Innehållsförteckning för June 2022 från Classic Boat

Marine painter James Dodds has designed a stained glass window for the annexe of St Mary’s Church in Wivenhoe, on the River Colne on the English east coast. The east window work is called Dove and Blue Boat and has been made by Andy Brooke and Pascale Penfold, a four-year project overseen by the church organist Graham Wadley. The featured boat is “a type that would have been built locally, a type that James helped build when he was an apprentice boatbuilder”, the church says.…

The 101st Lipton Cup was raced in near perfect conditions in March by the L Class Mullet Boats, the class featured in Nigel Sharp’s August 2021 issue of Classic Boat, writes Janet Watkins. The trophy is rare because it has been raced for in every year since the competition was started, 1922. The Mullet boats were a fishing fleet in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf in the 1800s, before the mullet stocks became depleted and the boats became private vessels. The 2022 event was regular crews depleted because of Covid, so crew numbers were limited to a minimum of five and maximum of six. It was an 11th win for Orion II and Martin Robertson and the 12th win for the Ponsonby Cruising Club. Martin’s crew were Orsa Levent, Grant Ewing, Reg…

Cornish charity Sea Sanctuary has taken ownership of Irene, the tall ship featured in the film Pirates of the Caribbean. The 100ft tall ship, built in 1907, arrived in Falmouth in April to help support the charity’s work in ‘blue health’ – the concept that blue spaces, like the sea, are profoundly beneficial to people’s mental and emotional wellbeing. Irene replaces a smaller boat, a move which “reflects the increase in the demand of these critical services and the evolution of the charity who expertise and services are growing year on year from private clients, as well as corporate charters”. Charity CEO Joseph Sabien said: “Our sailing days and residential therapeutic voyages are perfect for organisations looking to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. "Those who participate…

When John Leather wrote an article about the amateur yacht designer J Pain Clark in the January 2000 Classic Boat, he traced the history of most of the 15 designs he is thought to have created – from the 1899 ‘single-handed cruiser’ Rani III to the 1924 cruising sloop The Hind. Along the way, he introduced readers to a series of elegant yachts with names such as Lora, Lona (three of them), and Rani (five of them!), most owned in quick succession by the designer himself. Leather described Pain Clark as “one of the most talented amateur designers of small cruising yachts before 1914” and ranked him alongside the likes of Albert Strange and George Holmes. Leather concluded his article by saying: “So far as I can discover, this [The…

What was your first memory of sailing? A clinker dinghy called Greenfly, perhaps, with a tan lugsail at Emsworth? Unlikely unless you knew my grandfather, whose boat she was, a retired RN commander, deaf from clinging to a spar after his ship was sunk in the North Sea by a salvo from a German cruiser in 1916, his deafness not so bad that he could pretend not to hear my grandmother’s constant chattering. “Vaccinated with a gramophone needle!” was her explanation. That’s by the by; Greenfly was a sturdy stem dinghy, probably no more than 14ft, but to a four-year-old a mighty craft with endless, piratical possibilities on the boundless main (Emsworth Harbour). In early spring we would flip her over to scrape and paint her pea-green bottom until one…

SOUTH COAST 20-22 MAY Cowes Spring Classics Cowes, cowesspringclassics.com Broad-church regatta for classics 1-5 JUNE Yarmouth Gaffers Festival oga.org.uk. Flagship OGA bash with an additional separate Queen’s Jubilee race 25 JUNE Round the Island Race IoW, roundtheisland.org.uk The world’s most popular race 25 JUNE – 1 JULY Cowes Classics Week IoWight, cowesclassicsweek.org 100+ boats in many classes 25 JUNE – 2 JULY Spirit 2022 Regatta Guernsey, Channel Islands spirityachts.com First regatta for Spirit yachts 16–23 JULY British Classic Week Cowes, britishclassicyachtclub.org One of the top British classic regattas 18–21 JULY UF50 Cowes, Isle of Wight, uf50.org Three days of dinners, talks and dinghy racing to commemorate 50 years since Uffa Fox’s death 22-24 JULY Taittinger Regatta Yarmouth, Isle of Wight royalsolent.org Popular for mixed classics 30 JULY – 6 AUGUST…

