Innehållsförteckning för July 2019 från Classic Boat

The Gulf of Naples took on a northern European feel for the inaugural Capri Classica schooner races in May, with an overcast sky, Vesuvius obscured by the murk, and a dark grey cloud over Capri’s highest summit giving the appearance that the island was about to erupt. The cold front brought conditions that made for spectacular imagery over the four-day event, with winds at times gusting above 25 knots. Witnessing Mariette of 1915’s 138ft (42m) and 180 tonnes thundering downwind at 12 knots, under full canvas, including her fisherman, blasting apart the substantial seas that were otherwise hammering Capri’s southern shore, was a sight to behold, reported James Boyd for the International Maxi Association who oversaw the event. Capri Classica is a new event that forms part of the new…

The 96-year-old Solent Sunbeam class welcomed a brand new yacht to its fleet with the launching of V70 Minty which took place at Itchenor, the base for this historic and much-admired classic keel-boat fleet. Minty’s hull was built on the Isle of Wight by AM Structures, and fitted out by wooden boat specialists Haines Boatyard based at Itchenor. Following Minty’s launch, the Sunbeam fleet on the water and racing this season grows to 27, with new GRP yachts and the original wooden versions, dating back 96 years to 1923, racing side by side on an equal basis. ‘Big Classic Friday’ for Hamble This year’s Hamble Classics Regatta (20-22 September) has added ‘Big Classic Friday’ to the weekend programme. It’s all about racing for larger classic and spirit-of-tradition yachts, with separate…

BONHAMS Yachting mystery solved by 6-Metre sleuths If a picture paints a thousand words, words can also illuminate pictures. Six-Metre sleuths have unlocked the secrets of this mystery 1920s yachting scene, brought the past into the present and even identified the boats, aided by the renowned accuracy and famed attention to detail of celebrated British marine artist Montague Dawson (1890-1973).What’s more, at least two of the yachts survive, CB has discovered. When the painting, titled Racing for the Corinthian Challenge Cup on Lough Derg, appeared at a Bonhams marine sale, catalogue notes stated: “It has not been possible to identify the specific race and those yachts depicted in this spirited work but further research should bear fruit.” Indeed it has. CB contributor and yachting historian Nigel Sharp immediately identified them…

Hans-Henrik Jorgensen fell in love with Greek sailing boats during a visit to Greece in the mid 1960s. But it was to be many years before he could realise his dream of building one for himself. Following visits to the shipyards in Samos and Spetses, he contacted naval architect Kostas Damianidis who provided technical advice. Eleni is based on a line drawing (pictured right) of the sponge diving boat Konstantinus and Eleni built in 1936 which featured in Greek Wooden Sailing Boats of the 20th Century, by Kostas Damianidis and Tassos Leontidis of the Museum of Cretan Ethology. Hans took a year to make a model and re-draw the lines into a bigger plan, which included a deepened keel and displacement and stability calculations. Her accommodation was inspired by the…

The story of John Krejsa and Mist is one that started in the pages of this magazine, when we published a photo of Mist, the Albert Strange-designed gaff yawl of 26ft 6in (8.1m) built in 1907 by P McKeown. At that point in her life, 2006, she was pictured up-ended in a lighter, much as something is thrown in the dustbin. Our plea to rescue her was heard by Suffolk man John Krejsa, who spent an amazing 12 years restoring the yacht to the way she looks today. The work was complete by last year. Tragically John died, which is why this page features the two boats from his estate. However he did at least get to see Mist sail again, after all those years, in September 2018, in the…

During research into the 1920s hydroplane speed queen Marion ‘Joe’ Carstairs, an eccentric English petrolhead and powerboat racer, naval architect Jack Gifford came upon – and has now secured – a rare and intact Napier Sea Lion engine. Napier was a leading pre-war engine manufacturer whose W12-format Napier Lion, designed in 1917, was for many years the most powerful petrol engine in the world, and powered countless speed records on land, sea and air, for Malcolm Campbell, Supermarine (the engine is the predecessor of the Rolls Royce R, then Merlin, that powered the Spitfire), and others. With its aluminium block, it was the first lightweight engine in the world, its 22.3-litre capacity producing an output of up to 1,375hp, from a weight of under 400kg. The marinised Sea Lion variant…

Cordage is changing so rapidly that it is easy to get tangled up in the various types available these days. Until as late as the 1960s, natural materials such as hemp, manila, sisal and coir were still very much in use, spun together from relatively short pieces, hence the term “spun yarn”. The first synthetic lines appeared soon after the war, and everyone will remember the wiry three-strand blue polypropylene, used from the 1960s on for everything from hay bails to marine use. The first synthetic line with a more traditional appearance appeared in the late 1960s; it was the same stuff but in a more sympathetic beige. The superior three-strand polypropylene that came in the 1980s is still the basis of what many classic yachts use to this day,…

