It is a sunny morning in the spring of 2022 and the mood on board the "Kelpie" is pensive. The gaff cutter, built in 1903, is sailing out of the River Hamble in southern England for the last time under owner Pelham Olive. The end of a love affair and everything that goes with it: ups and downs and many indelible experiences.
Olive has decided to sell the ship that has occupied his attention - and a large part of his bank account - for the last 14 years. Just this one short trip across the Solent, to Cowes, before "Kelpie" is to be handed over to the new owner. A crew of nine, a mixed group with little experience, had spontaneously come together at the last minute. The normal situation here, as it turns out during the conversations.
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And yet this classic 50-foot racing yacht has made a name for itself under Olive's ownership, with her amateur crews regularly taking on the professionals of the high-calibre competition at the Mediterranean's prestigious classic regattas. In fact, "Kelpie" won dozens of races in the Mediterranean, and in her most spectacular season in 2018, she even won the two most prestigious European classic regattas in Cannes and Saint-Tropez back-to-back.
But none of this would have been possible if "Kelpie" wasn't an extraordinary boat. One of eight examples of the Solent 38 One design by Scottish master designer Alfred Mylne, she was launched in 1903 at the J. G. Fay & Co shipyard in Southampton. Just a few years later, "Kelpie" had only taken part in three regattas in her class and was sold to Scotland. In 1923, she was re-rigged as a twelve-metre racing yacht and from then on was able to compete with a handicap against the somewhat larger twelve-metre yachts.
Refit for three years in winter, ready to sail from spring
In 1939, "Kelpie" - now with a much more manageable ketch rig - returned to the southern English coast and survived the war years on the River Dart in Devon. After a period as a training yacht, she ended up back in the Solent, where she was given her original rig again and lovingly looked after by changing owners.
When Olive bought "Kelpie" in 2008, she was over 100 years old, had a comfortable interior and a whole arsenal of equipment on board. Instead of the former 17.5 tonnes, she now weighs 19, and the waterline length has grown from 38 to 42 feet. Over the next three years, "Kelpie" will undergo a comprehensive refit at Fairlie Restorations. She will be worked on during the winter, but in the spring she will always be made ready to sail again so that Olive can sail on the Mediterranean.
"Kelpie" is gutted, the bodywork is replaced with a lighter racing set-up to match the original, and she gets a new engine. The elongated superstructure gives way to two hatches, as once intended by Mylne. The rigging is also revised in line with the 1923 model. Among other things, all halyard and sheet winches are removed and replaced by tackles. Olive follows the philosophy of restoring the boat to its original condition as far as possible. He is also of the opinion that winches would expose such an old ship to excessive forces and damage it, and has them removed.
From then on, a crew of twelve was needed to sail the "Kelpie". However, Olive's purist approach is quickly rewarded. When "Kelpie" started her first Mediterranean season in Palma, Mallorca, in 2010, she was given a favourable CIM rating of 222 by the Comité International de la Méditerranée (CIM), which manages the handicap system there. The main reason for this favourable rating is the lack of winches, which is reflected in the notorious and equally controversial "coefficient of authenticity" rating factor.
New competition awaits "Kelpie" in the Mediterranean
This season, "Kelpie" wins at the classic events in Palma, Mahón, Imperia, Antibes, Nice, Cannes and Saint-Tropez. Complaints follow from competing crews about this newcomer who has won so much silver, and Olive finally asks the committee to check the CIM value of his yacht. It is the first time that an owner, and not his competitors, has complained about a favourable classification. In fact, "Kelpie" was re-measured and her handicap was reduced from 222 to 189. Nevertheless, she continues to win.
"This boat was unbeatable," recalls Mike Inglis, the only professional on board in his first year. "Not even the new worse handicap could stop this boat from winning. She is one of those boats that is simply designed and built correctly." South African Phil Martinson, an experienced professional skipper, will come on board in 2014. His first task is to sail to the Baltic Sea, where "Kelpie" will take part in regattas on the Norwegian Oslo Fjord and the Europe Week, followed by the classic regatta in Svendborg, Denmark. She was then due to compete in the German Classics in Laboe on the Kiel Fjord, but a collision before the start of the first race meant that she had to retire and be transported home.
When "Kelpie" returned to the Mediterranean in 2016 after a two-year absence, she faced stiff competition as new boats joined the fleet. "We were doing well in the Baltic, but in the Mediterranean we now always seemed to come fifth," recalls Phil. "I realised that we would only compete with these guys if we got significantly lighter. We needed decent sails and had to make all sorts of changes. And owner Pelham just said: "Right, let's do it." That made it clear that we were serious." Another new era begins, in which "Kelpie" is optimised for the regatta circuit.
"Kelpie" gets new sails
It was at this point that owner Olive met sailmaker Guido Cavalazzi. The former America's Cup sail designer had become an expert in classic sails at global market leader North Sails. When he sailed "Kelpie" off Imperia in September 2016, he noticed problems with the mainsail: too much curve in the luff, too little in the lower and upper luff and again too much in the leech. "The mainsail looked baggy," he says. "The mainsheet couldn't be used as it should, namely for 'shifting'."
Cavalazzi designs a new mainsail with an eased-out shape, a design that he has already tested on the "Chinook" and "Mariska". When the sail was hoisted in May 2017, the effect was immediately noticeable. "The main trimmer was happy because he could now power up the sail with the sheet or ease it in gusts," says Cavalazzi, who next turned his attention to the headsails. "Until then, Kelpies' usual configuration consisted of their three classic headsails - jib, jib and flyer - or a single large headsail called a "bastard".
