A very long time ago I was in the boatyard talking to a retired marine engineer who had hauled his 35 -foot long keel yacht out for maintenance. Knowing I was a budding naval architect he imparted what he though was wisdom to me. “Look at that boat” he said, puffing his pipe whilst pointing to the modern fin keel yacht hauled out next to his. “It’s completely unsound to separate the keel out like that and hang it from the hull with a few bolts. It’s much too radical a design for offshore sailing”. The boat in question was an S&S 34

There are two types of traditional boat enthusiasts; Those that grew up reading the American publication “Wooden Boat” and those who grew up with the British monthly, “Classic Boat”.

While witnessing these wonderful displays of classic yachts outperforming lighter modern boats with their longer waterlines, “something simply just does not ring true!” How can these classics win off scratch in mixed fleets, often against ‘significantly faster’ boats of more ‘flighty’ proportions and high tech construction and yet be considered slow and outdated.

Consequently, winning races became a challenge to outsmart the rule maker as much as to produce a better boat. Unfair shapes with rule cheating ‘rating’ lumps and bumps, poor stability, structural failures and handling issues became the norm, as the design challenge was to find the fastest sailing configuration which would ‘appear slowest’ under the version of the rule applying at the time. 

This is a tricky time to be talking about sailing clubs with Royal Warrants. Last summer Captain Cook was amputated below the knee in the Catani Gardens right beside RMYS. In April near the St Kilda Pilot Beacon, four Canary Island palms were deliberately set alight. These trees, from the 1930’s, are a signature of the seaside promenade. Perhaps it’s a comment on European landscaping or random arson. Then King George V was decapitated on his recent birthday in Kings Domain. Regardless of this febrile climate, VCAT got on with its task and handed down a decision ‘of interest’ that clarified often misunderstood heritage guidelines.