats at the ﬁrst event in 2011, now growing every year. Flagship event of the classic and vintage dinghy revival

Cowes 21 JUNE Round the Island Race Cowes, Isle of Wight roundtheisland.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)1983 296621 sec@islandsc.org.uk Anything with a sail – 1,600+ boats

12-19 JULY Panerai British Classic Week

MEDIA

Classic Boat Cowes, Isle of Wight britishclassicyachtclub.org PARTNE R Tel: +44 (0)1983 245100 Mary Scott Jackson info@msjeventmanagement.co.uk Prestigious annual regatta plays host to 70+ classics. Competitive racing and spirited hospitality

21-25 JULY Cowes Classics Week Cowes, Isle of Wight cowesclassicsweek.org david.elliott@cowesclassicsweek.org Metre boats, keelboats and “cruiser class” for 150+ classics at this event, now with a new MEDIA sponsor, Charles Stanley (see p22). The alternative Classic Boat PARTNER to Cowes Week

Finland Raid CLASSIC EVENTSHelsinki UK AND IRELAND

North Europe Trosa 1-2 AUGUST Trosa Arkö Classic Trosa to Arkösund, Sweden 35nM coastal race, followed by archipelago race at Arkösund

Nynashamn

6-13 JULY Raid Finland

16 AUGUST Viapori Cup

Finnish archipelago raidﬁnland.org Raid through the archipelago with the most islands in the world!

Helsinki, Finland Race around the 18th-century Viapori Fortress in the Helsinki harbour mouth. Biggest classic yacht race in the Nordic countries, 200 yachts in 20+ different classes

30 AUGUST Hyundai Cup Nynäshamn, Sweden 30nM race off Nynäshamn. One of the most popular races in Sweden, with 150 classics and moderns competing for a Hyundai car

St Petersburg 19-24 AUGUST St Petersburg Classic Week

Oslo

sailtrust.org Three days of races and a two-day festival at Peter and Paul Fortress

Stockholm

15-22 JULY Europe Week Sandefjord, Son and Oslo europeweek2014.no Bicentenary of Norway’s independence with a regatta to match. Up to 150 boats expected for this spectacular event, last held here in the shadow of war

28 JUNE Åf Inshore Race

Hanko

Stockholm, Sweden ksss.se 16-20nM archipelago race

4-6 JULY Hanko Regatta Hanko, Finland Keelboat races with classic classes: Folkboats, Stars, 5-Ms, 6-Ms, 8-Ms and Finnish One-Design classes

29 JUNE – 2 JULY Åf Offshore Race Stockholm to Sandhamn, Sweden ksss.se 24-hour, 220nM offshore race

Risor

Aland Runt

31 JULY – 2 AUGUST Risør Wooden Boat Festival

27 – 29 JUNE Åland Runt

Tel: +47 9138 7355 /+47 4781 0074 trebatfestivalen.no 52nd iteration of one of the world’s great classic boat festivals

Mariehamn, Åland, Finland Around the island of Åland in three legs and three days; overnights ashore

Dutch Inland Waterways

Kiel

25 JULY – 10 AUGUST OGA CROSS COUNTRY

13-22 JUNE Classic Week

oldgaffers.nl, Tel: +31 (0)228 5638 Wemeldinge – Amsterdam – Ijsselmeer – Den Helder

Kiel-Laboe classic-week.de The main German event this year. 180 yachts expected

To mark 10 years, the Dutch OGA is mounting a ‘mast up’ tour through the Dutch waterways

21-24 AUGUST German Classics Kiel-Laboe german-classics.info After Classic Week, another big German bash with 160 yachts

North Sea

7-9 AUGUST Svendborg Classic Regatta Svendborg, Denmark Tel: +45 (0)6222 5104 classicregatta.dk Friendly Danish regatta that has been around for some time now

FULL EVEN S classicboat.T co.uk GUIDE

Dorestad

Oostende

17-21 SEPTEMEBR Dorestad Raid

29 MAY – 1 JUNE Oostende Voor Anker

Dorestad, nr Amsterdam natuurlijkvaren.nl Raiding on Dutch waters

oostendevooranker.be Big maritime festival and plenty of Belgian beer to drink as well!

31 MARCH – 6 APRIL Heineken Race of the Classics BLUE WATER Rotterdam – Oostende – Ipswich – Amsterdam rotc.nl Well-established North Sea race for Tall Ships

Svendborg

French Atlantic Coast 19-20 APRIL Mise en Bouche Ré-Les Sables

10-11 MAY Semaine Classique de la Voile

14-15 JUNE Les Voiles de la Citadelle

9-17 AUGUST Rallye des Légendes

12-14 JULY Voiles Classiques de la Trinité

Port Louis

La Rochelle – La Baule

27-29 JUNE Les Rendez-vous de la Belle

snt-voile.org Keelboat racing and more

14-18 AUGUST Voiles de Légende 24-27 JULY Douarnenez La Baule

South Brittany

Plaisance, Bénodet

28 MAY – 1 JUNE Les Voiles Classiques du Morbihan

6-10 AUGUST Branlebas Trophée Saint Malo

13-14 SEPTEMBER Trégor Classique Trebeurden – Perros Guirec North Brittany

tempsfete.com The French Atlantic circuit is an overlooked gem with free berthing all the way. See yachtclubclassique.com

Mediterranean /O 0MJK@U 9-11 MAY Les Dames de Saint-Tropez snst.org, Tel: +33 (0) 4 94 97 30 54 Ladies’ day, French style. Started in 2012 and is growing fast

)<MN@DGG@N 23-25 MAY Calanques Classique Marseilles, France lanautique.com Tel: +33 (0) 91 54 32 03 Three days of racing against the magniﬁcent rocky backdrop of Calanques

19-22 JUNE Les Voiles du Vieux-Port Marseille, France lanautique.com Tel: +49 91 54 32 03 40+ classic yachts in the waters off the ‘old port’ of Marseille

<M>@GJI< 16-19 JULY Puig Vela Classica Barcelona, Spain puigvelaclassicabarcelona.com Tel: +34 (0) 93 221 6521 Popular Spanish regatta. Special event this year

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27 SEPT – 5 OCTOBER Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr World’s greatest regatta? It might well be, seen by some as the spiritual home of the movement

28 JUNE – 9 JULY BLUE WATER Trophée Bailli de Suffren

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IOD=@N 4-8 JUNE Les Voiles d’Antibes voilesdantibes.com Tel: +33 4 93 34 42 47 One of the year’s bigger events and seen by some as the season opener

10-14 SEPTEMBER Vele d’Epoca di Imperia veledepoca.com Tel: +39 0183 752 700 Biennial regatta on the Ligurian coast. Alternates with Monaco

<II@N 20-27 SEPTEMBER Régates Royales Cannes, regatesroyales.com One of France’s ‘big three’ Med regattas sponsored by Panerai (the others being Saint-Tropez and Antibes)

28 SEP (TBC) Coupe d’Automne Cannes to St Tropez ycf-club.fr End-of-season passage race between the Cannes and Saint-Tropez regattas

,JMOJ\ IJ 18-20 SEPTEMBER Portoﬁno Rolex Trophy yachtclubitaliano.it Tel: +39 010 246 1206 Invitation-only rally for big yachts

St Tropez to Porto Rotondo (Italy) to Trapani (Italy) to Malta tropheebaillidesuffren.com Tel: +33 4 94 97 73 78 Largest race for classic yachts covering 600 miles

2DGG@AM<I>C@ SEPTEMBER (TBC) Trophée Pasqui Villefranche, tropheepasqui.com Tel: +33 06 5077 4285 Organised by the Pasqui boatyard. Includes racing and parade of sail

Corsica 23-31 AUGUST Corsica Classic corsica-classic.com Classic yacht racing from the lovely island of Corsica

26-30 AUGUST Copa del Rey Mahón, Menorca, Spain velaclasicamenorca.com Part of Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. 50+ yachts compete from 1903 to 1975

)<GGJM>< 31 JULY – 3 AUGUST Silver Bollard Regatta Port Adriano, Mallorca, Spain silverbollardclassic.com Tel: +34 971 232 494 Race for classics in the Med

20-24 AUGUST (TBC) Conde de Barcelona Mallorca, Spain fundacionhispania.org Tel: +34 (0) 93 488 00 49 Low-key island favourite

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

/<M?DID< 3-7 JUNE Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta

MB@IO<MDJ

Porto Cervo loropianasuperyachtregatta.com Tel: +39 0789 902417 Regatta for all superyachts but always a healthy showing of classics

19-22 JUNE Argentario Sailing Week Porto Santo Stefano, Italy argentariosailingweek.it Tel: +39 056 481 4002 Sailing the Tuscan coast. A fave of Olin Stephens – and CB!

Trieste

FULL EVEN S classicboat.T co.uk GUIDE

OCTOBER (TBC) Barcolana Classic Trieste, Italy barcolana.it Tel: +39 040 411664 Huge sailing event with 2,000 boats (not all classics!)

Venice 8 JUNE Vogalonga Venice vogalonga.it Tel: +39 (0)41 521 0544 1,600+ boats row through the canals. This spectacular event is now in it 40th year

10-14 JUNE Venice Raid velaraid.it Tel: +39 347 856 7807 50 boats, four nights, ﬁve days in what must be a stunning raid

Spetses 15-18 JUNE Feeder Cruise to Spetses mdelenika@clab.gr Via the most scenic Greek islands “the ones that tourists don’t know about” promises organiser Stratis Andreadis

19-22 JUNE Spetses Classic Yacht Race

Naples

Isle of Spetses, Greece classicyachtrace.com mdelenika@clab.gr Tel: +30 210 422 0506 Greece’s only proper classic yacht regatta, now in its fourth year and with a growing circuit and list of sponsors. Heavenly! 50+ boats

2-6 JULY (TBC) Vele d’Epoca a Napoli

Bodrum OCTOBER (TBC) Bodrum cup Bodrum, Turkey bodrumcup.com Tel: +90 252 316 2310 Racing gulets

leveledepoca.it Tel: +39 081 764 6162 With stunning Naples as a backdrop and new Panerai sponsorship, this one is on the up

Corfu 12-14 JUNE NEW Corfu Classic Yacht Race ccyr.gr This new regatta on Corfu, is part of a nascent Greek circuit, organised by the same team behind the Spetses Regatta (see above). Should be a corker if it’s anything like Spetses!

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

The “Jewel in the Crown” of South Devon’s Heritage Sailing Fleet

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

The beautifully restored 1895 Brixham Sailing Trawler PILGRIM offers all the stylish comfort of modern sailing accommodation below decks combined with the fully authentic Devon red sails cruising experience.

Day & Half Day Sails Short Breaks Sailing Holidays Whole Boat Charter Corporate Events

Pilgrim offers great sailing for everyone - No Experience Needed! Why not book your next holiday with us for a coastal break with a difference!

