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Fast and Bonnie the 2008 Fife Regatta By Richard Matthews Anyone who appreciates beautiful classic yachts is almost certain to have heard of Fife, as well or better known in their day as Herreshoff in the USA, both families renowned for not only designing but also building their yachts. There were three William Fifes; the first started building fishing boats on the bank of the Clyde at Fairlie at the beginning of the 19th century, with little more than a sawpit and a small blacksmith's smithy. The first and second William Fifes had natural genius, were craftsmen in their own right and knew how to get the best out of a boat when sailing. The third William Fife joined the firm in 1885 and had a more formal training than his father and grandfather but the spark of genius had been passed on to the third generation. William Fife III, who died in 1944, is probably the most famous of them all and is remembered for his designs for Sir Thomas Lipton's America's Cup challengers Shamrock I and Shamrock III and the 23-Metre Shamrock, his designs for the Metre classes, especially the 6-Metres, various one-design classes, many beautiful cruising yachts and ocean racers. Today little or nothing remains of the old Fife yard at Fairlie but the wind vane atop the village church is modelled on one of Fife’s most beautiful designs the ketch Latifa. Photos: Denette Wilkinson This June, 20 Fife yachts, some well over 100 years old, gathered off Fairlie in the Firth of Clyde for the third Fife Regatta of the modern era. I had chartered The Truant, a recently restored 45ft 8-Metre from 1910, owned by a young Scottish artist, Ross Ryan. This really came about because I am two thirds of the way into restoring a 50ft Fife from 1898, Kismet, and wanted to learn about the rig and gear. Racing was in two classes with some real divas like The Lady Anne, Maraquita, Moonbeam and Altair in the big boat class with one of everything from 19ft to 50ft, including The Truant, in class 2, which was divided about 50-50 between gaff and Bermudian rig. Starting and ending with receptions at Kelburn Castle, the fleet was based at nearby Largs Marina, although the larger Fifes had to anchor off. We raced to Helensborough where the Royal Northern YC put on a traditional Burns Night dinner complete with haggis and pipers. From there to Rothsay where we were hosted for dinner in Mount Stewart, an outstanding gothic mansion. Through the Kyles of Bute and back to Largs, the five race series was keenly sailed but with a strong emphasis on camaraderie and friendship between crews. Aboard The Truant we learned how to set a topsail and won all five races in the gaff division. One memorable moment was on the penultimate race from Rothsay back to Largs when a 40-knot rainsquall swept the fleet. Aboard The Truant we tried to reef with limited success, as we could not keep her long overhanging boom out of the water. We dropped the peak halyard, pressed on downwind and, thankfully, within 15 or 20 minutes, the worst of the squall passed leaving us, and the rest of the fleet, a little shaken but undamaged. Another bizarre moment was just before race five when we found we had been carrying a stowaway for the entire regatta! It turns out the The Truant’s owner Ross had been given the boat and the means to restore her by his uncle Bob. Bob passed away a month before Truant was re-launched and Ross discreetly stowed the urn, containing Bob’s ashes, in the lazaratte. We entered into the spirit of all this by taking Bob’s urn to the prize giving, and our crew have now been invited to a remote pub on the Isle of Skye, later this year, for Uncle Bob’s final farewell. The Fife’s described their yachts as ‘fast and bonnie’ and I would agree. When you see a classic yacht look out for the dragon carving on the caveta line on the bow - a sure sign of a genuine Fife yacht. For more on the Fife Regatta see www.fiferegatta.com 2008 FIFE REGATTA www.oystermarine.com 9