RM SOTHEBY’SBONHAMS US
Saleroom
DAVE SELBYThe pages of marine catalogues open
up a window of nostalgia to the
development of yachting, a world of
intrigue and proud vessels long
broken up.
The progressive Edward Burgess-
designed centre-board sloop
Volunteer, laid down in 1887, was
the first America’s Cup yacht built
with a steel frame and hull. In the
1887 defender trials she easily beat
the 1886 winner, Mayflower, also by
Edward Burgess, then retained the
trophy against British challenger
Thistle. But this painting, in which
she’s depicted leading Thistle, is all
that’s left of her, as she was broken
up in 1910. The fine oil on canvas,
by James Edward Buttersworth,
made £42,000 ($60,000) at
Bonhams’ most recent New York
marine sale.
The same auction featured an
exhibition-standard model of the
rather more conventional BritishAmerica’s Cup antics
RM SOTHEBY’S
No-reserve Riva!
While the twin-engined Aquarama Special is rated by
many as the ultimate evolution of the breed of classic
Riva sportsboats it also represented the end of an era
as the last wooden vessel produced by the Italian
company. But was it the firm’s last classic?
One of 277 produced from 1972 to 1996, Lealena
was built in 1974 and like any Riva has a story to tell.
Her first owner was Augusto Tibali, an immensely
wealthy Italian banker who was reportedly close to
the circles of power and linked to Masonic lodges
involved in major political affairs. Now in the hands of
only its second owner, a well-known socialite, the
8.78m mahogany craft powered by a brace of 350hp
V8s, is coming under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s
classic car auction in Monaco on May 14 where it’s
expected to fetch £300,000-400,000. An added
tempter is that she’s being offered “without reserve,”
which means the highest bid is guaranteed to buy her.
When names like Riva and Ferrari team up glamour
is guaranteed, but Classic Boat readers may have their
own view on the classic credentials of this 1990
glass-fibre Riva-Ferrari 32 with twin 390hp Vulcano
V8s delivering 60mph. The 32ft Miami Vice-style
missile is coming up in the same auction, again at no
reserve, with an estimate of £140,000-175,000.
Whether or not it’s a classic, it could be a classic
bargain, as its price new was £238,000.challenger of two years previous.
The Clyde-built Genesta might have
made history were it not for the
sportsmanship of owner Sir Richard
Sutton, who could have claimed
victory after she was fouled in the
first race against Puritan. And in the
second, Genesta was leading at the
top mark before, in a freshening
wind, Puritan came from behind to
win one of the tightest America’s
Cup finishes. So close! Yet Genesta
is perhaps more remembered for
establishing the Cup’s tradition of
secrecy brinkmanship and
psychological warfare, as designer
John Beavor-Webb ruffled feathers
and clearly rattled the opposition by
keeping his boat closely guarded and
under wraps prior to the contest.
Genesta went on to win the first
Round Britain Race in 1887,
covering 1,590 miles in less than 13
days. She was eventually broken up
in 1900. The model that pays tribute
to this brave, forgotten challenger
sold for £3,500 ($5,000).Left: Model of
Genesta which
went on to win the
first Round Britain
Race in 1887
Below: Volunteer
leading ThistleBONHAMS US