Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Classic Boat

The week-long Corsica Classic sees yachts sail around the Corsican coast, calling at a different port every evening. This year, the 11th edition, from 24 August to 1 September, saw high winds but blues skies and temperatures around 30C. As ever it was open to gaff and bermudan classic yachts, and Spirit of Tradition (SOT) yachts. The oldest was Swedish gaff cutter Hild from 1899. The two youngest, new boats in the SOT class, were an Eagle 44 and an Eagle 54 from Leonardo Yachts. The biggest was 80ft (24m) ketch Hygie from 1930, doubling as committee boat. The smallest was 32ft (9.5m) Kallefjonken from Sweden, a late-60s polyester Vindö 40. Gian Battista d’Olmo used to compete in Cannes or Saint-Tropez but now prefers the intimacy of events like the Corsica Classic, where most yachts are…

A1 Atalanta was an exceptional boat for her time and contributed significantly to the explosion of yachting in the late 1950s and 1960s. Fleets of class designs were growing fast (eg Folkboat, Stella, South Coast One Design). Plywood construction yachts for amateur and professional build were also coming into their own through designers like Robert Tucker (Silhouette), Maurice Griffiths (Eventide), Alan Buchanan (Wild Duck) and many more. But these were largely developments of traditional yacht forms and built individually or in very limited groups. Atalanta was very different. She was a lightweight scaled-up dinghy, with innovative accommodation and strong construction derived from aeronautical engineering. She started what is likely the first true mass-produced yacht class, eight years before Jim Roy’s Macwester and Denys Raynor’s Westerly GRP production lines were fired…

Yacht design offices come in many shapes and sizes. Some comprise one ‘solo’ designer. Some feature a lead designer backed up by a team of draughtsmen – who often branch out to design under their own names once they’ve mastered their trade. And then there are the famous ‘duos’, such as Sparkman and Stephens or Illingworth and Primrose. John Illingworth often collaborated with other designers before buying a yacht building company and then teaming up with Angus Primrose. Together they produced a series of groundbreaking designs before Illingworth retired, leaving Primrose to continue on his own and move into the world of GRP production boats. Between them they designed around 1,000 yachts that were built. In the process they trained several youngsters (such as John Sharp, Colin Silvester and Bill…

The old ways… make do and mend, rinse and return, make haste not hurry… might have been rebranded as life-hacking, recycling and mindfulness, but there’s no doubt, as most in traditional sailing will recognise, that the future was really written quite a long time ago. The age of unrecyclable, plastic yachts is nigh, and one day, the great container ships will almost certainly enter the second great age of sail. It’s no exaggeration that we’re at the dawn of a new age in consumerism, but at first sight, Spirit’s new yacht, the 44CRE, embodies nothing of all this. Its look is pure 1930s – sawn-off transom stern, nice sheer, spoon bow, a good dollop of overhang and elegance all round. The CR moniker means ‘cruiser racer’, a category Spirit introduced…

Edited by Steff an Meyric Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk After 30-plus years of meticulous restoration, Chicane, designed by Alfred Mylne and built by AM Dickie and Sons in 1926, sails again. The majority of the restoration was completed in Bermuda, where she had been since 1958. Under the detailed hands of Wendy Bliss and Joe Postich, the 56ft (17.1m) sloop had a full replacement of hull and deck structure. Joe and Wendy rebuilt all of her interior and deck furniture to period exactitude and installed all new mechanical systems. Subsequently, Chicane went to Wooden Boatworks, where her restoration continued with the replacement of forefoot, keelson, horn timber, sternpost, new keel bolts, and full finish of her interior, topsides and deck furniture. During this time, the boat found…

