ROSALIND was designed and built in 1904 by Harry Thomas Stow & Sons at Shoreham for Charles Hellyer of Yorkshire.
This yard which has built other noteworthy yachts such as RONA was built and designed as a gaff yawl using the finest
Burma teak on robust oak frames – she typified the best kind of cruising yacht of the period with first class materials and
workmanship.
ROSALIND sold in 1908 to John E Humphrey, who after 4 years sold the yacht to Oswald Cecil Maguiac of London, a
member of the Royal Yacht Squadron owning and enjoying the vessel for 22 years, she was then sold to Aubrey Fletcher and
in 1936 to J B Darlymple. He moored ROSALIND discreetly in Scotland during World War II, always afloat to keep the
Admiralty away from her precious lead keel.
In 1948, her last English owner, Lt. Col C C Morrison bought the yacht and sailed her around Spain. In Spanish ownership
and with her name changed to ROSALINDA as General Franco had ordered that all foreign names be changed to Spanish
ones, the yacht underwent considerable modernization – a ketch rig, her bowsprit and bumpkin were removed.
When Javier Ayala was appointed Captain in 1990 ROSALINDA was barely recognisable from when he had first seen her in
1971 – Ayala, an ex-master mariner in the Spanish Merchant Navy had been working for the Barcelona Nautical Museum
and in 1994 he set about persuading the owners of ROSALINDA to return the yacht to her original looks and style.
In 1996 the warden boat facility of Monty Nautic in Barcelona was chosen to carry out what ended in a total restoration. The
good news was that the teak hull, nearly all the frames, the stern, the keel and keelson were still in good condition after
nearly 100 years! With the vessel stripped out, the opportunity was stolen to replace all systems (electrical plumbing and
domestic) an authentic new interior was crafted using high quality Cuban mahogany as little of the original remained; the
offset propeller and engine under the main mast were inconvenient, and a new rudder was needed to accommodate a central
prop and quite importantly a return to the gaff yawl rig. Using acknowledged expert on traditional rigs, Harry Spencer of
Cowes, hundreds of bronze castings for the deck and spars were fabricated, and under her restored rig she now sails as she
used to, well balanced and capable of being handled by a crew of 4.
CONSTRUCTION
Burma teak on oak frames , copper and bronze fastened, iron floors
Share
