yacht kelpie price

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KELPIE Boat for Sale

32' aspen | 2023 | $397,000.

• Yachts for sale

Last updated Jun 11, 2024

Kelpie Boat | 32' Aspen 2023

Presented by Aspen Power Catamarans

A rare opportunity to step into a 2023 model year Aspen C100 with only 120 hours. It has been factory serviced and is a bristol example of the express cruiser. Optional equipment includes:

• Ceramic Coating and 3MFender Film
• Balmar Battery Gauges
• Victron 2000 Watt Inverter
• Dinghy motor rail mount
• Teak Cocktail Bar (removable), with 2 swivel stools (removable)
• Corian Package, UltraLeather, and Amtico Flooring Throughout
• Aspen Adventure Electronics - Garmin Electonics Suite with 8610xsv and addtional 8612 display, 1000 Watt CHIRP Transducer, Fantom Radar,  AIS 800, Autopilot
• ICOM VHF and Thruster Remote
• Wilson Signal Booster
• Cruise Ready Pack: Fenders, Lines, USCG Gear, Fortress Anchor, Ground Tackle, Life Jackets, Fire Extinguishers, First Aid Kit, Flares

The 32′ C100 has a similar cabin, salon, and interior components as our C90 Cruiser, but the hull and deck are 4′ longer in the cockpit ideal for fishing and entertaining, this area also includes several standard features that are not available in the C90. It has a built-in 96 qt. Igloo Cooler with a large seat, huge port and starboard lazarette storage, as well as a 2nd refrigerator and sink. The Volvo D3 220 hp is mounted just aft of the salon bulkhead which reduces noise levels. This, combined with over the top use of premium sound deadening, makes the C100 exceptionally quiet underway. Engine access is via a 2′ x 4′ day hatch, as well as a huge 4′ x 6′ removable deck section.

The C100 hull is also special, its extra 4′ of length adds more than 2,200lb. of buoyancy. Additionally, the hulls are 2″ deeper by design. The combination lifts the bridge deck 4″, proportionally adding dramatically more travel in the boats suspension system for large sea passage making. C100 owners are set to make weeks long adventure trips, island to island, or up vast open coastlines with speed comfort and efficiency.

Denison Yachting is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel. This boat is centrally listed by Aspen Power Catamarans.

Denison Yacht Sales offers the details of this yacht in good faith but can’t guarantee the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of this boat for sale. This yacht for sale is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal from that yacht market without notice. She is offered as a convenience by this yacht broker to its clients and is not intended to convey direct representation of a specific yacht for sale.

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Kelpie HIGHLIGHTS

• Yacht Details: 32' Aspen 2023
• Location: Anacortes, WA
• Engines: Volvo
• Last Updated: Jun 11, 2024
• Asking Price: $397,000
• Maximum Speed: 22 kn

Kelpie additional information

• Cruising Speed: 16 kn
• Beam: 10' 0''
• Hull Material: Composite
• Fuel Tank: 1 x 80|gallon
• Fresh Water: 1 x 50|gallon
• Holding: 1 x 30|gallon
• Max Passengers: 8

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Alfred Mylne 57 ft Gaff Cutter 1903/2012 - Sold

Alfred Mylne 57 ft Gaff Cutter 1903/2012

These details are provisional and may be amended

BROKER'S COMMENTS

KELPIE is a race and regatta winner designed by Alfred Mylne, and one of the most beautiful and fastest classic yachts of her size. At the close of the intense 2018 Mediterranean classic regatta season she notched up 1st overall in the Vintage Gaff Class at both Régates Royales - Trophée Panerai, Cannes and Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, while still looking in start of season condition. Only typical of the way this superb Golden Age of Yachting survivor has been cared for and campaigned under present ownership, including undergoing three major winter refit/ restorations 2009-2012 at Fairlie Restorations - probably the last such work by the illustrious team involved in landmark rebuilds of yachts like TUIGA, THE LADY ANNE, KENTRA, MARIQUITA and HISPANIA - all whilst continuing to sail by summer. More recently KELPIE has enjoyed a major rig makeover 2017-2018, and is ready to continue sailing, racing and thrilling. Her recent success has been achieved crewed mainly by family and friends - are you ready?!

