AN ODE TO THE CLASSICS 1
AN ODE TO THE CLASSICS 1 2 1 M/Y MIRA There are many vintage Feadships hidden away in hay lofts or tucked deep inside sheds. This is a reason why the Dutch brand has created the Heritage Fleet, a club welcoming all yachts built after 1949. A great example is Mira, a 12m express cruiser built in the early 1950s for Feadship’s launch in the US market. If you suspect you’ve found an old build, then get in touch with the Feadship Heritage Fleet – they will add it to their archive and can help restore her. 3 2 M/Y GLÜCKAUF II After he founded the shipyard in 1875, Friedrich Lürssen gained fame for building fast racing rowing boats. In 1904, the German brand built its first motor boat and a year later came Donnerwetter, which reached a top speed of nearly 35 knots. Glückauf II, a 20.15m, 26-tonne displacement yacht, was delivered in June 1955 at Lürssen’s shipyard in Bremen. Equipped with two 240hp Daimler-Benz engines, she reaches a top speed of 14 knots. 3 S/Y BOUNTY There are sailing yachts and there are Sparkman & Stephensdesigned sailing yachts. Bounty, a 15.85m yawl was built in 1950 at Simms Bros, in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This beautiful and fast yacht, hull number 379.1, is still sailing today and for the past few decades she has travelled the San Francisco Bay area. Barney Sandeman and his team, experts in classic yachts, are trying to find new owners for this beautiful, wellpreserved vessel. 4 4 S/Y CAMBRIA Launched in May 1928, this legendary big-class cutter, designed and built by William Fife & Son in Fairlie, Scotland, for Sir William Berry, was the forerunner of the America's Cup J-Class yachts. Cambria’s varied history involves being re-rigged as a ketch in 1975, then converted back to a Bermudan rig and qualifying for the America’s Cup Jubilee in 2001. Today, in between a busy racing schedule, the 41.14m vessel cruises the Mediterranean. PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © FEADSHIP, © LÜRSSEN, BEKEN OF COWES, © SANDEMAN YACHT COMPANY 96
The appeal of vintage yachts endures: beautiful vessels that are loved and maintained by their owners – a combination of passion and investment. Here are some of the most spectacular classic yachts in the world, all of which exude the history of their makers. Some are still sailing, others need restoration to be preserved for the generations to come 5 6 PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © BAGLIETTO; © RIVA; © MYSTIC SEAPORT, ROSENFELD COLLECTION, MYSTIC, CONN., USA; © ABEKING & RASMUSSEN 5 M/Y CAROSTEFAL In the 1960s, Italian shipyard Baglietto – a venerable brand that dates back to 1854 and whose previous achievements included building La Barchetta for Pope Leo XIII – developed new building techniques that allowed owners to make use of the yacht’s roof and build a flying bridge. The first beneficiary of this was Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1964 and he named his new yacht, which has the wheelhouse forward, in honour of his three children, Caroline, Stephanie and Albert. 7 6 RIVA AQUARAMA ANNIVERSARIO If one thinks of Dolce Vita, the good life of the 1950s and 1960s then the name Riva Aquarama automatically pops up. The luxury wooden boat was designed by Carlo Riva in 1962 and test driven by Gianni Agnelli, of the famed Fiat family, in Monte Carlo the same year. Sixty years on, this has inspired the Ferretti Group to initiate the Riva Classiche Club and release this anniversary edition of the 8.02m yacht. 7 S/Y JAGARE Now more renowned for its motor yachts of up to 125 metres in length, Abeking & Rasmussen originally started building sailing yachts in Lemwerder, near Bremen, northern Germany – and there are some spectacular sailing yachts in its portfolio, including Extra Beat, Hetairos and Alithia, all of which set new standards in yachting. Built in 1981, the 36.5m Jagare heralded a new era for A&R. With interior design by Dutchman Peter Sijm, she accommodates nine guests. 8 8 S/Y GRETEL At the Robbe & Berking Classic Yacht premises in Flensburg, an icon in the history of the America’s Cup, is ready to be restored. The 12mR sailing yacht Gretel was the challenger and competed in 1962 – the first Australian 12mR competitor, designed by Alan Payne. A combination of bad luck and their opponents’ superior tactics saw the American yacht triumph, but Gretel remains “a piece of sports history,” according to Oliver Berking. 97
