Skylark

Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, 2011
Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, 2011

Skylark, design 146, is a further development of a series of Sparkman & Stephens designs: Stormy Weather (design 27), Avanti (design 85) and Sonny (design 94), each an improvement on the previous model.

She was commissioned by Judge Lawrence Dunham in 1937 and established her racing pedigree as flagship of the Los Angeles and Transpacific Yacht Clubs.

She won the 1950 & 1951 Newport to Ensenada Races back-to-back beating over 130 yachts on each occasion.

The Skylark Series by Betty Harrington

“This is how I first saw the magnificent Skylark.  With camera in hand, I slowly walked around her quiet presence, delicately balanced on scaffolding at the Melville Marina.

Skylark was being restored and I spent countless hours watching and photographing the process.  The Skylark was housed in a quonset-shaped space covered with translucent folds of material draped over the curved metal rods.  The space changed at the whim of light and wind and became an exciting visual field.

Slowly the sloop’s innards were exposed as the outer boards were removed.  The massive solidity of the Skylark’s structure disappeared and was replaced by its graceful interior structure whose curving forms repeated the linear movement of the surrounding work space.
Skylark was eventually loosened from the restraints of her scaffolding and became part of a massive sculpture.

 

It was really interesting to see the images of Skylark in the water but she looked rather small.  I must admit that I prefer the images of her in that shed at Melville.  Hope you enjoy!”

 

Restoration completed

Now(2015) owned by Tara Getty of Getty Images and regularly seen on the Mediterranean regatta circuit.

Lys crosses ahead of Skylark at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, 2017 – Photo: James Robinson Taylor

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