Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Classic Boat

1 YEAR (12 ISSUES) SUBSCRIPTION TO CLASSIC BOAT £44.95 (USUALLY £70) Europe €79.95 | USA $99.95 Australia $149.95 | Rest of World £74.95 BIG SAVINGS + FREE delivery Beautiful boats Stunning traditional yachts, showcased through beautiful photography and expert editorial coverage Expert advice In-depth examination at a practical level with credible advice above deck and below Stunning features Featuring classics of all types, from J-Class yachts to traditional work boats and everything in between Order your subscription today Subscribe online www.chelseamagazines.com/CCBO1022 or call +44 (0) 1858 438 442 (quoting code CCBO1022) Prices and discounts based on the regular subscription price of £70. If for any reason you’re not happy with your subscription, you may cancel within 14 days of placing your order.…

JUERG KAUFMANN GALLERY They may be modern sails but the bow is unmistakeable. A J-Class duel captured by top photographer Juerg Kaufmann and available as a large-scale print to hang on your wall. Juerg is as passionate about classic boats as anyone alive and has a range of spectacular shots available as prints. He’s also the man behind the images of the Gstaad Yacht Club’s Centenary Trophy in Saint-Tropez (see Tell Tales). Check out Juerg’s gallery on his website. juergkaufmann.com ❄ CLASSIC SAIL CALENDAR Now in its 21st year, the Classic Sail calendar from Kathy Mansfield is popular all over the world, featuring images of the full gamut of classics from this respected writer and photographer. £16.95 via bookharbour.com $15.95 via tide-mark.com RNLI TREE DÉCOR Decorate your Christmas tree with…

The Société Nautique de Genève celebrated 150 years with a week of racing and a full social programme this 21-31 July. Moderns mingled with classics on Lac Leman, home to a large fleet of 6-M yachts. This year’s special guests were 24 8-M yachts racing their Worlds. There was only one modern 8-M racing. The top classic, wooden 8s can make it difficult for a modern but in the end, particularly downwind, a wing-keeled polyester design from 1984 should win, as designer Jacques Fauroux’s Yquem did, repeating her world titles of 2015 and 2019. Those times, she faced the fastest modern boats, as well as classics. Participants were unanimously generous about Yquem’s win, understanding that the International Rule is a development class to promote ever-faster boats. Any criticism was reserved…

As most of northern Europe lines its nest for the long hibernation of autumn and winter, summer has one last fling in the south of France at the annual Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the biggest event of its kind in the world, and the season’s last stronghold on bare feet and tee-shirts. This year actually saw very mixed weather, with a ferocious mistral gale cancelling racing early on in the proceedings, although the week cleared up for some good sailing. Unsurprisingly, given the regatta’s size, there are many classes reflecting a century or so of sailing. Shenandoah of Sark beat off six other schooners to take the Rolex Cup. The 12-M France beat the 15-M Tuiga in the Club 55 challenge Cup. The Grand Tradition class was won by the great…

It was clear that, after almost 150 years, the sign for Harry King & Sons at Pin Mill needed some care and attention. Having taken it down this summer, though, it was sadly beyond repair and was now lying on the grass beside the new travel hoist. “We don’t know what to do with it,” says Sarah Curtis who runs the yard with her husband, Gus. “It means so much to us that we can’t quite move it yet. There will be something we can salvage.” There’s a great deal of history in this yard and its picturesque setting beside the River Orwell on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk. Boats were built here for the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ author Arthur Ransome in the 1930s, the wartime history is profound and…

MIKADO The gorgeous, slim Fife rater Mikado from 1904 is not exactly what you might choose as a family cruising yacht – but that’s just what she has proved to be in her years of family ownership TINY SHIP The 30ft motor cruiser Ryegate built in the 1930s was recently rescued and put through a complete restoration REDWINGS Uffa Fox’s iconic development class at Bembridge Sailing Club, which celebrated its first 125 years in 2022 PLUS… Sailing and sketching the Irish coast, a guide to spars and rigging, boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest, all the latest news and more JANUARY 2022 On sale Friday 09 December 2022 Or why not subscribe? 30 YEARS AGO DECEMBER 1992, CB54 Three decades ago, as we approached Christmas, then editor Robin Gates, who today…

It may seem odd to call a yacht built in 1938 a newcomer but that is exactly what Northern Light is in the Baltic 12-Metre class. She was bought by a group of Swedish sailors who wanted to challenge the hegemony of the Danish owned Vim, the Danish/Finnish consortium owning Wings, and the other predominantly German-owned top 12-Metres racing at various events in the Baltic such as Flica II, Trivia, Sphinx and Jenetta. After her first full season racing in 2022, she has done more than just challenge the old guard but has thoroughly turned the accepted order upset down with deciding wins at Dyvig Week in Denmark and the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup in Flensburg, Germany. Where did this race horse come from? By 1938, although only 30…

