For over 20 years I have been sailing on the classic yacht circuit. This has allowed me to sail on some of the most amazing yachts afloat, and also to visit many new sailing grounds.
Sailing through the Kyles of Bute during the
2003 Fife Regatta alongside “Mikado”
“Solway Maid”
“Solway Maid” is a 52′ bermudan cutter, designed and built in 1938 by William Fife III at Fairlie in Scotland.
For nearly eight years I had the great pleasure of sailing Solway Maid in many regattas around Europe, from the Mediterranean venues of Cannes, St. Tropez, Palma and Mahon as well as in Cowes for the America’s Cup jubilee regattas, also back at her birth place on the Clyde.
“Agneta”
“Agneta” was built in Sweden in 1948. She is a 82′ bermudan yawl and was designed by Knud Reimers.
I participated in many Mediterranean regattas with her and her crew between 2001 and 2003
“Mariquita”
During the 2004 sailing season, I joined the recently re-launched 125′ William Fife III cutter “Mariquita”. She was originally built in 1911 at Fairlie in Scotland and had just completed a full restoration on the Hamble in the caring hands of Fairlie Restorations.
“Mariquita” is the sole survivor of the newly formed 19m Class (1906), one of only four built in the United Kingdom, the other 19’s being “Norad”, “Octavia” and “Corona”
“Altair”
From 2005 until 2014, I sailed with the 1931 William Fife designed 133′ Gaff Schooner “Altair” for every European regatta in which she took part. Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Scotland and also in the Caribbean during the Antigua Classic regattas.
Racing these large yachts is purely for the owner and crew’s pleasure, this does not mean to say that we are cruising and sail changes are a frequent and physical time for everybody involved.
Whenever “Altair was not participating in a regatta, I would be free to sail with whichever yacht wished for me to join them, So over the next few years, I raced with “Agneta”, “Marigan”, a Ch.Livingstone gaff cutter which I had helped restore over several years, “Mariette of 1915”, a Hereshoff Gaff schooner and in 2007, joined “Elenora” the replica of the Hereshoff schooner “Westward” Whilst the skipper of Altair went home for the birth of his first child.
“Eleonora”
in 2007, I joined “Elenora” the replica of the Hereshoff schooner “Westward”(1910). She was built in Vigo, Spain and was shortly followed, by her near sister ship, also from the design of N.Hereshoff “Elena of London” a replica of the schooner “Elena” originally launched in 1911
The end of season Mediterranean regattas, Mahon, Pto Rotondo and Monaco, were followed on by the spring Antigua Classics regatta which I sailed onboard “Eleonora” for both the 2008 and 2009 events.
These Giants were the photographers choice whilst racing alongside for many years on the Mediterranean classic circuit.
“Thendara”
Early in 2008 the owners of “Agneta” traded her in for the 120’ (LOA) Alfred Mylne designed Gaff Ketch “Thendara” Having brought her from France to Malta for re-registration, we then sailed back to Palma and prepared her for the forthcoming regatta season.
My longest season with the “Thendara” was 2010 when we sailed her from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, our first commitment being the Robbe & Berking classic regatta in Flendsburg, Germany.
After this regatta, we had a leisurely cruise from Kiel, to Denmark, Norway, the U.K., Portugal and eventually back to Antibes before partaking in the final regattas of the Mediterranean season in Cannes and St. Tropez.