The Carrick Roads estuary in Cornwall is known to sailors from all over the world as the third largest natural harbour in the world. And many a prominent yacht has sought shelter here. From Robin Knox-Johnston's "Suhaili" to a long list of superyachts that have been refitted at the Pendennis shipyard in nearby Falmouth.
For some time now, the waters seem to have been haunted by the ghost of the past. From a distance, it sometimes looks as if "Britannia" - the legendary yacht of the former British King Edward VII - is sailing on the bay. However, the ship, often referred to as the most successful racing cutter in history, no longer exists, and many a knowledgeable observer squints at the sight.
In fact, it looks as if the "Britannia" is sailing past, just like in the traditional black and white photos from the past. With her distinctive spoon bow, elegant yacht stern, dark hull and off-white sails. But if you rub your eyes and take a closer look, you will soon realise that it was just a trick.
Inspired by "Britannia
Sailing past is "Elrhuna", a pretty daysailer that has been sailed and looked after by its owner, the Watson family, for 62 years. The relationship of the name to G. L. Watson, the famous designer who once designed the real "Britannia", is purely coincidental. "Elrhuna" was built in 1904 by the Robertsons boatyard on the Clyde; today she is the oldest surviving design by the yard's founder Alexander Robertson.
Although the shipyard had already made a name for itself with the construction of yachts by William Fife, G. L. Watson and Alfred Mylne, Alexander Robertson also designed a number of yachts himself from 1889 onwards. These included build number 35, a gaff-rigged sloop named "Elrhuna". According to a story that was passed on from owner to owner, her design was actually inspired by that of the royal "Britannia", which had been built around eleven years earlier in Glasgow, just a few miles away.
"Her underwater hull is almost modern for the year she was built," says owner Mungo Watson, who also runs the 60-foot "Eda Frandsen" together with his partner Stella, on which they offer charter trips to the Scottish west coast from Falmouth. "Other Robertson boats from this period are not quite as extreme designs."
Solidly built and excellently finished, "Elrhuna" was considered a modern, fast cruiser
"Elrhuna" is pretty yet racy, she has an S-frame but not too much draught, and she sails incredibly well. So the story could be true. Miniatures of larger yachts were also in vogue at the time. And since "Britannia" was the talk of the town after numerous regatta successes, it is not unlikely that "Elrhuna" was the result of the client's desire for a small replica. In any case, her distinctive spoon bow and black paintwork soon earned her the nickname "Wee Britannia", which could be translated into German as "Winzige Britannia".
Elrhuna" was built for the lithographer Robert Graham from Paisley, who travelled the west coast of Scotland with her. Graham described one such voyage in an article for "Yachting Monthly". He undertook it with his wife, whom he described as his "first mate", and his sailing friend "good old Billy" in August 1905. The three of them sailed to nearby Loch Goil, where they were battered by storms during the night and the next day, which turned the water into waves whose spray "flew high above the masthead".
The article also contains an insightful description of the boat by the owner himself: "Solidly built and excellently finished, she is a wonderful example of a modern, fast cruiser. Below deck she is spacious and has headroom under the skylight."
From today's perspective, "Elrhuna" appears neither modern nor spacious. However, compared to the narrow, flat plank-on-edge designs that characterised the regatta courses until the mid-1880s, her spaciousness must have been considered downright monstrous due to her width of 2.30 metres with a waterline length of six metres. Even her tiny forecastle was praised by the owner as a separate space that was "not to be despised" with its "well-dimensioned hatch with porthole and ventilator".
Gaff rigging gives way to Bermuda rigging
After the time under her first owner, "Elrhuna" changed hands several times within the extended Graham family and was sailed in western Scotland. After the war, the gaff rig was replaced by a Bermuda rig. The work was overseen by the Robertsons' chief designer at the time, David Boyd. The sheet winches were also brought on board as part of this overhaul. They were mounted on pedestals on either side of the cockpit coaming, where until then oarlocks had been attached for the long oars that propelled the boat in calm conditions.
The connection between the current owner family Watson and the ship began only a few years later. Hilary Watson, the father of the current owner Mungo Watson, worked as a draughtsman at the Fairlie Slipway Company, the successor company to William Fife founded by Archie McMillan in 1944. McMillan recognised that Hilary was a capable sailor and invited him aboard his boat. This is how Hilary Watson met his friend Charlie Giffard.
Shortly afterwards, as the two were sailing along on board a 35-foot cruiser/racer, they saw a much smaller boat approaching from astern. "It just passed us downwind," Hilary Watson still remembers the first encounter with "Elrhuna". "Charlie immediately asked: 'What was that? The skipper said he thought the boat belonged to David Donald and was for sale." From that moment on, there was no stopping Giffard until he found the guy and closed the deal. "Elrhuna" changed hands that same evening for £600. It was the beginning of Charlie Giffard's 47-year ownership.