REGATTAS 2009 - 2018

Under present ownership, KELPIE has competed at classic regattas ranging from Oslo Fjord via the Clyde and Cowes to Saint-Tropez. Through 2017 and 2018 - working closely with German classic rig designer and naval architect Juliane Hempel, carpenters and spar builders Manos del Mar, Palma de Mallorca and Ventis of The Netherlands, and Guido Cavalazzi of North Sails Italy - KELPIE has been highly successfully yet sympathetically optimised, and sailed to perfection by her crew of mostly friends and family. Her 2018 results speak for themselves, and her crew consider her “the fastest gaffer on the water!” 2009 The Mylne Regatta, Clyde; BCYC Regatta, Cowes 2010 Mediterranean regattas 2011 Mediterranean regattas 2012 Mediterranean regattas 2013 Mediterranean regattas 2014 Europe Week, Oslo Fjord; Danish Classic, Svendborg; German Classic, Laboe 2015 RYS 200th Regatta, Cowes; Falmouth Classics; Classic Channel Regatta 2016 Mediterranean regattas 2017 Mediterranean regattas – increasingly better performances 2018 Mediterranean – 3rd in class at Imperia; Class winner at Cannes and Saint-Tropez

REFITS 2009 - 2012

At Fairlie Restorations 2009 - 2012 - New stem, wood keel and sternpost; some of counter timber - Various frames had to be removed and replaced to do this - Some went back as original; some laminated - Engine and drive line altered from C/L to offset - Aperture filled - Rudder post (iroko) and rudder (mahogany) replaced at same time - Very few new planks were needed, except aft for safety - New deck beams and ply aft of deck structures, therefore new teak decking aft - All new deck structures back to original shape and size - All new interior back to near original - Various new deck fittings in bronze - Electrical system mostly new

Born to race, KELPIE’s roots offer sure proof that her still relatively young designer’s light was shining very brightly far from home waters five years after his breakaway as understudy to mentor, GL Watson. So much so that a group of south coast of England yachtsmen would commission a Scotsman not called Fife to design an important, large-dimensioned one design class for Solent waters – the South Coast One Design. The Alfred Mylne story is also intertwined with that of KELPIE’s commissioning owner, George Coats, one of Scotland’s serial yacht owning “Paisley thread Barons”, with addresses in Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire, Park Lane and Mayfair. Coats’s nephew (later Sir) Thomas “Tid” Glen Coats worked with Mylne and designed yachts in his own name, and his uncle’s social whirl revolved as much around the south of England as it did the west and north east of Scotland; a daughter would marry the 5th Duke of Wellington. Perhaps it was inevitable that one of the new class would be owned by a Coats. They owed their origins to the genesis of many one design classes: dissatisfaction with the rating rule of the day, and a desire among a group of keen Solent racing yachtsmen for a wholesome but fast yacht that would offer comfortable accommodation and not tear itself apart after a couple of seasons. An earlier Mylne commission from Clyde yachtsmen similarly less than enamoured by the rating rule, the successful, slightly smaller Clyde 20-Ton One Design Class, may have led to Mylne getting the job. Certainly, his result for the Solent was an untrammelled work of art: free from the bounds of any rating rule, with a hull form true to the “Britannia ideal” and everything else the designer had learned working closely with Watson on the design of America’s Cup challengers and famous big class yachts. The South Coast One Design Class winter 1902-03 builds were spread among three of the best contracting yards of the time, using the finest of materials, to robust but not heavy scantlings. Thus it is something of a surprise that KELPIE is the only survivor of a class of seven boats by Fay of Southampton (CAPRICE and KELPIE), Stone of Brightlingsea (EILUN and HARMONY) and Forrest of Wivenhoe (GRACIE, HEROINE, and JEAN – still remembered at Crosshaven, Co. Cork, Ireland, from her last days there before death by misadventure as ELSA). But there is a story of a yard fire that may have destroyed most of them... After but a few races on the south coast, KELPIE sailed most of her seven seasons under George Coats’s blue and white chequered racing flag on the Clyde, eventually being sold in 1908-09 to Glasgow jute merchant James Paterson. By this time the new International Rule metric classes were gathering momentum and Kelpie had earlier had her rig adjusted to rate as a 12mR on the Clyde in some of the earliest races sailed in that class anywhere. Before the sale to Paterson, George had taken delivery of his new Fife 12mR ALACHIE, and the days of racing as a class by KELPIE’s sisters 'down south' were numbered. After a period of ownership by Glasgow brassfounder Thomas Burt, in 1922 KELPIE returned to the south coast where Austin O’Connor raced her with the still mostly gaff-rigged 12-Metre class during the mid-1920s, before conversion to an auxiliary cruising yawl in 1925 by London-based Donald G Freeman. She remained a yawl through various 1960s to 1980s south west, and south coast of England ownerships, moored at Dartmouth and on the River Yealm - even owned briefly by sailing school - and at Cowes - in the care of shipwrights Adrian Stone at Cowes and Nash & Holden at Dartmouth. KELPIE’s gaff cutter rig was restored in relatively recent times, and when owned by Richard Bendy in the first half of this Century she became well known again at Solent regattas. Her restoration and refit under present ownership is recorded under “RESTORATION 2009 - 2012”, and her 2009 - 2018 regatta history is discussed above. ©2024 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd.