Half day & day sail prices start from £25 Short-Break prices start from just £399 per person

experience authentic Heritage Sailing at its very best

01803 858148 contact us or book online www.pilgrimofbrixham.co.uk

1959 40’ WOODEN SLOOP FOR SALE – ‘THE LADY J-KETTENBURG’ Recently restored with a custom, remodelled interior. Visit our Facebook page for additional information and photographs; www.facebook.com/kettenburg40ladyj €95,000 / £56,000 / $95,000 Please contact Don Forbes on: 001 206 388 8787 or email Don Forbes at: jbritt.dforbes@mac.com 56

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

North America East Coast Clayton

AUGUST (TBC) Mahone Bay Regatta

Baltimore

1-3 AUGUST Antique Boat Show & Auction

13-19 OCTOBER Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race

Clayton, New York abm.org Tel: +1 315 686 4104 50th running of this popular wooden boat festival

Baltimore, Maryland to Chesapeake Bay (127nM) schoonerrace.org Fundraiser and race. 35 schooners participated last time

Nova Scotia mahonebayclassicboatfestival.org Tel: +1 902 624 0348 General regatta with a good classics attendance

Nantucket

Chesapeake

17 AUGUST Opera House Cup Regatta

13-15 JUNE Chesapeake Bay Antique and Classic Boat Festival

Nantucket, Massachusetts operahousecup.org Tel: +1 508 325 7755 The ﬁrst and ﬁnest all-wooden, single-hulled regatta on the East Coast, sponsored by Panerai

Chesapeake, Maryland chesapeakebayacbs.org Exquisite craft, artists and more

Mystic 26-27 JULY 50th Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous

Apalachicola 19 APRIL Apalachicola Antique and Classic Boat Show Apalachicola, Florida antiqueboatshow.org Tel: +1 850 653 9419 Authentic oyster boats, workboats, engines, boatbuilding and more

Nova Scotia

Newport

27-29 JUNE The Wooden Boat Show Mystic, Connecticut thewoodenboatshow.com Tel: +1 207 359 7741

Newport, RI moy.org Tel: +1 401 848 5777 Museum of Yachting’s 34th event. Two days of racing

Rockport, Maine erregatta.com Tel: +1 207 236 9651 125+ boats compete over a 15-mile course

Massachusetts 9-10 AUGUST Marblehead Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta Marblehead, Massachusetts corinthianclassic.org Tel: +1 617 285 1182 Two days of racing featuring some of the best boats in the world. Panerai top sponsor

Salem, Massachusetts boatfestival.org Tel: +1 617 666 8530 Salem plays host to myriad wooden classics

International Yacht Restoration School, Newport, Rhode Island iyrs.org

30 AUGUST – 1 SEP MoY Regatta

2 AUGUST Eggemoggin Reach Regatta

23-24 AUGUST (TBC) Boston Antique and Classic Boat Festival

1 JUNE (TBC) IYRS Graduation Day

Mystic Seaport, Connecticut mysticseaport.org Tel: +1 860 572 0711 Annual showcase for restored pre-1970 classics

Rockport

Caribbean BVIs 24-26 MAY Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta

Antigua

Tortola, British Virgin Islands foxysbar.com Tel: +1 284 494 9258 Laid-back event now in its 40th year, with a new class for GRP

17-22 APRIL Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta antiguaclassics.com Tel: +1 268 460 1799 The main event in the Caribbean, with 50-60 yachts every year

South America Brazil Brazil Classic Circuit The new and growing classic yacht racing circuit in Brazil is centred around Rio de Janeiro. The show visits Rio (3-5 May), Paraty (9-11 August) and Búzios (29 November – 1 December). Visit regataclassica.com.br to ﬁnd out more

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

North America West Coast

Washington 10-13 JULY Chris-Craft Rendezvous Port Orchard, Washington chriscraftrendezvous.com

Vancouver

6-8 JUNE Classic Mariners’ Regatta

21-24 AUGUST Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival

Port Townsend woodenboat.org/regattas/ Tel: +1 360 385 3628 Now in its 31st year

Granville Island, BC vancouverwoodenboat.com Tel: +1 604 519 7400 Skiff building, racing and more

5-7 SEPTEMBER Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Washington woodenboat.org Tel: +1 360 385 3628 38th running with more than 300 wooden boats and more

Lake Tahoe, Nevada Tahoeyc.com Tel: +1 775 851 4444 44th annual concours for this ‘woody’ bonanza

San Diego

16-18 MAY Bass Lake Rendezvous

Los Angeles 21 JUNE One More Time Regatta

North California acbs-tahoe.org Tel: +1 315 686 2628 24th annual antique and classic boat show

Alexandria, Minnesota mnlakesmaritime.org Tel: +1 320 759 1114 world’s great classic boat festivals

19 JULY McNish Classic

San Diego, CA amss.us 40th annual pursuit race

Channel Islands Harbor, CA pcyc.org Annual pursuit race hosted by Paciﬁc Corinthian YC

Seabrook 3-4 MAY Keels and Wheels Concours d’Elegance Seabrook, Texas keels-wheels.com Tel: +1 713 521 0105 Classic cars and vintage woodies

Los Angeles, CA dryc.org Tel: +1 310 823 4664 39th running off Santa Monica Beach. Open to wooden-hulled boats of all shapes and sizes

10 MAY Yesteryear Regatta

13 DECEMBER Half-Pint-o-Rum Regatta

12 JULY Chain of Lakes Classic

Bass Lake

Bass Lake 8-9 August Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance

Alexandria

San Diego, CA amss.us Race of rare classics that involves plenty of drinking!

Australia and New Zealand Goolwa

Hobart

Mahurangi

Auckland

21-22 FEBRUARY 2015 South Australian Wooden Boat Festival

6-9 FEBRUARY 2015 Australian Wooden Boat Festival

JANUARY 2015 Mahurangi Classic Yacht Regatta

Goolwa, nr Adelaide woodenboatfestival.com.au Tel: +61 1 300 466 592 Historic steamers, sailing and quick ‘n’ dirty boatbuilding on the Murray River

Hobart, Tasmania australianwoodenboatfestival. com.au Tel: +61 03 6223 3375 Big, biennial festival of classics

classicyacht.org.nz Tel: +64 09 836 4747 Pre-1955 wooden yachts, traditionals, modern classics, skiff racing and much more

JANUARY 2015 Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

Geelong MARCH 2015 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival Geelong, Victoria rgyc.com.au Tel: +61 03 5229 3705 10th anniversary with more than 50 entries expected

classicyacht.org.nz Tel: +64 09 836 4747 15 sailing and watersports clubs get together for epic event, including keelboats, classics, centreboarders, tugboats, dragon boats, parades and races

MARCH 2015 CYNZ Classic Yacht Regatta Auckland classicyacht.org.nz Tel: +64 09 836 4747 Famous celebration for NZ’s classic yachts

NeilThompsonBoats

The Norfolk Smuggler Manor Farm, Glandford, Holt, Norfolk 15 -3 ÇŠ info@neilthompsonboats.co.uk www.neilthompsonboats.co.uk

Norfolk Urchin

Norfolk Oyster

Norfolk Gypsy

Dimensions Length Beam Draft Total sail area Weight

Norfolk Smuggler

25â&#x20AC;&#x2122; ( 7.69m) 8â&#x20AC;&#x2122;9â&#x20AC;? (2.69m) 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;9â&#x20AC;?/4â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11â&#x20AC;? (0.85m/1.51m) 404 sq ft (38.3 sq m) 4.25 tonnes

Norfolk Trader

Onboard

CRUISING . SEAMANSHIP . EQUIPMENT

BOAT TEST

After building traditional dayboats with a hint of 18th century about them for the last 17 years, North Quay Marine has designed the Spitﬁre – a new formula for a family friendly racing gaffer STORY STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHS NICK CHAMPION

man once confessed to me that he kept “a plastic yacht” on the Medway in the hushed tones of one confessing to keeping a mistress; or worse. People get snooty about this Kentish river that shares an estuary with its better-known sister, the Thames, but a sail in early January really feels like stealing a march on the new year, and it’s even more of a coup in cloudless skies and strong winter sun during the rainiest January in a century. The Medway, just an hour’s drive from London, glittered blue, its shores home to abandoned lightships, a rusting paddle steamer high and dry between new property developments, and Upnor Castle, its bricks on ﬁre in the low winter light. A coastal freighter plies its way down to the sea as Ewan Spears who, with father Ted, runs North Quay Marine, gets the Spitﬁre ready. North Quay Marine, based nearby on Conyer Creek, has been building small yachts and dayboats in Western red cedar strip-plank since 1996. They are a frequent sight at the Southampton Boat Show with their 17ft (5.2m) and 19ft (5.8m) dayboats, as well as their 19ft yacht, which is comparable to the Cornish Shrimper, Cape Cutter, Norfolk Gypsy, BayCruiser 20 and more in this busy market sector but, nearly uniquely, all North Quay boats are built in cedar strip-plank. The fact that a hand built wooden boat is comparable in cost to its GRP rivals is surely a minor miracle, and it has always been a mystery to me why North Quay boats are not more popular. North Quay won our ‘Professional Boatbuilder Award’ for its efforts in 1997.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

The Spitﬁre follows the North Quay tradition with its cedar-strip build, but is a real departure from the rest of the range in other aspects, most noticeably with the distinctive, long, curved gaff, but most importantly in its underwater form. Where the other boats are stout little yachts, the Spitﬁre 18 was designed by Ted for a different end: speed. The prototype, launched last autumn, has already cracked 10 knots, and neither Sam Fortescue of Sailing Today, also down for a test, nor I, could wait to have a go.

LAUNCH AND RIG With a flat, dishy underbody, this boat is easy to launch; the back wheels of the trailer stopped 10ft (3.1m) from the water’s edge when the boat floated free. It’s also of a weight (880lb/400kg + trailer) that allows towing on an unbraked trailer behind an ordinary car. The hollow spruce mast weighs just 26lb (12kg) and drops into a step to be secured by two simple Dyneema stays. The carbon fibre, wooden-tipped bowsprit slots in and the forestay is made fast. The sail, fast to the distinctive curved gaff, lies in readiness in the middle of the boat. The kick-up rudder is mounted, the mainsheet downhaul clipped on and you are ready to launch. Stepping onto the boat revealed immense form stability despite the boat’s light weight. Sam and I (combined weight of 525lb/160kg) both sat outboard of the coaming with the boat at rest, and only induced a slight angle of heel. With Ewan at the helm, the three of us motored off upriver and upwind on the dying flood, the boat moving easily under the 2.5hp outboard. Raising sail

Right: with sub-zero sun, Upnor Castle was aglow. The author is at the helm

Clockwise from above: centreboard and winch; transom showing retractable ladder, rudder stock insignia and carved wooden horse; mast step and pinrail

SPITFIRE 18 LOA

18ft 5in (5.6m)

was a matter of hauling the peak and throat halyards (one in each hand), then cranking the jib out on its furler/ reefer drum by pulling on a line by the mast. Arguably, this line should be led back to the helm, but adjusting the roller is quick, and the boat will steer herself for the moment it takes. It also keeps the aft part of the boat clear of running rigging, which is a real plus.

BEAM

6ft 9in (2.1m) DRAUGHT UP/DOWN:

1ft (31cm)/ 3ft 5in (1.1m) SAIL AREA

192sqft (17.8m2) DISPLACEMENT

880lb (400kg) PRICE

£23,850 inc trailer, motor and much more RCD: C

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

OUT ON THE WATER Then we were away, tacking into a light headwind. This is a boat that excels in light air, another advantage of the flattish hull being a willingness to turn through the wind, even with barely enough way on for steerage. We were moving nicely through zephyrs and occasional gusts of stronger winds of perhaps 10 knots or so. The helm remained completely neutral, a design stipulation from the outset. This can be slightly disconcerting on a larger boat where the tiller feels dead, but here it feels alive with hydrodynamic feedback from the rudder. At Upnor Castle, we gybed and ran downwind towards Grain Power Station, 10 miles away but clear as crystal in the cold, dry air. By then we had rolled in the jib and unfurled the gennaker and were pulling nicely. Unlike heavier boats of this length where it would be sensible to centre the main before a gybe, the sail’s boomless foot means that you just move the helm over and gybe it all-standing like a dinghy. This can be done even in 20 knots or more of wind, Ewan tells me. The foot is reinforced by a thin, flexible carbon batten to help shape the sail, but most of its form is dictated by the spruce gaff. Among the benefits of this system are the

ability to run straight downwind without fearing the gravity of a crash gybe; and that’s another sort of speed – CMG as well as SOG for lovers of acronyms. We turn and tack up the river against the gathering spring ebb. Even in a Force 2, we are able to make headway with a weatherliness that feels more bermudan than gaff, but the cold soon starts to seep into our cores: it’s about three degrees above freezing with the wind chill turning this into sub-zero sailing, so we motor the last few hundred yards back to Medway YC, which has lent us its facilities for the day.

