It’s hard to believe it from
this photo, but the 48ft
William Fife yacht Kismet,
built in 1898, spent half a
century in the Essex mud
after she was laid up in
- She was restored
for Oyster Yachts founder
Richard Matthews by Adrian
Wombwell and is seen here
back in fine racing form. She
had a wonderful duel with
Fife 15-M yacht Hispania
at last year’s Voiles de
Saint-Tropez, for first and
second in the race – we'll
be covering the full story
in this magazine soon.
Restored to
race again
LUIGI LANG, 1939-
National Historic Ships UK has awarded a trio of vessels Regional
Flagship status for 2019. The regional awards recognise the
impact that many vessels make in their home cruising grounds,
both in terms of public appeal at local events and the number of
passengers carried. Previously there has been only one Flagship
award made annually.
“I am delighted that we are able to offer these awards once
more and publicise the range of activities and the cruising
programmes of these vessels in the coming season,” said
Hannah Cunliffe, director of National Historic Ships UK.
“Our three Regional Flagships have all shown their enthusiasm
for raising the profile of UK maritime heritage and we look forward
to working closely with them in the months ahead.”
The award criteria requires vessel owners to come forward
with seasonal programmes to engage the public through festivals,
demonstrations, on-board cruises, quayside visits, educational
programmes, participation in races and similar activities. The three
Regional Flagships each receive a grant of £250 to be spent on the
vessel, along with a special Regional Flagship broad pennant to fly
at the masthead.
NATIONAL HISTORIC SHIPS UK
A trio of historic vessels win
Regional Flagship awards
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KINGSWEAR CASTLE (South West
Region), Paddle Steamer – in recognition
of the high level of engagement she has
with members of the public, plus her
activities throughout the season.
KITTY (Thames Estuary), Sailing Barge – in recognition
of the range of local events the team has planned
throughout the season, together with her crew’s
commitment to engage and educate passengers
in the preservation of traditional sailing skills
ISABELLA FORTUNA (Scotland),
Fishing Vessel – in recognition of
the role she plays within the local
community and the events the team
has planned throughout the season.
We found out while going to press, that Luigi
Lang died on 13 April in Italy. Luigi was one of the
great godfathers of classic sailing, a man whose
many achievements include rationalising the CIM
rule for the modern world, and attracting the first
sponsors for classic yacht racing (San Pellegrino,
then Prada). Dutch yachting historian John
Lammerts van Bueren said: "There's no shred of
doubt that Dr Luigi Lang was more influential to
classic sailing today than anyone else in the world."
See our interview with him at classicboat.co.uk.
15
CLASSIC BOAT JUNE 2019Kismet
1898