The 60ft (18.2m) gentleman’s motor yacht Mabrouka, built at Camper & Nicholson in Gosport in 1926, was bought by Tino Zervudachi in 2015. After a small refit at Classic Works (La Ciotat) and a winter in Porto Montenegro, she was relocated to Piraeus for use as a dayboat for the owner in his Greek home. Last year a major refit was undertaken, including replacement of her aged engines, which were becoming unreliable. With removal of the tanks and linings, several broken ribs and rot were discovered, the latter probably dating from when the boat spent a year in fresh water in Paris with her previous owner. The Basimakopoulos shipyard in Koilada, in the Peloponese, did a remarkable restoration, with some advice from Butch Dalrymple-Smith and captain Romain Payet overseeing the…

It has been a while since sizable ships used to dock at Woodbridge Boatyard (formerly Eversons) as part of its history as a coal yard, but on 31 August, the yard completed the first step of a new project to expand its working space. With the team of boatbuilders, engineers, riggers, finishers and yard hands growing to keep up with the increasing workload of boat restoration, repair, maintenance and storage, space was becoming a challenge. The solution came in the form of converted Thames lighter Lasher, previously a working lighter on the Thames. Her new role will be to lift small boats into her hold for repair, restoration and storage, adding almost 50 per cent to the covered workshop space.…

Something to watch for when planing an edge straight is that the plane maintains an even keel. 1 At the beginning of the stroke only the toe of the plane will be in contact with the wood, while the rest of the stock overhangs, so push down on the toe with your leading hand to ensure the sole of the plane is horizontal as it sets off. 2 When the entire sole of the plane is making contact, spread the downward pressure more evenly between toe and heel. Then, as the plane approaches the end of its stroke and the toe overhangs the edge, lift off slightly with the leading hand while maintaining downward pressure with the propelling hand. Without this subtle shift in forces the plane will progressively round…

It must have been with his tongue firmly in his cheek that Tony Morgan renamed his new boat Opposition after buying her from Edward Heath in 1973. Before becoming Prime Minister three years earlier, Heath had served as Leader of the Opposition for five years and would briefly do so again after losing the 1974 General Election. “I think it must have been part of their agreement, that the buyer had to rename the boat, but I don’t think Heath was best pleased with the choice,” said Jamie Matheson, the current owner. “But I think it is a brilliant name.” Heath’s ocean racing career had got off to a spectacular start in 1969 when he had won the Sydney Hobart race in a production S&S 34, the first of his…

NEW ZEALAND Classics at the America’s Cup A plan is under way to showcase the historic New Zealand classic fleet during the America’s Cup regatta in March 2021. Charlotte Lockhart and Andrew Barnes, (above) owners of the 1904 Arch Logan-designed gaff cutter Ariki (Classic Boat April 2019), are hoping to organise classic boat racing just before the daily match races between the AC75s of this latest 36th America’s Cup. Plans for the J-Class fleet to race at the event, as it did during the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda, have been scuppered by the pandemic. Andrew, who is chairman of Regional Facilities Auckland, and responsible for the city’s maritime museum, said: “We have what we believe is the largest fleet of gaffers that are still racing on the waters they…

One more time before we pass the bridge I manage to push the pole into the muddy bottom of the canal in Amsterdam. “Didn’t hit a bicycle this time.” On the bridge the usual metropolitan buzz continues without us noticing. It’s 3am, about 8C and we haven’t slept much in 72 hours. A little drizzle makes me slip on the deck whilst I push the pole from my chest into the bottom, walking to the back of the 30-tonne barge, which is sliding smoothly forwards below my feet. With this technique it’s the six of us that has been ‘bomen’ – or punting, as you will – through Amsterdam and some 40km of canals before that. Welcome to the Strontrace, the Dutch Iron Man on the water. Once a year…

ARDONYA & SANTIANO Two concours SCODs Concours-quality examples of sub-30ft British cabin yachts are becoming more common – great news for the buyer, as they represent extraordinary value for money. It’s still unusual to see two come at once – but Classic Yacht Brokerage has a pair of SCODs on its books at the moment. For those who don’t know the story, the SCOD (South Coast One Design) is something of a post-war British fairy tale, conceived in 1955 by a group of sailors from the Isle of Wight’s Island Sailing Club and designed by Charles Arthur Nicholson. The first six raced in the 1956 Round the Island Race and took the first six places! Over the next 15 years, 106 were made by various builders. These days, they enjoy…