CONSTRUCTION

- 1¼ in pitch pine planks below waterline - 1¼ in yellow/white pine (Pinus strobus) topsides planking - On grown oak frames at c13 in centres with 2 x steam bent rock elm timbers between - Iron dump fastened to grown frames - Copper fastened to steamed timbers - Some laminated frames (see 'REFITS') - Lead ballast keel fastened with bronze keelbolts - Iron strap floors at the grown oak frames - Solid laid teak on ply composite deck

DECK LAYOUT, EQUIPMENT AND GROUND TACKLE

Teak deck structures, covering boards and rails - Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard on taffrail - Bronze mooring cleats - Ash, bronze and Tufnol tackle for topmast backstays - Bronze cleat for topmast backstays - Ash and bronze mainsheet blocks - Bronze cleat for mainsheet - Bronze rudder head - Tiller - Raised varnished teak cockpit coamings - Cockpit seating is a continuation of the deck within the coamings - Access to entire counter area lazarette via aft cockpit hatch - Lockers under port and starboard cockpit seats - Engine control to starboard in foot well - Manual bilge pump - Engine access in cockpit sole - Teak and bronze tackle for main running backstays - Bronze cleat - Sestrel steering compass in ‘bridge deck’ - 4 x Cleats port and 4 x starboard mid deck for tackles - Mylne style companionway hatch and butterfly hatch - 3 x port and 3 x starboard ‘Lemon squeezer’ side deck prism lights - 8 x fixing points for padeyes/ nuns' cape fairleads - Tufnol tackles for headsails - Butterfly hatch over saloon - Gas locker - Pin rail at mast base - Raised hatch over focsle - Deck prism - 4 x fixing points on deck for fairleads - Bowsprit bits (teak?) - Bronze fwd mooring fairleads port and starboard - Mushroom vent

ACCOMMODATION and DOMESTIC EQUIPMENT

Mahogany joinery aft and saloon Pine joinery fwd - Access via companionway ladder in two parts over engine box - Quarter berth to port - Chart table to starboard - Instruments and ship’s isolator panel Moving fwd to saloon - Settee bunks port and starboard - Pilot berths port and starboard - Lockers port and starboard - Butterfly hatch in deckhead - 4 x deckhead lights - 4 x reading lights - 2 x ‘Lemon squeezer’ deck prisms in deckhead Moving forward to galley to port - Deckhead light - 2 x stainless steel sinks - Bronze deck manual pump - Smev 2x burner hob and oven - Isotherm fridge - Lockers - Large food/ stowage locker to starboard - Butterfly hatch in deckhead - 2 x ‘Lemon squeezer’ deck prisms in deckhead WC to starboard: Jabsco manual Fwd to focsle - Sail stowage - 1 x deckhead light - 1 x Lemon squeezer deck prism

