The Yachting Year 2018

THE YACHTING YEAR 2018 | 85

The 70ft (21m) Class A sailing smack Pioneer, built in 1864

and now the only remaining example of the deep-sea

smacks, was rescued from oblivion by the Pioneer Sailing

Trust in 1998 and re-launched, after massive restoration

involving thousands of volunteer hours, in 2003. She’s been

run since then to improve the lot of young people living

hard lives. Hear them speak of their transformative

moments on a wooden sailing ship, far from the strife of

their everyday struggles, and you will understand the

power that Pioneer CK18, and others of her ilk, have on

lives. These boat don’t just change the rarified world of

yacht restoration: they change everything.

We’d better get one thing straight. The restoration of Mink,

the Buzzards Bay 25 that won Classic Boat’s 2017

Restoration of the Year (under 40ft) award, has not

changed the world of restoration. In fact she’s downright

controversial, which is why we like her so much. She’s got a

few boatbuilders in the industry – people who live by the

sword of authenticity – asking questions. Has Mink gone

just a bit too far with authenticity? Her restoration, at

MP&G in Mystic, had the brief to bring her back to her 1914

condition.

Well, the owner wasn’t kidding. The job involved

laser-scanning and 3-D printing for new casting moulds to

recreate every detail – even down to the boathook. The

sails are cotton with galvanised steel eyes that will rust and

need replacing, just as on the original. This is authenticity

taken to the next level, at the expense of practicality or

longevity, and some wonder how sensible it is. For better

or worse though, she could just be the most authentic

restoration ever undertaken. And that’s enough to earn her

entry to this very select list.

PIONEER

MINK

MERVYN MAGGS

ROB PEAKE

TYY4 Top Ten restorations.indd 85 04/12/2017 15:56