CLASSIC SIX METRE NEWSLETTER

side and the mast was stepped and painted. The wire rigging was replaced as well as the back
stays and runners. There was an overhaul of the outhaul and reefing system, vang and
mainsheet blocks. The foredeck hatch cover was rebuilt. In 2004 the interior of the boat was
painted and new decking made for the central and stern cockpit. The boom, deck trim plates
and oak transom were oiled. In 2006 the unusual wheel helm was returned to a tiller. In 2007
the mast step and winches were replaced.
Both Nigel and Mark are keen to be contacted for any further news on the history and to
obtain photos and records. They can be reached at ndickson@dicksonrothschild.com.au and
markj@charterhall.com.au.
64. FRA 99 Vert Galant (J. Anker, 1933), by Laurent Thierry-Mieg and
We’re coming to La Trinité in June. Last
year, Vert Galant won the series at La Baule.
65. FRA 86 Vingt Ans Après (F. Camatte, 1939), by Simone Chevrier Loubier (France)
Editor’s note: Several months ago, we were contacted by Madame Loubier who has since
become one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the class in France. We print below some
of her recollections about the Sixes in Marseilles in the 1960’s, including her boat at the time
which is named Vingt-Ans Après today:
“In the early 1960’s, my brother and I bought Cabri (named after her maiden name Chevrier)
as my 21st birthday present. The seller was a restaurateur who lived near Cannes. She was
at a mooring at the Saint-Pierre port of Cannes. To get to her, we found a couple of kids in a
rowboat to whom we paid a few cents for the ride.
She was in terrible condition. The deck had been covered with linoleum and there was water
practically up to the floorboards.
The return to Marseilles was memorable. From Cannes to Saint-Tropez, Paul Ricard towed
us with his motor yacht Garlaban. Her considerable speed didn’t do any good to Cabri’s
planking.
The subsequent leg, starting with a passage around Cape Cissié with a strong following wind,
was a real test: the spruce mast creaking, the cotton sails parting along the seams and a
linoleum deck which had the adhesion of a skating rink. At Bandol, we ran aground. The jib
parted at Maire and we were invaded by mosquitoes as we entered the port of Marseilles. We
persevered, motivated by our desire to see her berthed at the Société Nautique de Marseille as
soon as possible.
Once there, an idyllic period began. There were six Sixes at Marseilles at the time: Cabri, Mr
Marty’s Dan, Mr Jacques Mazet’s Marletta (today Eole II, still at Marseilles), Mr Thuraud’s
Namoussa, Mr E. Julliand’s Woay, formerly Vagabonde, (today Solitar Nosc) and Messrs
Danglade and Romieux’s Vert Galant.
There followed a long effort of restoration: purchase of new sails, vacations spent working on
her when she would be out of the water, scraping with dizzy spells caused by the caustic soda,
and varnishing the interior of the aft section in mid- August on the Mediterranean!!!
The best memories are those of sailing an exceptional boat with extremely precise tacking
and finally faultless setting of the spinnaker after hours of practice. The crew was composed
uniquelyof members of my family: one of my brothers at the helm, I at the running backstays
and two cousins on the jib winches. Our average age was 21-22 and we were bent on
winning races.
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