RIG, SAILS and CANVAS

Spars - New hollow Sitka spruce racing spars to improve weight aloft (-25-30%) and performance (2017 - 2018) - ‘Marconi’ racing mast (Hempel/Ventis 2018) - Bowsprit (Hempel/Ventis 2018) - Spinnaker pole, stowed at leading edge of mast (Hempel/ Manos del Mar 2018) - Gaff (Manos del Mar 2017) - Hollow boom (nd) Rigging - Dynema standing rigging - Bronze bottle screws North Italy racing sails (2017/18) - Main - Staysail - Jib - Jibtop, - Topsail - Genoa #1 - Genoa #2 - Balloon Jib. - Full set of cruising/ delivery sails

MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND TANKAGE

- Volvo Penta D1-30F 29hp Diesel engine - Offset drive train - Simple 12v Electrical system with 220v shore power charging and supply. - 40 L Diesel tank - 60 L Water tank

NAVIGATION, COMMUNICATIONS and ELECTRONICS

- Chartplotter Garmin GPSMap 557 - Furuno GPS Navigator - B&G Hydra 2000 - Raymarine wireless instrumentation - ICOM VHF IC M411 - LED Nav Lights

Equipment as per RYA recommendations - Electric and manual bilge pumps - Fire Extinguishers throughout - 15 x Life Jackets - 2 x 6 man life rafts - EPIRB - Flare Pack - 1 x CQR Anchor, chain and warp - 1 x Fortress anchor and warp

PHOTO CREDIT

Sailing photos 1-10 by James Robinson Taylor

These particulars have been prepared from information provided by the vendors and are intended as a general guide. The purchaser should confirm details of concern to them by survey or engineers inspection. The purchaser should also ensure that the purchase contract properly reflects their concerns and specifies details on which they wish to rely.

Sandeman Yacht Company

Brokerage of classic & vintage yachts.

KELPIE OF FALMOUTH 79′ Gaff Rigged Schooner

Kelpie Of Falmouth – A Great Charter Yacht in Sag Harbor and the Hamptons

Designed by Francis Sweisguth and built at the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in 1928 in Maine, KELPIE is a 78.8ft traditional gaff-rigged schooner once employed by the U.S. Coast Guard to hunt German U-Boats during WWII. KELPIE‘s interior is airy and spacious. Several butterfly hatches on deck bathe the interior in a beautiful light, illuminating the richly varnished furnishings. She has also been lavishly installed with American black walnut panelling and deep-buttoned leather couches in her signature green, which beautifully contrast with other fixtures set in a crisp white. The over-all effect gives the space a clean, bright, comfortable feel, tastefully decorated in an old world style. This gorgeous yacht is the perfect platform for your Hamptons entertaining and a photographers dream for shoots.

Photos credit: ELWJ Yacht Photography

Additional Services to enhance your charter experience .

Book a Charter

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Build: Classic Harvey Gamage
• Length: 79′
• Guests: 20 Plus
• Crew of: 4-5

Misc. Info .

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• Fashion & Beauty

An Unforgettable Day Setting Sail On Stunning Yacht Kelpie

Hamptonites have charted a clear new course to enjoy safe, luxurious, and unforgettable outdoor experiences….on the water!   Chartering a private yacht or boat for an intimate group to cruise to hidden harbors and coves from Shelter Island to the North Fork is the only way to go for those in the know.

My favorite experience of summer was spent aboard the breathtaking classic schooner, Kelpie ( yachtkelpie.com ), hosting my sister Kim who was visiting from Charleston and a small group of friends. With wind in our sails, Captain Shannon Carleton whisked us from Sag Harbor around the North Haven peninsula under perfect conditions, blue skies, and warm sunshine.

