The Ships Book

Although built in 1936, Cruinneag Ill only left Scottish waters for the first time in 2009. A chance
meeting with Kenny Coombs in Cannes 2011 prompted her participation at the Antigua Classics in 2012 where her owners entered the spirit of the Regatta with welcome enthusiasm.

In the 1930s, Scottish entrepreneur Robert Morton commissioned Bill Campbell to design a yacht incorporating the sleek lines of the Fifes but with sufficiently comfortable accommodation for him and his wife to live aboard and sail her easily with few or no crew. Thus Cruinneag Ill was built by Dickie & Sons and launched in 1936 (the Ship’s Book still includes a receipt for a windlass dated 1935) …

She was bought by George Christie (a member of the Antigua Yacht Club) in 1950 and for the next 40 years, George maintained her in pristine condition: he sailed her every other year for about t hree months then stored her in a massive shed when not in use where her upkeep and regular varnishing were ensured by George’s carpenter mate Ronnie. She was under different ownership in the 1990s but George’s grandson N ick, who found his sea legs at the age of 6 months with his Grandfather on board the much-loved Cruinneag Ill, was able to buy her back in 2008.

Now that he had her; Nick decided he would not keep her under wraps but would sail her as much as possible, and not restrict himself to Scottish waters. He decided to take two years off and circumnavigate the globe, and spent the following six months making her seaworthy for such a voyage, such as clearing the midship area, doing all the renovations, varnishing and engineering himself together with first mate Karen.

They kept the same basic cabin layout (adding a new one in the fo’c’sle) and modernised everything else (particularly the plumbing and the electrics) in order to comply with current regulations needed for chartering. Because Cruinneag Ill was so impeccably maintained, none of the original deck nuts and bolts needed changing. Everything else was recycled and/or replaced where necessary. For example, the stay sail boom broke and was lost in the 1960s, so they reshaped the spinnaker pole to make a new stay sail boom; the main boom was reshaped to rep lace the mizzen boom. The interior is very comfortable as well as attractive, retaining all the original details and fixtures (Cruinneag Ill was awarded the Arne Frizell prize for the yacht with the most grace and seaworthiness at the Concours d’Elegance at the Antigua Classics in 2012). The new sails carry the original sail number 2281 and the scuppering of Nick’s Grandfather’s submarine off Malta is the reason for the red and black Maltese cross on the spinnaker.

In October 2009, Nick first sailed north to Inverness to show George Christie the fruits of his Grandson’s labours, then south into the Irish Sea – in a Force 9 gale. After wintering in Bilbao, Cruinneag arrived in Cannes and Christie decided to become part of the Classic Yacht circuit for a year in 2010. They enjoyed it so much, they were delighted when the opportunity arose in 2011 to do all the Panerai Regattas in tandem with the 1916 Herreshoff Rowdy, acting as mothership and crew. By happy coincidence, Nick had attended the same school as Max, son of Graham Walker; owner of Rowdy (and veteran sailor who headed Britain’s 1987 America’s Cup campaign).

Whilst at Cannes they met Kenny Coombs, and decided on the Caribbean as their next destination. In November 2011, they joined the ARC as the oldest boat.