Raiders of the Lost Ark
by Dougal Henshall 7 Aug 2014 14:44 BST
7 August 2014
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In recent weeks, a number of on-line forums have been buzzing with information surrounding a new crop of what can best be described as 'garage finds'. In this respect, the classic dinghy scene is very lucky, for most dinghies are small enough to fit into a garage or to remain covered up in the long grass, not drawing too much attention to themselves. Anything bigger is just so much more obvious, demanding more in the way of storage space and upkeep. It is also easier to find 'old' dinghies for the simple reason that they were more populous than their bigger brethren in the first place (though coming soon in this series will be an in-depth look at that most iconic of small big boats – or big small boat... the Quarter Ton Class). However, this is not to say that all old boats are classics, for like the Austin Maxi and Allegro (or 'All Aggro' as they used to be known), the Hillman Hunter and the Ford Cortina, numbers originally produced are far from a prerequisite for full on 'classic' status.
So, given that there are still significant numbers of dinghies out there still waiting to be discovered, which ones are desirable enough to get saved for potentially a keel band and upwards restoration, and which will probably be gracing a November 5th bonfire at a sailing club sometime soon? This question of what makes one boat 'special' goes to the very heart of how the classic dinghy scene is evolving. As a guide, there are 3 clear criteria that can be applied to any dinghy, a simple 'Yes/No' decision tree that can help bypass much of the inherent emotion that surfaces with news that a boat is in danger of being scrapped.
Firstly, there is the most obvious of questions! Is the boat going to be any good out on the classic dinghy race course? Now in this case, pure bottom line performance may seem to be the overriding consideration but increasingly this is proving not to be the whole story. At the Bosham Classic Dinghy Revival Meeting, an event which must now rate as the UK's premier classic dinghy gathering, the organisers have placed great faith in the originality and overall presentation of an entry. As a result, some of the boats found to be winning the top prizes were not those seen out at the front of the fleet, but were instead superb examples of the restorer's craftsmanship. In this respect, attention to detail is paramount. No better example can be seen than the boat that won the prestigious Concours prize at Bosham in 2013.
The boat was an Enterprise, which many would put in the sailing equivalent of the 'Dagenham dustbin' category, yet the boat had been restored with a very sensitive touch, with that attention being paid to the details, both big and small. It was not just the use of the large diameter IYE blocks (as late 1960s/early 1970s as flared jeans and polyester) but the new mainsail, carefully crafted by Mike McNamara, had the sail numbers position high up in the 'pin head', a technique that was pure 1950s/60s Jack Holt.
Of course, it helps if the boat is quick, for there are many who would willingly sacrifice a chance at the Concours prize for better odds in the overall standings at the front of the fleet. However, this consideration immediately raises another complication. Is the level of performance sought being in 'absolute' terms, such as with a high performance dinghy? There are a lot of factors at work here but it has become clear that as yet, the high performance dinghies have still to appear in any significant numbers out on the classic scene. This could all be about to change though as the 505 fleet in the UK are looking to define and establish a classic wing. In this they are not alone, for classic Five-O sailing is already a well-supported and active off-shoot of the class out on the continent.
For the 505s to consider creating a classic wing in the UK should hardly come as a surprise, for there is no shortage of very good boats available at absolutely bargain basement prices. The hulls from builders such as Parkers and Rondar were strongly constructed and last well and though replacing/modernising fittings can be an expensive job, second hand sails are a great way of revitalising the performance of what has to be one of the greatest all round boats. With the 505 Worlds coming to the UK in 2016, the big news is that there will be a classic event, running under the umbrella of the main racing. This will certainly give the newly formed classic wing in the UK a great boost forwards and even this far out, YachtsandYachting.com are planning a major series of reports from the classic worlds in 2016 – watch this space for more news!
