C_B_2015_05_

LETTER OF THE MONTH SUPPORTED BY OLD PULTENEY WHISKY

96

Letters

CLASSIC BOAT MAY 2015

Thank you for an excellent

evening at the awards. As you

were concerned at my transport

problem I thought I would provide

you with a blow by blow account

of the journey home:

We cast off from the Cork

Street Pier and quickly tacked into

the Regent, heading east south east

on a broad reach. On arriving at

the Piccadilly Rocks we dropped

anchor to secure the cargo as it

had slipped out of the trouser top

and immediately hove to in the

Leicester tide race having been

carried that far by wind and

current. Here we had a slight

brush with several dolphins and

sea serpents singing and dancing

before our eyes. Resisting the call

of the Sirens, we again upped

anchor and with a good wind left

Cape Trafalgar to our port and

Navigating

in London

Is a 50-year-old GRP boat a classic?

Any news of Panther III?

followed the Strand for some way. We

kept a weather eye on the dangers of

drifting into the Savoy Bar. Having

turned South we arrived at Waterloo

Docks to see many Bulgines off-

loading cargo and at pier 8 boarded

the Weymouth Packet without

incident or delay. With a good wind

and a fair sea we eventually arrived at

Poole and traversed the town, keeping

a close eye out for vagabonds and the

like. Just past the hour of midnight

we boarded our van and proceeded,

again without incident, to Swanage

and home.

Above: Pete

Segwick (left) out

on his own was

the toast of the

streets of Mayfair

CHARLIE NOON

ROBIN CLABBURN

I was wondering if any of your American readers could shed

light on the fate of Hubert Scott Paines’ boat Panther 3.

This boat was raced in Europe winning the 6 litre Coppa San Marco,

a 120m race down the Danube from Vienna and finally winning the

Coppa Achille. She then went to America with Scott Paine to race.

She is 23ft x 6ft beam powered by a Gray marine super six 330 cu

inch engine. The photos were taken in the mid 1990s to assist in the

restoration of another Sea Arrow by the Military Power Boat Trust.

Panther 3 then belonged, I believe, to Jeffrey Ridgway in Chester CT.

She was in the open under a canvas so it is possible she has not

survived. I would be very interested to hear of her fate.

Martin Bingham, Lound, Notts

Your comment about whether a

50-year-old GRP boat is classic or not

raises the eternal question as to what

makes a classic. It does seem

improbable that no classic has ever

been designed since boats stopped

being traditionally built in wood. At

Charles Stanley Cowes Classics Week

(CSCCW) we want to be as inclusive

as possible, but we’re not a wooden

boat festival and we’re focused on

yachts that want to race, not working

boats, so to CSCCW any boat,

however old, is not necessarily a

classic yacht. What we are is an event

that offers the race track and

resources for boats that time has

passed by and to provide an

international event at which a

community can develop that respects

heritage and provenance of the boats.

On that basis, what makes a

classic to CSCCW are boats that in

the past have contributed to

advancement of the sport by

The cargo was immediately

inspected and with the deft hand

of a professional iron all was made

good. The cargo is now in pride of

place on the fridge, soon to be

dispatched for framing!

Pete Sedgwick, Summerwine Boats

Reply: Oh that’s very good – that’s

made us laugh! It was good to

meet you and thanks for making it.

After you’d slipped we carried on

loading at the Cork Street Pier

until the stevedores had got the

cargo level with the gunwales.

Then we cast off and hoped to do

well on a beam reach heading NE

by N bound for Hanover. But with

our decks awash we decided the

conditions were too rough to

continue and so we rounded up all

standing in the lee of the

Burlington Harbour Arms. The

landlady there helped to warp us

in and we passed a happy hour or

two carousing in the warmth of

some good British cheer.

designers and sailors. So the Tempest

(a trapeze keelboat) and the Soling

(inspired by 5.5mR), both past

Olympic classes and sailed by the best

sailors of the time have definitely

made that contribution. Others may

be derivative classes, such as the

Camper & Nicholson production

classes and the Contessa 26, which

owe a debt of gratitude to earlier

designs, taking advantage of newer

manufacturing techniques. In

addition, as most of our boats are

one-design or development classes we

need to respect rule changes and

design trends throughout the life of

the class and allow the boats to sail

together if that’s what the class wishes.

Is 50 years the right cut-off for

GRP boats? It may be arbitrary, but

it is a significant milestone and it’s

not a fixed date that freezes in

perpetuity which boats may join in.

David Elliott and Peter Taylor,

Charles Stanley Cowes Classics Week

CB323 Letters DH.indd 96 24/03/2015 16:26