CONSTRUCTION AND INTERIOR The hull planking is 3/8in (10mm) Western red cedar, glassed in 300gsm biaxial on the outside and 200gsm woven on the inside, epoxied inside and out. This is epoxy filleted and glued and screwed (in stainless steel) to the framing, which is in 3/8in (10mm) Robbins Elite plywood, at 20in (500mm) centres with extra floors for rigidity. The inside of the boat is a mixture of clear epoxy, through which the wooden construction can be seen, and plywood innerworks, which are epoxied then painted white in Awlgrip two-pack for a durable finish. Under the solid plywood sole and in the six large cockpit lockers (these are a real boon) is enough reserve buoyancy to float the boat swamped, and in the centre a bilge well collects any rainwater and lets it out through two self-bailers. This self-bailing cockpit is not only a safety feature, but allows the boat to be kept on a mooring without filling up or sinking. An aft lazarette takes care of a small standard-shaft outboard and a locker forward of the

mast accommodates a chemical heads. The three cleats (one at the bow and one on each stern quarter) are smart stainless steel fold-down units. All trim is in solid sapele.

THE CAMPING OPTION We were unable to witness the Spitfire’s transformation from fast, planing dayboat to cosy overnight bolthole, but this is a big part of the boat’s raison d’être: the lowered gaff forms the ridge for the Spitfire’s tent, which clips into the oval holes cut into the coaming, then a roll of slats is placed between the seats to form a platform for two Thermarests or similar. The dedicated locker for the heads and plenty of locker stowage completes the picture of a very capable, comfortable boat for weekending or raiding: the recipe often fails when there is insufficient stowage to keep sleeping bags dry. The performance of the Spitfire came as no surprise: it was clear from a brief glance at the design. The surprise was in its stability and friendliness; it would make an ideal boat for beginners, as well as racers. It’s less traditional in appearance than the other North Quay boats but it’s an attractive, bold look with the rakish gaff, and I’d love to see it in black or dark green to admire it fully. Here’s a boat that can race, coast cruise and please beginners and enthusiasts. Boatbuilders are finally starting to watch the weight in the sub-20ft (6.1m) trailer-sailer market, with more and more “dinghies with lids” on offer, as well as the heavier, more traditional ‘yachty’ trailersailers. The Spitfire is a great example of this.

Clockwise from middle top: drop down the curved gaff, hook up the canvas tent and voilà! – your very own overnight camper; stainless steel cleats fold down – simpler than ‘pop up’ jobs, which need drain holes; the distinctive curved gaff gives shape to the sail

northquaymarine.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1795 521 711 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

New Classics C/O THE BUILDER

CLÁSSICO K8

VELEIRO CLÁSSICO K8

LOA

New build from Brazil

26ft (7.9m) BEAM

7ft 7in (2.3m) DRAUGHT

5ft (1.5m) DISPLACEMENT

2,730lb (1,238kg)

The K8 is a daysailer “inspired by the renowned designs of the 1950s,” says builder Estaleiro Kalmar. The ﬁrst was built to a brief for a client, in cold-moulded wood, in 2004. His recipe – classic looks, easy to sail, centrally mounted inboard diesel – has found favour, and now 10 have been built. The inboard arrangement is unusual on a boat this size, but Estaleiro points out the good weight distribution, along with the seating provided by the engine box. Not having to mount and unmount an outboard while bobbing around on a swell must surely be another. The design is by Horacio Carabelli and the boat includes a good kit level: bilge pumps, control panel, 12V outlet, nav lights and a Brazilian teak deck are all standard. Brazil also recently initiated two classic yacht regattas and several South American classic yachts are participating in Mediterranean regattas (see p6). We expect to hear more about Brazil in the coming years. The K8 costs R$ 218,569 (about £56,000), which is competitive. kalmar.com.br Tel: +55 47 3348 2916

HENWOOD AND DEAN

Modern take on a slipper The idea behind the 25ft (7.6m) Lady Helen was “to move the Thames launch on a bit,” says builder Colin Henwood. She embodies all that an upper-Thames launch should – silent running, elegance and comfort – but in a modern design with striking tumblehome from top yacht designer Andrew Wolstenholme. Inside, the traditional steamed-oak timbers and mahogany planking run all the way to the stem (there are no bulkheads), picking out the boat’s shape. She seats six to eight, and is powered by a 2.5kW electric motor. Available from £150,000.

Stripped for action This strip-built canoe is part of a new line of canoes and kayaks imported from Vietnam by Rock Goblin in Devon. It comes in various lengths – pictured here is the 16-footer (4.9m). It is a timeless piece of design and with a 550lb (249kg) capacity would carry two to three adults and a fair amount of kit. That combined with its very low weight of 65lbs (29.5kg), might endear it to some as a tender, one that would make an admirable, nearly zero-draught river craft for exploring once the anchor is down. These are dear compared to their plastic brethren, but look the part. £3,249.

C/O ROCK GOBLIN

MICHAEL ENGLISH, C/O HENWOOD AND DEAN

ROCK GOBLIN

rock-goblin.com Tel: +44 (0)1364 654055

henwoodanddean.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1491 571692 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

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“Rainbow” 3rd in class at the Fife Regatta 2013

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JAMES LAWRENCE SAILMAKERS LTD BESPOKE SAILMAKERS 22-28 Tower Street, Brightlingsea, Essex CO7 0AL Tel: s Fax: 01206 305858 Email: mark@gaffguru.com or lawrencesails@btconnect.com

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3KRWR +XJK 3HUNV

ZZZ NHQWLVKVDLO RUJ

The Kentish Sail Association Affiliated to the RYA

FALMOUTH CLASSICS 2014

2014

@FalClassics /FalmouthClassics

MAKE A WEEKEND DATE WITH FALMOUTH CLASSICS JUNE 13 – 15, 2014 Sponsored berthing for visitors. Parade of Sail – 3 friendly races. Free evening entertainment at the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival. Photo: Serena Stewart Organising authority: RCYC Events Ltd.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

www.falmouthclassics.org.uk

ONBOARD

Lazarette Brompton folding bike We’ve tried to be open-minded when testing folding bikes but the predictable answer came up: Brompton is best. There are many factors. The quality of steel is evident, everything clicks into place tightly, there are no creaks or rattles, it’s lightweight and robust, it looks good and it folds away fast – perfect for storing on a boat for quick trips to the shops or the local hostelry! Above all, it feels engineered rather than simply manufactured. If we were being picky we’d say the wheels are small, so watch for potholes, and they’re expensive, but no one ever regretted spending money on quality. Model featured is the 3 gear M3L in sage green and desert sand, from £935

VISIT Sailing Equip classicbo ment a

brompton.com Tel: +44 (0)20 8232 8484

t.c

o.uk For many product re more views

Bronze gooseneck Here to help us out of the problem of buying stainless parts where they should be bronze is the U.S. company Bristol Bronze, who makes parts for classic yachts. Made with a sparkling ﬁnish and an eye for aesthetics as well as function, these ﬁttings are of the highest quality and forged by craftsmen. Shown here is a main boom gooseneck. £222 plus p&p bristolbronze.com Tel: +1 401 625 5224

Base layer The phrase “If you’re cold, ask a Norwegian” applies to this merino base layer from Bergans of Norway. The 150g pure wool Fjellrapp Half Zip is adequate when you’re sitting still on a freezing night watch, and does not get too warm when you start moving about. We tried the top shown with matching bottoms and found them really snug and comfy. Ideal for night sailing in early summer. £49.50 plus p&p srcunningham.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1539 432636

Emergency light pack These little lights throw a powerful beam as their main function is as emergency nav lights when power has suddenly shut down in a busy shipping lane (so don’t use up the batteries reading Classic Boat in the dark). The pack comes with three high-powered, waterproof and rechargeable torches (XS, XS-R and XS-G), quick-mount brackets, reﬂective lanyards, batteries and a recharger. £139.95 plus VAT. use1.com/homepage/exposure-marine Tel: +44 (0)1798 344477

A plug for a leak We’ve been playing with this ingenious little device for a while. Deployed in seconds, it can plug a hole from 0.2in (4mm) to 3.9in (10cm) wide by sliding the pin through the hole and tightening the plugger with the pull cord. Ideal for fuel and water tanks, and hulls. The handiest thing you hope you’ll never use. From £33.60 plus p&p rupturesealuk.com Tel: +44 (0)23 9266 2251 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Davey & Company Supplying the trade since 1885

Wykeham Martin Traditional Bronze Furling Gear

Hand crfated in England for 100 years

Davey & Co. London Ltd., Email: chandlery@davey.co.uk Phone: +44 (0) 1206 500945

www.davey.co.uk

INNOVATION INSPIRED BY TRADITION

Belfast, Maine, USA | +1.207.338.6636

STEPHENSWARING.COM

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

ONBOARD

Classnotes The Norfolk Oyster BY VANESSA BIRD

VANESSA BIRD

he Oyster was designed as the sort of dayboat I wished to own after many years of experience of the type,” wrote naval architect John Leather of the 16ft 9½in (5.1m) dayboat that he designed in the early 1960s. “I wanted a boat that could be sailed by one person yet could happily carry several of my family or friends safely with nimble sailing performance. Shoal draught was necessary to suit our mooring and allow exploration of the creeks and shallows that are a pleasurable part of small boat sailing.” Classic Boat’s former contributing editor designed the Oyster to be built in wood, and in 1965 Yachts & Yachting magazine published details of his design, selling plans for home construction for five guineas per set. More than 100 sets were sold, and nearly as many built to the design, and it was from this that the Norfolk Oyster, a GRP version evolved. The wooden Oysters proved to be popular around the world, with boats built not only in the UK, but in Ireland, Sweden and Italy, too, as well as further afield in South Africa, Australia and even Venezuela. However, it was the launch of one particular boat, Emily, in the harbour at Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast that led to its production in GRP. The gunter-rigged clinker dayboat caught the attention of many local sailors, and such was the interest that her owner, boatbuilder Charlie Ward, approached John Leather with the idea of producing a version in GRP. Following extensive filling and fairing, Emily was used as a plug, and the first Norfolk Oyster was launched in 1989. Since then around 150 have been built. Simplicity is the key with the Norfolk Oyster, and apart from the

construction method and material, little has changed from the original design and concept. Both Ward and Leather were keen that the boat not only looked traditional in appearance, but that it felt traditional, too, handling as a wooden boat does, and this is certainly something that it has achieved, and one of the reasons behind its subsequent success. Neil Thompson Boats took over production in 2007, and has maintained an enviable reputation for good-quality, well-built boats. The lay-up on the Norfolk Oyster is heavy and of high spec, with thicker than usual hull laminates for this size of boat, and a separate interior moulding. The ﬁnish is superb, with teak capping on the centreboard case and slats on the seating, larch sole boards and bronze ﬁttings. Internally, the boat is generous, easily accommodating four to six adults, plus children, and including copious stowage for an outboard or extra sails. It’s hard to believe that next year this design will celebrate its 50th anniversary; but although the construction is now very different, its ethos is not, and thanks to two very skilled boatbuilders, it remains very much true to the original.

“Little has changed from the original design and concept”

Above: the Norfolk Oyster was designed for family sailing, and provides plenty of room for lots of crew

OYSTER RACING Blakeney is now home to a large ﬂeet of Oysters. There are around 30 boats in the harbour, many of which compete in regular points series racing during the summer months. The Norfolk Oyster Regatta is also held annually.