Performance can also mean 'performance within a class', which is an important consideration given the strong representation of the development classes within the classic scene. However, at the same time, this can also be counter-productive. A poor example of a boat considered fast by the fleet will be sought after, and then care, restoration and often a great deal of money lavished on it. Conversely, an example in very good condition of a design perceived to be 'less than quick' can be shunned to the point that the final outcome is a Viking funeral. In some classes, such as the ever popular Merlin Rocket, this has seen demand for some design variants outstrip supply. The popularity of some of the old Holt and Proctor boats for racing on the Thames is well known, but similarly there is the case of the Phil Morrison designed 'Smokers Satisfaction', a boat that was famous for doing everything well, not to mention winning a number of Championships along the way. Little wonder then that the 'Smokers' is highly regarded as one of THE boats to sail on the classic circuit.
At the time that the Smokers Satisfaction was reigning supreme, there was indeed another kid on the block, the Keith Callaghan designed Hexagon. Whilst the Smokers was undoubtedly a great all round performer, if anyone took the time to do some detailed analysis, they would find that the waterline entry of the Callaghan boat is narrower, whilst the underwater shape is more conducive to the light airs/inland conditions that are so favoured for the classic events. In short, if everything else is equal, the Hexagon should be the better boat inland. Sadly, the classic Merlin Rocket scene has yet to see a Hexagon appear at any of their events, though the Smokers are an ever present favourite!
The second thread of consideration focuses down much further onto the individual boat itself and is more difficult to quantify as emotion can quickly reappear. The question now is again a simple 'Yes/No'; is the boat famous? Throughout the history of dinghy sailing, there have been some boats that have just been blessed with an extra zing, a huge dose of the 'wow' factor! Some of the most famous and obvious examples have already been saved and are in museums and in this category would be boats such as Rodney Pattison's Gold Medal winning FD Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious or Sir Ben Ainslie's equally golden Finn Rita. Every sailor knows these two boats, but there are others that are very much their equal in the 'must be saved and restored at all costs' category.
Some, such as Jack Holt's Championship winning Merlin Gently have already been saved (and in the case of Gently, given a wonderful and sympathetic restoration thanks to the carful efforts of Chris Barlow). Sadly however there are many others whose fate remains unknown. Sometimes, even when the boat is both desirable (a Smokers Satisfaction – see above) and famous, the work needed is just too much to make for a viable repair. This became clear recently when ASP, a boat that is rightly famous within the annuls of Merlin Rocket history, had to be 'let go' for the simple reason that there was no one able to take on the task of restoration. Luckily for the Class, the only other boat to have won three championships, Seventh Heaven, has also been saved, restored and is a regular at mainstream Merlin Rocket events.
In the National 12s, a class that is catching up fast with the Merlin Rockets in terms of classic activity, some of their most iconic boats have been located and saved. Some may think it fanciful to describe a dinghy as iconic, but when the National 12 Punkarella was being shipped over to the Isle of Wight on a car ferry, before the boat had even docked at East Cowes the on line forums were alive with the news that the boat had been spotted and was still in one piece. It is pleasing to see that Punkarella is still cutting a dash out on the race course, resplendent in her 'punk' paint job (that was added to the boat after a lunch time session at the pub by Jo Richards and Nigel Waller!)
Some boats are so desirable that they get snapped up and 'lost' to the UK classic dinghy scene, a move that can but weaken the at times tenuous links between the sport of today and our heritage. That linkage IS important, and when boats such as Windsprite, the International 14 beautifully built by Austin Farrar for Bruce Banks, the single most successful 14 ever, get sold away to the US, they leave a void that lesser boats can simply not fill (For more on the Windsprite story go to, www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/176144/The-Three-Wise-Men).
Windsprite is not alone is being taken across the Atlantic, a number of other 14s have followed her example, as it seems that in the US at least, classic 14s are highly valued. Nor is it just the 14s than have found a more appreciative home elsewhere; much of the aforementioned classic 505 scene abroad has been built up on boats that were originally registered here in the UK.