A brand-new wooden Kim Holman yacht called Cass has finally been launched – 26 years after the build began. The 43ft (13.1m) bermudan sloop is based on Holman’s design No95 and adapted by Jack Gifford. The original timbers were laid in 1994 by the extraordinary ‘get up and go’ Cornish boatbuilder Barry Cass, who first built the shed, then started on the boat. The story up to now is a long and winding one, and soon to be the subject of a feature in this magazine, but around six years ago, now-owner Simon Mitchell saw this “part complete, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” on Wooden Ships' brokerage site. “Even though neither financially or domestically a sound decision, I felt compelled to do a bit of financial skydiving and go for it!” Simon’s friend…

Dutch boatbuilder Pieter van der Aa launched his new Sparkman & Stevens-designed 56ft (17.1m) yawl Scarabee this September, around eight years after the launch of his last one, also built entirely solo, Masquerade. Scarabee is about 4m longer, and the build took Pieter seven years, after buying the original 1935 drawings and data from Sparkman & Stevens, who followed the project with interest. Scarabee was rigged and fully competed by the second half of September, ready for her maiden trip on the Oosterschelde. Full story to follow! Kees Stuip…

What looks like solid timber panelling in a modern yacht interior is often a veneer stuck to a honeycomb core of resin-coated paper. Taking weight out of the interior brings the centre of gravity closer to the ballast keel, improving stability and upwind performance. The composite construction also allows a limited resource of exotic or highly figured timber to go further. Before paper honeycomb, the core was usually plywood, which has the similar advantage of dimensional stability, although it is heavier. Lippings are strips of solid wood used where a join with the veneered material would otherwise be visible at exposed edges. The grain and colour of the solid wood may be matched skilfully to the veneer used on faces; alternatively, a bold contrast between the two can provide a…

THE LAST CORNISH LUGGER Possibly the last, probably the best, and definitely the best-known of Looe’s lugger fleet, Our Daddy has just been revitalised and is sailing in top fettle again VERTUE NUMBER ONE Andrillot, the first of a legendary class of yachts, is restored and sailing again. She celebrated in true Vertue style, with a 385-mile maiden voyage to Holland WINSTON MEGORAN The name may not be familiar, but the illustrative art work of English artist Winston Megoran is known the world over PLUS… We meet living legend Peter Nicholson; a look at a year in nautical publishing; the PTS26 Pettersson-styled motor launch; and much more DECEMBER 2020 On sale 20 November 2020 Available online. Or why not subscribe? SAILING TODAY WITH YACHTS & YACHTING IN THE NOVEMBER ISSUE…

Although it was Edward Heath that commissioned the design for the second Morning Cloud, another 10 boats were built under licence to the same design, known as the S&S 41. Six of these were built in aluminium by the Royal Huisman yard in Holland, and four others by different yards and in various timber construction methods. These included the cold-moulded Easy Glider, whose hull was built in Germany and then fitted out in Holland in 1972. She has been owned since 2016 by Piers Dibben, Olly Hughes and Andrew Perkins, who invited me to race with them on one day during Panerai British Classic Week in 2018. At the helm was Hamish Janson, an old sailing friend of Piers’s family. Aged 78 and recovering from some recent health issues, he…

In 1952, Fairey Marine built a 22ft (6.7m) cruising boat, by splitting an Uffa Fox-designed Swordfish dinghy longitudinally, then widening and lengthening it. Simple accommodation was provided in two cabins, one for’d of the cockpit and one aft. Additional space was created using a tent over the cockpit. The boat was designed by Alan Vines, a Fairey Aviation employee and keen sailor, and was called Sujanwiz after his three daughters – Susan, Jane and Elizabeth. Sujanwiz sailed very well, cruised extensively and crossed the Channel. Susan recently commented that “She was a fast and exciting boat, but extremely wet!” The Vines family often visited Uffa Fox in Cowes. Between them, they hatched a plan to persuade Fairey to develop the design into a 24ft (7.3m) cruiser. Fairey agreed and they…

