the islander

The Islander, a G.L. Watson pearl shines again.By Joan Sol

Islander is an auxiliary ketch, whose history spans 72 years. Holder of a solo round the world navigation record, she still has the wherewithal to win regattas on the classic boat circuit in the Mediterranean. Product of George L. Watson’s company, one of the most renowned yacht designers of all times, Islander has returned to the ship yard to recover its creator’s inherent design.

When Quico Despuig, the boat builder who is currently leading the restoration of Islander at Drassanes I Escar de Roses (Costa Brava, Spain) emptied the interiors of the boat and stripped the hull’s paint, who was amazed at the quality of the construction and the materials that had been used. A part from some corroded iron floors and rotten areas around the bow and a few frames, Islander is in as good condition as the day it was launched, 72 years ago. The main problems that affect it are due to repairs made with little knowledge or care for the characteristics and identity of the boat. The mast, for example, was deformed due to inappropriate rigging that made sailing manoeuvres difficult. The solid teak deck, ruined by over zealous sanding, had several fittings which weren’t in keeping with the vessel’s character. However, Quico Despuig, having gained his skills in England, new exactly what kind of boat he was dealing with: a work of art created by G.L.Watson Co., one of the most celebrated designers in yachting history. He was aware that any intervention on Islander would necessarily have to be based on the original plans, because there he would find the solution to the various problems that might arise during restoration. Joel Despuig, Quico’s son, contacted G.L.Watson & Co in Liverpool and received very welcome news. They still had the original drawings of the boat and a wealth of documentation. Father and son took the first available flight to Liverpool, in search of Islander’s drawings.

In 1873 George Lennox Watson started the first yacht design business in the world. He was a talented designer and enthusiastic about innovative technology which he applied to his racing yachts, such as composite construction (which was a novelty in that era). Watson achieved international recognition with his challengers for the America’s Cup, Thistle, Valkyrie II, Valkyrie III and Shamrock II, which are some of his pioneering designs. His greatest and best known creation however was Britannia, built for Edward VII, considered one of the most flawless yachts of all times. George L. Watson formed part of the generation of racing yacht designers who created a golden era of yachting between the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, together like minded naval genius’s such as the American Nathanael Herreshoff and the Scotsman William Fife III. Watson died in 1904 but his company,

PLÀ DEL SENYOR LLORENÇ S/N, APT DE CORREUS Nº89, , CADAQUÉS, 17488TEL: 972.25.89.76 / FAX:972.25.10.19 E-mail: [email protected]

G.L.Watson & Co., carried on his legacy and designed some of the last steam ships for European royalty. The company currently belongs to Dr. William Collier, yachting world historian, who managed to preserve Watson’s valuable documents and prevent them leaving the country.

Under the portrait of G.L.Watson which presides the board room and surrounded by a series of objects belonging to the designer, the G.L.Watson & Co naval engineer, white gloved, carefully unfolded the original plans before the Despuig’s curious gaze. Many of these plans were still rolled up in their original cardboard boxes. Some fifty plans remain and have had to be given a chemical treatment to be able to handle them and copy them. The fragile spread of plans revealed vessel lines, sail plans and a wealth of construction details, all necessary to appreciate how Islander was built. It is said that Watson was more of a mathematical than artistic designer, and that the beauty of his designs came from the pure forms and the rigging, meant to obtain maximum efficiency. This was evident looking at the drawings, set out across the table and the boat models on exhibit. The offices still retain the spirit of the man who founded the company at the age of 22 and who contributed to consolidating the long tradition of racing yachts.

Islander inherited the G.L.Watson tradition. It is numbered as design Nº570 but was originally proposal nº P44. The proposals were designer drafts that not always came to fruition; while the design was commissioned by a customer who bought the plans. The proposal number and design do not coincide because previous proposals were often used as a foundation for subsequent designs. We do know there was another vessel in Maine built to the same design, the until recently 55’ ketch Venture, launched at Cowes in 1924 for J. Samuel White, unfortunately this was destroyed recently due to lack of funds.

Islander was built at the famous A.M. Dickie & Sons shipyard in Tarbert, Scotland, for Archibald J. Barr of Kilmacolm, Inverclyde near Glasgow, a “ship owner” by profession as is stated on his wife’s death certificate. Construction began in May 1936 and the boat was delivered in April 1937. According to the original specifications, the auxiliary cruising ketch Nº570 has the following approximate dimensions: length overall, 56’6 feet; length between perpendiculars, 49 feet; length on waterline, 41 feet; breadth extreme, 12’9 feet; and depth from top of covering board to underside of wood keel amidships, 8’9 feet. The specifications also indicate that Islander was built following Lloyds special survey. As far as the materials are concerned it is of Burmese teak, air dried for eight years. The frames are of “truly grown British oak” spaced 21” apart and reinforced with galvanised floors. The planking is 11/2” thick teak, the deck is also of “first quality” Burmese teak, 21/2” by 11/2”, fastened directly onto the beams with “heavy brass screws”. The quality of the materials makes


