Classic Sailing Yachts

By Jill Bobrow Before the First World War, King Edward VII and Kaiser Wilhelm II tried to outdo each other at the Cowes Regatta with their cutting- edge racing yachts. These vessels are among those featured in this lavishly illustrated celebration of a golden age in yacht design: from the beautiful gaff cutters and J-Class sloops that competed in the America's Cup in the first half of the 20th century to the best modern replicas built using the latest materials and technology. A well-built sailing vessel is a joy to behold, regarded for centuries - by both sailor and landlubber alike - it is a sight so magnificent as to rival the light of the moon or the form of a beautiful woman. This book is a celebration of that beauty, beginning with a definition of exactly what a classic yacht is and explanations of the roles played by factors such as design, materials, vintage, size, and builder. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific boat, providing an in-depth discussion of her provenance, construction, and sailing characteristics, with contextual framework given by comparisons to similar ships. Readers will discover how different countries - and different builders - developed their own unique solutions to common challenges to seaworthiness, speed, and manoeuvrability. Illustrated with photographs of the most gorgeous news-making vessels of the past century, the book features a lively text that conveys a real insider's knowledge of the fleet, with information about each yacht's construction, changes in ownership, America's Cup performances, and the rivalries and colourful personalities involved. AUTHOR: Jill Bobrow is editor-at-large at Yachts International, former editor-in-chief of ShowBoats International, a founding editor of Boat International USA, and editor of the Megayachts USA book series. She spent her post-university years crewing, cooking on charter boats, and living in the West Indies. She has co-authored more than a dozen high-end yachting-related titles. Over the course of her career, she has cruised on numerous famous yachts in countless locales the world over. SELLING POINTS: * A century of classic yachts unfurled in vintage photographs and a sail-snapping text that reveals the secrets of their beauty and performance 264 colour photographs