Sail Away It's Time to Celebrate the Return of the Beautiful
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sail away omeco It's time to celebrate the return of the beautiful - and the fast - to our waters, saus BCYC’s Tim Blackman n the past 25 years, Cowes association events, ably hosted by UURT6R BRB6 has undoubtedly maintained the yacht clubs, until in the height of Thendara was built in its world lead as a yachting the season the Solent seems packed. 1961 but still retains her traditional splendour and centre, and has been an And now, a new phenomenon - enjoys the races in and excellent playground for the the latest growth area for yachting. around the Solent ever-developing and advancing Somehow, among this wall-to-wall, fleets of modern yachts. full-on racing programme, the British Each year, a season packed with Classic Yacht Club Regatta has taken racing events of every kind, IRC a foothold in Cowes, slap-bang in Beken of Cowes Beken handicap races and class and the middle of the season. COWES YACHTING 109 sail away Owning ono mointoining a classic requires a maverick streak, and it places a heavy cost on enjoying the aesthetic side of yachting It's not hard to see why. The 20 The fleet also comprises a years from 1960 to 1980 was one strong Classic International Metre of the great periods for yachting at boat contingent. All are meticulously Cowes. British yacht designers and presented, glinting in the sun, Cowes yacht builders were hand- without doubt the sexiest, long, building beautiful racing yachts for slim, pointed yachts - and each are a driven racing fraternity, and the like a scaled down J Class. recent founding of the British Classic The Regatta sports 5, 6, 8 and 12 Yacht Club (BCYC) has brought International Metre yachts, among together these yachts once more. them Sensa, Nancy, Monsoon, So for the annual BCYC Regatta to llderim, Amorevita, If, Sceptre and come to Cowes is welcomed by Vanity V. These yachts are fast and many of the Cowes yachting furious to sail, designed for speed luminaries through misty eyes. and discomfort; with submarine tendencies and no guard rails they THE YACHTS are not for the fainthearted. Glukauf For anyone who grew up sailing is a 30-square-metre, owned by Andy in the '60s and 70s, the list of King. She measures 3 8 7 " (11.78m) could they not build an affinity with HIGH S€RS BCYC member yachts holds an loa, 25' (7.65m) on the waterline Clockwise from top left: a a "wash and go" plastic yacht and extraordinary resonance of Fastnet with a beam of 6'5" (1.96m) - King tall ship out enjoying the save time and money? Did they have Races and Admiral's Cup wears goggles to windward! re g a tta ; Frenesi of Clynder an addiction to snorting the dust competitions; Outlaw, Whirlaway, Sir was voted "Best on Show" at from rubbing down varnish? the 1961 London Boat Show; Max Aitken's Drumbeat, Swanilda THE PASSION But every classic owner knows Endeavour, a J-dass classic and Zulu (now Cetewayo), and other The BCYC has been pivotal in kick- that there is no sight better then RORC yachts like Thendara, Zoom, starting the renaissance of classic sitting in the lee side of the cockpit, Danegeld, John Dory, Dawn yachting in the UK. Owning and hard on the wind, lee rail under, Goddess, Droleen II and Whooper, maintaining a classic requires a the stanchions fizzing through the Add to this the yachts from strong maverick streak, and it places water sending a fine spray across earlier in the century, from designers a heavy cost on enjoying the glinting chrome and varnish with her like William Fife III, Robert Clark, aesthetic side of yachting - but 16 tons of displacement pounding C.E. Nicholson, Alfred Mylne and classic yachts provide style and through each wave, blasting aside Laurent Giles; yachts like Foglio, charisma in large quantities. sheets of white spume - and in the Mikado, Talisker Mhor, Pazienza, Up until now, each classic yacht harbour, she stands out from the Bona, Mingary, Come, lolaire and owner had been made to think crowd and is admired by many. Sybil of Cumae and before you is 75 that they must be slightly mad - or Nevertheless, it seemed a lonely life years of UK yachting history. certainly out of step with reality. Why - especially when they looked at the 110 COWES YACHTING sail away Mediterranean and saw how that Similarly, in early July, the Rolex international flavour to the event classic circuit had developed; it was Classic Class is invited to race with with yachts from Belgium, France and difficult to understand why there was the BCYC from Cowes to Dartmouth Holland taking part