THIS BUSINESS OF LEGENDS…

irst in Monaco, then Cannes, then Saint-Tropez, it seemed everyone was speaking of just one boat, a mysterious silhouette, – so technologically advanced in her day that she’s been compared to the mighty – has been one of the most exciting restorations of recent years. In her day, she swept all before her. Her discovery, after 80 years on the seabed, is the stuff of dreams. Her reality today, sailing again in the classic fleet, is that of a yacht that exists in a category all her own. Another boat that no one can ever fail to notice is the replica three-masted schooner . In 1905, the original crossed the ocean she was named after in 12d 4h, under America’s Cup legend Charlie Barr, who locked the owner in his stateroom to pray for his life, while Barr got on with pressing hard through a storm, to win the race and set a speed record that would last 75 years. The replication of these legendary large classics has been the second great chapter in the classic yacht revival. John Lammerts van Bueren’s telling of the story is so good, you might want to lock yourself in your own stateroom to read it.