Innehållsförteckning för April 2016 från Classic Boat

The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads boast an impressive array of indigenous classic sailing craft, including the 22ft gunter rigged Rebel One Design, probably one of the area’s best kept secrets. Designed by the late Alan Buchanan for the Wroxham-based R Moore and Sons as a modern alternative to the then 41-year-old Yare & Bure One Design (Y&BOD), the first example took to the water in 1950. With its varnished mahogany hull, cream coloured cotton sails, fulsome lines and lack of bowsprit, Rebel offered local sailors a real alternative to the celebrated Edwardian half decker. Within two years, five Rebels had been completed for the princely sum of £465 each. However, by the time the eighth Rebel was launched in 1955 the cost had risen to £510 which exceeded the price…

CLASSIC MARINE Ash parrel beads, copper boat nails, a bronze mast band and tarred marline twine, all from traditional chandler Classic Marine, which now has a shop at its new owner Suffolk Yacht Harbour, as well as its website. Tel: 01394 380390 info@classicmarine.co.uk classicmarine.co.uk THE BOOT If you’d like your soles to boast the grip of a rally car, look no further. The new Alizé boot is the product of a collaboration between well-regarded French boot manufacturer Le Chameau and Michelin. £150 For your nearest stockist visit lechameau.com/gb/boutiques GUN TOMPION A gilt-bronze tompion, circa 1905, from the muzzle of one of the four 9.2 inch guns mounted in single turrets abreast the foremast and mainmast of HMS Hindustan, a King Edward VII-class battleship. The future Edward VIII served as a…

Coloured lines Use different colour lines for running rigging (especially reefing lines) to make identification easier, especially for non-sailors. Reef early Reef early, to make things more comfortable but also because the boat will probably sail better and faster. Reef in cockpit When reefing the mainsail, lower the sail past the tack line to allow the reefing points to be tied more easily from the safety of the cockpit. Use the tack lines to keep control of the sail while the halyard is eased. Rig a preventer Use a preventer, on a loose-footed sail, to steady the rig and improve the shape of the sail on a reach. Tie bitter end of the anchor chain Don’t forget to tie off the bitter end of the anchor line before throwing the…

Classic sailing epicentre The name Mediterranean – ‘centre of the earth’ – rings true when it comes to classic sailing. And we do like to remind everyone annually (until the message gets through!) that the Med regattas are not horribly elitist. Authenticity trumps size every time and the feeling is one of a passion shared rather than oneupmanship. Antibes, while not the first, is generally seen as the big season opener, and Saint-Tropez as the closer. The former is comparatively relaxed, the latter a huge, but fun, circus, the biggest regatta of its kind in the world. There are also a number of passage races from event to event and some cruises in company (formal and informal). If you want to see the biggest fleets of the most classic yachts…

Saffier Yachts in Holland has been making a name for itself for 20 years in the Dutch and German markets with its range of fast dayboats and ‘weekend’ yachts designed in-house. The name of the game with these boats, that have yet to fully catch on in Britain, is ease of maintenance, ease of singlehanding (all lines come back to the cockpit and the largest of the three offers electric winching) and modern performance. These are fixed-keel boats with 40 per cent or more ballast ratios, and light (ish) displacement. The boats are garnering good reviews and certainly we were impressed when we saw the range at the Düsseldorf Boat Show in January. Production is at 35-40 boats a year, including a few for Britain. The three boats here are…

Boatyards usually fall into categories, like the tumbledown shed up a creek where the old boy in blue overalls supervises a few apprentices and a team of local lads learning their trade, as they keep a small fleet of old wooden yachts going for their owners; or the big, high-tech facilities like the nearby Pendennis yard. Rustler doesn’t belong in either category, which is fitting because neither do its yachts. Rustler is not desperately committed to a traditional look, for instance, although by and large its boats fulfil the Spirit of Tradition criteria in terms of overall appearance. The firm’s structure and MO are refreshingly simple, too: two lifelong sailors and 40 or so craftsmen with an unprepossessing metal building on the outskirts of Falmouth, who share a commitment to…

“Before 2016 was more than two months old, 29 whales had beached themselves and died”   Solo sailor Roy Hart trimmed and lit the wicks of his oil lamps after the boat’s electrics failed. The wind dropped as night fell and fog rolled in over the sheen of flat ocean. The only sound now was the dew drops pattering on the coach roof as they dripped off the boom. Somewhere ahead was Labrador, but not close enough to make landfall for at least three days. Roy dozed on the starboard bunk, at one with the stillness of the ocean, then he heard a strangulated moan. He sat up and became aware of a putrid smell. He sniffed the air, it was fishy. “I sat there transfixed. It was a humpback…