With classic yacht racing all around the world, it’s always the season, somewhere, from the schooners and classics of the USA to a vibrant racing and social scene in Australia and New Zeland. UNITED STATES 13 JUNE Race to Alaska Port Townsend, WA to Ketchican, Alaska r2ak.com 700-odd mile race in a motley array of watercraft through some of the most savage seas and scenery on earth. 8 JULY Great Schooner Race greatschoonerrace.com Penobscot Bay, Maine 20+ vessels in the most evocative rig of them all 15-21 JULY Salish 100 Port Townsend, Washington nwmaritime.org Puget Sound: “The largest organised small-boat cruise in the USA” 9-10 JULY Vineyard Cup Mass, sailmv.org/vineyard-cup Mixed fleet of classic and modern 11 JUNE Belvedere Classic Regatta and Great San Francisco Schooner Race San Francisco Bay,…

Nowadays it is possible to source a great variety of deck and rig fittings for classic boats. While many of those are available as off-the-shelf items, almost anything can be custom-made if you know where to look. With regard to materials, the more traditional classic boat owners will probably favour bronze, brass or galvanised (or a finish visually resembling one of those), while others will be happy with stainless-steel or chrome plating. WINCHES Various makes of bronze and chrome plated winches – self-tailing and non-self-tailing - are readily available from several manufacturers, including British company Lewmar, Harken and Antal (both Italian), Hutton-Arco (Australian), Murray (made by White Star Products in New Zealand), Wilmex (Polish) and Classic Winch Company (based in the Netherlands). The purist may not like the fact that…

Since listing the Hardy 42 part-built by Cockwells in our recent awards (see pages 18-22 in this issue), the builder has confirmed the sale of two of its all-new Hardy designs. The first of these is the the Hardy 45AD, designed by Andrew Wolstenholme, which does away with the flybridge (that configuration is available on the Hardy 45, also a new design) and replacing it with an aft deck helm position and removing the internal helm option to maximise saloon space. It’s due for delivery in spring 2024. The Company’s first Hardy 50DS is also in build at its new yard at Ponsharden. Inspired by the original Hardy 50, this sea-going explorer yacht is the larger version of the Hardy 40DS. It’s due for delivery in spring 2023.…

Some rebates or ‘rabbets’ in a small boat are best cut using a chisel, for example where the edge of one clinker plank sinks into another nearing the stem or transom. But for the longer, wider and straighter rabbets of a more substantial vessel one of the several types of rabbet plane often does the donkey work. The largest rabbet plane is the badger, and the fact of it having sprung from that hive of edge tool industry once servicing the Firth of Clyde shipyards is no coincidence. This example was made around 1920 by Alexander Mathieson & Son of the Saracen Tool Works, Glasgow. Its closed handle represents a small improvement on the usual open type, but in other respects this badger displays all the essential features of the…

The last boat to be built from scratch to a William Fife III original design. That’s a bold statement, but the words are chosen carefully and take into account other boats that might make such a claim if it was put slightly differently. Madrigal II, for instance, was built later, in 1951, but with the ballast keel and strap floors that had been used in the 1939 Madrigal that had subsequently been condemned by Lloyds, as much of her timber structure had fallen into a state of decay; and, following Fife’s death in 1944, other designs of his were modified by Archie McMillan – who had taken over the Fairlie Yacht Slip – before they were built. So it is Sonata – built by Woodnutts on the Isle of Wight…

