BACK IN 1902 ........................

By the purest of coincidences, and just days before I left CAPETOWN, South Africa on "ARITA" back in 1997, I witnessed this magnificent mast-less yacht travelling down the road to a storage shed in Woodstock, on a low flatbed-hauler with full police escort and the electricity people disconnecting powerlines overhead................ Little did I know that fourteen years later, I would be anchored right next to it in Falmouth Harbour, ANTIGUA ...... Some of the photos were provided by the crew and many were taken during their South Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean ............ But back in 1902, and that's almost 110 years ago, the story was different, for then she was new and built as a yawl, from Burmese teak on oak frames and passionately sailed ' like it was stolen ' ............. A true 'Gentleman's yacht' ...... At least until World War I, when British Admiralty requested her lead keel in order to make bullets ........... Eventually she ended up mast-less and 'stored' in a muddy river in England, to be finally rescued in the mid 90's, put on board a freighter for South Africa, where the ten-year restoration project was completed ...... The sail plan was changed from a yawl to a schooner because it used to take 15 men just to lift the mainsail and bring it on board ............ And an engine was added ... 'Good move' ..... The photo above is " CORAL " on the dry-dock in Capetown, SA ......



Everything is original, including this 1902 'state-of-the-art' anchor windlass .... Which means it is fully manual .......... 'Bend your back boys' ......



Photos speak so much louder than words ..... But note the bandage wrapping around the mizzen boom, where it snapped during a jybe in the South Atlantic and was repaired by splicing the two hollow halves with an insert by the tenacious crew ...........



Steering was by the compass only, with some electronic wind instruments on the side ....... No auto-pilot on this ship ........



ANTIGUA is the home of so many wooden yachts like these ones, ready for the Classic Week Regatta ............



But you have to walk the decks, see the beveled glass windows and go down below to really feel the history and the craftsmanship of a bygone Era ....... For " CORAL " is one of a kind, with its blunt fore-foot and its tapered overhanging stern ...........



And the crew are glad to have reached ANTIGUA after an epic journey across thousands of miles of ocean with a vintage yacht that had not been sailed since well before WW II ........ Mark and Willie from the yacht "LIAHONA" were there to help them with a little celebration as was Dave from the yacht "PERSEPHONE" ............... For the crew had much to talk about, not the least of which were the magnificent Atlantic sunsets ................. We went over later .... "Hello, neighbours ........... "Haven't we seen you before ......"