There’s a plan afoot, a dream, just coming to fruition. The Metre Centenary in Cowes in 2007, celebrating 100 years of the International Rule, highlighted the fact that the Metre classes have been steadily regaining their popularity. The Six Metres are in remarkably good shape, the Eights are more numerous, the Twelves continue to enthral with their America’s Cup history, even the Fifteens have grown to four outstanding restorations and are working together to develop the class in all the right ways. And now the time has come for the Ten Metre class. Some have been sailing in Scandinavia for years, others need to be found or restored. I remember the first time I saw Pesa, designed in 1911 by Max Oertz in Germany and with a beautiful shape and…

Marine artist JAMES DODDS You've said painting is like meditation. Are you part of the trend for mindful living? Getting in the zone, as Grayson Perry would say. When I am so focused on what I am doing and lose myself in the work, it is like meditation and for me this is the most creative state of mind to be in when working. Zen and the art of painting boats. Your take on reviewers? They are expressing their own point of view, usually saying more about themselves than my work. However it is great when their ideas coincide with my own or make some new connection I had not seen. Your pet hates in boat design? Reverse sheer or too much sheer, too big cabin tops. Are you a…

I went to see Sally in mid-January, on her winter mooring over at Loggie Bay, a little cove, across the loch, sheltered from all winds apart from northeast, a direction we seldom get for longer than a day or two and the fetch is not great. It is a 10 mile drive down the east side of the loch to the bridge over the River Broom at its head. This is estate land, as a fine avenue of beeches attests, bare of leaves now in the low winter sun. The fences are new, and well kept. A right turn, sheep grazing on the flats either side. The clatter of a cattle grid, past austere Clachan Church, plaster peeling from walls and a five-mile drive down the west side, what the…

It was a now forgotten American craftsman who elevated the construction of hollow spars to an art-form and made them commercially viable. His name was Lewis K Young; a joiner and stair-builder by trade, who lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raced Sandbaggers in his spare time. In the 1880s, appreciating the potential benefits of lighter spars, he started to experiment for his own interest. Obtaining long lengths of fine “white spruce” from the Pacific coast, he took great pains over the finish of the inside hollow, and in ensuring the faying surfaces all mated exactly, and the careful application of the clamps. He would use all the available labour in his workshop to apply the glue and then clamp the spar quickly, tensioning the clamps himself to ensure an even…

From Cowes to Brest and beyond Every leap year is a Brest year. The quadrennial Breton festival of boats and the sea features about 2,500 vessels and up to a million spectators. Put that together with the biennial (also very big) Douarnenez festival nearby, add a passage race between them, and you have, by far, the biggest sailing festival in the world. Back at home we have the ever-developing Cowes events, as well as more on the East Coast and in the West Country than you can shake a gaff yard at; and if that’s not enough, head to the Med, Scandinavia, continental Europe, America or the antipodes. Wherever you may be this year, you won’t be far from a cloud of sails on wooden masts.…

SWEDEN BALTIC CLASSIC CIRCUIT The Baltic Circuit for classic yachts is now an established part of the classic sailing world. It has grown over the last few years to produce an alternative European circuit to the much larger one in the Mediterranean and, like the French Atlantic circuit (see below), we keep hearing good things about it. This year’s events, all in Sweden, are listed below. Keep an eye on the organiser’s website – sailtrust.org, to learn more and keep up to date. 28–29 MAY Peter Norlin Memorial Classic Stockholm, Sweden 18–19 JUNE Vikingaregattan Stockholm, Sweden 3 JULY Afor Classic (Around Gotland Off shore Race) Stockholm-Visby-Sandhamn, Sweden 10–13 AUGUST Sandhamnsregattan with Baltic Classic Masters Sandhamn, Sweden 20 AUGUST Kraftkoret Saltsjobaden, Sweden 4 SEPTEMBER Scandal Beauty Trophy Stockholm, Sweden TALL SHIPS…

Gillian Nahum of Henley Sales and Charter specialises in riparian classics. This month, we picked three boats on her books. Tel: +44 01491 578870, hscboats.co.uk FANTASY II Sea or river, rain or shine, cruise or party Built by Toughs in 1959 of all-teak construction to a particularly high specification, Fantasy II has additionally benefited from an overhaul at Dennett’s Boatyard in 2015, including some replanking, a re-varnish inside and out and a new coachroof. Other than that, she retains the patina of her age, with a charming interior whose “vast” saloon can dine up to 10. With plenty of deck space for a 40ft (12.2m) boat and a “spacious wheelhouse” she is, according to Gillian, a great boat to enjoy with friends. With her 4ft 6in (1.4m) draught and twin…

I had removed my Baby Blake from my 1951 8-tonne Gauntlet over 10 years ago, to replace it with a modern design. Now that this was not working, it was time to restore the original toilet! It had languished in a plastic bag, neglected in a corner of the back garden and was totally seized, with only the lid moveable. But I was motivated to attempt a restoration, to retain the authenticity of the original fitting on a vintage yacht, and on the discovery that a spare kit was available for all the perishables, such as the rubber seals and washers. But first I had to dismantle, ease and clean all the individual parts that make up the toilet. The biggest task was to remove some mild corrosion from the…