Islander extremely seaworthy, able to resist the most adverse conditions. While researching Islander’s history Joel Despuig trawled Lloyd’s archives, and found a list of Islander’s previous owners. According to these archives A. J. Barr, the first owner, only held Islander from 1937 to 1939 and subsequently from 1950 to 1954. In between these dates it belonged to Sir Knowles Edge, an industrialist from the north. In 1954 it was sold to Ronald Strauss, a financier from the city who kept the boat in Southampton.

In 1964 Islander was bought by Tom Blackwell, a true sea lover, retired captain of the merchant navy and an heir to the Crosse&Blackwell empire. A solitary and retiring character, Captain Blackwell had few friends, spoke little of his past or family, and loath to sail in company. With Tom Blackwell at the helm, Islander fulfilled its designer’s expectations, achieving a solo world navigation record. Blackwell would circumnavigate the world, and after three years return to Durban, South Africa, for repairs, maintenance and prepare for the next voyage. Thus between 1968 and 1979 Blackwell solo circumnavigated the globe twice but was unable to finish the third attempt. Blackwell docked at Durban, with strong stomach pains; the diagnosis was stomach cancer and a week to live unless he went immediate surgery. The captain spent several weeks looking for a purchaser for the yacht, finally thanks to a local skipper he managed to sell it for 35.000$. The sale was negotiated on deck and they say that when the testy old man rowed away from his beloved Islander, he was unable to look back. With the money from the sale Blackwell paid his medical fees and operation, gave part to charity and another part to the Point Yacht Club, Durban, in thanks for the help received from its members.

Following the boat’s trail, Joel Despuig contacted the South African club. Richard Cox, the commodore, was able to confirm the club used Blackwell’s legacy to finance the renovation of the restaurant, which today bears the name the Islander room. Presiding over the room is Islander’s original boom, donated by its then new owner and underneath a plaque in memory of “round the world yachtsmen Tom Blackwell, skipper of the ketch Islander, whose life’s voyage ended in Durban on March 10th 1980, during his third solo circumnavigation.”

Islander’s new owner, the Durban lawyer John P. Mathews, recruited a crew to sail the boat to New England for an extensive refit. But once in the Canary Islands, the crew had a disagreement with Mathews over the arranged payment. After waiting for two months and unfulfilled promises, the captain and crew returned to South Africa and a new crew came out from England to take over. Islander was then taken as far as Barcelona, but there the owner completely abandoned her. In 1981 Luis Garí discovered Islander half abandoned and dishevelled in Astilleros Carabela and immediately purchased the boat. In 1989 he sold her to Ricardo Albiñana, her present owner, who has moored her at Barcelona’s Royal Yacht Club.


During the last few years Islander has once again been seen in the Mediterranean’s agenda of classic regattas, winning a first and third place in the Conde de Godo trophy in 2008 and 2007 respectively, and a second place in the 2007 Forum regatta. In spite of its 72 years of history Islander is still a competitive through bred.

Film producer Ricardo Albiñana, current owner of the Islander, is well aware of the pedigree of his boat and considers this as a unique master piece of European maritime heritage. Consequently Ricardo hired the services of Drassanes Despuig and gave them the delicate mission of restoring his yacht to it's original aspect. From the first moment, Quico Despuig, the boat builder from Cadaqués (Costa Brava), specialized in the restoration of classic boats and traditional Mediterranean boats, knew there was only way to accomplish the owners goal, and that was going back to the original drawings. Now, with the original drawings and the technical specifications in his hands, he can repair modifications that were mistakenly carried out and restore the structural elements that were designed by George L. Watson and his team for the vessel.

From January and till May of 2009, the Islander will be on dry dock at Roses where it is going through the first phase of the restoration. The restoration is being carried out in two phases so that the owner can enjoy sailing the vessel during the months of good weather, from spring to autumn. In this first phase Drassanes Despuig is focusing on the structural aspects such as the stem, frames, floors and rigging. They are changing 24 feet, out of the 51 foot Spruce mast, repairing the damage caused at the bow due to excessive tension caused by modern stays, recovering the original rigging, removing the winches that are penalized at regattas, building and arranging the blocks to fit the original rigging and restoring all the paint and varnish. In the next phase they will change the deck and refit the interiors to it's original drawings. The whole process will be carried out so that the Islander can participate in the classic boat regattas organized in the waters of Catalonia and Balearic Islands, shining like a pearl with all its brilliance.


the islander

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