NAUTICAL ART Participants at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez in September and October can enjoy this watercolour by Patricia Edith Mary Thompson. Her work includes a range of sailing scenes, some painted in atmospheric style over nautical charts, and also classic yachts, like this oil of Sintra, commissioned in 1959 and still going strong. 1create.co.uk/patricia-thompson-fine-art Purchase direct from the artist via patriciathompson550@gmail.com Saint-Tropez £78 hartgallery.co.uk TRAVEL TRUNK Admittedly not welcome on most yachts, this antique travel trunk has undoubted classic style, harking back to a time when trains used coal and yachts cotton. Price £450 scaramangashop.co.uk KIDS’ LIFEJACKETS It’s hard enough to get them to wear socks, let alone lifejackets, but this new range of designs by Cowes company Seasafe might help, featuring everything from superheroes to monsters and unicorns. They can…

The Strontrace barges are quite a typical sight and unique to the Netherlands. Quite heavily flat-bottomed and without a keel, (like the Thames Barges), they carry wooden leeboards that are thrown down into the water on lee to prevent the ship from drifting too much. A 10 degree drifting angle is common, as these leeboards have an actual wing profile in them. The leeboards are round and quite short because of the shallowness of the Dutch waters. The rigging is always roughly the same, with a large main and a big gaff on top, a jib and, sometimes, an outer jib. On the lakes, larger downwind sails are also allowed. To make sailing in narrow waters a safe business, everything on board is designed for the sails to come down…

Up to around half a million people around the world are still tuning in to the ongoing restoration project to the 1910 yacht Tally Ho, by former Classic Boat person of the year Leo Goolden and volunteers. There has never been a restoration that has captured the imagination of so many as this one has, and part of the appeal lies in the quality of videography. During the summer, Leo and friends tackled the restoration of the transom (which turns out to be salvageable thanks to its teak build), and the casting of bronze floors. Flying wood chips, molten metal, power tools at work – it’s all here. The ‘basket’ (frames, deck, keel and timbers, and transom) is now all in place. Tally Ho is beginning once more to look…

Creekside Boatyard is situated in Old Mill Creek, which lies on the west side of the River Dart, immediately upstream of the Britannia Royal Naval College. The yard was founded in the 1980s, but before that there was a lime kiln on the site in the early part of the 20th century, and American troops were based there in the build-up to the D-Day landings. In March of this year the yard was purchased by John Cuthbertson, Chris Craven and Will Gillo. John and Chris both served in the armed forces (in the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines respectively); in recent years they both worked at the yard as tenants, John as a shipwright and Chris with a rigging and storage business. Will’s background, meanwhile, is in architectural engineering and…

There’s a whole lot of shaping going on in the boatbuilder’s shed. Planks and timbers are bent to compound curves, knees and floors smoothed to fit like loving hands, and countless other members rounded off to make the whole vessel more than the sum of her parts. In one sense a wooden boat is a box in which we bob about safely, or not, upon the sea, having been sculpted in particular ways to interact favourably with that element and with us. And yet, externally at least, the well-shaped boat has about as much in common with the mind’s eye picture of a box as Michelangelo’s David has with R2-D2. There’s right-angled joinery with flat surfaces and square edges in the fitting out, or can be in anything bigger than…

Sadly, leisure sailing is older than you think. Three days after early man stopped breathing through gills and stood upright, there was an evolutionary breakthrough with the introduction of the RYA’s very first Day Skipper course. Although only a theory course, as Westerly wasn’t quite ready to go into production with the 22, it created a yearning to return to the sea, which endures to this very day. Thus did civilisation begin, and golf came shortly after. It was at this very moment, at 3.45BC on a Tuesday, that humanity set off on distinct evolutionary paths. Some took up golf, while smarter ones decided to become fish again, as others with thicker skulls, protruding brows and very long hairy arms with anchor tattoos gave sailing a go. The rest is…