Alexander Hoare had no intention of buying a boat when he set off on his St Mawes One-Design Merlin that day in May 2008. He had happily raced the pretty 14ft wooden dayboat while on holiday in St Mawes for many years and had managed to avoid the onerous responsibilities of owning a bigger boat. But, as he sailed out of the pretty Cornish harbour, he spotted a striking-looking ketch anchored off Tresanton Beach, between the quay and the castle. It was an unusual boat, with classic lines reminiscent of the 1930s but a rugged look about her, as if she had travelled far and wide. A classy dame with a heart of steel. “Her lines were elegant but also fantastically seaworthy,” he says. “She had ‘ship-like lines’, which I…

I am standing on the teak deck of a superyacht’s gym; it might even be a bit of the captain’s personal gym, or even the crew’s gym – after all, they above all need to keep in trim with all those heavy trays of canapés to hand around, as well as all that hoisting of sails at the push of a button, which must exacerbate any tendency to repetitive strain injury something terrible. Facetiousness apart, the square of decking under my feet is now the cockpit sole of Sally, a tiny bit of recycling or repurposing, stripped and saved from the bonfire when the new owner, or perhaps his wife, decided that the previous owner’s ideas were not to his liking. The gym, possibly, is now a beauty salon, dance…

After a three-year hiatus, Port Townsend’s infamous Wooden Boat Festival returned in September, better than ever. Hundreds of vessels crowded the slips of Point Hudson Marina with the overflow filling every space on shore. The 112ft tall ship Lady Washington graced the show for the first time in 30 years, along with jumbo schooners Adventuress (133ft), Martha (68ft), Alcyone (81ft), and Grace O’Malley (65ft). Over 12 new builds debuted this year, sandwiched between old favourites dating back to 1903. The scene was a canvas of fresh varnish, paint, and glowing bronze. In contrast to tradition, designer/builder Sam Devlin’s 41ft 7in solar electric catamaran, Electric Philosophy, showcased the latest in eco-yachting. New this year, the Green Stage featured non-stop presentations on the future of electric propulsion, systems supporting green yachting and…

Detailing some of the most sumptuous restorations of recent years, this lavish luxury magazine is a visual feast, and the must-read publication for admirers of the most stunning boats afloat. We reveal the incredible stories behind the finest yachts on the water – stories of abandonment and rediscovery, stories of passion and ancient skills kept alive. We delve deep into the history and we share the secrets of traditional shipwrights today as they recreate the magic of yesteryear. Among these is the story of the new 8-M yacht Starling Burgess, built to 1937 drawings by her eponymous designer. Her build is a modern evolution of carvel and is probably the most dimensionally precise boat ever built to that method. There’s romance, in the story of an old campaigner gearing up…

The sail north through Costa Rica had been challenging. Variable winds, big tides, electrical storms and many reluctant hours running the engine. I can understand why few boats come here. Yet, we’d made it to The Nicoya Peninsula. An overgrown thumb of land protects a deep gulf from Pacific groundswells. We let out 30m of chain, and set the anchor into a bottom of soft mud. Unobstructed views of rolling hills and Central American rainforest spread out around us. The anchorage is far from ideal. Wind chop builds quickly in the 20nm gulf. A terminal for exporting sugar provides a constant rumble, and a glow of artificial light. The water is a thick brown. Uninviting for swimming, even without the three metre long crocodiles that stalk the riverbanks. To visit…

If you are scratching your head over what to give a young person this Christmas, consider hand tools. Today’s electronic gadgets and games may be old-hat by this time next year but a few well-chosen tools – of good quality and of a size to suit small hands – could establish the foundations of a lifetime hobby, perhaps even a career in boatbuilding. So, what to buy? Presenting impetuous offspring with a carpenter’s axe isn’t recommended but you should be on safer ground with a small hammer which, even as hands grow larger, will always find a purpose. When its young owner has mastered the eye-hand coordination required for driving nails home, a 4oz ball-peen hammer (1) will graduate to peening copper boat rivets. And for the nail which goes…

Anyone interested in the origins of yachting hopes that they will find some overlooked trifle which will prove to be an important part of the jigsaw puzzle which is the early history of our sport. One such item has now come to light to reveal another tussle between British and American yachts, just 17 years after the America won the 100 Guinea Cup. A small firm of auctioneers, based in Yorkshire, was offering the oil painting shown below. It depicts a magnificent looking British schooner crossing the finishing line off the Squadron in Cowes. There was nothing on the picture to indicate her name or what the race was. Smoke from a cannon on the committee boat suggests that she has just won the race – certainly the masthead man…