NO AGE LIMIT Under sail or oar it does not disappoint, slipping easily through the water with a well-balanced rig that provides good windward performance.

ALL-ROUNDER SPECIFICATIONS

LOA

16ft 9½in (5.1m) LWL

15ft 4in (4.7m) BEAM

6ft 2½in (1.9m) DRAUGHT

3ft 10in/10in (1.2m/25cm) SAIL AREA

149sqft (13.8m²) DISPLACEMENT

1,320lb (599kg)

Although popular with the family market, many are sailed singlehanded or by couples, and the design is well liked by older sailors, too.

THE PRICE The plans for the original wooden Oyster were sold within the pages of Yachts & Yachting in 1965, and cost ﬁve guineas. The lines plans included offsets and sail and rigging plans. Such is the quality of build that secondhand boats retain their value. As well as building new boats, Neil Thompson Boats reconditions secondhand Norfolk Oysters to as-new condition, many of which sell for between £13,000-£17,000. Vanessa’s book, Classic Classes, is a must-buy. For more details, go to classicboat.co.uk CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

BESSIE ELLEN PLYMOUTH 1904

Exceptional gaff sailing experience for all. Tall ship holidays Scotland, Faroes, tall ships Falmouth all in 2014! We also offer: ǡ ϐ ǡ training & team building.

the unique classic regatta.

Take a look at our schedule at:

www.bessie-ellen.com Or call Nikki on 07800 825 382

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

ver the last two decades, Suffolk Yacht Harbour has emerged as the centre of excellence for all aspects of classic yachting. We have the best shipwrights and joiners on the east coast - many of them real ‘classics’ in their own right - with reputations for their work that bring owners to Levington from far and wide. They are backed up by onsite sailmakers, riggers, stainless steel fabicators and marine engineers who are specialists in all aspects of traditional skills and materials. This is the home of the Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta, on 14/15th June celebrating its 13th anniversary, where over 60 of the UK’s ÀQHVW FODVVLF WKRURXJKEUHGV PHHW HDFK \HDU IRU VRPH HSLF \DFKW UDFLQJ DQG socialising. If you’re a classic yacht owner needing meticulous craftsmanship or just some really sound advice, please call or email us soon: jonathan@syharbour.co.ukv Suﬀolk Yacht Harbour Levington Ipswich Suﬀolk IP10 0LN Tel: 01473 659465 Fax: 01473 659632 info@syharbour.co.uk www.syharbour.co.uk

ONBOARD

PANDORA

If owning a legend is a great thrill, parting with her is an equal sorrow, writes Chris Museler. Odd Syse, who is selling Pandora, the only 9 Metre R boat in existence, knows the feeling well. Launched from the Anker & Jensen yard in Norway in 1907, she has been his pride and joy for nine glorious seasons. At least, he says, she will leave him in the best possible condition, which is some consolation. She is 46ft (14m), gaff-rigged and carvel built of mahogany on oak frames. With her pedigree there is no surprise that she won the “Best Sailing Yacht” prize at the popular Risør Wooden Boat Festival

C/O BARNEY SANDEMAN

The last gaff-rigged 9 Metre R

in 2007, where she logged 13 knots… allegedly! As the only 9mR boat left she cannot race others of her type so usually competes against bermudan-rigged classics, but regularly loses out with all her tacking. However, when conditions are optimal for her hull

Above: Pandora showing off her timeless form and hefty rig

shape, and with all that canvas set, she really ﬂies, 107-years old or not. Pandora beneﬁts from a 28bhp Vetus diesel engine. Lying Norway, asking €208,000 (c£170,000), sandemanyachtcompany. co.uk, +44 (0)1202 330077

MY LOCH LOMOND

Timeless tender

C/O BARNEY SANDEMAN

Occasionally, our eye spots something a bit different, but something so right – and the 33ft (10m) Loch Lomond is just that. She was built in plywood by Mora Marine in 2007 to a timeless design by Michel Joubert and Halvard Mabire. Power comes from a 150hp Volvo diesel engine giving 16 knots, or a 550-mile range at a slower 10 knots. Originally designed as a tender with the twin-cabin layout and large central cockpit, she would ﬁll that role well, and at a fraction of the price of having one built anew; but her range and size also commend her to be used as a ship in her own right. Lying France, asking €150,000 (c£125,000). bernard-gallay.com, +33 (0)467 66 39 93

HERRESHOFF 12½ Nathaniel Herreshoff’s 12½ must be one of the most enduring boat designs ever drawn. This boat is a Haven 12.5, Joel White’s later interpretation, which is based on years of experience (CB135) with a slightly wider beam and a centreboard set into the keel. This example was built by her boatbuilder owner Dick Boele in 2011 in cedar strip, with two double-diagonal layers of epoxy-coated mahogany on the outside and nylon stapled. She’s 16ft (4.9m) long and comes with a new road trailer. As for her condition, she’s never been launched, and is stored under cover.

C/O BERNARD GALLAY

Wizard of Bristol’s masterpiece

Lying Wales, asking £17,000, dick.boele@yahoo.com, +44 (0)7930 152933 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

BOATS FOR SALE

Boats for sale Looking to sell your boat? Reach over 50,000 readers each month To advertise call Edward Mannering on +44 (0) 20 7349 3747 or email Edward.Mannering@chelseamagazines.com STOR TUMLAREN

Copy Deadline for next issue is 25/03/2014

Knud Reimers classic canoe sterned 32â&#x20AC;&#x2122; sloop, reluctantly for sale because of ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ill-health. Built of Honduras mahogany on Canadian rock elm. Well equipped with dinghy, outboard, liferaft etc. ÂŁ15,000. Tel 07912 732423

HERRESHOFF HAVEN 12.5 Built in wood to high professional standard in 2011 and never launched. CE certiďŹ ed and stored under cover. 16â&#x20AC;&#x2122; long x 6â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, lift keel, gaff rig, a proper little yacht; see CB issue number 135. Ready to sail, incl. new road trailer. Reduced price ÂŁ17k. Contact 07930152933 / 01646601024 or email dick.boele@yahoo.com

FAIREY CHRISTINA 25 ÂŁ100,000-00 + ReďŹ t and Refurbishment. 1 X 200 HP Volvo Diesel All Offers will be Considered. Highly Recommended FĂśZ\1 ''++ ' (+/( .)-**, Â&#x203A; DfY1 ''++ ' ../( ('++(0 <dX`c1 D`b\%Yi\eeXe7e\n_fi`qfepXZ_kj%Zfd

X ONE DESIGN (XOD)

ROMILLY 23

Built by Hamper. No.129. Mahogany varnished hull. Professionally maintained by Haines and regularly raced in the Itchenor SC ďŹ&#x201A;eet. Competed at Cowes Centenary Regatta 2011 and Cowes Classics Week 2013. VGC. New standing rigging 2013. Keelbolts inspected 2013. Fully equipped with several sets of sails. Price includes mooring at Itchenor for 2014. ÂŁ5,800 ono. Contact 01428 651593 or email mogilvy@aol.com

Almost brand new and top spec. Romilly built by CoCoBe in Holland www.romilly.nl delivered in May 2013 and very lightly used. Fitted with all the extras, cream sails, wood trim, fresh water tanks, press. Water, deck shower, automatic bilge pump/manual bilge pump, 12V/220 sockets, shore power, battery charger, nav. Lights and most importantly a Mastervolt 4KW electric engine with 4X100AH lithium batteries giving a cruising range at 4.5 knots of about 27NM (6 hours). R52 is Rosalyn Bris ďŹ tted with electric engine, batteries and generator http://vimeo.com/12072429. Back-up get-home 2KW Honda generator and very quick charging (3 hours from ďŹ&#x201A;at) of batteries also an important feature. Centre plate/board (0.5 - 1.5 m) for shallow draft mooring or anchoring and superb and easy-tohandle sailing characteristics as well as performance to embarrass much bigger yachts. Summer & winter covers as well as road trailer included. Price substantially below replacement co st. ÂŁ47,500. Contact eric@wigart.com orcall 01243 530 874.

DOUBLE-ENDED GAFF CUTTER This beautiful double-ended gaff cutter designed by Peter Bruun, (known for Grinde-Kaskelot design) and inspiration from Colin Archer Pilot cutter. the boat is build larch on oak and the deck is made of solid teak. Only owned by one person and always cared for in a shipyard, and it is stored indoor during the winter. Practically new spray hood 2013 and the boat appear in a very good condition. When the sail is up it is 68 square meter and it sail as fast and well as many new modern boats. â&#x201A;Ź69,000. Contact 0045 25154171 or \dX`c jp[7pXZ_kYifb\i%[b%

FOR SALE BY OWNER Th e 1 9 3 0 J o h n A l d e n S c h o o n e r {Design No. 458}

Ć?Ć&#x2C6; ÄšÄźÄŽ t Ć&#x17D;Ć&#x2030; ÄšÄźÄą t Ĺ&#x20AC;ÄŽÄśÄš ÄŽÄżÄ˛ÄŽ Ć&#x160; Ć&#x160;Ć&#x2C6;Ć&#x2C6; Ĺ&#x20AC;Äž ÄłĹ 'Ĺ&#x201A;ÄšÄš Ä°ÄźÄşÄ˝ÄšÄśÄşÄ˛ÄťĹ ÄźÄł Ĺ&#x20AC;ÄŽÄśÄšĹ&#x20AC; Ĺ&#x2014; Ä˛ÄžĹ&#x201A;ÄśÄ˝ÄşÄ˛ÄťĹ Newly on the market after 29 years of ownership, this meticulously maintained schooner is currently available for sale by owner. Located in San Diego, California, USA, Dauntless has been featured on several covers and issues of Sailing Magazine, Wooden Boat, Nautical Quarterly and Santana magazines. Re-built in 1975, Dauntless has a competitive record including races from San Diego to Hawaii, biannual Master Mariners Regattas, and numerous races and cruises along the California coast. History, Specifications, Gallery & Contact Information

www.schoonerdauntless.com Photos ~ Bob Grieser

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

BROKERAGE

Brokerage

To advertise Call Patricia Hubbard +44 (0) 207 349 3748 Patricia.hubbard@chelseamagazines.com Copy Deadline for next issue is 25/03/2014

M.J.LEWIS & SON (Boat Sales) LTD DOWNS ROAD BOATYARD, MALDON, ESSEX. CM9 5HG

Email: info@mjlewisboatsales.com Tel: +44 (0) 1621 859373 s -OB 07736 553487 Specialists in the Brockerage of Classic Vessels, Traditional Yachts and Working Boats Barge @ Oyster Pier, Battersea Reach, open for viewing. Video: http://www.classicyacht.tv/videos/play/oyster

40m Bespoke Steel Motor Barges converted into luxury lifestyle homes/ work place / studio afloat. The potential for over 2000sq ft of living space. The barge pictured has 3 double cabins with en suite facilities, a deck level galley/ dining /reception room, large external deck area. Vega IV is the “ Show Barge” for the new Oyster Pier moorings on the Thames. These secure private moorings have full residential status (for just ten vessels). Vega IV is to be SOLD with a l30 year term lease. The moorings benefit from a Concierge service supplied by the neighbouring 5star hotel. Ease of access to all the local amenities & transport systems. M.J. Lewis Boatsales have two unconverted barge hulls available for an immediate start. Each barge can be designed and fitted out to her owners’ exacting specifications.