She’s named  Kelpie , after the Scottish name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. Many myths tell the story of beautiful and beguiling maidens or mermaids that are able to change form into water horses. Designed by Francis Sweisguth and built at the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in 1928 in Maine, Kelpie is a 78.8ft traditional gaff-rigged schooner once employed by the U.S. Coast Guard to hunt German U-Boats during WWII.

Kelpie’s beautiful Captain Shannon shares, “How does one describe doing the thing you love most, sailing on one of the finest yachts in the world? I have built a business around my passion for quality and hospitality, indulging guests with decadent, gourmet spreads, deluxe service, and leisurely sails to beautiful destinations on this dazzling, airy, elegant vessel.”

Shannon adds, “As restrictions started to clear on the East End, small family celebrations, weddings, and intimate gatherings cancelled due to COVID-19 were hosted safely aboard Kelpie. Offering a turnkey booking process, custom menus, chefs on hand, and dock to dish menus already planned for unforgettable sails. We take safety precautions to a new level with white glove service for the protection of our guests in addition to routine antibody testing, daily temperature check performed by our Red Cross certified crew.”

Also aboard was “The Oyster King” Kevin Joseph above left (@kevinjoseph) who shucked up the most over-the-top oyster pairings using his trademark molecular gastronomy and chef Evan of Kissaki restaurant in Water Mill indulged us in a seven course Omakase menu with incredible sake pairings. Kissaki is unequivocally the best new Japanese restaurant in the Hamptons, be sure to go! ( explorekissaki.com ).

Our final dessert course, below, which was mochi over watermelon on a buttery cookie.

“A mermmelier is to oysters what a sommelier is to wine,” shares Kevin Joseph who served a variety of oysters including local Montauk Pearls. “Shaved horseradish with a squeeze of fresh lemon is my favorite way to dress oysters, or with my  homemade Japanese mignonette.”

Below is a closeup of the molecular sphere which Kevin created that burst with mezcal over the oyster as we ate it! Be sure to follow the adventures of “mermellier” Kevin Joseph here: @empire_oyster, @theoysterhood and @kevinjoseph

• KDHamptons APP

How Much Will A Day Aboard The Hamptons' Most In-Demand Yacht Cost You?

Why spend a day at the beach when you can spend a day on a private yacht?

This summer, properly experience The Hamptons - treat yourself (and up to 23 of your favorite friends) to a most luxurious time on the water and set sail aboard the East End's most in-demand vessel, Kelpie .

Kickstart your weekend with a picturesque brunch spread on deck. 

Explore the Meshomac Nature Preserve off the Shelter Island coast on a half day cruise. 

Book a full day excursion and sail through Gardiners Bay, anchoring off Barcelona Point for a swimming and lunch. 

Catch the most stunning views with a magical sunset sail.

Bring aboard a banquet of your favorite dishes and drinks and just hand them off to the staff to serve, or chat with Kelpie beforehand to organize a delicious menu whipped up by their partners at Harbor Market, Sen or Cavaniola's (cheese and caviar are always the answer).

Of course a decadent day at sea will cost you, with rates ranging from $4,250 for a two and a half hour cruise with up to 12 guests to $9,250 for an eight hour cruise with up to 20 guests.

To live your chicest Slim Aarons-style life? Totally worth it. 

Honestly, the price of everything in The Hamptons these days considered, you could easily spend that much to buy a few packs of gum at IGA.

[Photos courtesy Kelpie]

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"Kelpie" : Gaff cutter sails away from the classic scene after refit

Nic Compton

 ·  05.05.2024

New competition awaits "Kelpie" in the Mediterranean

"kelpie" gets new sails, the modifications deliver what they promise, a refit with moderation and consistency, technical data of the "kelpie".

It is a sunny morning in the spring of 2022 and the mood on board the "Kelpie" is pensive. The gaff cutter, built in 1903, is sailing out of the River Hamble in southern England for the last time under owner Pelham Olive. The end of a love affair and everything that goes with it: ups and downs and many indelible experiences.