Cavalazzi is of the opinion that the "Bastard" has too small a wind window and designs a new headsail, "The Blade", which is smaller and flatter and can therefore stay upright for longer. "A sail like this was missing," he says. "It's the headsail that is used in typical Mediterranean conditions." Master Cavalazzi is also designing a new balloon sail, which is around 50 per cent larger than the old one and sewn from canvas weighing 0.9 ounces per square metre instead of the original 1.5 ounces.
With this sail, it is now possible to sail "Kelpie" at a surprisingly high speed directly downwind, which gives her an advantage over other boats that have to cross from one reach to another, says Cavalazzi. Another advantage of the new sail is a further handicap bonus of two per cent for yachts that use the more traditional balloon instead of a modern gennaker.
Construction of a new mast
Interesting experiments are also being carried out with the topsail. The original jackyard topsail is a spectacular sight, but difficult to handle. In very light winds, the disturbance caused by it actually slows the boat down. For this reason, the mast was extended by ten feet in 2013 so that it could carry an even larger topsail.
Cavalazzi now designs a topsail with a shorter luff, fitted with battens so that the mast can be shortened again by three feet, which is better for the rating of the boat. The new topsail is proving to be just as efficient as the original jackyard topsail and is much quicker to set. The next phase of the optimisation process will take place in winter 2017/18. The construction of a new mast will take centre stage.
An exciting project for Juliane Hempel, the southern German designer and classic boat expert who played a key role in the development of the high-performance spar. "The hollow mast of a traditional gaff-rigged ship has the same thickness all round and is normally very stiff from one side to the other, but not very stiff fore and aft," she explains. "To make it stiff fore and aft, you have to have thicker walls, which makes the mast very heavy.
"Kelpie" still needs to be lighter
Olive wanted a mast that was stiff fore and aft, but also light, and that is very difficult to achieve." But Hempel finds a solution. Where the mast has to be round so that the rings of the mainsail can slide up and down, she gives the profile stronger front and rear walls to stiffen it. Above the claws, on the other hand, it gives the mast an elliptical profile, which not only makes it stiffer at the front and rear, but also gives it a better overall aerodynamic shape. And unlike a traditional mast, which tapers evenly on all sides, Juliane Hempel constructs a straight leech edge so that the luff of the topsail lies close to the mast and turbulence is reduced.
The hollow construction of the mast is also refined. In collaboration with wood expert John Lammerts van Bueren, the bendability of each individual batten is determined in the laboratory so that the mast can ultimately be moved equally in all directions. As a result, the new mast is both lighter and stiffer than the old one, just as owner Olive wanted. Juliane Hempel also designed new aluminium mast fittings instead of the heavy bronze ones.
Further weight is saved in the rigging by standing rigging made of Dyneema fibre. The fibre is stronger and lighter than steel, a very desirable property, especially in the rigging. Around 350 kilograms of weight could be saved in the rigging. Finally, "Kelpie" is also optimised under water. Hempel improves the profile of the rudder and new sea valves are installed that are flush with the hull. The underwater hull is levelled and sanded and a smooth antifouling is applied.
The modifications deliver what they promise
Training sessions are organised with the amateur crew and team spirit is strengthened. The efforts soon paid off. "Kelpie" was sailing at the front more and more often. In 2016, they came fifth and sixth, but by the following summer they were already sailing for third and fourth places. In the following year, 2018, "Kelpie" even dominated her class and finally won in the Mediterranean with victories off Palma, Menorca and Naples.
For various reasons, the new mast is only available for the last two regattas of the season - Cannes and Saint-Tropez - and so it comes as no surprise that "Kelpie" wins these two races and even concludes the season by winning all four races in her class on Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. It is the final stroke under an impressive metamorphosis that shows how even (or especially?) an aged classic can be optimised again for competitive international regatta sport with time, money, energy and planning.
Back on the Solent, there is a festive atmosphere as we sail to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the cradle of the America's Cup. The mood on board is exuberant, even though it is Olive's last trip on his beloved yacht. But don't they say in England that the two best days of ownership are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell it?
We stop off at the "Anchor Inn" pub near the harbour to toast the owner. But it's not long before a south-westerly with wind force 3 to 4 comes up and we prefer to go sailing again. It's a fast trip back across the choppy Solent, and despite the windier conditions, Olive makes the beginners work hard on the sheets, even though these are the last nautical miles he will be moving the boat.
It's his way of saying goodbye to his muse, with a bunch of happy amateurs and a few loyal crew members backing him up - as they have done for the past 14 years on the regatta courses of Europe.
A refit with moderation and consistency
The refit at Fairlie Restorations lasted from 2009 to 2012 and proved to be correspondingly extensive. Keel beams, stem and parts of the stern had to be renewed, for which some frames were removed and reinstalled. In the course of this work, the shaft was routed off-centre through the hull. The rudder was replaced. Only a few planks had to be replaced. The deck beams, however, were gone, and in the course of this work Fairlie laid a new teak deck. The interior was restored to its original condition. In addition to some new fittings, the boat was fitted with an almost complete modern electrical system.
Technical data of the "Kelpie"
- Type: South Coast One Design
- Designer: Alfred Mylne
- Building yard: J.G.Fay & Co.
- Year of construction: 1903
- Material: Pine on oak
- Total length: 19,20 m
- Length above deck: 17,37 m
- Waterline length: 11,48 m
- Width: 3,35 m
- Depth: 2,29 m
- Displacement: 16,0 t