Great classic cars and great classic yachts have more and less in common than you might think. At a Paris auction where a Ferrari sold for £24.7 million, the second highest price paid for a car at auction, the equally iconic 1903 Fife yacht Moonbeam III seemed a snip at £852,000. Indeed, not only was that considerably lower than the upper pre-sale estimate of £1.1 million, it was less than half the original asking price when she was recently on brokerage. You could argue that the new owner, who will maintain and campaign the magnificent 100ft gaff cutter from her Saint-Tropez base, got something of a bargain, considering to build a new Moonbeam III would cost in excess of £10m. It’s also a fact of life that with such grand…

Twenty years ago, I was working at the office of Classic Boat magazine when I got a call to review a boat on the River Dart. It was the latest design by that doyen of modern multihull design Nigel Irens, better known for ENZA and (later) Ellen MacArthur’s record-breaking B&Q. The previous year, Nigel had taken some time off from designing high-speed racing yachts to create something completely different: a lug-rigged cruising boat. With her highpeaked lug sails set on carbon-fibre spars and her slim, easily driven hull, the 29ft 6in (8.99m) Roxane was like nothing anyone had ever seen before and caused a sensation. At a stroke, Nigel had transformed the face of traditional boat design. Now, it was the turn of her little sister: the 22ft Romilly, built…

Fortunately for those who prefer the gentle strum of halyards on spruce to the infernal tapping so often heard in a typical modern marina, the art of wooden mast building never died out. In some countries it is even enjoying something of a revival. It is possible to have wooden masts or spars built in Britain by two specialist companies, Collars of Oxford and Nobles of Bristol, and numerous boatyards and boatbuilders will happily quote for the work too. Nobles base their spars on a principle developed in the mid-1980s; now known as the bird-beak or bird’s-mouth system, it is a refinement of the barrel-stave system, in which each piece is jointed to mate to the next and locks in. This prevents the elements skidding as the clamps are applied.…

Around the coast The British Isles boasts some of the best classic regattas in the world. Whatever your rig, year of build and classic bent, there are gatherings big and small, smart and less so, coastal and inland, some involving racing, some more shore-based. An unofficial circuit now exists taking in the Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta on the East Coast and Panerai British Classic Week in the Solent, but as our sample here shows, wherever you are moored, a gathering of fellow wooden boat lovers is rarely far away. SOUTH COAST 2–4 JUNE 2017 Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival Tel: +44 (0)1983 760655 yarmoutholdgaffersfestival.co.uk If you’re wondering when Yogaff is on this year – it’s not. It will now run biennially. Flagship OGA bash, 100+ boats 2 JULY Round the…

Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk BRITAIN Classic chandleries change hands Two of Britain’s best-loved traditional chandleries recently changed hands in unrelated sales. Traditional Boat Supplies was bought by Bristol-based boatbuilder Mark Rolt, and Classic Marine was bought by Suffolk Yacht Harbour (SYH). See p48 to learn more about SYH boss Jonathan Dyke. Both John Greenaway (Traditional Boat Supplies or just ‘TBS’) and Moray MacPhail (Classic Marine) were regulars on our feature stands at the London Boat Show, holding tools and techniques demonstrations for stand visitors. John, in his late 70s, is retiring, no doubt to continue living by his mantra – “independence… tis ‘andsome”. John would like to thank CB readers and friends for “the most wonderful 20 years of my life” while running TBS, and is delighted…

Reach back a hundred years into the depths of a yacht joiner’s tool chest and you will find among the smoothers, ploughs and fillisters a dado plane or two. Technically a dado is the name given to a channel that runs across the grain of a board – in the housed joints where the steps meet the rails of a companionway ladder, for example. This plane cuts a 3/4in dado; a different plane is needed for each width. Although its narrow stock supporting a skewed blade resembles a rebate plane, which is used parallel to the grain to cut a step in the edge of a board, if a rebate plane were used across the grain the corners of its blade would tear up the fibres leaving splintered edges. What…

Things to do in the next few weeks Cock o’ the Channel 30 APRIL Round Lundy and back race (Bristol Channel), bcya.org.uk For its 80th anniversary, organisers are letting gaff ers join the fleet of pilot cutters. Talks 4 MAY Sea Charts, with John Blake Arthur Beale, London arthurbeale.co.uk, 6.45-8.15pm A talk on the history of sea charts by John Blake, who has written a number of books on the subject. 27 APRIL Mermaids uncovered National Maritime Museum Cornwall nmmc.co.uk, 5.30pm The deep and long history and the fiction and truth behind mermaids, by Paolo Viscardi of the Grant Museum of Zoology. NEXT MONTH INVADER New 8-M yacht built in the USA, a replica of a Fife originally drawn in 1930 WITCH The 1902 Sibbick yacht lost in the recent…