SAUNTERER
“What’s surprised us is how quick she is in light airs. In a Force I-2 we punch the tide on the Dart”
Far left: Sanding the galley worktop Left: Sibbick’s distinctive vents in the panel between beamshelf and deck clamp have survived restoration
From far left: Galvanised, braided steel, hand-spliced and leather-served cap shrouds by rigger Lee Rogers; Guy screws the deck back down with 900 bronze screws; the Singer that made the boom covers; an original iron hanging knee
SAUNTERER
DESIGNED AND BUILT Charles Sibbick, Cowes, 1900
LOA 47ft 8in(14.5m)
LWL 36ft (11m) BEAM
10ft 8in (3.3m) DRAUGHTH
7ft 6in (2.3m)
DISPLACEMENT 20 tonnes
UPWIND SAIL AREA 1,060 sqft (99m²)
airs,” Guy admits, but yachts like Saunterer, long, slim and heavy, keep their way in a head sea where lighter, modern yachts are knocked back by the waves. At the top of a Force 5, they drop the mainsail and, under mizzen and headsails, she’s well-behaved, tacks herself and makes 5-6 knots. “I was blown away,” said Guy, whose many boats have never included a yawl. “I thought the mizzen would do nothing – yet it makes a big difference. But you’ve got to ensure it’s not sheeted in when you’re bearing away. It can catch you out. What’s surprised us is how quick she is in light airs. In a Force 1-2 we punch the tide on the Dart.” The other thing that’s new to Guy is the length of the counter: “We sit above the water! In a following sea, you see a wave overtake, then nothing happens until it moves forward and lifts up the body of the boat. And seeing the bowsprit dip into waves going upwind is amazing.” After Guy and Chloe’s wedding last summer, the group
of 54 went back to Saunterer to line the decks for a photo, a happy occasion for them and the yacht, which sat a little lower in the water that day. Next year, of course, will be the centenary of the Scott expedition. But let’s not forget Sibbick: two months before the death of Oates, he disappeared from a rowing boat in Cowes Harbour to die his own freezing death. His yard was struggling, and some at the time did wonder about the cause of his death. Unlike with Oates, though, the truth will never be known.
14 CLASSIC BOAT JULY 2011
Saunterer, expedition mascot
Saunterer was welcomed into the Royal Navy on 1 April, at the Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth, by none other than First Sea Lord Admiral Mark Stanhope, members of the Oates and Scott families, and servicemen from the RAF, RN and Army. The reason? Next year, the quadrennial joint- services expedition, made up of 24 volunteer servicemen, will commemorate the Scott expedition by returning to Antarctica. Its primary objective is to study climate change but, in Scott’s memory, the plan is also to scale unclimbed peaks and cover ground left untouched by Scott and his men. The project also aims to raise at least £10,000 for Help For Heroes, the charity that provides aid for injured servicemen returning home from theatres of war. In the lead-up, this year, Saunterer will act as
the expedition’s mascot, raising awareness by racing and sailing at regattas up and down England’s South Coast, sailing with crew from the Royal Dragoons, Oates’s old regiment. For a list of the regattas that she will attend, check the Saunterer website, at
www.saunterer.co.uk For more details of the centennial Antarctic
expedition, see
www.bsae2012.co.uk. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Major Dave Jones,
david@drjones49.freeserve.co.uk.
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