VARG 8 METRE Johan Anker’s 1920s 8m Varg, designed to beat the Brits on the Solent, recently restored in Australia THREE DESIGNERS PART 2 Our history of Fife, Nicholson and Herreshoff continues MARY ISLAY A 1950s teak yacht built with all the charm of a workboat PLUS… Sail to the Scilly islands on a wooden lugger; our classic-design series is re-launched with an appraisal of the 8-M If; plus a perfect Kettenburg PCC yacht restored in Antigua AUGUST 2019 ON SALE Friday 5 July 2019 (or why not subscribe!) OTHER SAILING MAGAZINES FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF CLASSIC BOAT IN THE LATEST ISSUE • Exploring three of Devon's forgotten estuaries• Tradewind sailing masterclass from Don Street• On test: Southerly 435 IN THE LATEST ISSUE • Switching to electric propulsion: latest gear•…

The Getting Afloat page in the June 2012 issue of Classic Boat featured a boat called Cynthia, a centenarian which was described as “still sailing and still largely original, although in want of a good ‘tidy up’”. Among those who read this was Peter Lucas who had first seen Cynthia when he was a schoolboy on holiday with his parents on the Isle of Wight. “We used to go religiously to watch the start of the yacht racing on the Squadron line,” he told me, “and I used to see this strange green boat with really nice lines.” Some years later in 1978, Peter started a Dartmouth-based rigging business. In the early 1990s, he was awarded the contract to rig and service the 10 boats built to compete in Chay…

The Brixham-built replica of the Pilgrims' Mayflower II is nearing the end of her extensive Mystic Seaport museum refit. The historic vessel was lifted out of the water in 2014 for the refit to begin, and Mayflower II has been a fascinating work in progress for visitors to Mystic in the intervening years. Skilled shipwrights from the Plimoth Plantation museum and Mystic have been working to systematically replace timbers, planking, structural frames, knees and beams that, despite the attention of Plimoth Plantation maritime staff, had succumbed to the elements. The works are scheduled to finish in time for the quadricentennial celebrations of the Pilgrim Fathers’ 1620 Massachusetts landing next year, when Mayflower II (pictured above sailing in 2007) will return to her home berth at Plimoth Plantation, and be the…

WOODEN BATHTUBS After a tiring spell at sea, how fabulous to soak in a wooden bathtub handcrafted from exotic sustainable hardwood? NK Woodworking of Seattle offers you fine art furniture for your bathroom, and will ship anywhere. The sculptural pieces are stabilised, waterproof and smooth. They’re not affected by extreme humidity, dryness, or common liquid cleaning products and are designed for daily use. Each bath is also treated to a specialised product with unmatched durability and longevity, the maker assures us. The designer is Nathie Katzoff, a former wooden boatbuilder. £POA nkwoodworking.com ‘THE LEADING LIGHT…’ For decades Trinity Marine has had a cult following among sailors seeking marine antiques for the home as well as afloat. The firm has now started making one-off pieces to go alongside its range of…

Early in the 20th century, saloon boats were a common sight throughout the inland waterways of Holland. They were immediately recognisable by their disproportionately large, heavily glazed superstructures within which were the spacious saloons that gave them their name. “That was where the rich and important people kept dry with their cigars and whisky while the crew were standing outside in the rain,” says Dutch naval architect Olivier van Meer. “It was a very typical Dutch way of transporting important people.” Saloon boats were not only used as inland cruising boats in their own right, but also as tenders for bigger boats, for government officials to inspect the waterways and dykes, and occasionally for racing across the Ijsselmeer. As with many other types of boat of the same era throughout…

By a remarkable twist of fate, the Broads racing yacht Sayonara depicted in Peter Beckett’s fascinating photo album (CB372) continues to compete on the Broadland regatta circuit as Buttercup. Her long career was instigated by Mr EP Buckworth of Crostwick Old Hall in 1895 when he commissioned Ernest Collins to build a new racing yacht. A year later, Collins launched the 34ft Sayonara which followed the typical Broadland racing yacht design of her day, with a generous gaff top sail rig, long flowing overhangs, spoon bow and counter stern. In 1902 she attracted high praise from Nicholas Everitt within his renowned book Broadland Sport when he described Sayonara as, “one of the smartest cruisers of her day” – a sentiment many would still agree with. The majority of Sayonara’s competitors…

