William Fife and Son closed in 1939- What happened next? At the beginning of World War II the Fife yard was taken over by the Admiralty as it had been in World War I. This time it was not to build boats for the war effort. The Admiralty’s under water research station at Portland on the […]
Featured Articles
For the want of a keel the yacht was (nearly) lost
When Fred Meyer, the then Chairman of the International Eight Metre Class Association found Severn, a 1929 Eight Metre designed and built by … [Continue reading...]
Bluebottle Crew Stories
The Royal Dragon Bluebottle has caught the attention of author David Goodday, but coming from an unusual angle. Much has already been written … [Continue reading...]
Celebrating Traditional Boats
Brest: the world’s largest maritime festival in photographs by Nigel Pert & Dan Houston with a foreword by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Dan … [Continue reading...]
A 1973 cruise on board OWL
In July of 1973 Marianne Beerman-Kok joined as crew on board the Frederick Shepherd design OWL on a sailing trip from Tobermory to the Hebrides. … [Continue reading...]
Visual
Tally Ho – Ep. 82 – Fitting/Polishing Bronze knees
Leo Sampson is back with Episode 82. A man on a mission to rebuild a 110-year old English sailing yacht called Tally Ho. Designed by Albert Strange in 1909 (and launched in 1910), she is a well-known and important historic vessel – but after many adventures she was left in a remote port in Oregon to […]
Tuiga sails on by
Back in 2017 we were taking in the views on the Bay of Palma. The timing happily coincided with the start of a 15-Metre regatta and we became upfront and personal with Tuiga, who sailed on by. A Fife 15-Metre and owned by the Monaco Yacht Club she is 92’ overall with just 48’ of […]
Words
Fast and Bonnie – A History of William Fife and Son Yachtbuilders by May Fife McCallum
This piece of yachting history chronicles the development and progress of Fife, once the premier yacht builder in Britain. It follows its beginning in the nineteenth century until its closure in 1939, during which period almost 1,000 boats were designed and built. Three members of the Fife family, in succession, were integral to its progress. […]
Dorade: The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht
This title tells the fascinating story of the boat that changed the face of ocean racing, and her colourful 80-year history. This is the definitive history of the boat many people consider the greatest ocean racing yacht of the 20th century. It begins with Roderick Stephens, Sr. who invested his reputation and fortune to help […]
The Northseamen
This is the story of mariners and their vessels. It studies the past two hundred and fifty years of men and craft that hailed principally from the small communities along the Essex coast of the UK. It tells of fishermen, salvagers, professional yachtsmen, the ship and yacht builders. It is an adventurous, varied and often […]
Hornblower – A Ship Of The Line
May, 1810 – and thirty-nine-year-old Captain Horatio Hornblower has been handed his first ship of the line . . . Though the seventy-four-gun HMS Sutherland is ‘the ugliest and least desirable two-decker in the Navy’ and a crew shortage means he must recruit two hundred and fifty landlubbers, Hornblower knows that by the time Sutherland […]
The Surgeon’s Mate
Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are ordered home by despatch vessel to bring the news of their latest victory to the government. But Maturin is a marked man for the havoc he has wrought in the French intelligence network in the New World, and the attentions of two privateers soon become menacing. The chase that […]
Schooner – Building a wooden boat on Martha’s Vineyard
The story of the design and construction of the schooner, Rebecca of Vineyard Haven, the largest wooden vessel to have been built on Martha’a Vineyard since the days of Abraham Lincoln. At first glance, it would be easy to consider Schooner to be a “coffee table book.” In one sense, it works very well as […]
Kidnapped
‘Your bed shall be the moorcock’s, and your life shall be like the hunted deer’s, and ye shall sleep with your hand upon your weapons.’ Tricked out of his inheritance, shanghaied, shipwrecked off the west coast of Scotland, David Balfour finds himself fleeing for his life in the dangerous company of Jacobite outlaw and suspected […]
The Gaff Rig Handbook
A great handbook for anyone designing, building, rigging or sailing gaff rigged craft. It provides a fascinating insight into the design, history, techniques and developments of a rig which has evolved through the centuries. John Leather outlines the practical aspects of the masts, spars, sails, running and standing rigging, and contrasts the development of the […]
A Full Cup – Sir Thomas Lipton’s Extraordinary Life and his Quest for the America’s Cup
“A Full Cup” is a delightful biography of Sir Thomas Lipton, businessman, sportsman and character. Born in Scotland of Irish parents, Lipton spent much of his life crossing between Britain and America where, with his bow tie and yachting cap, he became as much of a fixture as he did at home. Known as the […]
The Six Metre – 100 years of racing
The Six Metre 100 years of racing has been prepared by Pekka Barck and Tim Street and supported by many yachting ‘celebrities’, including the late Olin Stephens. The rule and development of the class, all major trophies and races, country specific stories, designers, statistics, tables and some yachts are presented in the 304-page, 4 pound […]
Press
CYI contributed to the Superyacht Top 40 Classic Yachts with praise for the Fife 23-Metre Cambria, No. 8.
In April, 2017 CYI wrote a piece on the New Ibiza Classic Regatta for The Islander magazine. You can read the article here, or go to issuu.com to read it on their site:
