Multi-talent

Born in Wellington in 1965, Clissold began sailing in the time-honoured fashion, racing a P Class out of Worser Bay. His father Carne then got into trailer yachts, initially a Quicksilver 16, followed by a Farr 6000. The Farr got plenty of use including one memorable cruise across Cook Strait to Tasman Bay and back.

Leaving school in 1983, Clissold wanted to be a yacht designer but in those days there was no recognised training programme in yacht design, so instead he became a boatbuilding apprentice with Bruce Hopwood Yachts.

At the time Hopwood was building Marauder 28 keelers, Sterling 33 launches and Ross 780 trailer yachts. Despite the variety, Clissold spent most of his four-year apprenticeship up to his elbows in polyester resins and fibreglass cloth. Sadly, that was often the lot for an apprentice during the heyday of New Zealand GRP production boatbuilding.

The moment his four years was. “That was my first experience with pre-preg GRP and I learned a lot.”