Olive has decided to sell the ship that has occupied his attention - and a large part of his bank account - for the last 14 years. Just this one short trip across the Solent, to Cowes, before "Kelpie" is to be handed over to the new owner. A crew of nine, a mixed group with little experience, had spontaneously come together at the last minute. The normal situation here, as it turns out during the conversations.

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And yet this classic 50-foot racing yacht has made a name for itself under Olive's ownership, with her amateur crews regularly taking on the professionals of the high-calibre competition at the Mediterranean's prestigious classic regattas. In fact, "Kelpie" won dozens of races in the Mediterranean, and in her most spectacular season in 2018, she even won the two most prestigious European classic regattas in Cannes and Saint-Tropez back-to-back.

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But none of this would have been possible if "Kelpie" wasn't an extraordinary boat. One of eight examples of the Solent 38 One design by Scottish master designer Alfred Mylne, she was launched in 1903 at the J. G. Fay & Co shipyard in Southampton. Just a few years later, "Kelpie" had only taken part in three regattas in her class and was sold to Scotland. In 1923, she was re-rigged as a twelve-metre racing yacht and from then on was able to compete with a handicap against the somewhat larger twelve-metre yachts.

Refit for three years in winter, ready to sail from spring

In 1939, "Kelpie" - now with a much more manageable ketch rig - returned to the southern English coast and survived the war years on the River Dart in Devon. After a period as a training yacht, she ended up back in the Solent, where she was given her original rig again and lovingly looked after by changing owners.

When Olive bought "Kelpie" in 2008, she was over 100 years old, had a comfortable interior and a whole arsenal of equipment on board. Instead of the former 17.5 tonnes, she now weighs 19, and the waterline length has grown from 38 to 42 feet. Over the next three years, "Kelpie" will undergo a comprehensive refit at Fairlie Restorations. She will be worked on during the winter, but in the spring she will always be made ready to sail again so that Olive can sail on the Mediterranean.

"Kelpie" is gutted, the bodywork is replaced with a lighter racing set-up to match the original, and she gets a new engine. The elongated superstructure gives way to two hatches, as once intended by Mylne. The rigging is also revised in line with the 1923 model. Among other things, all halyard and sheet winches are removed and replaced by tackles. Olive follows the philosophy of restoring the boat to its original condition as far as possible. He is also of the opinion that winches would expose such an old ship to excessive forces and damage it, and has them removed.

From then on, a crew of twelve was needed to sail the "Kelpie". However, Olive's purist approach is quickly rewarded. When "Kelpie" started her first Mediterranean season in Palma, Mallorca, in 2010, she was given a favourable CIM rating of 222 by the Comité International de la Méditerranée (CIM), which manages the handicap system there. The main reason for this favourable rating is the lack of winches, which is reflected in the notorious and equally controversial "coefficient of authenticity" rating factor.

This season, "Kelpie" wins at the classic events in Palma, Mahón, Imperia, Antibes, Nice, Cannes and Saint-Tropez. Complaints follow from competing crews about this newcomer who has won so much silver, and Olive finally asks the committee to check the CIM value of his yacht. It is the first time that an owner, and not his competitors, has complained about a favourable classification. In fact, "Kelpie" was re-measured and her handicap was reduced from 222 to 189. Nevertheless, she continues to win.

"This boat was unbeatable," recalls Mike Inglis, the only professional on board in his first year. "Not even the new worse handicap could stop this boat from winning. She is one of those boats that is simply designed and built correctly." South African Phil Martinson, an experienced professional skipper, will come on board in 2014. His first task is to sail to the Baltic Sea, where "Kelpie" will take part in regattas on the Norwegian Oslo Fjord and the Europe Week, followed by the classic regatta in Svendborg, Denmark. She was then due to compete in the German Classics in Laboe on the Kiel Fjord, but a collision before the start of the first race meant that she had to retire and be transported home.

