All posts by fionabrown

FOR SALE – US4 – SHEILA

Designed by Starling Burgess to the Six Metre rule and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in 1921.  She was part of the first ever team of American 6m yachts to be campaigned in England and she carried sail number US4.

After the racing she remained in the UK and her well documented history took her cruising around Scotland, Ireland and over to Norway with various owners who have written books and memoirs about their time with the boat.

A major 2015 refit included refastening of the hull and plenty of structural repairs, but also gave her a new gaff sloop rig to replace her original Bermudan rig design.  Although her original rig and spars are with the boat still, she has been raced very successfully in recent years as a gaffer and won a lot of silverware.

When purchased by the current owner in 2020 a lot of time and money was put into the boat to optimise her for racing.  The hull was strengthened and the rig design looked at carefully, replacing all hardware with modern equipment such as Harken CarboAirs and Black Magic Airs blocks.  She has a complete integrated B&G system with 4 x H5000 displays.

The boat is engineless as she was originally and the interior has been stripped out for racing.

She has proved to be a very competitive boat, winning Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic regatta and has consistently been at the head of the fleet in other regattas and local races.  In recent years she has won at Fowey Classics, Dartmouth Classics, Cowes Classic Week and Hamble Classics twice.  She was overall winner of the West Country Classics series.  She has the potential to do extremely well in classic events both here and in the Mediterranean and could be a cost effective yacht in which to enjoy these regattas with a good chance of winning some silverware. 

Length Overall                       27’4″
Length on Deck                      27’4″
Beam                                        7′
Draft                                        5’6″
Thames Tonnage                    5TM

Construction

Carvel planked in 3/4″ Honduras mahogany all bronze screw fastened to steam bent oak timbers at 6″ centres.  90% of the hull was re-fastened in 2015.

Hull is splined throughout, these splines were all renewed in 2015.

Wooden structural floors across the centreline.  All centreline bolts from stem to stern replaced in phosphor bronze in 2015.

External lead ballast keel of 2.5 tons fastened with bronze keel bolts.  Half the bolts replaced in phosphor bronze in 2015.  4 new bolts fitted 2024.

New hanging knees in way of the mast form an effective ring frame the strengthen the hull.

Deck laid in T&G yellow pine, overlaid with 1/4″ Robins marine plywood and sheathed externally with epoxy glass cloth.  Deck re-painted in 2024.  Varnished Honduras mahogany toe rails and rubbing strakes.

Pair of circular cockpits, one for the helm and one for the crew, both with varnished teak coamings.

Tiller steering with a new rudder from 2015.  All new hangings and rudder stock.

Rig 

Gaff sloop rig.

Keel stepped varnished spruce hollow mast with an internal plywood structural web, new in 2016.  The bare mast only weighs 40kg.  

Varnished hollow spruce boom and gaff.  Hollow spruce spinnaker pole plus a carbon fibre pole.

Stainless steel standing rigging to internal bronze chain plates.  New bronze chain plate bolts in 2015.  Rigging and rigging screws new in 2024.

Running back stays run below decks and tensioned on the winches.

3 x self tailing Harken winches mounted on the deck and 3 x self tailing Harken winches below decks.

Mainsail 2016, topsail, 3 x Jibs from One Sails (2022 & 2023).  Jackyard topsail re-cut 2023.  Asymmetric by One Sails 2024.

All modern Harken blocks.  Carbo Airs and Black Magic Airs.

Running rigging all new with Southern Ropes Beige SuperT braid on braid (dyneema equivalent core)

Halyards all controlled below deck with Lewmar clutches.

Original bermudan rig complete with rigging and sails still with the boat and able to be fitted directly back in if required, uses same chain plates and mast step .

Electrical Systems

12 volt battery with a Solar Panel from Hartnell Marine.
Powers bilge pump and instruments.

