Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Classic Boat

Some boats get all the luck. Good and bad. Ariel, Tim Everson’s Deben Cherub, won the Classic Boat Award for Restoration (under 40ft/12.2m) in 2020, but by the end of the following year, she was back in her builder’s yard after taking a beating from Storm Arwen. Between these events of course, covid and the lockdown had intervened, and to add to Tim’s troubles he was out of action for several months with complex eye surgery. The celebratory article in Classic Boat had to be repeatedly put on hold. Meanwhile though, the renaissance of the Cherub class as a whole has continued apace, with other restorations, and the appearance of one of them, Jubilee, at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show. All in the context of a rejuvenation of the yard…

My fascination for yachts and wood has led to several restorations of wooden yachts. Although I mainly dealt with steel as part of my marine engineering schooling, wood has a much more accommodating character. Incidentally, that love gradually developed without losing sight of the properties of other substances. Clearly one cannot do without the other. As a young machinist, I had a lot to do with repairs. Making something that was broken or worn out, polishing it and making it smooth again so that it shines beautifully under the lamplight. A job in the crankcase of a large slow revving engine, large conrods, white metal bearing slips dripping with oil, nicely worn and shiny. So strong, so tangible. I had never held real wood in my hands before. That real…

Racing in the sun The Med season, centre of the classic sailing world, kicks off at Antibes and ends at Saint-Tropez, at the biggest classic regatta in the world. These days, the Vintage Classic Yacht Club runs a four-race series, Mediterranean Champions Cup, at Voiles d’Antibes, Argentario Sailing Week, Vela Clasica Menorca and Régates Royales (Cannes). Other highlights this year are the biennial Monaco Classic and the 8-M Worlds. vintageclassicyachtclub.com 29–30 APRIL Les Dames de Saint-Tropez St-Tropez, France societe-nautique-saint-tropez.fr/snst 27–29 MAY Calanques Classique Marseille, France lanautique.com 31 MAY – 4 JUN Les Voiles d’Antibes France, voilesdantibes.com 6-10 JUNE Giorgio Armani Superyachts Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy yccs.it 10-12 JUNE Vela Classica Costa Brava L’Estartit, Spain velaclassicacostabrava.com/en 14-18 JUNE Argentario Sailing Week Porto Santo Stefano, Italy argentariosailingweek.it 16-18 JUNE Les Voiles du…

ALASKAN STAR Grand Banks woodie Grand Banks motor cruisers are a legend in the USA, as American as blue jeans and freeways, and their popularity is catching on a little in Europe, where we’ve seen a few restorations recently, like Freya. They are the quintessential trawler yachts, well-built and seamanlike in their behaviour as well as their appearance… and they hold their value well, because of that quality, and the brand. This one, Alaskan Star, is an Alaskan 49 model, built, as they all were, by American Marine in Hong Kong, this one in 1974. Her current owners had had her since 1978 – an amazing 45 years. She’s mahogany planked on yakal frames and, according to the broker, has been loved and cherished as a member of the family…

Projection management The projection or ‘hook’ of a plane’s cutting iron is set according to the type of plane in use, the nature of the wood and the quality of finish desired. Extend the iron too far and the plane will not only be hard to push but risk ripping up the surface like a garden hoe. Extend not far enough and the job will go on forever. Get the hook right and the work should prove easy on both the wood and the worker. We are not always looking for a millpond finish. The role of the scrub or roughing plane (1) with its heavily cambered iron is simply to remove waste fast and its projection as coarse as 1/8in (3mm) may be judged by eye alone. Projection of…

The news this month that the Commité International de la Méditerranée (known by tout le monde as CIM of course), is softening towards glassfibre-hulled boats seemed serendipitous, coming as it did just a few weeks after an editorial meeting where we agreed, with some enthusiasm, that a glass boat could feature on the cover of Classic Boat – and soon probably will. Before alarm bells ring, don’t worry: nothing will ever replace the magic of a wooden boat, and this will remain the principal focus of this magazine. But some of those old glassfibre yachts are really attractive and their heritage appeal is clearly on the rise. A decade ago, serious restorations of glass yachts from the 60s and 70s were rare. These days, I can think of half a…

Back in 2006 I wrote an article in Classic Boat called The Future is 100 Years Old. In it I gave a short history of the International Rule since its inception in 1906, the 8-Metre World Championship of that year and the positive developments of the class at that time. Prophetic words it turned out as now, even more than then, the Metre Classes in general and the 8-Metre s in particular are experiencing a veritable renaissance with increasing numbers of old boats being sought out and restored, and the yachts being campaigned ever more seriously and competitively at a growing number of regattas and European and World Championships on both sides of the Atlantic. After 1936, when the 8-Metre s had their last big moments in the limelight at…

I confess never to have set a topsail, let alone a jackyard, in anger, indeed in any state of mind, but I did once foolishly nearly brain a brilliant yacht designer when the call came to lower the peak halyard away “handsomely”, or perhaps he said smartly? Fortunately Providence’s gaff came to a shuddering halt inches above his head, or we would not have had the likes of Zinnia, Thembi or any number of modern, wooden classics, albeit he is tragically no longer alive to give us more. Unlike our Cunliffe for whom gaff is first nature, it’s always been a bit of a mystery to me. I can understand the arguments about downwind speed, and even upwind. Tom’s Irens-designed Westernman was a beast to windward. I have her in…

