UNKNOWN LEGENDS
● 1905 Broads prizefighter
● The first Concordia
● Sparkman & Stephens pioneer
BROADS RACER RETURNS
The Edwardian Broads racer Sparklet survived a war and an unsympathetic conversion, and is now back to her best WORDS AND PHOTOS RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN
Logbook
Classic Boat Awards 2025
A record turnout and some incredible stories made our annual awards party at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London on 9th April a roaring success.
With a truly international guestlist and our always superb sponsors, this is our chance to celebrate the night and say thank you to all involved.
Will Reed, director of the Boat Building Academy (left) with Tim Gedge (right), BBA founder and this year’s Lifetime Achievement award winner 2: Sponsor Dartmouth Gin were ready with plenty of ‘supplies’ for winners…
CB publisher Greg Witham with Chelsea Magazines’ managing director Marie Davies
Jonathan Dyke of Su olk Yacht Harbour and sponsor Classic Marine with Helen Porter of Ocean PR 5: CB publisher Greg Witham presents the Small, Unique Sailing Vessel prize
William Lewis, builder of the proa Tiny Giant
award went to Dorothy, collecting the award was the owner and, left, Tom Richardson of Elephant Boatyard 7: CB’s Milly, George, Loulou and Annabelle 8: CB’s own Dave Selby (left) with Chris and Peta Torrance, owners of SoT winner Laerling
9: Presenter Paul Heiney and Will Sterling, our Classic Boater of the Year 10: CB editor Carl Richardson with Leo Goolden, winner of Restored Vessel over 40ft for Tally Ho 11: Adrien Burnard of British Marine and the
owner of Llanthony, Powered Vessel over 40ft winner 12: Steve and Heather Dennett with Dartmouth Gin’s Lance Whitehead (right). The Dennets yard were involved in both motorboat awards this year, with Bou Saada and Llanthony 13: Lady Judith McAlpine of the Henley Traditional Boat Festival (left) 14: Lifetime Achievement winner Tim Gedge of the BBA (left) with current BBA director Will Reed 15: Lance Whitehead (left) and his son Miles 16: Larry Russen (right) and family, owner of nominee Wallop, with
Sarah Curtis (2nd right) of King’s Boatyard 17: Winners old and new gathered together 18: The crew of Barnabas (1881), winners of the Gstaad YC Centenarian Award prompted talk of a ‘best dressed’ category for next year 19: Ex-CB art editor Peter Smith (centre) with current holder of that post, Gareth Lloyd Jones (right) and Adrien Burnard of British Marine 20: The crew of Cornish fisher Barnabas receive their award from Gstaad Yacht Club’s Cindy Schoenrich 21: The team from Downs Road Boatyard and Laerling owner Chris Torrance
THE FIRST
The hurricane of ‘38 wrecked 3,000 boats – but it also founded the legend of the Concordia yawls WORDSAND
CONCORDIA
PHOTO: JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR
HAUTE MOTEUR
Frantz Liuzzi was once described as a man who embodied the engeineering brilliance of Gordini and the style of Dior, as demonstrated by this, now fully restored, Lido runabout
TEXT GERALD GUETAT PHOTOS HENRI THIBAULT ARCHIVES C/O CERCLE DU MOTONAUTISME CLASSIQUE
RACE TO THE FINNISH
In the mid-1960s, amid a world split between conflict and global peace movement, and between wood and glassfibre, a new boat in build in Finland would change sailing forever
WORDS STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES PHOTOS LARS ASKHEIM