Four years ago, we tested the Eagle 54, a Spirit of Tradition collaboration between builder Leonardo Yachts and designer Andre Hoek, both based in Holland. We noted that the modern underbody gave “impeccable handling under power and excellent integral stability. She also sails like a dream. That long waterline, modest displacement, lack of wetted surface area and slippery lines mean she slices through the water like a knife through silk.” Now meet the little sister, the 38. She’s designed to be comfortably singlehanded, and again billed as a daysailer, notwithstanding a pretty nice, three-berth interior. Tel: +31 (0)515 209 002, leonardoyachts.nl LOA 36ft 9in (11.2m) LWL 23ft 7in (7.2m) BEAM 8ft 6in (2.6m) DRAUGHT 4ft 1in–5ft 3in (1.25m–1.6m)…

Jeff Mackie has joined Ian Richardson and a team of volunteers to restore a 28ft lightly built carvel fleet launch, reports Rod Daniel. The deadline is the centennial of the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919 which is being marked at Scapa 100 in Stromness. Cingalee, built in Gosport for John Mellish de la Taste of Jersey, was acquired by RN contractor William Miller Ltd of Portsea in 1910. Miller was involved in operating canteen boats and Cingalee was almost certainly requisitioned by the RN and transported to Scapa Flow, Orkney with the fleet support ships following the passing of the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) in 1914. Cingalee may however, have remained with Miller until the Navy and Army Canteen…

Wayne Olsen thought he had gone into semiretirement until, that is, John Street, the chairman of New Zealand’s Classic Yacht Charitable Trust, asked him to restore another boat. Wayne had just spent a year game fishing in the Bay of Islands when John asked him to go to Sydney to look at Ida, a historic New Zealand boat which had come on to the market. Wayne had previously restored five other boats for the Trust – Te Hauraki, Frances, Gloriana, Thelma and Waitangi – so, despite his attempt at retirement, he was the natural choice for Ida. The 58ft gaff cutter Ida was built by Chas Bailey in 1895 and had been in Australia for half a century before John arranged to buy her and ship her home. At the…

It was a boatbuilder’s little joke when I asked him for a progress update that he’d reach for the four-fold boxwood rule and "consult the yardstick" – the joke being that this long-established talisman for the trade’s precision is only two feet long. Now here’s a little tip he passed on that isn’t a joke: when using the rule with face flat to the work, read it from directly above, or the parallax error introduced by reading from the side will make a nonsense of its 1/16th inch graduations. Reading from 45 degrees will throw the measurement out by the thickness of the rule itself – 1/8 inch. But you can avoid this error by using the rule on edge, with its graduations touching the work, and its thickness eliminated…

29 JUNE – 6 JULY CLASSIC CHANNEL REGATTA Dartmouth – St Helier – Paimpol Off shore racing and partying for classic yachts in this biennial regatta classic-channel-regatta.eu NEW EVENT 13-16 JUNE VELA CLASSICA COSTA BRAVA L’Estartit, Spain Brand new classic yacht regatta velaclassicacostabrava.com/en 22-23 JUNE SUFFOLK YACHT HARBOUR CLASSIC REGATTA Levington, Suffolk Bermudan and gaff races syharbour.co.uk 29 JUNE ROUND THE ISLAND RACE Isle of Wight The world’s most popular yacht race, for classics and moderns alike roundtheisland.org.uk…

“She is just so special,” Konrad Kaltenbach told me. “The wood, the crew, how she goes through the water. She takes you back in time.” “What you feel is the boat’s heart,” added wife Lea. The three of use were talking in the doghouse of the 115ft (35m) Bermudan staysail schooner Eros, after a day’s racing. Americans Konrad and Lea were among eight charter guests and were having the time of their lives. They first sailed on Eros during the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda and they were now planning a third time, probably in autumn in Newport. Originally called Jeanry, Eros was designed by William McKeek and built by Brooke Marine in Lowestoft for an American owner in 1939. Soon after she was launched she was commandeered by the…

Showcasing a boat at any classic yacht regatta in Newport, Rhode Island is not for the faint of heart. “Blending in” means being perfect, in every way. We are not just talking about the lustre of endless layers varnish or brightly polished bronze, or even matching white lines and crew uniforms. The proportion of staysail to yankee to mainsail and mizzen must be flawless. The sheerline cannot waver from the exceptional lines of Stephens, Alden and Burgess. And if a boat has all this, then it must be sailed balanced, barely disturbing the cobalt blue ruffles of a Narragansett Bay sea breeze. Late last summer, in a 15-knot breeze, one such regatta was underway as a parade of yachts sliced their way upwind towards the finish line off the tip…

