Cowes Classics Week provides a natural home for one-off designs which fit the eligibility criteria.
A sample of past competitors is shown below.
- Alert - Tumlare Show me >
- Cockleshell - Show me >
- Gluckauf - Skerry Cruiser Show me >
- Johnnie III - Hai/Requin Show me >
- Mignon - Show me >
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The Tumlare was first designed by Knud Reimers in 1933 for Bengt Kinde, a member of the Årsta Bay Yacht Club. He wanted a keelboat for cruising and racing in the Swedish archipelagos. The boat needed to be relatively simple and inexpensive to build and to have good seaworthy capabilities. In 1935 Aldeburgh Yacht Club members, encouraged by Uffa Fox, bought six Tumlares. Two were later owned by Adlard Coles. After the Second World War only two remained; 'Alert' and 'Alacrity' (previously 'Vanda'). 'Alert' was found derelict in 1992 and restored in 1996-7. She is now owned by one of the founders of the Metre Regatta (which evolved into Cowes Classics Week) Rees Martin, who has competed in her at Cowes Classics Week. Photo: G.Harris |
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Cockleshell is a 21' 6" wooden dayboat built in Guernsey in 1926. She spent the first 33 years of her life in her native Guernsey, followed by some 30 years on the East Coast, before arriving in the Hamble. She is now owned by Jonty Sherwill, the Hamble based designer and sailor. Jonty ensures she is a regular competitor in the Hamble River racing fleet and she has won her class at Cowes Classics Week more than once. Photo: |
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Gluckauf (Good Luck), ex Diana and ex Kuky, is a Skerry Cruiser, a sleek, aerodynamic class of yacht very popular in the Baltic Sea and built to the Square Metre Rule. Gluckauf, however, is more specifically a 30 Square Metre Seefahrtkreuzer. The first class rule dates back to 1908 and set only the sail area providing ample room for manoeuvre in hull design. She is described as a delight to sail, being very responsive and with deeper bow sections and a narrower counter is less prone to slamming than a Dragon. She is, however, still a sailing submarine and snorkel and goggles are advised, particularly if you are nominated foredeck hand! Gluckauf competed in Cowes Classics Week in 2013. Photo: |
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Hai (Finnish) or Requin (French) both translating as "Shark" is a one-design, sloop-rigged keelboat designed in Finland. It was designed in 1930 by Finnish sailboat designer Gunnar L. Stenbäck as a cheap, racing and cruising yacht suitable for mass production. It remains a popular small yacht in Finland and France although the designs each in country have evolved independently. Johnnie III was trailed from her base on Lake Annecy to compete at Cowes Classics Week in 2013. Photo: |
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Owned by renowned yachting journalist Bob Fisher, the Fife designed Mignon was created as a scale model to create the famous Shamrock which competed in the Americas cup. Built in 1898, Mignon is one of the oldest competitors at Cowes Classics Week. Photo: |
