Classic Boat — November 2017

CLASSIC BOAT NOVEMBER 2017 27

NEWS

COURTESY OF MARTHA COOLIDGE

Q A&

Yacht stylist Martha Coolidge

You own the 6-M Jill. What do you

love about the 6s?

I’ve come to realise I don’t actually

like cruising. I much prefer racing. Big

boat sailing is just not for me! And

the 6-M is such an obvious only-

meant-to-race boat, related to the 12s

and the 8s and just a little bit over-

powered, and it’s also a boat on which

Olin Stephens, who I knew, honed his

skills. Mine is one of the few that he

actually drew himself, pencil to paper.

I showed him the drawing and he

said: “Oh yes, that was me!” This

summer I am campaigning an Atlantic,

a glassfibre design by Starling

Burgess. It’s not as powerful as the

6-M, so it’s more available to junior

sailors and women. The only job I can

do on the 6 is to helm it. And I need

to be in very good shape. I need to

work out. The Atlantic is a bit easier.

You were a Chief Lighting Technician

in Hollywood. Is the importance of

lighting forgotten on board?

You Europeans coined the phrase

‘ga”er’, but over here we are known

as CLTs. Yes, in whatever I’ve done

since my film days, I’ve thought about

lighting more than most. And

because most of the work I do is

custom, I often design the actual light

fixtures, cast or machined, which I

really enjoy. Plus, I have really poor

eyesight so if things aren’t lit properly

it’s a disaster!

Is interior design overlooked in

classic boats generally?

One of the big projects I did was a

Sparkman & Stephens Spirit of

Tradition boat. I would have been

happy to show Olin the drawings, but

he couldn’t have cared less. He never

drew the interior of Bolero or Dorade.

The yard craftsmen refined the rough

arrangement during the build. Today

it’s more about comfort afloat, so

people pay more attention.

Will we one day see a Martha

Coolidge Design yacht?

I would love that! My education is in

architecture and art history, not naval

architecture. Mind you, my son

designed a boat when he was 12, so

maybe I should look over his

shoulder...

What are your total refit no-no’s?

Handling new systems without

intentionality. A good boat has

integrity on every level. I want to see

that in the smallest details.

What is it that you enjoy about

designing for boats?

I mostly enjoy the physical act of

drawing by hand. That’s where I’m

happiest. And problem solving.

Your favourite yacht designer?

I’d have to say Olin Stephens. He had

zero sentimentality for his career and

he loved whatever new technology

was being brought to the sport. I

found that very inspiring. A lot of my

generation grew up sailing on our

grandparents' Concordias and there’s

a sentimental attachment to those

boats, but when I started really

looking at boats around me, they

were S&Ss.

NATIONAL HISTORIC SHIPS UK

New course for ship

conservators

THE MERCY

Release date for Donald

Crowhurst film

EISCA AUCTION

Goddard's

legacy lives on

National Historic Ships UK has launched a new distance-

learning course aimed at those involved in historic vessel

conservation – boatbuilders, shipwrights and museum sta”.

It’s an online-based, distance-learning course that can be

completed in anything between six months and three years,

and costs £3,100, payable in instalments (£2,850 with the

'early-bird discount'). Applications must be submitted by

31 November this year for a January 2018 start. The first wave

of applicants should be eligible for the discount. The

qualification, for successful students, is a certificate in Historic

Vessel Conservation, governed by National Historic Ships.

Apply at nationalhistoricships.org.uk.

Our article on the EISCA

auction last month failed

to recognise the central

role of David Goddard

(right), who founded the

International Sailing Craft

Association and the

Exeter Maritime Museum.

Mr Goddard, who died in 2015, was responsible for

amassing the unique collection of ethnic boats in the

auction. In 1996, Exeter Maritime Museum was forced to

close due to lack of funds, but much of Mr Goddard's

collection has now found a new home in Shanghai. We

apologise for any upset caused.

WORD OF THE MONTH

Catenary

“A length of cable used to form the centre part of a

long tow, where it helps withstand any sudden stress .”

A Dictionary of Sailing, FH Burgess (1961)

The long-awaited release date for The Mercy, the new

film about Donald Crowhurst’s ill-fated campaign in

the 1968/9 Golden Globe Race, has been announced

as 9 February 2018. Colin Firth (The King's Speech),

seen here on the right, plays Donald, with Rachel

Weisz (About a Boy) as his wife Clare.

CB353_TT Q&A Martha.indd 27 26/09/2017 13:59