It is a sad fact that many boats may still be here in the UK, but have to be classed as 'presumed lost' for the simple reason that no one knows where they are! This has to be the biggest category of all, for once you start making a list, and it is hard to know where to stop. What happened to Revolution, the Malcolm Goodwin developed Hornet that did so much to advance the performance of this ever-green class? Or Thermopylae, the Fireball that took Peter and Christine Sandy to so many great victories? Where is Fadeaway, the Merlin Rocket that gave builder Spud Rowsell his first Championship win? The list goes on, taking in the Robin Stevenson 12s and 14s, the Finn sailed by Charles Currey, the 505 sailed to World Championship victories by John Loveday, the championship winning Enterprises and Albacores of Mike Holmes and some of the great award winning GP14s. Clearly, not all have survived, but some must have, but is that fame alone sufficient reason to save a boat? It surely has to be high in the list of priorities.
The third and final category is in that rarest of groups, the 'lost classes'. In this case lost can be quite a relative term! Some classes may well be regarded as dead (the RYA term is 'moribund'; the class association is defunct and they no longer receive any PY returns featuring the boat), However, although the Class may be 'dead', boats can still be picked up reasonably easily. In classic terms, lost means anything but that, for many of these boats are actually highly prized 'finds', For with a little bit of loving care and restoration,, they are well able to satisfy that first criteria of stellar performance out on the race course. Boats such as the Uffa Fox designed Pegasus (think a flattened out Albacore, with a big spinnaker and trapeze) or the modern equivalent, the hugely underrated Mirror 14/Marauder.
Both of these boats can be bought cheaply, look good, offer a great sailing experience and do well on the classic scene. There is no shortage of examples of this part of the genre, with boats such as the Mercury, Mayfly, Seafly and Seafire (the latter being the author's 'top tip' for someone wanting a boat that will sail well at classic events!) all being out there, just waiting their chance. It should come as little surprise that down in Poole, boat builder Chris Somner is just completing a 'back to bare wood' restoration of a Seafly, which once complete, will tick the boxes marked performance, Concours, desirability... it should be quite a boat.
But even that Seafly is not quite the ultimate boat, the 'Holy Grail' of the classic dinghy world. There are a small number of boats that are super exclusive because of their rarity, super desirable because of their looks, have stunning performance and have that little bit of fame added to their racing CV. Do any such boats still exist? Clearly they do, for in recent weeks, word has reach the YachtsandYachting.com office of several examples that, if the information proves to be correct, could help raise the bar of classic sailing even higher. One such boat is a Chippendale Typhoon, but this is not just any Typhoon (not that many were made in the first place) but Ian Proctor's own boat, complete with a number of innovations from the great man (don't forget that it was Proctor who gave us 'through hull' self-bailers!).
Once restored, this should be a boat that is as beautiful as it is quick, is rare and has that added bonus of 'fame' (if only by association). But if the news about the Proctor Typhoon is exciting, then the rumour that a complete Greg Gregory Ghost has been found is really remarkable. Some 50 years after they were first launched, the Ghost, as a dinghy, has been as ethereal as its namesake. For a time there was talk of a Ghost in a garage near Chichester, but nothing has been seen or heard of this for some years now so the status is unknown. There is/was one other, safely stored in a garage in Switzerland, but this one too has vanished from the radar. So, news that another Ghost has been found could well exorcise many of these rumours. For those that do not know the Ghost, this was Greg Gregory at his most innovative best. The boat was essentially a 15ft Cherub, with a high aspect rig, a 9ft spinnaker pole and a huge, flat, reaching kite. Greg built the boats with care, sending them out with high gloss varnished topsides. They looked stunning and could happily mix it with the FDs of the day.
Historically speaking, the Ghost is a look, in the early 1960s, at the skiff hull forms that would come a full 30 years later. IF (and yes, it is a big IF) there is a Ghost out there waiting to be saved, then this could be 'the' boat to make the classic scene take note in 2015!
But, even if the Ghost does exist, there is no guarantee that this will be the 'definitive' classic boat, for the simple reason that we just do not know what else may be out there, stored in the rafters of a garage or hidden under a tarpaulin somewhere. One thing though is certain; the classic scene can expect a lot more surprises to be revealed in the years to come!
In back gardens and garages across the UK, there are really significant dinghies just waiting to be found; All you have to do is start looking under a tarpaulin or two...