When "Kelpie" returned to the Mediterranean in 2016 after a two-year absence, she faced stiff competition as new boats joined the fleet. "We were doing well in the Baltic, but in the Mediterranean we now always seemed to come fifth," recalls Phil. "I realised that we would only compete with these guys if we got significantly lighter. We needed decent sails and had to make all sorts of changes. And owner Pelham just said: "Right, let's do it." That made it clear that we were serious." Another new era begins, in which "Kelpie" is optimised for the regatta circuit.

It was at this point that owner Olive met sailmaker Guido Cavalazzi. The former America's Cup sail designer had become an expert in classic sails at global market leader North Sails. When he sailed "Kelpie" off Imperia in September 2016, he noticed problems with the mainsail: too much curve in the luff, too little in the lower and upper luff and again too much in the leech. "The mainsail looked baggy," he says. "The mainsheet couldn't be used as it should, namely for 'shifting'."

Cavalazzi designs a new mainsail with an eased-out shape, a design that he has already tested on the "Chinook" and "Mariska". When the sail was hoisted in May 2017, the effect was immediately noticeable. "The main trimmer was happy because he could now power up the sail with the sheet or ease it in gusts," says Cavalazzi, who next turned his attention to the headsails. "Until then, Kelpies' usual configuration consisted of their three classic headsails - jib, jib and flyer - or a single large headsail called a "bastard".

Cavalazzi is of the opinion that the "Bastard" has too small a wind window and designs a new headsail, "The Blade", which is smaller and flatter and can therefore stay upright for longer. "A sail like this was missing," he says. "It's the headsail that is used in typical Mediterranean conditions." Master Cavalazzi is also designing a new balloon sail, which is around 50 per cent larger than the old one and sewn from canvas weighing 0.9 ounces per square metre instead of the original 1.5 ounces.

With this sail, it is now possible to sail "Kelpie" at a surprisingly high speed directly downwind, which gives her an advantage over other boats that have to cross from one reach to another, says Cavalazzi. Another advantage of the new sail is a further handicap bonus of two per cent for yachts that use the more traditional balloon instead of a modern gennaker.

Construction of a new mast

Interesting experiments are also being carried out with the topsail. The original jackyard topsail is a spectacular sight, but difficult to handle. In very light winds, the disturbance caused by it actually slows the boat down. For this reason, the mast was extended by ten feet in 2013 so that it could carry an even larger topsail.

Cavalazzi now designs a topsail with a shorter luff, fitted with battens so that the mast can be shortened again by three feet, which is better for the rating of the boat. The new topsail is proving to be just as efficient as the original jackyard topsail and is much quicker to set. The next phase of the optimisation process will take place in winter 2017/18. The construction of a new mast will take centre stage.

An exciting project for Juliane Hempel, the southern German designer and classic boat expert who played a key role in the development of the high-performance spar. "The hollow mast of a traditional gaff-rigged ship has the same thickness all round and is normally very stiff from one side to the other, but not very stiff fore and aft," she explains. "To make it stiff fore and aft, you have to have thicker walls, which makes the mast very heavy.

"Kelpie" still needs to be lighter

Olive wanted a mast that was stiff fore and aft, but also light, and that is very difficult to achieve." But Hempel finds a solution. Where the mast has to be round so that the rings of the mainsail can slide up and down, she gives the profile stronger front and rear walls to stiffen it. Above the claws, on the other hand, it gives the mast an elliptical profile, which not only makes it stiffer at the front and rear, but also gives it a better overall aerodynamic shape. And unlike a traditional mast, which tapers evenly on all sides, Juliane Hempel constructs a straight leech edge so that the luff of the topsail lies close to the mast and turbulence is reduced.

The hollow construction of the mast is also refined. In collaboration with wood expert John Lammerts van Bueren, the bendability of each individual batten is determined in the laboratory so that the mast can ultimately be moved equally in all directions. As a result, the new mast is both lighter and stiffer than the old one, just as owner Olive wanted. Juliane Hempel also designed new aluminium mast fittings instead of the heavy bronze ones.