36ft Sailing Smack, 1905 Gostelow’s of Boston. BN176 Just restored, inboard,. J.Lawrence sails. Brittany OIRO 50,000Euros

80ft Hasselter Ark Barge, 1904 Iron hull, converted static houseboat. Mooring neg. 3 cabins. On the Broads £155,000

Heard 28, 1982 GRP Gaff Cutter. 6ft 6 h’drm. Perkins 4cyl. Cornwall £39,500

26ft Falmouth Work Boat GRP, 1978 Traditional lines, wooden spars. Gaff cutter rig. ’08 Beta. Well found. Essex £18,500

45ft Spritsail Barge,1993 Steel hull. Traditional ﬁt out & rig. Restoration rqr’d, hence price. Suffolk £60,000

50ft ex Baltic Trawler, 1950’s Used as live aboard. Oak on oak, Mercedes eng London £47,500

Twister, Holman 28, 1968 Tyler GRP hull, ﬁnished by Uphams Fractional Sloop, Yanmar 18hp. Kent £17,500

38ft Gaff Yawl, 1905 French built Pitch Pine. New engine. 6 berths N.Essex £39,950

Cornish Crabber 24, 1981 GRP hull Mk 1. Gaff rig & centre plate. Yanmar. Road trailer. Sussex £18,500

32ft TSDY, 1937 Brooke Marine Lowestoft. BMC 2.2’s. Accom 2+2. Re ﬁtted ’14. 6ft 3hdrm Essex £28,000

www.heritage-marine.com CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

www.TallShipsforSale.co.uk www.ClassicYachtsforSale.com

38m (124ft) Steel Brigantine Sail Training Ship. Air conditioned accommodation for up to

25m (82ft) Steel Twin Screw Gentlemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Schooner part-ďŹ nished restoration project.

15m (49ft) on deck, Brigantine rigged Motor sailer. Built Oak on Oak 1970. 6 berths,

14m (46ft) Modern Classic Sloop built Astilleros Mediterraneo, Spain 2003.

36 in 17 cabins plus 12 crew berths in six cabins; Bar and lounge. Well-equipped comfortable. â&#x201A;Ź3,000,000 - Location Valencia, Spain

Hull and decks restored, Twin Gardner diesels. Drop Dead Gorgeous! 2010 Survey please ask for a copy. ÂŁ195,000 Offers invited - Location, Dorset UK

Perkins Sabre M115T 114hp diesel. A real eye catcher! â&#x201A;Ź165,000 - Location Netherlands

Construction is cold moulded, double diagonal over strip plank Cedar, all epoxy / glass sheathed. 6 berths. Yanmar 40hp diesel. A real stunner! â&#x201A;Ź139,000 - Lying Costa del Sol, Spain

10m (33ft) Fairey Marine Swordsman, fast cruiser. Up to six berths, two heads, excellent galley, Twin Volvo Penta TAMPD41P-A 200bhp diesels installed 2000. Superbly maintained. One Owner from new. 2010 Survey. ÂŁ49,500 Offers Invited - Location River Colne, Essex

12m (40ft) Cornu Class Ketch.

8.9m Hallberg Rassy 29, built 1986.

10.7m (36ft) Maldon Fishing Smack.

Built Iroko and Mahogany, Van der Notte, Nantes, in 1966. Recent sails and Engine (Vetus 42hp) up to 9 berths. â&#x201A;Ź50,000 - Location Brittany, France

5 Berths in two cabins Luxury, High class ďŹ t out. Volvo Penta diesel on saildrive, very well equipped including Dinghy, Outboard and launching trolley. ÂŁ31,000 - Location River Colne, Essex

Built Howards, 1889, Larch on Oak. Professionally sheathed in 1991, re-decked in 1995. 4 Berths BMC diesel. Great fun! 2007 Survey available, please ask! ÂŁ15,000 - Location River Colne, Essex

www.EasternYachts.com See Website for Photos, SpeciďŹ cations & Surveys #OLNE 2OAD "RIGHTLINGSEA %SSEX #/ $, s 4EL 0LANNING TO SELL Please call Adrian Espin for details. 74

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

BROKERAGE

33 High Street, Poole BH15 1AB, England. Tel: + 44 (0)1202 330077

63 ft Abeking & Rasmussen Ketch 1919 Ahead of her time with a steel hull, TALISMAN has had a long and varied history with successive owners, rig, name changes and reﬁts. Re-rigged as a Bermuda ketch in 1955 and major restoration in 2006, she is approved by CIM as true to her origins - with her original name. Well laid out, combining the best of her inspired designer Henry Rasmussen and now with modern systems, she is the ideal medium sized family vintage yacht – or for charter, for which she is Cat 2 certiﬁed for up to 12 passengers and 2 crew.

43 ft Stirling & Son Gentlemans Cutter 2012 A breathtakingly beautiful yacht from a present day builder with a sensibility not just for yacht design from the late 19th Century – special as that was – but the vision to create a vessel for a sailor useful enough to enjoy with his family in 2014 and that can genuinely excite when the conditions and mindset of the crew determine - with the capability bravely to explore blue water and beyond. A gentleman’s cutter – Gentlemen let’s broaden our horizons!

£770,000 VAT unpaid

£297,500 VAT unpaid

Lying Sweden

Lying UK

40 ft Westernman Gaff Cutter 1999 A Nigel Irens design inspired by the famous Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters and built by Covey Island Boatworks - her traditional design is supported by her modern wood construction. ALICE WRAGG is able to cruise 2 or 4 handed for extended periods but is nevertheless comfortable as well at sea as in harbour. With accommodation for up to 7 people her current owners carefully planned the yacht’s interior at build to give her 2 comfortable double cabins with 2 separate head WC compartments – a rare layout on a traditional yacht of 40 feet but it allows two couples to sail away in privacy and comfort! £250,000 VAT unpaid Lying Caribbean

47 ft Stow & Sons Gaff Yawl 1895 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. £200,000 Lying UK

45 ft William Fife III International 8 Metre 1929 Notable not only for her royal commissioning, OSBORNE is practically the same design as Fife’s SIRENA built at Cannes in the same year for General Sir Arthur Paget. That yacht was claimed to have been the most successful Second International Rule 8 M in the Mediterranean, especially in light and moderate winds. OSBORNE is in good condition structurally and cosmetically - stored ashore and inside for the last 2 years, it would take very little to have her ready for the season.

40 ft Philip Rhodes Sloop There are not enough boats of this size and vintage that have received a comprehensive rebuild. The over used “Restoration” word is applied increasingly to reﬁts and partial rebuilds but SHANTIH was indeed dismantled piece by piece and lovingly rebuilt between 1988 and 1992. With the unmistakable yet effortless swooshing Philip Rhodes sheer line and unobtrusive deckhouse SHANTIH is a refreshingly simple boat above and below deck – an easy boat to live with and an easy boat to love.

34 ft Holman Ketch 1966 The Whisstock’s brochure at the time stated; “. . . these yachts have become a class by popular demand – being essentially tough, dry cruising boats with easily driven lines and proven ocean-going abilities. A cruising speed under sail or power of 7 knots is easily achieved . . .” Strong words perhaps but sister ships have proven all of this with their successful extended cruising – DICER is completely ready for either adventuring in warmer waters or simply day sailing from her berth on the Beaulieu River.

47 ft Albert Strange Gaff Cutter 1909 TALLY HO formerly BETTY is offered as a restoration project – built by Stows of Shoreham to a design by Albert Strange she represents in our view one of the very few opportunities left to bring back to life a boat that might even define the term classic yacht. As TALLY HO she won the 1927 Fastnet Race but it was her later trips to the Pacific and life on the US West Coast that proved her capabilities as an ocean sailing boat – definitely no pretender and a very exciting project!

£85,000

£59,000

£25,000 VAT unpaid

44 ft Christian Jensen Cruiser Racer 1946 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

Lying UK

email: info@sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk

Lying UK

€175,000

Lying Spain

Lying USA

www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk

BROKERAGE

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

New 18’ Deben Lugger day/ camping dayboat. Prices from £13,500 Inc VAT

New 10’ GRP clinker lug sail dinghy. Prices from £2,950 Inc VAT

Come and see us and the above boats at the Beale Park Show 6th - 8th June

2000 model Lune Pilot 14’ gaﬀ rigged sloop in lovely condition complete with Honda 2HP 4-stroke outboard and Easy-recovery trailer. £5,250.

2001 model Devon Scaﬃe in lovely condition with optional jib/bowsprit. Complete with Suzuki 2HP 2-stroke outboard and Easy-recovery trailer. £4,500.

2011 Secret 20’ built to a very high standard and in lovely condition. Complete with Suzuki 2.5HP 4-stroke outboard and custom launching trolley and road trailer. £14,950.

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

BROKERAGE

CLASSIC YACHT BROKERAGE 53ft. THORNYCROFT MOTOR-YACHT John Thornycroft design built Hampton on Thames for Frank Muirhead in 1938. Teak hull, decks and interior. Twin 90hp diesels. Rare and original period motor-yacht. Good liveaboard. BSS Cert. ÂŁ95,000 Norfolk

31ft. MISS SILVER CLASS MOTOR-SAILER Successful ďŹ fty/ďŹ fty John Bain design, 1963. Completely restored by Ocean Yacht Company. New teak decks and superstructure. Four berths, aft stateroom. New Ketch rig 2013. 50hp Beta diesel. ÂŁ119,000 Cornwall

27ft. SCARBOROUGH ONE-DESIGN SLOOP John Ley design, built in 1950. Keel-up restoration by Coombes Boatyard. Three berths. 18hp Yanmar diesel. Exceptional example. Owner retiring from sailing. ÂŁ9,950 West Sussex

28ft. HILLYARD GAFF CUTTER David Hillyard design, built in 1926. Professional re-ďŹ t. Pitch pine hull, teak brightwork. Four berths in two cabins. 30hp Yanmar diesel. Good strong rig. ÂŁ12,500 Cornwall

26ft. YONNE CLASS BERMUDIAN CUTTER Harrison butler design, Clemens of Portsmouth in 1935. Winner of Classic Boat Magazine Best Restoration 2012. An exceptional yacht and a rare opportunity to own a virtual new HB. ÂŁ60,000 Devon

36ft. SILVERETTE CLASS MOTOR-YACHT Formerly owned and restored for actor Robbie Coltrane. Four berths, 50hp Thornycroft diesel, new ketch rig 2013. Excellent condition and Silverette number one built in 1931. ÂŁ40,000 Ireland

31ft. CORNISH MOTOR-SAILER Designed and built in 1970 by Gerald Pearn, Looe. Iroko hull and decks. Four berths. 50hp Thornycroft diesel, 400 sq. ft. ketch rig. Generous cockpit for family picnics or ďŹ shing. ÂŁ29,750 West Sussex

52ft. STEAM PICKET BOAT Samuel White design for the Admiralty by Gills of Chatham 1910. Teak hull, iroko superstructure. Liveaboard style interior, 72hp BMC diesel. Useful ketch rig. Rare pre First World War survivor. ÂŁ39,950 Somerset

25ft. CYCLONE 11 CLASS CUTTER Harrison Butler design by Dickies of Tarbert 1931. Teak hull and decks. Four berths. 12hp Saab diesel. Good rig. Re-commissioning required. ÂŁ5,500 Worcestershire

32ft. RAMPART MOTOR-YACHT John Desty design, built in 1972. Iroko hull. Four berths. Twin 48hp Perkins diesels. Much expenditure. One of the last Ramparts. Ideal pied-a-terre. ÂŁ27,000 Central London

30ft. WANDERER CLASS SLOOP Laurent Gilesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; famous Hiscock design. Hamble built in 1985. Iroko hull, mahogany brightwork. Five berths. 20hp Bukh diesel. Good, high speciďŹ cation example. ÂŁ27,000 West Sussex