BONHAMS Arthur Ransome’s Windermere ice-breaker The rather extreme and strangely shaped Esperance is not only a Guinness world record holder as the first ever twin-screw steam yacht; the 19.8m loa (65ft) vessel with a beam of a mere 3.1m (10ft) is also the oldest surviving boat on Lloyd’s Yacht Register. Built in 1869, Esperance resides today at the Windermere Jetty Museum on the lake where she began her life as a luxury water taxi for industrialist HW Schneider. Built of the highest grade iron with countersunk riveting to provide a smooth finish to the hull, Esperance also featured a peculiarly shaped bow designed to break ice on the lake. After operating for more than 50 years as a pleasure boat and ferry, Esperance’s engines were removed when she became a…

WINNER Classic Boat AWARD SRIRINGAM MOHANKUMAR CB winner Srirangam Mohankumar has worked for a number of years as an orthopaedic surgeon within the NHS. From a young age he was interested in sketching and painting, particularly in watercolour and preferably outdoors. His sketches are often developed into the final piece in his home studio. Sriringam regularly travels the British Isles to find inspiration, and of course to paint on location. “The subjects I paint are varied,” says Sriringam. “These include landscapes, rustic buildings, rolling skies, waterways, street scenes, boats and harbours. “Painting and drawing are part of being human for me. The great living artist Ken Howard, whom I admire very much, once said ‘painting is about revelation, communication and celebration. It is also about interaction between artist and audience.’” Sriringam…

It’s not known whether Ettore Bugatti ever read Wind in the Willows, but I can confirm that there is very little half so much worth doing as simply messing about in Bugatti boats. The quirky, almost cartoonish Bugatti You-You – which takes its name after the colloquial French term for “little boat” – could not be further removed from the legendary French racing blue grand-prix cars, or the luxury grand routiers produced in the company’s pre-war pomp. Moreover, the You-You is as rare, or rarer still, than some of the most exalted and valuable Bugatti cars made in those glory years. In a changed post-war world order in which the pared-to-the-bone Citroen 2CV fitted the mood of austerity, Bugatti struggled to adapt, producing no more than a handful of cars…

The equinox provides the high spring tides that are perfect for navigating the narrow reaches of the River Blackwater at Maldon. However, with the new moon yet to appear, the flood tide for the weekend would only allow for one race this year, which turned into the parade of sail past the quay side at Maldon. A bright morning greeted the gathering fleet at the race start off Osea Pier on Osea Island. A moderate northerly wind provided a reach out to the Thirslet buoy and a fast reach back with the tide. The smacks were closely ranked at the start but soon spread out. It’s a glorious sight so often seen on the East Coast. They were followed by the OGA gaff rigged yachts, classic wooden yachts, a Solent…

This summer saw the 18th annual Vela Classica Menorca for classic yachts. The event, also known as the Cope Del Rei, or King’s Cup, had a bumper entry of 53 boats, no doubt boosted by the recent scarcity of regattas owing to Covid. Entries ranged in size from the Falmouth-based Hereshoff schooner Mariette down to a West Solent One-Design. The host, Club Maritimo, was delighted to be able to once again hold a class of ‘Big Boats,’ although sadly the big Fifes – regular attendees Mariquita and Moonbeam – were absent. As much racing as possible was held inside the harbour to maximise the spectacle for locals and tourists. The first day was ideal for it, the fleet providing a spectacle as they powered out the harbour to the race…

+44 (0)207 349 3758 Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk PIN MILL, SUFFOLK Selina King comes home Selina King, Arthur Ransome’s largest and finest yacht, newly restored, has returned to the yard where she was built 84 years ago – King’s, writes Peter Willis. Her delivery, on a low-loader, was complicated by the difficulty of approach down the narrow Pin Mill Lane, so she was launched at Fox’s yard, a few miles up the River Orwell, under the supervision of King’s owner Gus Curtis, who then towed her down to his own yard. Her present owner, Martin Pollard, began restoration work on the 35ft 6in (10.8m) Fred Shepherd-designed sloop in Bermuda in 2011, then shipped her back to the UK in 2017 and continued the work near his home at Itchenor in Chichester Harbour.…

The luxury yacht of 100 years ago could be a veritable crystal palace of broad-windowed deck saloons and prettily glazed furniture. Like their bejewelled owners and guests, the accommodation was aglitter with reflections from lead-lighted display cabinets executed in rare woods. But what would the 1920s yacht glazier make of modern glazing, I wonder? Today’s designers choose from a menu of marine glass that’s transformed the yacht with possibilities both practical and aesthetic. Addressing safety, the Jekyll-and-Hyde character of old glass turning from light and protective friend into cut-throat enemy when smashed, was cured of its duality by toughening. But chemically or thermally toughened glass that breaks into small and relatively harmless pieces could be less handy in the event of a capsize on account of the gaping hole it…