OWNER’S VIEW
“I truly believe that,
possibly with the
exception of my 1967
Triumph GT6 (!),
things built
before about
1970 were just
built better and
with more care.”
Ben McMinn,
owner, HightimeCLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2019 77B
ack in 2018, an exciting email landed in my
computer. It hailed from a cheerful sounding
chap called Ben McMinn who was inviting me
to come for a sail on Hightime – his Alan
Buchanan-designed 25 footer.
Ben had tracked me down as an ancient (in all senses
of the word) owner of the same class of boat – a Wind
Elf. Mine had been a Mk ll built in 1954 whereas Ben’s
was a Mk l built in 1950. Both shared the same hull, rig
and accommodation. The deck was the main difference.
Mine had a reverse sheer with a short roof planted on
top while Ben’s has a different roof above a more
graceful sheer. Around 50 Wind Elfs were built, mostly
by East Coast yards.
Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to reacquaint
myself with this lovely little boat. Fifty years had passed
since I last sat at the helm of a Wind Elf.
In 1968 – when the then unknown Robin Knox-
Johnston set sail on (and won) the solo circumnavigation
demolition derby known as the Golden Globe Race- Anthony Brunner and I set off on a transatlantic trip.
We were 22 – with zilch experience of offshore
navigation – so we ditched our jobs in favour of
adventure while we were still young. Rolling down the
Trades to tropical bays, beaches and rum seemed
preferable to cold winter nights clasping pints of beer.
We pooled resources and bought a Wind Elf Mk ll. It
offered long keel sailing and better accommodation than
the GRP yachts of that era – such as the Contessa 26 and
Invicta 26 – that we fancied but could not afford.
Ignoring our inexperience, Josa ll carted us safely
from Emsworth to Madeira and then on to Barbados.
Being spacious, she accommodated copious quantities of
tinned food, fresh fruit, veg, water, booze, cigarettes etc.
in lockers, under bunks and in the forepeak.
However our homemade self-steering gear failed
dismally. So we helmed the whole way apart from rare
breaks - when the sheets led back from our twin-headsail
downwind rig were tied to the tiller and steered an
erratic course down the rolling waves. All in all, she
made a wonderful little bluewater cruiser. Completely by
mistake, we had made the best possible choice.
When I asked Ben why he chose a Wind Elf, he
replied “Insanity perhaps?! No - actually I have a general
leaning towards classics. We live in a 250 year old
cottage in West Sussex... because I don’t like new
houses... so wanting to get back into sailing, a classic
boat seemed like the next logical addition. I’m a
sucker for anything that has a bit of history, heritage
and character and I also truly believe that, possibly
with the exception of my 1967 Triumph GT6 (!),
things built before about 1970 were just built better
and with more care.”
By the time Ben bought his Wind Elf (on eBay for
£2,700) she was 67 years old. So previous owners
had already done restoration work over the years.
But he still needed to get the excellent Dolphin Quay
Boatyard (www.woodenboatsforever.co.uk) in
Birdham Marina to repair areas of the deck and hull
planking while he attended to various painting and
varnishing jobs himself. But then most owners of
classics enjoy keeping their yachts up to scratch,
many regarding themselves as ‘custodians’ rather than
owners.
When I arrived at Birdham and saw Ben’s boat, 50
years slipped away. Everything was familiar –
removable chart table over the head of the quarter
berth; galley (with gas hob rather than our gimballed
primus) and sink with simple stowage areas; open-
fronted hanging locker with stowage space; two
settees with trotter-boxes extending into the forepeak
with its central heads, single berth and extensive
stowage space. And there’s the same woody ambience
and standing headroom (rare in a 25-footer built in
the 1950s) in her spacious, welcoming saloon. In
short, it felt like coming home.
Then Ben broke the spell by fi ring up Hightime’s
Yanmar – a sound we never heard on our boat 50
years ago.
Under sail, the Wind Elf is steady and stable. She’s
not as close-winded as a more modern yacht and not
as nippy in light airs. But she’s not as twitchy or
tender. In a breeze she feels reassuring and is no slouch- we averaged 115 miles a day across the Atlantic
with a 144-mile best day’s run.
Thanks to Ben, I was reminded of just how
comfortable and seakindly the Wind Elf is, today just as
she was all those years ago.
NEXT MONTH: France’s ‘people’s boat’ – the MuscadetWIND ELF
LOA
25ft (7.6m)
LWL
19ft (5.8m)
BEAM
7ft (2.1m)
DRAUGHT
4ft (1.2m)
or 3ft (0.9m)
DISPLACEMENT
3.25 tonnesPETER POLAND