CLARE MCCOMBC/O RBC
KATHY MANSFIELDNIC COMPTONCLASSIC BOAT OCTOBER 2016 17Tell Tales
Classic Boat’s address:
Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place,
London, SW3 3TQ
RISØR, NORWAY
Ambassadors and Metre
yachts at record RisørAccording to Norwegian classic boat guru Mikkel Thommessen,
the Risør Wooden Boat Festival of 4-6 August hosted the
largest gathering of 12-Ms in Norway since World War II: a
trio of Danish yachts – Vim, Vanity V and Thea – took on
Norway’s Erna Signe, Vema III and the cruising 12 Le Cid,
while their larger sister, Magda XIII, similar to a 15-M, joined
in informally, with every intention of beating them to the line.
Meanwhile, Eileen II’s owner, Erling Storm, one of the
judges, found himself sailing with the American Ambassador
and the Mayor of Risør. This was the best attended festival
to date with a specially good show of smaller working boats,
with the usual traditional music and magnifi cent fi reworks.
The organisers are improving mooring facilities for classic
yachts with the hope that rising interest in the northern
European 12-Ms and 8-Ms will add to their presence at Risør,
year on year. Clare McCombThe fi ghting forties
The New York 40s, designed by Nathanael
Herreshoff for the New York Yacht Club in
1916, made for a great spectacle in their
day. Herreshoff built an amazing 12 of the
powerful, beamy 59ft (18m) sloops in 1916
alone, with a further two built a decade
later. Their recent reincarnation has, if
anything, been even more spectacular.
Two of four in the current fl eet – Marilee
and Rugosa – tied for fi rst at the 2001
America’s Cup Jubilee. Since then, Rowdy,
a bermudan-rigged example, has won the
Panerai trophy (overall season winner) a
record three times. Chinook, gaff -rigged,
has also won it, making her only the
second gaff er to do so (the fi rst being
Sibbick’s Bona Fide). Rowdy and Chinook
started the season in Antibes this June by
winning their classes. After Régates Royal
in Cannes this September, the overall
season winner will be announced. No one
will be surprised if it is another NY40.ROUND-BRITAIN
Squaring
the circle
The 38 military veterans
attempting a round-Britain
circumnavigation have
successfully reached the
end of their journey, sailing
into Falmouth on 31 July in
their three yachts, star of
the fl eet being the 71ft 10in
gaff -rigged schooner Spirit
of Falmouth. The 2,000-
mile voyage took the
veterans, many with little or
no sailing experience, from
Falmouth, around the top of
the British Isles and back.
The trip was organised by
charity Turn to Starboard,
which provides new skills
for ex-servicemen. See
turntostardboard.co.ukSALCOMBE, DEVON
50 years of
Salcombe yawls
More than 50 boats took part in a parade of sail in August to
mark 50 years of the Salcombe Yawl Association, reports Nic
Compton. The boats have been around racing much longer
than that but it wasn’t until 1966 that the design envelope
was formalised and an association formed. The 50th anniversary
was an occasion for fancy dress rather than racing, with some
boats and crews sporting decorative sails and attire. As the
sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds, the whole fl eet
sailed past Salcombe Yacht Club in numeric order – starting
with Y14 (Blackbird II, 1939) and fi nishing with Y189 (Great
Bustard, 2011) – before regrouping to all cross the line at the
same time. It was an ambitious idea that very nearly worked!
Although still built in wood, the class is one of the most
competitive in the country, attracting top designers, such as
Ian Howlett and Phil Morrison, and being raced by top sailors.
The main races in August regularly attract more than 50 boats.Follow the Classic Boat team
on Twitter and FacebookNY40's
1916