Equipment

Integrated B&G system
4 x H5000 displays – compass, traducer, wind sensor and receiver
B&G GPS screen
Harken rig hardware
Mainsail – 2016
Jib – One Sails 2023
Jackyard topsail – re-cut by One Sails 2023
Asymmetric spinnaker – One Sails 2024
3 x Harken self tailing winches
Electric auto bilge pump
Manual bilge pump
Custom designed all over coverMainsail cover

Price £35,000

Location Hampshire, UK

For further information please contact

Chris Williams
Classic Boat Company
P: +44(0)7710010099
E: chris@classicboatcompany.co.uk
W: www.classicboatcompany.co.uk

2026 Six Meter Europeans Website Live & NOR Published

The 2026 International Six Metre European Championships will be hosted by the Society Nautique de Geneve on beautiful Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The event website is now live and the Notice of Race is available to download.

The Championships will take place from 19 to 24 July and will be preceded by the Swiss Championship on 15 to 17 July, which will act as a warm up regatta for the Europeans.

Further information about these events will follow in due course.

FOR SALE – Z107 – GITANA JUNIOR II – PRICE REDUCED

GitanaJuniorIIPhilippe Durr design and build in 1986

Boat in very good condition ready to race

Nr. 2 mast, one in one pieces and used in the last 2 years, the second in two pieces need to restore.

New rigging 2018

Completed full new ropes Gottifredi Dyneam

New Sail: Main sail Elvstrom in EPEX year 2019

Genoa medium Elvstrom in EPEX year 2019

GitanaJuniorII-2Genoa 2 heavy in Pentex Year 2020

Spi 0.5 year 2019

Few old sail for day use (not for race)

Complete full osmosis repair in 2018 by professional company

Few accessories and details (Nr. 2 New manual pump, Nr. 2 New electric pump, new hydraulic circuit, etc….)

Boat in Italy on Como’s Lake

Asking Price Reduced 28 June 2025 –  EURO 45.000,00

Contact: federicoboracchi@tiscali.it

Boat on ISMA Archive: https://6metrearchive.org/boat/gitana-junior-ii/?highlight=gitana

Click here for Info Sheet with additional images

FOR SALE – USA126 – SCOUNDREL

World Champion- Scoundrel For Sale – $195,000.00 USD

Designed by Ian Howlett

Built by Paul Litton of Litton Furniture Ltd, Dorsett, UK

Mast Designed by Scott Ferguson- lead Naval Architect American Magic AC 37

Commissioned originally by Bruce Owen in 1989

Winner – 1994 European Championship

Winner – 1997 World Championship

Winner – 2023 World Championship

Two time and reigning 6 Metre Open Division World Champion Scoundrel is currently for sale by her owner, the United States Merchant Marine Academy Sailing Foundation. Scoundrel was originally commissioned by Bruce Owen in 1989. Scoundrel is not only exceptionally fast in all conditions, she may also be one of the prettiest 6 Metres of any vintage ever built. She is built of cold molded mahogany, and has the unique provenance of having been built by the well known furniture maker Paul Litton. Upon a close look at her you immediately notice the exquisite detail that went into her from the very beginning. It is said that at the time of her build she was the most expensive 6 Metre ever built.

Scoundrel was meticulously re-fit by Matt Brooks in 2017-2018 by Jens Lange and Baltic Boatworks , in Bristol, Rhode Island. Matt had Scott Ferguson design a new mast as well as a new carriage for her mast step. Scoundrel also comes with a second , newer rudder desined by Scott Ferguson. New instrumentation from B&G was installed in 2018, including an extensive and complete electronics package using the B&G H5000 processor. Matt donated Scoundrel to the USMMA SF in 2019. Scoundrel’s rudder, trim tab and mast step all have string pots on them to measure adjustments. The rudder and trim tab string pots are connected to the B&G instruments

From 2018 until 2023 the systems onboard were continuously refined and developed. Mike Marshall of North Sails designed new sails for Scoundrel for her 2023 World Championship campaign. Those sails have one light air regatta on them. Scoundrel’s current sail inventory includes a complete suit of North Sails from 2018, another complete inventory built in 2019 with one season, 2022 in Sanxenxo, on them. And then her 2023 World Championship winning inventory which have one regatta on them.