The UK Coastguard is marking its 200th birthday this year, having been formed in 1822 to help combat smuggling. Coastguards across the four nations that it serves – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – cast traditional throwlines into the sea as a symbol of the service’s ongoing work. Today Her Majesty’s Coastguard co-ordinates rescues and other activities from one main centre centre in Hampshire, nine maritime rescue coordination centres around the coast and one maritime rescue ‘sub-centre’. There are 310 Coastguard rescue teams, made up of 3,500 volunteers, using 10 search and rescue helicopter bases. The Coastguard responded to more than 33,000 incidents in 2020 and its marine surveyors carried out almost 4,500 surveys on UK and non-UK registered ships. The service’s duties have broadened and during the pandemic,…

British Classic Week has announced the launch of a fundraising campaign for its charity partner Tall Ships Youth Trust. The UK’s oldest and largest sail training charity, Tall Ships Youth Trust brings together crews aged 12-25, of different social backgrounds, for residential sailing voyages which often transform their lives. Organised by the British Classic Yacht Club, the 20th edition of British Classic Week will take place in Cowes from 16-23 July 2022. Club commodore Jonathan Dyke said: “Whether it’s due to circumstance, an accident, or mental health, Tall Ships Youth Trust instigates a step change for young people when they are most in need. We are calling on British Classic Week attendees and classic yacht enthusiasts to donate to this invaluable charity and help support their life-changing sailing voyages.” People…

Ladies and gentlemen: As Cambria’s captain Chris Barkham would say: “beautiful boats attract beautiful people” and, as I look around, how right he is. Thank you all for being here tonight to honour and celebrate the most beautiful boats in the world. Thank you for the honour of having me speak tonight. I would like to start by taking you back to 1982, to Lymington, and an old Thames barge stuck in the mud near the bridge. I was told the man on board had some old winches I could use for my boat so I went below to meet him and have a look. As I climbed down the companionway, a phone rang. I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation and it went like this: “Hi Harry, Joe here! Hey,…

MECUM, USA Runabout rivals go head to head As the roaring 20s raced full pelt for the precipice of the Great Depression, John Ludwig Hacker and Garfield Wood vied with each other to deliver grace and pace on water to the wealthiest sporting Americans. Hacker, an early proponent of planing vee-hull technology in pure race and record boats, is widely credited with being the father of the American runabout, placing the engine amidships, control cockpit forward, and passenger accommodation aft. Gar Wood was no slouch either, becoming the first man to break 100mph on water, claiming the world waterspeed record five times and bagging a huge trophy haul with 10 legendary Miss Americas. The rivalry of these two self-made men drove the development of the high-speed runabout to new heights,…

After confusion last year, when the early summer events deferred because of covid, things are back on track for the first year since 2019. And, since Panerai’s departure three years ago, there is a new series gathering pace. It is called the Mediterranean Champions Cup Series and is being run by the newly-formed Vintage Classic Yacht Club. The series takes in Antibes, Argentario, Vela Clasica Menorca, Imperia and Regates Royales Cannes. vintageclassicyachtclub.com 20–22 MAY Les Voiles de Cassis La Ciotat, France portdecassis.com 1-5 JUNE Les Voiles d’Antibes France, voilesdantibes.com 9-12 JUNE Porquerolles Classique Porquerolles, France yachtclubporquerolles.com 10-12 JUNE Vela Classica Costa Brava L’Estartit, Spain velaclassicacostabrava.com 15-19 JUNE Argentario Sailing Week Porto Santo Stefano, Italy argentariosailingweek.it 17–19 JUNE Calanques Classique Marseille, France lanautique.com 17-19 JUNE Les Voiles du Vieux-Port Marseille, France,…

The recent discovery of Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance has revealed once again the irrepressible and determined story of one of the most charismatic leaders who in a moment of tragedy, when all seemed lost, showed how strong resolve, optimism and humanity can reign supreme in overcoming even the darkest times. The ship was lost 107 years ago and was discovered in March of this year below the surface in the Weddell Sea, at a depth of 3,000 metres, four miles south of the position originally recorded by its Captain Frank Worsley. The 144ft (44m) ship was crushed by sea ice and on sank 21 November 1915, but was found wonderfully preserved sitting in an upright position on the seabed. Endurance22 mission’s leader, the veteran polar geographer Dr John Shears said…