Something for everyone The north of Europe is a mixed bag, more so than the Med, with everything from huge maritime festivals to the sleeker side of yachting, embodied annually by various events in Germany and Scandinavia. This year marks the return of a giant – the Semaine du Golfe du Morbihan – a moving regatta for all kinds of classic workboats, yachts and dinghies SWEDEN AND FINLAND 2 JULY ÅF Offshore Classic Race (Around Gotland) Stockholm-Visby-Sandhamn, Sweden; 220nm passage race race.ksss.se 27-29 JULY (DATE TBC) Airisto Classic Regatta Abo Batvarf, Turku, Finland airistosegelsallskap.fi 3-5 AUGUST Sandhamn Regatta Sandhamn, Sweden Offshore race for classic yachts ksss.se 12 AUGUST Viaporin Tuoppi Helsinki, Finland Big wooden boat regatta english.viaporintuoppi.fi NORWAY 3-5 AUGUST Risør Traditional Boat Festival Risør, trebatfestivalen.no FRENCH ATLANTIC COAST 15-21 MAY…

Email: steffan@classicboat.co.uk COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT, UK New project for BCYC founder Kaléa is a 70ft (21m) Italian yacht from the 1960s, designed by Bruno Veronese and built at Cantieri de Pisa in 1964. From the era of yachts like Blue Leopard, Gitane IV and Blue Sapphire, Kaléa was designed to have excellent sailing qualities matched by an equally good performance under power with comfortable accommodation for the owners, four guests and two crew. Kaléa was sailed from her home port in Rome to Genoa and shipped to Southampton and sailed to Cowes in April 2019 to be restored for her new owners Josephine and Tim Blackman, who is the founder of the British Classic Yacht Club. For some years there had been rain water ingress through the covering board…

The chalk line listed among essential tools in John Leather’s classic book Clinker Boatbuilding has been snapping a straight course for the saw to follow over hundreds of years. All manner of spools, frames, bags and boxes have been used to stow the line but a simple wooden reel has endured the longest. A threepenny boxwood reel from a tool store of the 1900s was almost identical to reels recovered from the wreck of Henry VIII’s Mary Rose, a warship which foundered in the Solent in 1545. The chalk line comes into its own when a board is too long or too rough for marking with a straight edge or a gauge. The hemp or cotton line loaded with chalk is stretched between two nails, lifted a fraction and then…

PHOTO SYMPHONY French/Persian artist Sina Vodjani, now resident in Hamburg, describes himself as a “photographer, painter, musician, composer, globetrotter, sailor”. His art “embodies versatility in all aspects… the art of visualising vibrance in spacetime…” His topics range vastly. This large-scale nautical work is made using photography, digital editing and hand painting, resulting in an ethereal, shimmering effect. vodjani.com STEEL, ROPE AND WOOD These rustic wall-hangings are by inventive German artist Thomas Froehlich, who also makes grander items, including tables, outdoor sculptures, indoor and outdoor tables, even sculpted grills for your barbecue. The classic anchor and line is made using stainless steel and locust tree wood, while for the compass rose piece he used reclaimed wood. Anker mit Tau €125 (anchor) Windrose mit Tau €750 (compass rose) kontrastwerke.de SAILING COLLAGE Inspired…

SOUTH COAST 12-14 MAY Cowes Spring Classics Cowes, cowesspringclassics.com Broad-church regatta for classics, sail and power 18-21 MAY Looe Luggers Regatta Back with a bang after four years’ absence welcometolooe.com/events 29-29 MAY Yarmouth Gaffers Festival oga.org.uk. Flagship OGA bash 10-25 JUNE Richard Mille Cup Falmouth – Dartmouth – Cowes – Le Havre. richadmillecup.com The inaugural event will see a fleet of yachts race offshore, with parties at stopovers. Expresions of interest are welcome at the website 1 JULY Round the Island Race IoW, roundtheisland.org.uk One of the world’s most popular yacht races 8-14 JULY Cowes Classics Week IoWight, cowesclassicsweek.org 100+ boats in many classes 9 JULY Southsea Rally oga.org.uk. informal gathering for boats of all sizes 15–22 JULY British Classic Week Cowes, britishclassicyachtclub.org AKA the British Classic Yacht Club Regatta…

Endless summer With classic yacht racing around the world, it’s always summer somewhere from the schooners of the USA to a vibrant scene in Australia and New Zealand. Like the Mediterranean, the USA has a classic racing series across 11 regattas organised by the CYOA – see classicyachts.org CARIBBEAN 19-24 APRIL Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta West Indies, antiguaclassics.com UNITED STATES 5 JUNE Race to Alaska Port Townsend, WA to Ketchican, Alaska, r2ak.com 700 miles in small craft 7 JULY Great Schooner Race greatschoonerrace.com Penobscot Bay, Maine 20+ vessels in this evocative rig 7-9 JULY Vineyard Cup Mass, sailmv.org/vineyard-cup Mixed fleet of classic and modern 15 JULY Belvedere Classic Regatta San Francisco Bay, California sfyc.org. Includes Great San Francisco Schooner Race 20-27 JULY Salish 100 Port Townsend, Washington nwmaritime.org Popuiar small-boat…

ONE FAMOUS OWNER We look at the history of Bob Dylan’s schooner Bequia, through the eyes of his sailing friends and current owner BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING The glassfibre Nic 55 Quailo III has had a long life in the armed services, but now she’s back in private ownership AWARDS – AND THE WINNERS ARE… All the winners in this year’s 2023 Awards, from motorboats to sail, restored and new, small and large PLUS… Early Jeanneau wooden runabout; the first woman to sail around the world; meet Thames boatbuilder Michael Dennett; Golden Globe yacht models; and much more MAY 2023 ON SALE Friday 6 April, 2023 Or why not subscribe? SAILING TODAY WITH YACHTS & YACHTING IN THE APRIL ISSUE • Boat test: Beneteau Oceanis 60, innovative bluewater flyer• Boat…