The Yachting Year 2018

80 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2018

W

riting a list of this

nature is a risk-laden

enterprise. Note the

title – nowhere does

it contain the words ‘the’ or ‘best’.

Many of the boats in this list would, as

it happens, count as among the best,

but that’s not the point. e nding of

an old woody and xing it up – that is,

aer all, what we’re talking about here

• must be judged on more than just
  the quality of the material restoration.
  Any project like this is a re-kindling
  of history, so while physical aspects
  like frame spacing, deck material and
  screwhead patterns are important, so
  are the rhyme and reason of doing it
  in the rst place. ere are any
  number of great chequebook
  restorations out there in the world –
  out with old planks and in with the
  new – and then you nd them for sale
  a few months aer. Nothing wrong
  with that – our industry thrives on it.
  But to make this list takes more, as
  you will see over the next few pages.
  ese are boats that created
  movements and changed lives. In
  some way, all the boats here really do
  live up to the rather grandiose title:
  without further ado, these are
  our 10 restorations that have changed
  the world.

10

Restorations that

changed the world

It’s amazing to think that a restoration carried out in 1987 can still be

considered the torch bearer for good practice today, but the fact is that Altair

remains one of the most revered restorations – one of the most revered

yachts – in the world today. The attention to originality or, failing that,

authenticity was unswerving, under the careful – sometimes obsessive – eye

of Swiss Ferrari collector Albert Obrist. With very few careful owners over her

life, the 108ft (33m) Fife III schooner, built in 1931, was the perfect candidate

from the era of ‘low-hanging fruit’ and to this day, she retains remarkable

originality, particularly in her interior, an area often considered secondary in

yacht restoration – although thankfully, there are signs that this is beginning

to change. The hull was restored at Southampton Yacht Services, which went

on to restore a string of big classics. The restoration, overseen by Paul Goss,

also led to the foundation of Fairlie Restorations, which went on to restore

more big yachts than anyone.

ALTAIR

[email protected]

We look back at some of the

projects that have defined the

classic scene over the past 30 years

STORY STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES

TYY4 Top Ten restorations.indd 80 04/12/2017 15:55