25ft. CYCLONE 11 CLASS CUTTER Harrison Butler design by Anderson Rigden & Perkins 1932. Pitch pine hull, teak brightwork. Four berths. 20hp Yanmar diesel. Long family ownership. Realistically priced. ÂŁ8,000 Hampshire

www.classicyachtbrokerage.co.uk 4EL s INFO CLASSICYACHTBROKERAGE CO UK

2 Southford Road, Dartmouth, South Devon TQ6 9QS Tel/Fax: (01803) 833899 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; info@woodenships.co.uk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.woodenships.co.uk 58â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lutine of Helford one of the most famous English yachts, Laurent Giles design, built by C&N in 1952 for the Lloyds YC. Teak hull and decks, completely rebuilt in present ownership. Yanmar 100hp. 7 berths. Recent complete cosmetic reďŹ t, ready for the classic yacht circuit. Executor Sale. ÂŁ339,000

50â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter, built in 1899 and restored over the last 8 years in present ownership. Sound hull, new interior, systems and rig. Rare opportunity to own an original Pilot Cutter, one of the best designed sea boats you will ever ďŹ nd. Canada ÂŁ190,000+VAT

42â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Looe Lugger built in 1904 as one of the last sailing ďŹ shing boats, and she was only retired from ďŹ shing in the late 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Pitch pine hull on sawn oak frames. Powerful 2 mast standing lug rig, twin 55hp diesels new in 2011. 8 berths in 3 cabins. A beautiful working boat in very nice condition. Devon ÂŁ80,000

31â&#x20AC;&#x2122; West Country gaff cutter built by Kitto of Porthleven in 1898. Complete rebuild in previous ownership. Well known as one of the fastest work boats in the area. Yellow pine planking on sawn oak frames. Owner very keen to sell hence Cornwall ÂŁ16,000

23â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bermudan cutter built in 1952. Mahogany planking all copper and bronze fastened with sheathed deck and teak coachroof. Beta 10hp 2003, new rigging. Simple interior with heads, galley and 2 berths. Very smart and pretty boat, professionally maintained with complete records of work, very sensibly priced. Hants ÂŁ13,500

Another fascinating selection of traditional and classic yachts only from Wooden Ships. Call for true descriptions, genuine honest values and a service from people who know their boats.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Craftsmanship Yard News

Edited by Steffan Meyric Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk

YORKSHIRE

CHRIS POTTER

that her current excellent structural condition is a credit, not only to Lallows’ build quality, but to the maintenance carried out on the boat by its previous owners of 44 years, who campaigned her from Blyth on the north-east coast. In fact, rather than a restoration all she needs is an “extensive reﬁt”. It is hoped she will be aﬂoat this season and Lawrence is keen to get involved in the classicracing scene. Elise of London will be subject to a 3½-year restoration; she is sitting

Above, left to right: Joe Irving aboard the grand Fife yacht Elise of London; a Yorkshire One-Design

HAMPSHIRE

UK-WIDE

Hamble hoist

Bargain 3D scans

Universal Marina on the Hamble has installed a new 75-tonne travel hoist.

The 3D scanning technology used by curators at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall (CB307) is now available for boat owners who want an accurate visual presentation for record or reﬁt, restoration, etc. A 50-footer (15.2m) will cost roughly £500 to scan, which is a very competitive price. See slcassociates. co.uk for details.

C/O SPIRIT YACHTS

NORFOLK

Clever craning Cox’s Boatyard in Barton Turf on the Norfolk Broads has acquired a remote-controlled boat transporter for vessels up to 46ft (14m) and 15 tonnes. 78

HONG KONG

Spirit in the Orient Suffolk-based Spirit Yachts has announced a new office in Hong Kong Harbour, to open in October. Spirit is already an exporting success with 90 per cent of its output (63 boats and counting) going overseas. “Asia is an immensely important growth market for luxury brands,” said MD Sean McMillan.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

on a massive steel girder cradle, made for transportation and restoration. The very substantial garboards have been removed for inspection and the keel (all 10.5 tonnes of it!) will follow. The pitch pine-on-oak hull is in remarkable condition. The deck is to be relaid with teak but a ﬁnal decision has yet to be made about the interior. This was renovated in oak some 20 years ago to a high quality and remains in reasonable condition. Joe, however, is keen to persuade the owner to go for a “full Fife interior”.

C/O CLAASEN

Since winning our Restoration of the Year award in 2007 for the Fife 8-M Ierne, Joe Irving’s yard, Draughtsman Racing Yachts, which stands in the shadow of the Humber Bridge, has gone from strength to strength, reports Chris Potter. A visit in late January found the place buzzing with activity; two Yorkshire One-Designs (affectionately known as “Yorkshire Puddings”) were being readied for the coming season in Bridlington Bay; and a Yorkshire ﬁshing coble, recently restored to Joe’s exacting standards, was ready for its launching ceremony. The two current stars of the yard are undoubtedly the 1967 S&S one-tonner Sunmaid V, built by Clare Lallows, and the 63ft (19.2m) 1912 Fife schooner Elise of London. Sunmaid V, now owned by J24 ace Lawrence Wride, came into the yard last year and, following a strip-down, Lawrence and Joe agreed

CHRIS POTTER

Puddings and Fifes

NETHERLANDS

Giant taking shape The hull of an Andre Hoek-designed Truly Classic 126 sloop was recently ﬁnished in aluminium at the Bloemsma yard and has been transported to Claasen where she will be turned into a yacht. A short ﬁlm on our website, classicboat.co.uk, shows the process so far.

BRISTOL, RI, USA

Water to wine: nicer cabin shape for GRP classic When Mike Zani moved to the banks of the Sakonnet River, he wanted a beautiful yacht for his mooring but was not willing to pay $50,000 (£30,000) for one of the ﬁne-lined modern/classic daysailers on the market today, writes Chris Museler. A cool $4,500 (c£2,700) bought him a 1962 Cape Cod Marlin, a GRP derivative of L Francis Herreshoff’s

Fish Class design, but with a blister cabin house and a strip of opaque GRP in place of portholes (ugh!). After two seasons of racing with cast-off Etchells jibs (the perfect size and virtually disposable on the racing circuit), Zani had a good ‘beer can’ racer that outsailed her PHRF rating, but the boat was ugly. Yacht designer friend Ezra Smith drew a new, lower

Clockwise from above left: Mike Zani at work; the yacht sailing with the new cabin trunk in situ; Ezra Smith’s drawings

cabin trunk and after 20 minutes with a chainsaw, the old trunk lay on the ground. After experimenting with a bandsaw, Zani built the improved replacement in plywood. The coamings were cut down to ﬁt, and after a repaint and new ﬁttings, the boat, called Go Dog, Go after the children’s book by PD Eastman, was turning heads in Narragansett Bay.

MAINE, USA

SUFFOLK

Hodgdon Yachts and Boothbay Region Boatyard have merged at Southport and Boothbay Harbour to create “one of Maine’s largest, full-service marine companies”.

Havengore lifted ashore

USA

The boat that played a part in Churchill’s funeral in 1965 has gone to Fox’s Marina and Boatyard for annual maintenance. The 85ft (25.9m) motor vessel was built by Toughs in 1954 of double diagonal teak planking and she acted as the Port of London Authority’s survey vessel and ﬂagship until 1995 and was restored between 1997 and 2008. Her shot at glory came again in 2012 serving the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant. She will return to her berth in London’s St Katharine Docks in the spring.

Kebony, the environmentally friendly tropical hardwood alternative, has a new US distributor in Pine River Group.

Kebony

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ORLEANS, MASSACHUSETTS

Cat with a tough hide The Pleasant Bay yard has just finished its new 19ft 5in (5.9m) catboat in two-part Awlgrip, which gives a tough, polyurethane outer skin. It’s not a finish for the faint-hearted, being expensive and hard to apply, but it gives a bulletproof finish. And while not in keeping on a centenarian yacht, it is appropriate for epoxy cold-moulded boats, eliminating print-through from the glass cloth. It should remain maintenance-free for many seasons, and on this very sweet little catboat, it looks just great. CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

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CRAFTSMANSHIP

HAMBLE, UK

Fairlie deck furniture We hope you like these gorgeous studies in craftsmanship from Fairlie Yachts. They were taken by Mike Jones of Waterline Media and show various items of deck furniture in build for a nearby large restoration. Fairlie couldn’t tell us but a quick web search reveals it’s Shemara, a 212ft (65m) 1938 Thornycroft motor yacht lying at Portchester. A team of 24 has been at work for more than a year to replicate weather-deck doors, ladders, boxes and more.

Above: Fairlie craftsman Mike Barnes is at work on the hinges of one of the many new deck boxes (some originals have also been saved). The tops of these boxes are a tri-laminate of two layers of 3/8in (10mm) Burma teak with a layer of marine ply sandwiched in the middle for stability. The varnish is not yet complete (the grain is still standing proud), but the general recipe has been a layer of Epifanes PP base coat, built up with subsequent layers of wood ﬁnish, with a ﬁnal layer of Epifanes gloss or Awlwood, depending on the item in question.

Above: this aft deck bench, about 15ft (4.6m) long, was built from laminated Burma teak slats with solid teak end pieces. The difficulty here was in the compound curves: one for the curve of the bench and another for the deck camber. In all, it took two men about three months to build. An interesting feature is the turned and spindled legs: each has a hole bored through the entire length, to allow a long bolt to secure the bench ﬁrmly to the deck.

Above: in this photo, we are looking aft down a skylight to the front panel of a foredeck companionway – this is a crew companion rather than the main one. A piece of this size required a substantial jig to be built, in order to accommodate the camber of the deck. The jig was thrown away before this large piece of deck furniture was bolted to the deck. Like the rest of the deck furniture, it’s in solid Burma teak. CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

ELLAD’S RESTORATION PART 6

Interior design In part six of our series on how work was done on Ellad, we look at the steps taken by the team to restore the interior ﬁxtures and ﬁttings STORY NIGEL PERT PHOTOGRAPHS DIDIER GRIFFITHS

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

CRAFTSMANSHIP

Out with th e old

Mocking up

The existing interior was very dingy and cramped, so it was dismantled and removed. It seems the idea might have been to have the same interior as her 77ft 9in (23.7m) older sister Latifa.

To get a good sense of the useable space, the team mocked up the interior ﬁttings with stapled ply strips in the empty hull. This is the view from the galley looking forward.

3 Ch ecking

fridge position

The team soon realised that placing the fridge forward of the cooker/sink (above left) would be less convenient than positioning it by the bulkhead, nearer the cockpit (above right).

espite the fact the previous owner had already spent 50,000 euros on a partial restoration, Didier Griffiths decided from the outset to restore Ellad completely. As the basic structure was the first priority, the final interior layout was planned six months or so into the project, allowing plenty of time for reflection. Everything about the original layout was very cramped: there was an enclosed cabin and separate heads, and the galley was inconveniently placed well forward, which gave a claustrophobic feel and moving around was not easy. Although the original interior was being ripped out, it was dismantled with care – just in case anything could be salvaged. In the end, very little was reused so you could argue that this was a waste of valuable time. Time, then, for a much needed and wholesale redesign.

Assembled carcasses

Solid mahogany was used for all the framing and carcass structures, such as the locker side panels (above left) and the port lockers (above right). Most of the wood was then painted.

OPEN PLAN

TOP TIP Hinges

The overall design approach was to be as open plan as possible, giving an “Avoid hinges, as th ese are often impression of volume. Yet to keep an weak points. Where es sential, have authentic feel, all systems and technical them vertical above waist height equipment were to be hidden from and horizontal below view (see parts 4 & 5). ” The projected use of the boat was also Didier Griffiths carefully considered. Didier’s needs were twofold: to have somewhere pleasant to enjoy a drink after racing, but also one that was comfortable enough to accommodate the crew tasked with delivering her to regattas. He never intended to cruise Ellad. Franco Pace’s photos in his book William Fife were a major source of inspiration for the general style that followed. Didier likes things symmetrical and one or two CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

CRAFTSMANSHIP

6 Fixed steps

To maximise access to the cabin, the companionway has two steps ﬁxed to the aft bulkhead and engine compartment cover. Behind the bottom step is a handy locker that’s used to house winch handles, etc.