Edited by Steffan Meyric Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk MARYLAND, USA State ship launched after three-year build Nearly three years after beginning the largest construction project they had ever taken on, shipwrights at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum watched the roughly 43-tonne Maryland Dove being craned into the Miles River on 28 March, the biggest vessel to have been launched in St Michaels since 1904. It’s a major milestone in the project, which is due to be complete this spring. Maryland Dove, a two-masted vessel of 57ft (17.4m) is a representation of the late-17th-century trading ship that accompanied the first European settlers to what is now Maryland. The ship is owned by the state of Maryland and will be operated and maintained by the Historic St Mary’s City Commission.…

In 1997, Roger and Dinah Graffy were keen to move out of London to a better place to bring up their two small children. At that time, Dinah’s parents ran Bar Creek Yacht Station on the Truro River and so they knew the Fal Estuary well. When they heard that Mylor Harbour – based at what was, in the 19th century, England’s most westerly (and smallest) naval dockyard – was for sale, they decided to buy it. They saw the hugely significant potential, not least because it is so sheltered from prevailing south-westerly winds. A quarter of a century on, Mylor Yacht Harbour is one of Cornwall’s most popular sailing destinations, with a 180-berth marina, 240 swinging moorings and space to lay up about 600 boats in the half-mile-long ‘valley’…

Entries are flooding in for the 35th edition of Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management’s Falmouth Classics, from 17-19 June. The event will include racing on Friday and Saturday, public access to the pontoons on Saturday, a rowing and sculling competition at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club from 4.30pm on Saturday, two parades on Sunday and a Maritime Village on Custom House Quay over the whole event. The regatta takes place at the same time as the Falmouth International Shanty Festival with its 71 groups providing musical entertainment around the town. Meanwhile leading marine coatings manufacturer Teamac will sponsor the Saturday race on 18 June, which will be known as the Teamac Race. falmouthclassics.org.uk…

The event is, of course, the occasional spectacular known simply as ‘the Fife Regatta’. It has been held previously in 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013, and this year has a new sponsor in the form of luxury watch brand Richard Mille. Those occasions saw, respectively, fleets of 11, 22, 20 and 20 yachts partaking, but this year, there are 24 on the entry list, making it probably the largest fleet of yachts built by the Fife boatbuilders ever gathered. In fact, with the exception of one or two boats, all those on the list (and most ‘Fife’ yachts worldwide) are the creations of the third, most famous of the family of yacht designers and boatbuilders – William Fife III. The first two William Fifes, however, should not be overlooked. It…

NAUTICAL WATCHES The Solent watch takes inspiration from the “story of ambition and determination” of Sir Alec Rose, says manufacturer Marloe, while its sibling the Dart watch features the lat and long of the mouth of the River Dart in Devon, UK. £349 marloewatchcompany.com THE EYE Artist Marina Syntelis launched at the Southampton Boat Show last September, where she sold 54 paintings. Visitors will have also seen her ‘hyper-real’ works on show at BoatLife Live, in Birmingham, England. The Papillon Gallery has a virtual 3D gallery of her work on its website. This painting, The Eye, “causes a lot of emotion in men”, says the gallery. Better on your wall than in front of your bow. From £884 thepapillon.gallery BRASS FOG HORN Rather than bellowing at fellow regatta competitors, at…

