Email Duncan Walker, [email protected]
and Paul Spooner, [email protected], for projects
involving restoration or modern classics, either new
concepts or from the existing Fairlie range, and for
access to the Fife archive.CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016 55FAIRLIE RETROSPECTIVE
and most if not all find themselves in command of very
marketable skills. That in itself is a notable legacy.
The 15-Metre Hispania was also rescued at the 11th
hour by Collier and a search for a new owner for her
was started. That eventually culminated in Fairlie
rebuilding the hull before her fit-out in Palma and
re-joining the nascent 15-Metre fleet again in 2011.
In 2001, the restoration of what many think of as
Fairlie’s flagship, Mariquita, was started. The last known
survivor of the class, she was the largest project the yard
undertook. With the active involvement of Obrist and
Klaus, it was little wonder than she was restored with
precious little in the way of concessions. Relaunched in
2004 and new from keel to truck, her skipper Jim Thom
(ex skipper of Kentra) embraced the purist philosophy
and was a tireless advocate of sailing her in the
traditional manner. She has made her mark in regattas
across Europe, one of the most photographed and
recognisable classics.
Other refits followed including work on Moonbeam
III, Hallowe’en and Altair; and the complete
restorations of the First Rule 8-Metre Lucky Girl, the
1897 Cork Harbour One-Design Jap, and the GL
Watson-designed dayboat St Patrick. Work for large
classic motor yacht restorations such as Nahlin,
Bluebird and Shemara also showcased the skills of the
team. In addition, Paul Spooner’s own designs for new
Top: Name-
painting on St
Patrick in 2011
Above:
Re-coppering
Kentra’s hull
last yearTuiga 1993
Fulmar (IRC 8-M) 1994
Kentra 1995
Nomad (Ed Burnett) 1998
Madrigal 1998
Osbourne (IRC 8M) 1998
Carron II (IRC 8M) 1998
The Lady Anne 1999
Siris (IRC 8M) 2000
Jap 2001
Mariquita 2004
Niebla (new build) 2005
Bluebird (deck structures) 2005
Altair 2005
Hispania (hull and deck) 2006
Moonbeam of fife 2007
Lucky Girl (IRC 8-M) 2008
Hallowe’en 2009
Nahlin (deck structures) 2008-2010
Kelpie 2009, 2010, 2011
Fairlie 55 2011
St Patrick 2011
Falcon (IRC 8M) 2012
Fairlie 53 2015
Shemara (exterior deck structures) 2012-2014
Helen (IRC 8M) 2014 & 2016
Houseboat 2016
Kentra (re-coppering) 2015
Antaren 2016Fairlie boats
yachts made regular appearances. The first was a
long-keeled design called Niebla in 2003. The next in
2011 was the Fairlie 55, a fin-and-bulb-keel design that
was soon on the Med circuit in the Spirit of Tradition
class. The last example was a 53ft (16.2m) design
intended for single-handed offshore cruising called La
Dama, which proved a challenging project over the best
part of three years. Despite ongoing work on a new-
build houseboat, also to Spooner’s design, a lack of
future orders and an increasingly difficult financial
situation finally prompted the closure. It was presaged
when Fairlie Restorations when into receivership in
2012; re-established as Fairlie Yachts on the same site
and with most of the same workforce, the new company
faced many of the same difficulties as before and despite
a long fight, eventually it proved unsustainable.
Following Obrist’s vision, Fairlie was instrumental in
establishing validity of the idea of purist restoration,
especially in a commercial setting; it regularly set new
standards for the quality of its work, and has left a fine
legacy in terms of yachts, skills and people.