Looking back, it was like the time I was summoned to the oak-panelled office of my first bank manager; no, it was worse. To be frank, I had been proud when my overdraft had risen to the alarming heights of £10 14s 6d, equivalent in these post-decimalised days to a tidy sum An overdraft meant I had come of age. Well, no, as my bank manager pointed out, it was more a warning sign that I was on my way down a slippery slope to penury, crime and a disappointing end to the hopes of my parents. Far from extending my credit further, as would be the case today, I was made to pay my overdraft back at the painful rate of 17s 6d a month. Painful, but at least…

To witness the characteristic raised stemhead – the koraki – and garish fairground colours of a Greek sponge diving boat in Maldon, Essex is as strange as it would be to see the tan sails of a Thames sailing barge in Corfu. Eleni is a new-build trehantiri, a classic Greek double-ended fishing boat. Traditionally, these boats would be used by divers scouring the bed of the Mediterranean for sea sponges. The intrepid divers would seek out the sponges from the boat’s low bulwarks amidships, using glass-bottomed tubes. When one was located, they would pick up a flat rock from the caïque’s wide deck and jump overboard down to depths of up to 100ft in order to cut free the porous organisms and stuff them into netted bags. You don’t see…

If you take a Chris Craft Utility Skiff, cross it with an Albatross speed boat and build it in aluminium at 19ft (5.8m), you’d end up with something a bit like this. It’s called the Shearwater 19 and it’s the first boat intended for production from new builder Seacott Marine. The hull was designed by Hal Whitacre in the USA, as a variation on an existing design of his. It will be built in aluminium, which is laser cut into the required panels and welded to form. The layout is bespoke (“that’s the beauty of aluminium”) and power is from a centrally-mounted, four-cylinder, 135bhp Mercruiser petrol engine. Top design speed is 30 knots. She’ll seat three on a bench seat in the front cockpit and two in the rear. “I…

Edited by Steff an Meyric Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk For the past eight years, reconstruction of the first ship built by English colonists in North America has been under way on the waterfront at Bath, reports Ellen Massey Leonard. The 51ft (15.5m) pinnace Virginia is being built as closely as possible to history and almost entirely by amateur volunteers. The original Virginia was built from August to October 1607 by the settlers of Popham Colony at the mouth of Maine's Kennebec river, probably founded as a source of shipbuilding timber. By December 1608, the colony had failed and all the colonists had returned to England, many of them aboard the ship they'd just built. The crossing must have been far from the proverbial picnic, undertaken in winter…

You never know what you'll find tucked away in the New Forest, writes Tom Cunliffe. Right now, Lyndhurst is hiding the restoration of the 48ft (14.6m) Thalassa, one of the 20th century's best-loved racing yachts. Thalassa was started by Charles Sibbick of Cowes in 1903, completed in Southampton by Fay in 1906 after Sibbick went bust, then went on to compete in two early Fastnet races. Her subsequent life is well documented and has become a legend for fun, frolic and serious sailing in the hands of the Sewell family who had her for more than 70 years. Acquired by Nick Walker (pictured), he's now rebuilding her in his back garden, aided by his brother-in-law, Steve Jennings. Nothing daunts this bold pair. Both veterans of the construction industry – Nick…

The Wooden Boat Centre was founded in 1992 in Franklin on the banks of Tasmania’s Huon River. It is primarily a boatbuilding school but it also carries out commercial work to help its financial viability. The school caters for people who wish to gain a “recreational experience” of wooden boatbuilding, also those who hope to become professional boatbuilders. The seven-or eight-week clinker dinghy course is one of the most popular, in which students produce a Foster 10ft (3.1m) or Percy 11ft 5in (3.5m) boat, both of which were originally produced by former tutors at the centre: Bill Foster and Perc Coverdale. Other short courses focus on stitch-and-glue motor launches, skin-on-frame kayaks, strip-planked kayaks, plywood tenders, and oar and spar making. In the past the centre has run 18-month trade courses…

A journeyman shipwright seeking work in the late 19th century, and preparing to meet the hairy eyeball of a nit-picking yard foreman, would be at pains to present their tools in the finest of fettle. On such an occasion, the glimmering frame of a Spofford brace nestling among the planes and chisels would be as good a recommendation as a letter of introduction from William Fife III. Nelson Spofford of Haverhill, Massachusetts was granted US Patent 25984 for his "new and improved mode of fastening bits in braces" in 1859, and some hand-tool craftsmen hold that nothing better’s come along in the last 160 years. At a time when the square shanks of bits differed widely in size and taper, fitting only their respective purpose-designed braces, Spofford’s adaptable and rugged…