Further weight is saved in the rigging by standing rigging made of Dyneema fibre. The fibre is stronger and lighter than steel, a very desirable property, especially in the rigging. Around 350 kilograms of weight could be saved in the rigging. Finally, "Kelpie" is also optimised under water. Hempel improves the profile of the rudder and new sea valves are installed that are flush with the hull. The underwater hull is levelled and sanded and a smooth antifouling is applied.

Training sessions are organised with the amateur crew and team spirit is strengthened. The efforts soon paid off. "Kelpie" was sailing at the front more and more often. In 2016, they came fifth and sixth, but by the following summer they were already sailing for third and fourth places. In the following year, 2018, "Kelpie" even dominated her class and finally won in the Mediterranean with victories off Palma, Menorca and Naples.

For various reasons, the new mast is only available for the last two regattas of the season - Cannes and Saint-Tropez - and so it comes as no surprise that "Kelpie" wins these two races and even concludes the season by winning all four races in her class on Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. It is the final stroke under an impressive metamorphosis that shows how even (or especially?) an aged classic can be optimised again for competitive international regatta sport with time, money, energy and planning.

Back on the Solent, there is a festive atmosphere as we sail to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the cradle of the America's Cup. The mood on board is exuberant, even though it is Olive's last trip on his beloved yacht. But don't they say in England that the two best days of ownership are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell it?

We stop off at the "Anchor Inn" pub near the harbour to toast the owner. But it's not long before a south-westerly with wind force 3 to 4 comes up and we prefer to go sailing again. It's a fast trip back across the choppy Solent, and despite the windier conditions, Olive makes the beginners work hard on the sheets, even though these are the last nautical miles he will be moving the boat.

It's his way of saying goodbye to his muse, with a bunch of happy amateurs and a few loyal crew members backing him up - as they have done for the past 14 years on the regatta courses of Europe.

The refit at Fairlie Restorations lasted from 2009 to 2012 and proved to be correspondingly extensive. Keel beams, stem and parts of the stern had to be renewed, for which some frames were removed and reinstalled. In the course of this work, the shaft was routed off-centre through the hull. The rudder was replaced. Only a few planks had to be replaced. The deck beams, however, were gone, and in the course of this work Fairlie laid a new teak deck. The interior was restored to its original condition. In addition to some new fittings, the boat was fitted with an almost complete modern electrical system.

• Type: South Coast One Design
• Designer: Alfred Mylne
• Building yard: J.G.Fay & Co.
• Year of construction: 1903
• Material: Pine on oak
• Total length: 19,20 m
• Length above deck: 17,37 m
• Waterline length: 11,48 m
• Width: 3,35 m
• Depth: 2,29 m
• Displacement: 16,0 t

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Classic sailing yacht Kelpie of Falmouth sold

The classic 24 metre sailing yacht Kelpie of Falmouth has been sold with the buyer and seller represented by Mike Horsley at Edmiston & Company .

Built in pine on oak frames by US yard Henry Gamage , Kelpie of Falmouth was delivered in 1928 as a gaff-rigged schooner. Accommodation is for six guests in three cabins laid out as a master suite and two twins, all with en suite shower facilities, while a further cabin sleeps two crewmembers.

Kelpie of Falmouth did duty in World War II, serving with the US Coastguard. She was a popular boat to crew on and notably never missed a day’s service.  Like many other yachts, the end of the war saw a change in ownership and she moved to the West Coast of the States.

As is so often the case with these classic yachts, she fell into disrepair and was abandoned. The story of her rediscovery is of epic proportions, from finding a tired old boat on the Californian coast in 2012, a 9,000-mile delivery back to a traditional Cornish boatyard some miles up a tidal river, and an 18 month-long rebuild from bare frames up. The pitch pine on oak frames hull was stripped bare, all tired wood replaced as necessary, and the stern completely rebuilt to bring her back to her original shape. In 2014 she went on to win the 2014 Classic Boat “Restoration of the Year” award.

Kelpie of Falmouth was asking €950,000 with VAT paid.

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