CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016 75required and maintenance reduced to a par with looking after a
modern GRP boat. The organisers of the Antigua Classics regatta
deserve the credit for the first Spirit of Tradition class at their
event in 1996, and this lively addition has now spread to most
classic regattas worldwide. Spirit of Tradition yachts must have
the ‘look’ and grace of an earlier age, but they may have modern
underbodies and foils, and may use aluminium or carbon rigs.
However – and this is the big one – they must be hand-built in a
true tradition of craftsmanship. Spray laminated in a jelly mould
and a couple of square feet of synthetic wood won’t do.
The British Classic Yacht Club has typically strict rules on
eligibility for all entries. Yachts must show considerable skill in
their construction and be built of either wood or steel. They must
also have the aesthetics of a classic; a requirement that sometimes
causes much discussion in committee meetings. The differentiation
between a ‘classic’ and a ‘Spirit of Tradition’ is now largely a
matter of date; the commonly accepted divider being whether the
yacht was built prior to or post 1974. This is inevitably a
somewhat arbitrary date, but it is a reasonable reflection of the
point at which the rapid demise of traditional yacht building
happened as the upstart GRP builders got into their stride!
At the renowned Panerai British Classic Week, the two groups
race together in fleet races, and separately in classes. Whether by
luck or good judgement (and I couldn’t possibly comment...), the
handicapping of the disparate groups is remarkably well balanced.
Perhaps the only observation of note is that the manoeuvrability of
most Spirit of Tradition yachts is considerably greater, which calls
for consideration at starts and mark roundings!
As early Spirit of Tradition yachts are now 20 or 30 years old,
the distinction between the two groups is starting to blur as the
‘modern classics’ gradually morph into ‘classics’. Perhaps we will
soon need a new class of ‘post-modern classics’...
And now? I have written before in this magazine that I believe
Spirit of Tradition yachts have a bright future; and more so as time
goes by. It is an interesting indication of the state of current modern
yacht racing that previously significant fleets all over Europe are
shrinking, sometimes to extinction. Yet all the great classic regattas
are growing apace; a trend that shows no sign of slowing.
Every few years there is a new hotshot modern race boat on
the market, which then develops into a fleet. After a couple of
years, it is often the case that after huge expense the owner is left
with an outdated race boat with precious little residual value.
The classics, however, and I include Spirit of Tradition in this,
do not have a finite shelf life and hold their value almost
indefinitely. This is partly down to the skilled craftsmanship
involved, but also the fact that great design does not date.
A timeless, beautiful yacht will be appreciated as such
today, tomorrow and for ever more.
Thirty years ago there was some understandable resistance to
Spirit of Tradition yachts from the owners of older classics. This
has largely faded away as all those involved accept a date is just
a date and considering the cost of creating a new hand-built
wooden yacht, it is clear regattas are not about to be overrun
with modern classics.
I have been designing and building Spirit of Tradition yachts
for 30 years. In all that time I have never built a boat for an
owner coming from an old classic yacht; they usually come from
having owned a mainstream production boat which has failed to
satisfy them. Of the seventy-odd yachts I have built in that time,
fewer than a dozen have ever come on the re-sale market, which
perhaps reflects the great pride of ownership and enjoyment
derived from a Spirit of Tradition yacht.
Thus I hope that far from diluting the pool of beautiful yachts
worldwide, we have only added to it.