CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016 85BOATS ENTERED
RAGDOLL
Built 1965
Type Honey Bee
Design AK Balfour
Built East Germany
Length on deck 8.4m
Length overall 8.4m
Displacement 4.25 tonnes
Beam 2.4m
Draft 1.7m
Sail No 1965
Hull colour Varnished
History
The Honey Bee came from a 1964 competition
held by the Glasgow Herald and the Clyde
Cruising Club to design a handy cruiser/racer
to sleep four and sail Scotland’s west coast.
Balfour’s design was runner-up. Part-owners
(since 1999) Liz and Mark Rushall believe
Ragdoll was built in East Germany. Other than
the fact that some papers show her previous
name was Mañana, little else is known about her
previous history or ownership.
SHANTIH OF COWES
Built 1946
Type Auxiliary CB sloop
Design Philip Rhodes
Built Hubert Johnson
Length on deck 12.2m
Length overall 12.2m
Displacement 10 tonnes
Beam 3.3m
Draft 2.3m
Sail No GRR1523R
Hull colour Ivory
History
Little is known of her history
until Shantih was acquired by the
Wooden Boat Company, Camden,
Maine in 1993. The proprietors
brought her back to life and used
her for local day charters. She also
raced with some success at the
Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. At the
end of the 90s she came to Britain
to a mooring in Suffolk. Shantih
now resides in Cowes under the
ownership of the Fry family, having
undergone a modest refit 2014.
SASKIA
Built 1931
Type 8-M
Design William Fife III
Built W Fife & Sons
Length on deck 14.6m
Length overall 14.6m
Displacement 8.8 tonnes
Beam 2.6m
Draft 2m
Sail No K26
Hull colour WhiteHistory
In 1931 Saskia was shipped to New York and won
the Seawanhaka Cup. She represented Britain in
the 1936 Olympics at Kiel, Germany and still has
the commemorative plaque on board. In 1954,
she was shipped to Sydney, won the famous
Sayonara Cup and stayed there for 52 years. In
2007 she returned to Britain and raced at the
Centennial Worlds on the Clyde where she won
the Sira Cup. She went on to win the 8-M Class
at the Metre Class Centenary at Cowes.SONNY
Built 1935
Type One-off bermudan cutter
Design Germán Frers I
Built Frers/Guevara
Length on deck 14.9m
Length overall 15.3m
Displacement 15 tonnes
Beam 3.8m
Draft 2.1m
Sail No A-26
Hull colour WhiteHistory
Sonny was built by Frers I himself
with cousin Ernesto Guevara,
father of Ché Guevara. After just
two years of sailing in local races,
she was forgotten during the
revolutionary Argentina times. In
2006 a friend of Germán Frers II
found the remains of the boat in
Buenos Aires. Frers II undertook
a re-build with Alberto Szyjka
(Astillero Naval Szyjka) ending in- In 2013 Sonny won Les Voiles
de Saint-Tropez.
LE RAYON VERT
Built 2001
Type One-off ketch
Design Laurent Giles
Built Jachtbouw Vels
Length on deck 15.3m
Length overall 15.6m
Displacement 14 tonnes
Beam 4m
Draft 2.2m
Sail No NED6457
Hull colour GreenHistory
The ketch Le Rayon Vert is based on the design
of Lutine. The wood-core hull was built by
Jachtbouw Vels from 1997 to 1998. The teak
deck and teak finishing were done by Claasen.
The interior, electronics, engine, deck gear,
rigging and management was done as a family
project from 1997 to 2001.SIRIS
Built 1925
Type 8-M
Design Morgan Giles
Built Teignmouth
Length on deck 14.4m
Length overall 14.4m
Displacement n/a
Beam 2.5m
Draft 1.9m
Sail No GBR3-8M
Hull colour WhiteHistory
Siris was raced in the
Mediterranean in the 1920s, with
considerable success, including
winning the Coupe de France.
Returning to the UK in the 1930s,
she has competed successfully at
local & international events. Her
recent success include a first-in-
class at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
and at Panaerai British Classic
Week 2015. In 1999/2000 she
underwent a total re-build at
Fairlie Restorations.STILETTO
Built 1960s
Type One-off keelboat
Design Kim Holman
Built Whisstocks Boatyard
Length on deck 8.6m
Length overall 10m
Displacement 3.1 tonnes
Beam 2.2m
Draft 1.5m
Sail No 165Y
Hull colour WhiteHistory
Designed and owned by Kim
Holman (the brief was “standing
room for a bottle of Gordons”),
the boat has had a major refit
at Suffolk Yacht Harbour, with
new mahogany covering boards,
her hull stripped for an Awlgrip
topsides finish, deck repainted
with Griptex to give a non-
slip finish, new chainplates, an
underdeck jib furler and carbon rig
with new sails too.