News SPIRIT YACHTS
First for Britain: new wooden J
The latest J-Class yacht to be announced will be built in wood by British firm Spirit Yachts, based in Ipswich, Suffolk. Cheveyo, as she has been named, is one of the seven designs for Ranger, drawn and tank-tested by William Starling Burgess and Sparkman and Stephens to race in the 1937 America’s Cup. In that event, the 77C model was chosen, for its aptitude to the sheltered waters of the race’s venue off Newport, Rhode Island. This time around, the 77B was chosen for its suitability to race at a number of potentially more exposed venues. Her name, pronounced ‘shu-vay-o’, means ‘spirit warrior’ in a Native American language, and she has been commissioned by an
American syndicate, just as the America’s Cup Js of the 1930s were. The design partner is Sparkman and Stephens and the 139ft (42.4m) yacht will have a wood-epoxy composite hull on stainless-steel ring frames. Build is due to start this autumn at the Ipswich yard, with a conservative launch date in spring 2015. She will fly the sail number J1. Spirit boss Sean McMillan said: “From the dawn of history, wood has been the finest material from
Cheveyo will be the third Ranger-type to be built
which to build a boat, and it remains so to this day,” referring in part to the weight saving over a typical aluminium yacht. Bruce Johnson, head of S&S, pointed out that Cheveyo will be one of the very few yachts in her class to float to her original lines, not making use of the extra freeboard allowance. In 2009, CB threw down a gauntlet for a wooden J. As well as Cheveyo, there are now nine other yachts in the J-Class either mid-build or sailing.
REPLICA WHALER BUILT BY IBTC Re-run of Shackleton’s epic sail
Ernest Shackleton’s astonishing 800-mile sail across the Southern Ocean in the 22ft (6.9m) ship’s boat James Caird is to be recreated, using a replica vessel. The Alexandra Shackleton has been built by the International Boatbuilding Training College in Lowestoft, and was officially launched on 18 March. She will carry six members of the Shackleton Epic Expedition in a rerun of the explorer’s original voyage in April 1916, when
THAMES SAILING BARGE
Thalatta sails after £1.1m rebuild The 89ft (27.1m) Thames Sailing Barge Thalatta had her first sail in St Osyth Bay, Essex, this March, after a five-year rebuild under the watchful eye of boatbuilder Andy Harman at the St Osyth Boatyard. The job cost a total of £1.1 million, much of it provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and involved the replacement of most of her fabric. Peter Phillips of the East Coast Sail Trust, owner of the barge, told CB that this no-nonsense approach makes her “ready for her next century”.
18 CLASSIC BOAT MAY 2012 James Caird replica Alexandra Shackleton
he and five others sailed the James Caird from Elephant Island to South Georgia. They were seeking help for the rest of the crew of the Endurance, which had been crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea. After landing on South Georgia, they faced a climb over unmapped mountains to raise the alarm at Stromness whaling station. This attempt aims to recreate both elements of the journey, and it will be filmed as a documentary. The replica boat was named after Ernest’s grand-daughter, who is patron of the expedition. Australian explorer Tim Jarvis will lead the effort. The James Caird lies at Dulwich College, London, so IBTC was able to take accurate measurements for the replica. She was built in two stages, like the original, starting as an open whaler then receiving a deck and three extra planks to the topsides. Two masts were added, with a third bolted to the keel to add strength and act as a mast step. The expedition’s date has not been set.
Classic Boat’s address:
Liscartan House, 127-131 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9AS For phone numbers, please see page 7
EAST COAST SAIL TRUST
IBTC
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