The north of Europe is a mixed bag, more so than the Med, with everything from huge maritime festivals like Brest to the sleeker side of yachting, this year embodied by world championships in the evocative 12-M and 8-M classes, as well as a European championship in the 6s. The spectacular Golfe du Morbihan was sadly cancelled due to covid just as we went to press – but there’s still plenty on SWEDEN AND FINLAND 3-9 JULY ÅF Offshore Classic Race (Around Gotland) Stockholm-Visby-Sandhamn, Sweden; 220nm passage race race.ksss.se 28-30 JULY Airisto Classic Regatta Abo Batvarf, Turku, Finland airistosegelsallskap.fi 4-6 AUGUST Sandhamn Regatta Sandhamn, Sweden Offshore race for classic yachts ksss.se 13 AUGUST Viaporin Tuoppi Helsinki, Finland Big wooden boat regatta english.viaporintuoppi.fi NORWAY 4-6 AUGUST Risør Traditional Boat Festival Risør,…

Classic cruisers from the 1930s to the 1950s were produced in small series. Today they are quite rare, like this 1950 Express Cruiser badged Swiss-Craft, the brand of the Faul boatyard which celebrated its 125 anniversary last year on Lake Zurich, Switzerland. One hundred and twenty-five years is quite a venerable age for a boatyard. The Faul House, owned by the founder’s family since its debut, celebrated that unusual anniversary last summer. One would come to wonder whether the waters of Lake Zurich might not contain some specific longevity molecules, when looking at the concentration of century-old boatbuilding firms in the region such as Boesch, or even bicentennial such as Portier. Over the decades, much like his colleagues, John Faul then his descendants built all kinds of boats; transport, fishing,…

The IOD yacht Falcon, highly commended in this year’s awards in the ‘restored sailing vessel under 40ft’ category, left the yard in April 2021, to be replaced by Arthur Ransome’s Peter Duck, which came in for a major refit. The yacht, known to all as ‘PD’, ever since she was so named by Arthur Ransome, has been on the River Deben many years and these days belongs to the maritime author Julia Jones, who usually carries out annual maintenance. Since her construction at Harry King’s yard in nearby Pin Mill, PD’s layout and arrangement has remained largely unchanged as subsequent owners have been far more satisfied with her performance and handling than Mr Ransome famously was but it was decided to make some subtle, practical changes this time around. PD’s…

Cleaning cramp threads When you need a G-cramp in a hurry you may only have one free hand yet both hands will be needed to adjust it if the threads are clogged by grime. Clean using paraffin or a stiff brush. Alternatively ‘plough’ the grime out by holding a pointed stick in the root of the thread while turning the screw. Next apply a suggestion of light oil to the screw and you should be able to ‘spin’ the cramp to the required opening. Holding the top of the screw, rotate the wrist as if stirring a mug of tea (clockwise to open, anti-clockwise to close). The cramp’s heavy frame will rotate about the screw propelled by its angular momentum. On a large cramp not designed to close fully the…

THE SUNSET OF WOOD This fabulous 49-footer from 1973 is one of the last three wooden yachts built by McGruer, and probably among the last wooden yachts built in the age of timber. After a big refit, she’s as good as ever. FOLKBOATS FOREVER What can one say that’s not already said about the most popular cabin yacht ever, at 80? We look at its wins in the Round The Island Race. JUST ADD WATER These BayCruiser 23 water-ballasted trailer sailers have been selling like hotcakes for years. Finally, we get out with builder Swallow Yachts for a proper test. PLUS… The yachtsmen volunteers of World War Two; a visit to a new English boatyard specialising in metre yachts; meet Debbie Purser; and more JULY 2022 On sale Friday 10…

Sailors are essentially collectors. At sea we collect anecdotes – mostly of the “there I was holed by a whale and taking on water fast and being driven on to a rocky lee-shore at the base of a 200ft cliff in a force 10 gale on Rutland Reservoir” variety. On land we collect things. And that’s why although psychologists may understand human nature, they’re out of their depth when it comes to understanding the mind set of the sailor. Take the average man in the street – and I’m afraid it is most usually a man – who upon seeing a skip in the road will satisfy one of four basic urges, all of which take place in pyjamas between 10pm and 3am. The first is to throw your own…