All about symm etry

Openings were designed into the rear bulkhead for the electrical control board (starboard) and crockery (port). Below are spaces for the fridge (port) and battery charger and fuses (starboard).

Wh ite and brigh t

Nearly complete, the new interior demonstrates the resemblance to the virtual interior created at the outset of the works and, hence, illustrates the beneﬁt of this exercise.

items were repositioned during the construction stages to conform to this particular penchant. Didier sent sketches of an interior with a galley block balanced by a navigation corner aft and an open bed area with small washbasin in a unit to starboard, visually balanced with a similar unit on port for stowage. Olivier mocked up the plans with strips of ply as templates to get a feel for the volumes. Following this idea of simplicity, the heads was placed under the bunk in the forward area, before the mast, where one could be hidden, though not entirely enclosed. During the ﬁnal stages of the ﬁt-out, Didier made a point of visiting the yard at least once every two or three weeks to approve progress and adapt plans as necessary. The permanent 5/8in (15mm) plywood bulkheads were then installed and the other elements built up. 84

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Boatbuilder’s signature

Traditionally, a boatbuilder would always “sign” an interior with his own design for the cupboard ventilation holes. Olivier Cyrille did exactly that – and here is his template.

Meanwhile, panels, drawers and doors were made at the bench using solid mahogany. Most of these would later be painted, as Didier wanted to have a luminous interior and to minimise the amount of varnishwork, which is more difficult to maintain. The bulkhead panel frames were fixed in place and the cupboard framing constructed, all in mahogany. Ventilation and drainage were assured by carefully leaving a few millimetres gap between the locker and cupboard sides and the hull. Although the interior is newly built, the original table was used to make a new one and two original drawers were incorporated – symmetrically – into the fittings either side aft. Once it was dry-fitted, it was disassembled and spray-painted before final fitting. The overall result is a functional interior with a very classic feel. Next month: the mast and rigging

ELLAD CB305 Built in 1957 to a William Fife III design, she’s a stylish teak-onoak-framed 34ft 6in (10.5m) double-ender

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CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

CRAFTSMANSHIP

Boatbuilder’s Notes DIY DEBRIEF

How to use a hacksaw STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS ROBIN GATES For sawing metal, the boatbuilder reaches for the hacksaw, but it won’t plough through steel with the lusty abandon of a ripsaw through timber. Despite its tougher task, the hacksaw is more delicate. Where the wood saw’s springy steel blade will just jam and bow if twisted, the hacksaw blade will snap. So it is vital to grip the work in a vice and push the blade dead straight, aided by the pistol grip that puts thrust right behind the blade, while the frame’s far end is gripped by the free hand to keep the blade on track. Start with a short, confident stroke, or the blade’s fine teeth will skate across the metal inflicting damage – notching first with the corner of a file can help. Gradually lengthen the stroke with a steady rhythm, using the blade’s full length so that wear is even. Adding a drop of light oil can help. When cutting pipe, rotate the work and gradually cut around it to prevent the teeth grabbing on its thin walls.

HOW TO… SECURE A WEAK RUDDER

EXPERT ADVICE

Boatbuilding advice from naval architect John Perryman

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

Clockwise from left: square spigots on this Eclipse 20T model place the blade at 900 to the frame; the pistol grip; keeping a straight blade

Steaming in a small workshop Timbers are usually steamed in long wooden boxes or pipes. Both solutions work well, but if space is limited, layflat fire hose is just as good and rolls up again afterwards for storage. The hose, sealed at one end, lies flat with the timbers inside, but as steam from the kettle or wallpaper stripper fills it, it inflates into a long sausage. This type of hose is cheap to buy and comes in many colours.

KNOW-HOW

Plane across the grain To reduce a board’s thickness quickly by hand, use a plane with a cambered blade set fairly coarsely and plane across the grain, but remember to plane a chamfer on the exit side of the cut before you begin or the edge will splinter. This is also the quickest way to flatten a twisted board, to make good a damaged surface or to remove an unwanted finish. When the board is close to the desired thickness, turn to the smoothing plane and finish by cutting with the grain. Robin Gates

Traditional Tool Glue kettle: get stuck in STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS ROBIN GATES A request to ‘put the kettle on’ was not always the prelude to a nice cup of tea in the workshop. In the days before synthetic glue was squeezed from a plastic bottle, the yacht joiner relied on natural protein glue derived from animal skins – also known as hide or scotch glue – often supplied in solid lumps. Preparing the day’s supply of glue on the stove would be a job for an apprentice – a popular one on a cold winter morning. The glue was maintained in its runny state, at about 50-60°C, by the kettle’s jacket of hot water surrounding the inner pot. Most glue kettles were iron but this 1 pint (568ml) example is all copper (apart from the wire handles) and would have cost about 9s new in the 1920s – double the cost of an iron kettle. The London tool merchant Richard Melhuish Ltd, contractors to the Admiralty and royal dockyards, described the copper glue kettle as being “clean and light and quickly heated over a gas or spirit lamp”.

Hide glue had to be applied quickly as its bonding ability degrades rapidly as it cools, so the kettle would be carried close to the work and the glue applied using a stiff wire-bridled brush of densely packed pure bristles. Besides being all-natural, hide glue has some advantages over modern glues, one being that components may be disassembled by heat and steam without damaging the wood. It also draws the glued surfaces together as it sets, so it has a built-in clamping effect. Although hide glue is

Above: hide glue is applied with a wire-bridled brush Below, left to right: copper glue kettle with inner pot removed; the glue pot slides into the hot water jacket

still favoured for some high-end cabinetry and museum-quality restoration work, because the bond can be broken cleanly to effect repairs, it has very limited use in boatbuilding today – perhaps only in the context of the authentic reconstruction of a large vintage yacht interior. It would be a poor choice for areas subject to heat and high moisture, and it offers none of epoxy’s gap-ﬁlling ability to make good deﬁciencies in craftsmanship; hide glue demands accurate joints.

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

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CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

CRAFTSMANSHIP

CHARLOTTE WATTERS

Adrian Morgan Jump on somebody else’s and save yourself a load of grief and expense.” “What? But you like boats. You build them, for goodness sake. Why say ‘don’t buy a boat?’ when you’ve got one. Why not?” He sounded puzzled, aggrieved even. Next time we met (I thought I had throat cancer this time) I asked him if he had succumbed. He had not. He thanked me. A passage across The Minch in a colleague’s Vega had cured him of any desire to own a boat himself, for the time being at least (although he did buy a kayak). Since then I have heard myself repeat the same warnings to others, often to the detriment of my own boatbuilding aspirations. Why have me build a boat when there are so many good ones to be found whose owners have decided the time has come to sell. Lately I seem to be making a habit of offering advice to people on what boats not to buy, including my own – not a great way to make a living, albeit it has the merit of being honest. Or is it simply laziness? It takes a certain mental strength to contemplate building a wooden boat, in the depths of a Highland winter, and considerable physical strength to set about putting it together with hands numb with cold and a drip hanging from the tip of one’s nose. Much easier to persuade your man to dip into the back pages of this very magazine and pick out any number of tasty little numbers going for a song. Not, as I said, a great way to make a living. Thinking like an owner, rather than a builder, I hear myself talking myself out of a commission. Would it not be better to make do with what we have rather than add to the pile of under-used boats? Well, perhaps. Thing is, just as every boat owner’s idea of his perfect boat differs from every other, every boat – handmade, not off the shelf – must be subtly different. Shallow draught or deep, stable, flighty, safe, under-canvassed, too long; will it fit in the garage? That means an infinite variety of boats and owners. And matching boat to owner is surely the aim. And if I really cannot find a boat in the back pages that precisely matches the owner’s brief, then maybe I will just have to bite the bullet and build him one, which means a spell in a cold shed stitching together bits of wood whether I like it or not. Or maybe I should just reinvent myself as a yacht broker?

To build or to buy… Adrian takes a radical approach to self-preservation

doctor’s surgery in the Highlands, or at least in this neck of the Far North, is the place to go as much for advice on sciatica, chilblains, rheumatism, liver disease, gout, shaky hands and other cold- or alcohol-related complaints, as for a good old natter about the price of sheep, or “yows” as they call them up here, the weather (always a favourite topic of conversation) and, in the case of Dr Richard, boats. Some years ago I had cause (well it turned out no cause) to drop in to see my GP. After assuring me my symptoms were not life-threatening (the word hypochondria hovered unsaid) I thanked him and left. Not a bit of it; 10 minutes later and we were still chatting about boats, one of which – something plastic – he had his eye on. I knew that look; it was the eye of a man with a dream: a cruising boat with which to ﬂee the surgery and head for the horizon far away from Mrs McLeod’s lumbago, Hector’s nasty rash, wee Hamish’s worrying squint and the rest of the ailments, both real or imagined, a Highland GP has cause to treat or sympathise with every day of his working week. “Do not,” I said. “Don’t even think about buying a boat. There are quite enough already to go around.

“Don’t even think about buying a boat”

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

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Looking ahead

NMM, LONDON

Things to do in the next few weeks

Guiding light exhibition 16 APRIL 2014 – FEBRUARY 2015 National Maritime Museum, London, rmg.co.uk It’s not often an organisation gets to commemorate a half millennium, but on 16 April, the National Maritime Museum opens a small exhibition showcasing centuries of work (see above) by the Corporation of Trinity House to help sailors navigate at sea.

NEXT MONTH Far left: watercolour of Maplin Lighthouse, by William Lionel Wyllie, which warned ships away from the mudflats in the Thames Estuary. Left: oil painting of the Eddystone Lighthouse, by Isaac Sailmaker, c1709. The Eddystone was the first offshore rock with a lighthouse. It stood for five years then was washed away in the Great Storm of 1703. This is its replacement

LATIFA This month she’s featured winning our Best Hull Form award (p18); she was William Fife III’s darling and Mario Pirri has owned her for 37 years

John Chancellor: A retrospective

TROY TOWN BEAUTY Serial classic yacht restorer Richard Bond turns his attention to a lovely example of this West Country one-design from Fowey in Cornwall

War Artists at Sea

A Convoy, 1918, by John Everett Sailor artist John Everett was in the Army in WWI and painted for the Ministry of Information. This composition (right) is typical of his work.

CREDIT: RMG

UNTIL FEBRUARY 2015 Queen’s House, London, rmg.co.uk The best art from both world wars, including works by Leslie Cole, Eric Ravilious and Richard Eurich.

CARRIACOU TO NYC The Carriacou sloops are famous up and down the Caribbean island chain but not known for going further aﬁeld. Until now…

PLUS How our series boat Ellad was re-rigged and an update on the palatial Sydney Harbour steam yacht Ena

ON SALE 11 April 2014 (or subscribe!)

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

TOP TO BOTTOM: MARC TURNER, NIGEL SHARP, DENNIS DOWN

C/O TESSA MAKEPEACE

19-21 APRIL Town Hall, Brixham, johnchancellor.co.uk A retrospective of the life and works of the late Brixham painter John Chancellor (1925-1984), staged by his family Left: Survived – Behind the Painting. La Prompte, the 20-gun ship, weathering a hurricane in 1798. With the situation critical, the captain ordered the mizzen mast felled, reducing windage and providing a sea anchor at the same time.

