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'Lulworth' (ex 'Terpischore') - a brief history. |
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'Lulworth' (ex 'Terpischore') - a brief history. |
The gaff cutter 'Terpischore' was commissioned from White Brothers of Southampton in 1920 by yachtsman Richard H Lee as a rival for 'Britannia' in an effort to revive 'Big Class' racing after WW1. Her form in her early years was disappointing. Following the death of Mr Lee in 1923 she was bought by Mr Herbert Weld-Blundell of Lulworth Castle and renamed after his grandfather's cutter 'Lulworth' which had won the 'Queens Cup' in 1857. Over the next two years Charles Nicholson made improvements which realized her potential. She did well in 1924 against the 'Big Class' cutters: 'Britannia' 'White Heather II' and the 23-metre 'Shamrock'. In 1925 these four cutters were joined by Mr. F B T Davis' schooner 'Westward' and became known for the next two years as 'The Big Five'. 'Lulworth' headed the Performance Table this year and did so again in 1926 when she passed into the ownership of Sir Mortimer Singer. Her dominance of 'Big Class' racing in consecutive seasons alarmed the Y R A. They feared the other owners and the general public would lose interest if this continued and she received harsh handicapping for the rest of her racing career. |
Sir Mortimer Singer sold her in 1928 (when he had 'Astra' built) to Alexander A Paton who raced her until 1930 when a number of factors led him to put her up for sale. These included: the fatal collision with the 'Lucilla' that year no doubt dampened his enthusiasm, then there were financial considerations, and the Y R A's adoption of the 'American Universal Rule' which 'Lulworth' could not easily be altered to conform to. (This was the rule that ushered in the era of the J-class). She became a cruising yacht (converted to ketch rig), then a houseboat on a river Hamble mud berth which led to her slow deterioration over some forty years. In 1989 she was bought for restoration and transported to the Beconcini shipyard at La Spezia in Tuscany. This restoration proved abortive and she languished there for another ten years or so. She was bought in 2001 by Dutch real estate developer Johan van der Bruele and taken for restoration at the Cantiere Darsena in Viareggio, under project manager Giuseppe Longo. Painstakingly and authentically restored to her magnificent original condition, she was launched in 2006. |
Classic Racing Yachts |