Caravelle backround
Yes, the Caravelle is a fine, powerful, incredibly stable, well behaved, pretty boat. Knowing her pedigree and roots, sometimes when she’s revelling in her ideal conditions - downwind in a good breeze – and fully laden for serious cruising comfort one can almost imagine she’s carrying home a hold full of fish and the mizzen has suddenly sprouted to become a huge schooner main…
CARAVELA OF EXE (Alden #992J) was moulded and finished by Halmatic at Havant, Portsmouth, England. Some later finishing work was supervised by local naval architect/ boat builder J.J. Bickford on the Exe estuary (West Country England). Her hull completion date is 1966 but she wasn’t finally completed and launched until 1969. She’s one of only two Caravelles fully completed by Halmatic – see below. As I mentioned before, her first owners took their time sailing her round the world 1976-1996.
Between 1965 and 1969 Halmatic moulded hulls and decks for 12 Caravelles, 9 of which (4 sloops and 5 yawls) were finished with wood trunk and interior by Poul Molich at Hundested, Denmark. I’ve only ever seen pictures of Molich finished Caravelles with a flush topped wood house and smallish rectangular ports. Interestingly Niels C. Helleberg, presently chief naval architect at the Alden office, was serving an apprenticeship under Molich at that time. As you know many Challengers were similarly finished by Molich at that time.
Of the other 3 Halmatic hulls, 2 (my yawl and a sloop for an Italian client) were finished by themselves and the other (a yawl) was finished by Morse Boatbuilding Co., Thomaston, Maine, 1968-1969.
In 1971 Hodgdon Bros., E. Boothbay, Maine began production of what the Alden office describes as the “Caravelle Class 71” version, with all GRP hull, deck and house. The house was similar to the Molich finished boats, with small ports but with the after two slightly larger. Hodgdon built 6 boats 1971-73, the last one being Alden #992S (there was no #992I). I’m not sure if they acquired the moulds from Halmatic or whether they started from scratch?
So, 18 Caravelles were built.
Scott Kraft, who sails the first Caravelle BOUNDING HOME (992A) out of Stonington Harbour Y.C., CT., acts as our class co-ordinator and is gradually finding the boats. There’s a nice photo of her bounding at
http://www.shyc.us/id44.htm.
I have a suspicion that the green hulled Caravelle yawl SERENITY currently offered for sale by Jordan Yacht as a 1969 Hodgdon may in fact be the 1968 Morse finished boat because:
a) Hodgdon didn’t start building Caravelles until 1971, and,
b) She has the identical raised aft GRP “Halmatic” house as my boat but with slightly shallower aft windows.
The Alden/ Halmatic/ Camper & Nicholsons connection is interesting. Halmatic were moulding the “Alden Fiberglass Range” before they began moulding the Nicholson range of the 1960’s-1970’s. In fact the “Nicholson 38”, centre cockpit ketch is an Alden design. There is good background information on the relationship on the historical pages of the Nicholson 32 web site, which unfortunately seems to be down just now:
http://vancouver-webpages.com/N32/
The Nic 32 underbody is remarkably similar to the Alden types and the rudder of certainly earlier Marks was the same as the Caravelle’s.
Niels Helleberg told me he was pretty sure the Caravelle was designed by Clifford Swaine who joined the Alden office in 1920 and retired in the mid 1970’s as chief designer. He had a hand in many of the famous Malabars, which somehow helps to increase the sense of custodianship of something special. I presume he was also at least responsible for the complete sailing yacht range of “Alden Fiberglass Boats” of the 60’s: Mistral, Zephyr, Challenger, Caravelle, Countess…
Finally for now, surely all Challenger owners must have a copy aboard of the first edition of The Proper Yacht by Arthur Beiser (New York, Macmillan, 1966), which includes a good review of the Challenger – “Few boats are as well conceived and well executed…”, a photo of one under completion in Poul Molich’s yard, and, surely the dream boat of all Challenger and Caravelle owners, the 54’6” loa centreboard yawl MARGAREE, designed by Alden and built by Paul Luke in 1959. She’s now for sale in Rockport… of all places Tom…