Letters Half-raters at the Trent Valley SC

LETTER OF THE MONTH SUPPORTED BY OLD PULTENEY WHISKY

Fake or fortune?

BBC

The BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fake or Fortune? programme deals with paintings that might be originals or forgeries. On Sunday 26 January it featured a painting allegedly by John Constable entitled Yarmouth Jetty. The programme concluded that it was a genuine Constable. It showed large bermudan-rigged yachts racing off Great Yarmouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pier. Although the bermudan rig was used as early as the 1600s, hull shapes remained traditional. However, the yacht depicted in the programme looks suspiciously like a J-Class. As bermudan rig was not adopted on large boats until the 1930s, are we to assume that

It was interesting to read the article in CB309 about the ďŹ&#x201A;eet of halfraters found in Burma. It reminds me of an article in Classic Boat some years ago about the UK ďŹ&#x201A;eet of raters, in which it was mentioned that Trent Valley SC sailed a ďŹ&#x201A;eet of half-raters in earlier years. In fact, club members sailed around 30 boats on the Trent between the early 1900s and the late 1930s. It is good to report that one of these, Gipsy, sail No 5, survived the war years and came into the ownership of John Royce. John initiated some major repairs but the boat was then sold to Roger Britton, another Trent Valley member, who has undertaken a careful restoration of this craft. Gipsy was relaunched on the Trent a few years ago and sails beautifully. Roger will be happy to provide more details on the boat and its restoration. Kenneth Goddard, Derby

Above: BBC says this was a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;genuineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Constable.

Constable (1776-1837) was blessed with exceptional foresight? Ken Beken, Cowes Ed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re right and after the programme a post on our website had many comments. Certainly the boats arnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t right; high-aspect rigs did not exist in Constableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time. We asked the BBC to comment but they have not got back to us.

Super sailing in Runa VII

Remembering Germaine I am very pleased to see that Germaine has ďŹ nally been restored. I ďŹ rst came across her around the early Seventies when Ron Leader was clearing old wrecks from the mud at his boatyard in St Oysth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of them was Germaine. My friend Terry Bollingbroke and I were keen to take her on; we both went over her and she seemed to be doable. For one reason or another we did not take her on and the vessel went to Camper & Nicholsons. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always wondered if she survived or not, so we look forward to seeing her sailing about in the years to come. David Wells, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex 96

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In CB308 Dave Percival wishes that CB could have more articles. When Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sailing, I like reading about classic boats, especially those around in the 1950 to 1968 era and I would love to know how many are still on the water. Examples are the 1964 38ft (11.6m) Tjaldur, designed by Peter Brett, and the 1966 43ft (13.1m) Laputa from Robert Clark. I own a classic, although sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built of GRP so no doubt many readers will disagree! She is a 1972 Finnrose 37 and I sailed her to Helsinki in 2010, where I laid her up for the winter. The owner of the yard there told me that the company built 12 but they were so expensive that it went bust. The only other example I know of in the UK is Fair Exchange, which is looked after by Alan Denham and Sue Parker in Falmouth. Perhaps you could publish a list of old boats under the heading â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where are they now?â&#x20AC;? Tony Waldeck, by email

TONY WALDECK

RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN

Where are they now?

I was really pleased with the article by Jacques Taglang on the Runas (CB309) because I actually used to own Runa VII. Accompanied by my brother, our ďŹ rst cruise in her was to Boulogne and westward along the French coast. We entered the port in a thick fog and there were no facilities for yachts in the early 1950s, so we tied up at the steamer pier. We then developed problems with the engine. An engineer who was working nearby said he thought he could repair it and came aboard with a very large spanner, which resulted in the engine being irreparable. So, with no engine, we made use of Runaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s superb sailing ability and continued our cruise. I learned more about the sea and her ways in that fortnight than by any other experience. I, therefore, owe a great debt to Runa VII and her designer, Gerhard RĂ¸nne (pictured above). Maldwin Drummond, Southampton

LETTERS

ADAM BEESON

Send your letters (and also any replies please) to: Classic Boat, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ email: cb@classicboat.co.uk

The true running costs of a 15-Metre – 1909 v 2013 £2,500, probably because a century ago regatta organisers needed to raise It is interesting to compare a 15-Metre’s annual running costs today (as the money to pay the prize money without the benefit of sponsorship. listed in CB308) with figures published in Yachting & Motor Boat Monthly in Miscellaneous expenses have increased from £25,542 to £32,500. December 1909, just two years after the class’s first boats were launched. The 1909 article assumed that the sample boat would win 20 per cent of There are, of course, a number of fundamental differences between races entered and be placed in a further 20 per cent, but it was recognised then and now. First, a century ago, substantial prize money was paid out that “this is certainly a very high average for the class and only an to successful boats. Second, all racing would have taken place around exceptional boat with a very capable helmsman and the coast of the UK where boats would have Insurance has increased crew could ever hope to make it”. It was expected anchored in relatively spacious harbours that the owner would distribute 39 per cent of the (so no crew flights and minimal berthing from £3,465 to £12,500, resulting prize money to his crew (effectively costs), while nowadays it is mostly in the perhaps because we now increasing their wages by 54 per cent) while the Mediterranean. Third, whereas all the crew live in a litigious age remainder allowed him to reduce the boat’s total were once accommodated on board, they now annual costs by an astonishing 38 per cent. mostly stay in comfortable hotels. “There is no suggestion that the sport is a costly one – far from it,” For the purpose of this exercise, the 1909 figures have been converted concluded the magazine’s correspondent. “Considering the pleasure of to today’s values (using the measuringworth.com website), and a few minor adjustments have been made to provide a more like-for-like racing, the floating home, and the fascinating life attendant on a season comparison: 1909 wages, for instance, would amount to £137,550, whereas of summer regattas, it is remarkably cheap. Few realise the value for today’s (assuming five regattas in a season) are £156,500; insurance has money which yacht racing offers to the man whose tastes lie in the increased from £3,465 to £12,500, perhaps because we now live in a direction of a healthful outdoor life.” litigious age; and regatta entry fees have gone down from £5,940 to Nigel Sharp, Cornwall

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TREVOR CHERRETT

For the love of it

Love at first sight Following your recent features on classics in Mallorca I thought you’d be interested in more news from the Mallorca Classic yacht community. The latest boat receiving attention is Tern, one of nine Belfast Lough 25s, which was built in 1897 by John Hilditch in Carrickfergus and designed by William Fife III. All the boats in this class were named after birds. Only three remain today. We found Tern moored in Andratx, Mallorca, with a Se Vende (for sale) sign slung over her boom. It was instant love. Proceedings moved quickly to acquire her and a team of experts gathered for a discussion on how to restore her. The biggest question was how far to go but we quickly decided that the original configuration was the only answer. So far we have stripped her rig, paint, deck fittings, engine and drivetrain, interior, and now the 3-ton cast-iron keel has been removed. The ambitious intention is to fully restore Tern to her original layout and configuration by August 2014 and to then enter her into Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez regatta. Trevor Cherrett, by email

I know that the outcome of the vote is out of your hands, but I very much appreciate the nomination of George Hogg. For someone who is voluntarily doing time-consuming and never-ending work on behalf of every sailor in the whole world, he deserves the utmost respect. I am sure you will agree. Arie Kuijvenhoven The Netherlands

I cast my vote for the Classic Boat Awards but the one person I wanted to vote for is missing: the late Kenny Coombs. For more than 25 years he organised Antigua Classics – our week away from it all. With heart and soul he defended the Corinthian spirit that made Classic Week stand out. To my mind he ranks with that small group of men who made a difference. He gave us all so much, not for the glory but for a deep-rooted love of our sport and sailing. Without meaning to teach he taught and I for one am grateful for his inspiring ideas and guidance. He was the sailor you wanted to be and sail with. As for the persons listed, here are my thoughts on Fiona and Alastair Houston. They are the Fife Regatta: they dedicate their time and much more to making it what it is today. Recognition is long overdue and I would give them the Classic Boat Lifetime Achievement Award. John Lammerts van Bueren, by email Ed – thanks John! Please turn to p14 to see them in our awards

LEFT TO RIGHT: CB ARCHIVES, NIGEL PERT

NMMC

Casting my vote…

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

ILLUSTRATION: GUY VENABLES

Sternpost the rather crude release mechanism on Ondine and is the same type as on Dorade today but missing on Stormy Weather. Merriman has long since gone out of business but the lever is available in aluminium from Swan. It is the only design powerful enough that the staysail stay can be set up and tensioned without having to use a turnbuckle. I am sure Rod would insist on a bigger mizzen staysail for Dorade that would tack down alongside the mast. He insisted that Huey replace Ondine’s with the biggest such mizzen staysail possible. I’d call the staysail on Dorade and Stormy Weather, both of which tack down well aft of the mast, more like “pocket handkerchiefs” rather than mizzen staysails! Ondine’s mizzen was stepped on deck, with the upper and lower shrouds only slightly aft of the mast. As soon as sheets were eased a mizzen runner had to be set up to keep the mast from falling forward. Rod redesigned the spreader and lower shroud fitting so that the mizzen spreaders would pivot. He then had Nevins install chainplates for the mizzen upper and lower shrouds about 12in (30.5cm) aft of the mast. This stabilised the mast but we still had to set the backstay runners when hoisting the mizzen staysail. When eating on board Dorade and Stormy Weather, it was a case of balancing a plate of food on your lap as both had fixed main cabin tables. But on his NY32 Mustang, Rod and his wife decided to go for a gimballed table so they could eat in a civilised fashion even when beating to windward in heavy weather. Rod worked with Nevins and developed what came to be known as the “Mustang” table. It was installed in almost all S&S-designed, Nevins-built boats from the late 1940s, until Nevins went out of business in the 1960s. It was retrofitted on Rod’s recommendation on many boats, including Ondine, where the very quick motion meant that when the weather blew up the original table would begin to oscillate and fire everything off the table. It was an adventurous two years on Ondine. A month after I was taken on as paid hand as a summer job, Huey fired the skipper and I became skipper at no increase in wages! Underpaid and overworked... but I learned a lot fast as Huey, not that good a sailor at that time, had the ability to attract some fantastic sailors. In 1962, when Ondine was wrecked off Anegada in the British Virgin Islands, the crew stripped a lot of gear off her and departed. The skipper, Sven Jost, said to me “go get any gear off that you would like”. My West Indian mate, We, and I, sailed Iolaire to Anegada, and using our 10ft (3m) Seagull-powered dinghy we made the better part of a dozen, nine-mile trips around the eastern end of Anegada to salvage all the gear we could handle, including that lever, and the 30ft (9.1m) mizzen mast!

Ghost from the grave

Don Street on what the late great Rod Stephens would say…

f the ghost of “the great god Rod” Stephens were to appear one night on the foredeck of the refurbished Dorade, there are many changes he would insist on. I speak from experience. In the spring of 1954, as a summer job while at university, I was hired by “Huey” Long as paid hand on Ondine – the year-old Abeking & Rasmussen 53ft (16.2m) yawl almost the exact dimensions and ballast/displacement ratio as Dorade. Rod was frequently on board advising on rigging and sails. He got us to place the turnbuckles (rigging screws to the British) for the headstay and staysail stay at the mast rather than on deck. He also moved the headstay from the top of the stemhead to the inside of the stem. This placed the tack of the genoa below the top of the bulwark. With no turnbuckle on the bottom of the stay, hanking on when changing headsails was easier. Also, the headsail to be hoisted could be hanked on under the one that was set, and laid out along the deck, furled and tied down below the bulwark, so causing little or no windage. One thing he wouldn’t change is the powerful Merriman staysail stay release lever. This replaced

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2014

“I am sure Rod would insist on a bigger mizzen staysail for Dorade”