20 YEARS OF SUFFOLK YACHT HARBOUR CLASSICS
Su olk Yacht Harbour (SYH) welcomed 50 classic sailing and motor yachts to its annual Classic Regatta in June 2022, on the event’s 20th anniversary. Among them were first-timers and sailors who have competed in all twenty. SYH director Jonathan Dyke said: “This year was undoubtedly the best yet. The weather was superb and the race management delivered fantastic racing in all three classes. It was proof that the classic yachting scene on the English east coast is very much thriving.”
The sailing yacht fleet comprised a wide range from ga ers to spirit of tradition, IODs and Stellas. The oldest yacht was 1898 ga cutter and Dunkirk
1 1920 Alfred Mylne yawl Gudgeon (in front), with Britanny class sloop Droleen II (sail no 406) and the Holman sloop Phialle (sail no 80Y); 2 Overall regatta winner Mark Wincer with Suolk Yacht Harbour MD Jonathan Dyke; 3 S&S sloop Illiria; 4 Winner of the French Marine Motorboat Trophy was Ryegate; 5 Solani Sloop Malwen; 6 Harry Feltham designed and built clinker motorboat, Wagtail; 7 Spirit 52 Flight of Uord, owned by Spirit Yachts CEO Sean McMillan; 8 Fairey Huntsman Flower Power in the Parade of Power; 9 James Johnson, owner of Speardancer, won the Fairey Marine plate, pictured with Joshua Major, SYH Boatyard Services Director; 10 Andrew Gilmour, owner of Timoa, the Stella class winner, with Jonathan Dyke of SYH; 11 Spirit 30 Lady Elena (foreground) with S&S sloop Illiria; 12 Overall winner IOD Whisper (sail no GBR7), with One-Tonner Breeze of Yorkshire (sail no 1718) and S&S Sunstone (GBR2183), which was second overall; 13 Relaxing back at Suolk Yacht Harbour;
little ship Cachalot, 123 years older than the newest yacht in the fleet, the Spirit 30 Lady Elena, launched in 2021. The three-race series for the Fast, Slow and Stella classes saw a range of conditions from full sun, 18+ knots and very choppy seas in Race 1, to 11 knots and strong tides in Race 3. On Saturday, 13 motorboats took to the stage in the Parade of Power, among them eight Fairey Marine boats, the WG McBryde-designed motor yacht Blade, and the Gibbs of Teddington motor yacht Ryegate. That evening, the fleet headed back to SYH for live music, free cold beers, and wood-fired oven pizzas.
After Race 3 on Sunday, the winners were revealed. First in the Fast Class was the IOD Whisper. The Slow Class was won by the 1920 Alfred Mylne yawl Gudgeon and the Stella Class by Timoa. Enderlein Sloop Thistle took home the Sar Concours d’Elegance trophy, the Spirit Yachts “in need of a sti drink” prize was awarded to Bonaventure, and the Stella of the Year went to Persephone. The Classic Marine Fast Motorboat of the Year was won by the Fairey Huntsman 28 Seaspray, and Classic Marine Slow Motorboat of the Year went to the 1919 Thornycroft Morn. The Fairey Marine Plate went to James Johnson in Speardancer, and the French Marine Motorboat trophy was awarded to Ryegate.