last year. such a void in the UK. So now it is for the Dartmouth Classic Rally and that the BCYC and its Cowes Regatta the Classic Channel Race, returning THE RACING has brought together the yachts, to Cowes to take part in the BCYC All these yachts were built to sail brought together the people and come Regatta from 16 to 23 July. well. Many were built in an era when to the best place to stage a classic So any organisation in the UK engines were not fitted, or were as event - at the birthplace of yachting. or around the world, looking to the small as possible to keep the weight UK for a classic event seeks the down. The International Metre yachts FUTURE FROM THE PAST involvement of the BCYC in the were of course built as out-and-out The America's Cup Jubilee Regatta, knowledge that, with more than 50 racers - as were the Admiral's the world's greatest ever classic member yachts, the BCYC fleet is a Cuppers. Indeed, almost all the regatta, was staged at Cowes in party on the water waiting to happen. classic yachts have a racing past, so 2001 and still the sights and sounds With the mooted decision that how important is the racing to the of that fantastic week echo around Cowes will host the Six Metre World regatta, or is it really a rally? the town. The staging of the annual Championships and the 100th When asked while sitting in the BCYC Regatta, and indeed the anniversary of the Metre Rule, both harbour, quite a lot of classic owners UUHeei OF FORTUN6 club itself, has started to act as a in 2007, an enormous selection of 6, will reply in the very British way that: Top to bottom: Tiuga a t permanent link back to that event 8 and 12 metre class, America's Cup "Well, you know, we don't really the America's Cup Jubilee and to provide a link to future classic yachts, the J Class and many of the race." But out on the water it is a Regatta; the BCYC Regatta events at Cowes. big Mediterranean classics, which different matter; the boat takes over, is a key link to future classic events at Cowes This coming season, the Royal were also built as part of the the genoas are cranked back tight, Yacht Squadron is liaising with the International Metre Rule, will be the skirt flipped over the guard rail, BCYC to link up with the classic attracted to Cowes. crews are hanging out to windward, class of the Rolex Transatlantic The BCYC's 2005 and 2006 sails are changed at speed, Challenge after its arrival at Cowes regattas are seen as build-up spinnakers blown out and "water" and, after the Rolex Round the opportunities to these huge events, called. The racing is taken seriously, Island Race on 13 June, both the by providing such good Metre Rule and the reason for this is that the classic and modern class w ill be and handicap racing. handicapping is accurate and proper. invited to participate in the BCYC The regatta is an open event, and All the yachts have a current IRC Ozannes Race to Guernsey, where welcomes visiting classic yachts in rating. The IRC rating system became IngnO IngnO Ate'vbw* Xn hOtCK com Ozannes and the Guernsey Tourist addition to member yachts, provided seriously established in the '50s and Board are hosting the event. they are eligible. This provides an '60s, when many of these boats were COWES YACHTING 113 sail away originally racing. Even though all SAILS TALK regularly in the modern IRC fleets. the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and the yachts are different, this sets a Clockwise from below: the Both Frenesi and Cetewayo have the Royal Yacht Squadron. level playing field. 12m Vanity V was designed won the Warsash series outright. As a result, the BCYC Regatta has Criticisms of the Mediterranean by W illiam Fife III; peace and Last year W hooper won the IRC become a "must do" event for those tranquility before a big race; Classic Circuit, run by CIM, include Class 3 Championship outright, and who find their heart in classic yachts the powerful racing yacht the facts that the rating system is the IRC Gold Roman Bowl for the as part of their life and lifestyle. Cetewayo is one of a kind not adequately scientific, creates Round the Island Race. Bill Green, best known for building anomalies and mixes too many Each of the International Metre superb state-of-the-art modern racing aesthetic requirements into the boats is designed and built as a one' hulls, races his gorgeous classic 6m calculation. It works well in off and, as classics, they are not so Nancy at the regatta; while Giovanni maintaining the big classics, but is competitive against the modern Belgrano, co-opted to the New not applicable to this style of racing.