Bill Traford of Alchemy Marine has the rare
distinction of winning this category for the second
time. His MO, which is to take a pretty but tired
old GRP hull and make it into an attractive Spirit-
of-Tradition yacht, clearly strikes a conceptual
chord in people, as well as an aesthetic one. These
are stunning boats, made from hulls that would
otherwise be dumped up a creek somewhere for
decades. Guapa started life as an Etchells. She
now has a stretched counter, more pronounced
sheer and is finished in mahogany and teak.
Designed by EW ‘Skip’ Etchells, built by Alchemy
C/O BILL TRAFFORD Marine, 2017, LOD 34ft (10.4m), rig bermudan sloopAwards
2018
Winners
THE
SPIRIT OF TRADITION UNDER 40FT
GUAPA