Scoundrel is in pristine condition and could literally be ready win the 2025 World Championship with very little work, if any. She is for sale at a fraction of the cost of a new boat, and has beaten all the newest 6 Metres in the 2023 World Championship, without having to sail the last race. The fastest and prettiest 6 Metre in the world can be yours for only $250,000.00 USD

For further information please contact Connor Marion connor@usmmasailing.org

Four months to go! International Six Metres Make Historic return to Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club for 2025 World Championship

Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (SCYC) and the Six Metre Class have a long and illustrious history. Founded in 1871 and located on Oyster Bay, New York, SCYC is America’s oldest yacht club and its association with the Sixes goes right back to the class’s foundation in 1907. The club last hosted a Six Metre World Championships in 1987 and so the class is excited to be returning to this very special venue for its 2025 Worlds from 22 to 26 September 2025.

Oyster Bay and Long Island Sound are renowned as some of the best sailing waters in the world and more than 30 Sixes from across the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Greece and the United Kingdom will come together to race for the World Championship Trophies.

Competitors will include the defending Six Metre Classic World Champion, His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, racing his beloved Bribon, the 1947 Arvid Laurin design which was built by Plym in Sweden. Having won three of the last four Classic World Championships, His Majesty will no doubt be keen to claim the trophy again.

In 2023 Jamie Hilton and his crew won the Open Division World Championship sailing Scoundrel. This year Jamie and his team will return to the fray, but this time racing a brand new boat, designed by Ian Howlett for the legendary Six Metre owner Rainer Müller. Currently nearing completion at Demon Yachts in the UK, this is Ian Howlett’s first new Six in some years and is a direct descendent of his Battlecry and Soundrel designs, which have been so successful in recent years.

Ian Howlett explains that the boat will only be completed just in time for the championship. “Around the turn of the new year the intended build time was foreshortened when the decision was made to take her to the 2025 Worlds in Seawanhaka. She will be sailed by the highly accomplished group, led by Jamie Hilton, who raced Scoundrel so effectively in 2023 at Cowes, and this group have also specified her deck layout, equipment and rig. Those contributing to the build at this end will do all we can to make things work out well for them, as racing a new and untried boat in a major regatta is always a considerable challenge. For me the pleasure and excitement of seeing a new Six take shape had almost been lost in the “Mists of Time” so above all Thank You to Rainer for making this possible.”

Back in the class for their first World Championship since 2015 will be Matt Brooks and his stunning classic Lucie, a 1931 Clinton H Crane design which was built by Nevins for Briggs Cunningham, the famous America’s Cup skipper. Lucie was launched into the heyday of Six Metre racing at SCYC and was shipped to the Solent as part of the US team for that year’s British-American Cup team racing, which the US team won in four straight races.

“We’re looking forward to returning Lucie to the starting line at a World Championship on her original home waters of Long Island Sound—Lucie was built at the Nevins yard in 1931 on City Island, New York. Hailing from the Bay Area and flying the St. Francis Yacht Club burgee, we have an experienced team including helmsman Craig Healy, and our philosophy is like the Oakland Raiders’ Al Davis always said: ‘Just win, baby!’” – Matt Brooks.

Such is the resurgence of interest in the Six Metre Class at the current time that there will be two brand new Sixes on the starting line for the worlds. Mr America’s Cup himself Dennis Conner will participate aboard his new boat Ole Miss, a Javi Cela design launched in San Diego in late 2024. Ole Miss continues the recent trend of radical developments in the Modern Sixes, and it will be exciting to see her line up against the likes of Henrik Andersin’s Oiva, the reigning Six Metre Open European Champion, which was designed by Allan Savolainen and built by Red Sky yachts, launching in October 2022, and of course the new Howlett boat.

Registration and measurement for the Championship starts on 17 September, on September 20 and 21 there will be warm up racing, and World Championships will run from 22 to 26 September, with a total of eight races scheduled. The club will also be hosting Six Metre regattas on 21-22 June, 19-20 July and 16-17 August for competitors who wish to familiarise themselves with the waters.

Further information about the event can be found at 2025.6metreworlds.com