Getting afloat

FARIDA

Laurent Giles gem

round the mid to late 20th century, British innovation in sailing boat design was at a pinnacle, with groundbreaking designers like Uff a Fox, Laurent Giles, John Illingworth and Angus Primrose leading the world. The 35ft, launched to a Laurent Giles design in 1939, slightly precedes the fury of post-war innovation, but when you consider than she’s almost contemporary with (1937) which, at a similar size and from the same designer, has won probably more classic racing silver than any other yacht in… well, certainly Britain, you can be assured she’ll fly. Her form manages to be both unusual and beautiful, a trick Giles was sometimes able to pull off. She was re-launched in 2019 after a complete, no-expense-spared restoration, and made a big impression on the editor of this magazine when he took the helm for a sail. The original quality of build, and of the subsequent restoration work, give substance to that allure. You might initially balk at the price, but don’t think of this as a secondhand yacht, as she’s probably better than the day she was launched. This is a gem for an aficionado, a yacht that could enter any regatta on earth, and probably win a fair few too.