AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls
Classic Boat|March 2021
A friend and I once decided that walking might make a change from sailing. So we set forth to walk from Branscombe to Bigbury, a 100-mile stretch of the south-west coastal path marked by knackering climbs and knee-wrenching descents.
Peter Poland
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls

As we hit the path from Start Point to Salcombe on August Bank Holiday, our landlady warned: “Watch out for the hurricane.” We thought she must be mad. Some hours later we sat outside a Salcombe pub, huddled against driving rain and a rising gale. Apparently this was the ‘tail end of Hurricane Charlie.’

As we watched yachts scurrying for cover, several elegant yawl-rigged dinghies continued to brave the elements. They weren’t going to miss the fun. I was astonished that open dayboats were preparing to take on Charlie – but these were no normal dayboats. They were Salcombe Yawls.

Salcombe Yawls trace their history back two centuries. They started life as inshore fishing boats, evolving to cope with the short steep seas and long rollers that swept up the Channel. They had to be able to beat out of the estuary against a strong tide before fishing under a reduced rig of jib and mizzen.

In 1853 the fleet of yawls – then called Licensed Watermen’s Boats – started racing in the Salcombe Regatta. Then in 1917 a very young Jim Stone – apprenticed to Edgar Cove in Salcombe – built himself Y2. During the winter of 1938/39, Y14 was built for son Alec and from around 1946 Jim Stone built many more in East Portlemouth. Between them, Jim and his son Alec built more than 80 SYs up to 1995.

This story is from the March 2021 edition of Classic Boat.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2021 edition of Classic Boat.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM CLASSIC BOATView All
Classic Boat

The Need For Speed

Saving lives at sea has always been bound to the speed of rescue, from the first rowing boats to the 60-knot, all-weather motorboats of today

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2021
ROW YOUR BOAT
Classic Boat

ROW YOUR BOAT

There has been a steady rise in recreational rowing over the past few years, and the choice can be bewildering. What’s the right boat for you?

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2021
Traditional Tool
Classic Boat

Traditional Tool

JOINER’S NAME STAMP

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2021
Classic misuse of a word
Classic Boat

Classic misuse of a word

Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2021
Classic Boat

SCUD MISSILE

Herreshoff’s newly-restored Bar Harbor 31 Scud lit up the classic racing scene in the Med in 2020 with a double win at Cannes and Saint-Tropez

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2021
BOSUN'S BAG
Classic Boat

BOSUN'S BAG

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2021
DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man
Classic Boat

DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man

Vietnam vet, park ranger, dentist, small-craft conservator and tugboat skipper.... meet Ranger Doug!

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2021
CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl
Classic Boat

CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl

Chances at Albert Strange ownership don’t come up often, and Sheila II is the quintessential Strange – and one with a great history, too

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2021
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls
Classic Boat

AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls

A friend and I once decided that walking might make a change from sailing. So we set forth to walk from Branscombe to Bigbury, a 100-mile stretch of the south-west coastal path marked by knackering climbs and knee-wrenching descents.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2021
Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!
Classic Boat

Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!

A rare, 18th-century schooner replica, restored to the tune of around £1 million, could be abandoned if a buyer is not found soon.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2021