Classic Boat – August 2019

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ISSUE No 374
W I N N I N G
P A C I F I C C L A S S
8 METER IFLOA
48ft 10in (14.85xm)LWL
30ft 6in (xx.xm)8ft 5ins (2.59m)BEAM
6ft 6in (1.98m)DRAUGHT
Bjarne Aas1886-
B
efore going into the technicalities of why I have chosen to write about this great yacht it is worth noting
qualities that inspire confi dence, foster attachment and get the heart racing. I am that she has in spades those emotive
not alone in having been infl uenced greatly by this yacht and consider myself fortunate to be one of a number for whom “Becoming
Trained” has been a rite of passage.thinking that her most striking feature was In recent years you may be forgiven for
her red topsides, certainly unusual for a yacht from the 1920s and quite conspicuous
Eight though until recently she has been based mostly in
capitalised on in rigging her as a masthead cutter, under which guise and sporting a blue hull, her fi rst British owner Colonel Cleaver
earned her notoriety as a “diminutive privateer” pot hunting in ports all round the UK and channel waters. The 1939 Yachting
Monthly Article “Becoming If Trained” describes her forth UK season, painting an evocative and amusing picture of a coastal
racing season in the company of the 12mR fl eet and a variety of other fi ne yachts. Her ability to put to sea in less than ideal
conditions combined with her speed in said conditions meant she never lagged far behind the “Twelves” between regattas.
racing in the 1930’s and my own experience onboard are uncanny. This outgoing, The parallels between this account of
itinerant (and rather alcohol fuelled) programme was to be resumed decades later when after her time racing with the Eights on the Clyde and subsequent full restoration by Peter Wilson at the Aldeburgh Boat Yard, If came
back on to the scene with vengeance. Rigged as and proven to be a competitive Eight Metre she retained her weatherliness and remained practical for shorthanded
deliveries and where her contemporaries may have foundered in open water due to wide, open cockpit layouts, If could batten down the hatches to ride out the
worst of it.possible on her own keel. With an impressive log and As in times past If travelled to all her regattas where
accompanying adventures ensuing, enough to merit it’s own book, If has left her legacy in the class, the prize of her half model awarded at every World Championships
to the yacht who has travelled furthest on her own keel to attend. Not for the fi rst time can it be said that “the yacht has certainly acquired something of her owner’s
Norway, and on leaving the UK in smoke grey livery and sporting a new cockpit layout she is transformed once As of 2017 If is now returned to her homeland of
If is a truly great yacht, a rare allrounder and stunning
Our series resumes with a look at one of the most superlative 8s ever designed
BY JACK GIFFORD
8 Metre IF
Design by Bjarne Aas
CLASSIC DESIGN
38
(^5466)
4
V A R G
8-M R E B U I L T
I N S Y D N E Y
CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2019^3
Back in 2014, we published Theo Rye's appraisal of one of the most famous small sailing boats of all time

the Herreshoff 12.5. It was an apt start to what became a regular series, cruelly truncated when Theo died
young in late 2016. Every month, Theo drew upon all his knowledge as a naval architect to dissect a design from history, and he
coupled his sophisticated technical knowledge with an easy style that made his words light and authoritative at one stroke. There
are few who can do this, and of all the pages in the magazine, we choose the author of our 'Classic Design' column the most
carefully. This month, after a hiatus of more than two years, we welcome only our second writer to those pages. He is a young
naval architect called Jack Gifford based in Cornwall, who worked alongside Theo on many projects. His fi rst essay is on the
8-M yacht If, to go with the 8-M theme this month. Welcome Jack, and welcome back Classic Design. And in the meanwhile, all
of Theo's previous columns are on our website. Just go to classicboat.co.uk and search for 'Great yacht designs'.

STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES, EDITOR

MEET OUR NEW DESIGN GURU

16. TELL TALES 30. SALEROOM 32. OBJECTS OF DESIRE 34. ADRIAN MORGAN 36. BOSUN’S BAG

79. NEW CLASSICS 81. GETTING AFLOAT 94. LETTERS 96. LOOKING AHEAD 98. STERNPOST

89. YARD NEWS 90. YARD VISIT 92. BOATBUILDER’S NOTES 93. TRADITIONAL TOOL

COVER STORY 4 .VARG e Johan Anker 8-M rebuilt in Sydney from a back garden wreck 12. BRITISH SUMMER TIME e season is underway! Reports from Cowes and Falmouth

COVER STORY 22. BORN TO RUN A perfect Kettenburg PCC sloop restored in Antigua 38. STORM SURVIVAL Sir Robin reveals his ndings from the recent Golden Globe Race 46. THREE GREAT DESIGNERS Part two of our history of the dynasties of Herresho , Fife and Nicholson COVER STORY 54. QUEEN OF THE 8-M CLASS We meet Avia Willment, mover and shaker in the 8-Ms COVER STORY 58. POWERFUL STATEMENT Post-war English motor sailer 64. TIMBER DOWN UNDER A run-down of wood types used in Australian boatbuilding 68. LUGGER TO THE SCILLIES Holly Latham sails to the Scillies in autumn, season of gales 74. TOM CUNLIFFE When the boat you are sailing is on re, the best option is to put it out!

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COVER PHOTO: CORY SILKEN

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Classic Boat – August 2019

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