Sparkman & Stephens has to hold the record for big strong ocean racing yawls (Bolero, Dorade, Stormy Weather,...).
BLACK WATCH has an 82 year old history. Built for the Shaefer (Beer) family in 1938 for 40K, strictly to race in the Bermuda races, she also won an award while being used by the US Navy during WW2 for scaring a few German Uboats off the coast. Later she was donated to Taber Accademy and did several years as their Tabor Boy training ship.
These days she just races and is well cared for by a few owners(I believe):
LOA: 68′-0″
LWL: 48′-0″
Beam: 14′-7″
Draft: 9′-3″
Being a yawl sailor, I love the sail trimming details. There is one man feathering the mainsheet. The mainsail has a reef in it as they sail to windward. I think a reef in the main can put the mizzen into free air even going to windward.
There is a crew on the mizzen sheet. He has shifted the base of the mizzen sheet to leeward. It looks like it may be shackled to the eye for the port running back stay. This allows over trimming the mizzen in freer air still. He has the sheet wrapped several times on the winch but held to feather the mizzen.
Real 50's voodoo sail trim going on.
And wow, that's a big crew all comfortably sprawled around the cockpit. Makes me think they wanted to move weight aft. Big comfortable safe boat (how about those decks!) still winning her class 82 years later. I've seen her on the water in NE. Very pretty sight.
BLACK WATCH has an 82 year old history. Built for the Shaefer (Beer) family in 1938 for 40K, strictly to race in the Bermuda races, she also won an award while being used by the US Navy during WW2 for scaring a few German Uboats off the coast. Later she was donated to Taber Accademy and did several years as their Tabor Boy training ship.
These days she just races and is well cared for by a few owners(I believe):
LOA: 68′-0″
LWL: 48′-0″
Beam: 14′-7″
Draft: 9′-3″
Being a yawl sailor, I love the sail trimming details. There is one man feathering the mainsheet. The mainsail has a reef in it as they sail to windward. I think a reef in the main can put the mizzen into free air even going to windward.
There is a crew on the mizzen sheet. He has shifted the base of the mizzen sheet to leeward. It looks like it may be shackled to the eye for the port running back stay. This allows over trimming the mizzen in freer air still. He has the sheet wrapped several times on the winch but held to feather the mizzen.
Real 50's voodoo sail trim going on.
And wow, that's a big crew all comfortably sprawled around the cockpit. Makes me think they wanted to move weight aft. Big comfortable safe boat (how about those decks!) still winning her class 82 years later. I've seen her on the water in NE. Very pretty sight.
