RENAISSANCE OF A MASTERPIECE

From her controversial start, this beautiful, heavy-weather champion from Fife III has found many lovers in a century afloat

- JACQUES TAGLANG AND CLARE MCCOMB

Amazing! Fantastic! Phenomenal! People seem to use up all the superlatives trying to describe even the most recent achievements of the ketch Sumurun. When she was originally launched from Fairlie back in 1914, the press noted that “her forward overhang is unusually long for a cruising yacht, and this, with her sharply defined bow section, gives the impression she will take the sea well”. They were certainly proved right. Fife chose a somewhat traditional combination of English oak frames and planking of east Indian teak; she was designed as a gaff yawl but is now ketch-rigged. After a long and hugely varied succession of owners, she has belonged to classic sailing enthusiast Alain Moatti since October 2017.

Her recent meticulous and comprehensive restoration in the expert hands of Breton shipyard Chantier Du Guip, in Brest, included the fitting of a new rig almost as soon as she was lowered back into the water in July 2019. The work was overseen by famous French- Argentinian naval architect Juan Kouyoumdjian, of America’s Cup and Olympic fame, who believes it is as exciting to optimise old boats as to design new ones.

All this high-end expertise prepared Sumurun well, both to manage the tough winds she met sailing from Brest to Saint-Tropez for Les Voiles last summer, and for the highly competitive racing that followed. Victory in her class was an unexpected but brilliant end to a very eventful year for the beautiful yacht. Everything is now set fair for 2020 and beyond.