A lot is demanded of "Elrhuna"
Giffard was a racing sailor through and through, and "Elrhuna" was sailed hard both on the Clyde and later in the West Highlands. Over the years, the owner amassed a whole collection of silverware and often sailed the "little black boat" downwind of the larger competitors.
"Charlie Giffard always sailed in terrible weather," says Mungo. "I remember coming along once when I was five or six years old. The sheet winches were under water and the sea was pouring into the cockpit. My father and Charlie had fun, but I was terrified!"
Hilary Watson took care of the boat right from the start and carried out the repair and maintenance work. In return, he was allowed to sail "Elrhuna" without the owner. Giffard even lent him the boat when he was courting Mungo's mum Sue. "After meeting my mum, my father wanted to take her on a romantic sailing trip. But one night, when they were anchored in Loch Spelve, the boat lost its anchor and ran aground. On a huge beach of stones, 'Elrhuna' found the only small patch of sand and survived the mishap almost unscathed."
Change of ownership with staying power
Shortly after he bought the boat, Giffard had Fairlie's install new iroko floorboards in the area of the mast base and behind the cockpit. He also had a small petrol engine with folding propeller installed. In the late 1970s, Hilary Watson replaced the pine-laid deck with marine plywood, retaining the teak reveals. Although the plywood was only painted and not sealed with resin and mat, the deck is still in good condition almost 50 years later.
Another major overhaul took place in 1996, when the hull was completely stripped and re-caulked and then given a new coat of paint. Several of the iron floor cradles had corroded in the meantime, some of the frames had rotted, and these parts were also replaced by the father of the current owner.
In the 1990s, the Watson family used the boat more than owner Charlie Giffard, who was getting quite old. "One evening, my mum and dad were sitting on board 'Elrhuna' having a cup of tea after sailing with Charlie when, out of the blue, he said he wanted to sell the boat," says Mungo. "My mum immediately said: 'But you can't sell the boat to anyone else. We want to buy it!' That was quite a shock for my father, who had never thought that one day he might actually own 'Elrhuna' himself!" But in 2007, after 47 years on board the "Elrhuna", the Watsons became her proud owners.
Hilary Watson may not have been as dedicated a racing sailor as Charlie, but he still took part in numerous races on the west coast of Scotland. And so the boat continued to be looked after and moved and was in good condition when it was passed on from father to son.
Skills test for new owners
Before taking over "Elrhuna", Mungo and Stella had worked on a number of classics, including "Adix", "Halloween", "Cambria" and "Partridge", and were therefore very familiar with sailing old wooden boats. Nevertheless, Mungo Watson has already experienced quite a bit of excitement on "Elrhuna" in a very short space of time. For example, when he almost ran onto the rocks, like his father before him.
"This boat truly tests anyone who takes the helm. All the owners, including myself, have experienced on 'Elrhuna' what it's like to run aground on rocks, come off the anchor, get stranded involuntarily or fall dry between huge, treacherous boulders - and not touch any of them."
In 2018, Mungo and Stella moved to Falmouth, and so the "little black boat" was brought south to Cornwall for the first time in its life from its home in the west of Scotland. There it immediately made a name for itself when the Watsons took "Elrhuna" to the start of the Choaks Pasties Points Series at Flushing Sailing Club and won their class from a standing start.
"Elrhuna" has spent more than half of her life in the care of the Watson family
Another refurbishment followed, this time in Ashley Butler's shed in nearby Penpol. Again, it was composite components that were the cause for concern. Mungo Watson had all the work carried out to the best possible standard. Because "Elrhuna" plays a central role in his life. "The memories of this boat are the first I have," he says. "It was always there."
Since the couple took over the "Eda Frandsen" in 2020 and now own two boats, they have little time left for regatta sailing with "Elrhuna". But the couple are out on the Carrick Roads with the miniature replica of the royal "Britannia" whenever they can. During the non-sailing season, the boat has its own custom-built tent in Mylor marina, where it is lovingly cared for and brought through the winter.
"Elrhuna" has spent more than half her life in the care of the Watson family, and it's hard to imagine anyone other than Mungo Watson leaning so relaxed against the coaming and putting his thumb on the wheel. "'Elrhuna' is Mungo's first and only true love," says his partner Stella. "That's why she gets so much attention."
So far, "Elrhuna" has escaped the fate of the "Britannia". The royal yacht was scrapped and sunk after George V's death. The sailing-mad monarch could not bear the thought of anyone other than himself taking the helm.
So if you happen to be passing through Cornwall on Carrick Roads and think the royal yacht "Britannia" is passing to leeward, rub your eyes and take another good look. It's probably just the "little black boat" playing its usual pranks on everyone.
Technical data of the "Elrhuna"
- Year of construction: 1904
- Designer: A. Robertson
- Shipyard: Robertsons
- Hull length: 8.53 m
- Waterline length: 5.97 m
- Width: 2.31 m
- Draught: 1.70 m
- Displacement: 3.6 tonnes
- Sail area: 30.7 m²
