Japan – A long way to go for a Marine (Insurance) Survey, but a great adventure & experience
European Marine Services advertise – travel Anywhere at Any Time – but Japan is quite an exception
A few years ago we had the pleasure and honour to be instructed by a large Japanese Corporation to undertake a Marine Survey & Valuation of this most famous 110′ gaff rigged wood ketch built in 1927 by Camper & Nicholsons UK. (Launched as ‘Gwendolen’)
We therefore thought that this Marine Survey / valuation survey would make an interesting blog
CYNARA (wood ketch) Under full sail
Christened Gwendolen, Cynara has also been called Easy Going during a colourful career. She was purchased just prior to her launch by the Danish Graae family who were among the founders of the Regates Royales in Cannes. William Compton, the sixth Marquess of Northampton, owned her for 25 years from 1933 before the famous British racing driver, Duncan Hamilton, bought her in 1965 and kept her in the Mediterranean.
Legend has it that Compton’s close friend, Winston Churchill, nearly set her on fire. It was during this time Cynara was chartered for the comedy crime film Drop Dead Darling, starring Tony Curtis and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Having raced in the Caribbean in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Cynara left Europe in 1973 for Japan. Since her arrival she has been maintained in her original state and, very unusually, her layout had not been substantially altered.
Cynara skipper assisted with the survey
Charles Nicholson had a reputation for designing safe and seaworthy boats that could sail quickly and efficiently, and despite her shallow draft, she has all the design elements of his most seaworthy creations. What we know of her history is that she was always fast and a great boat to sail on ocean voyages, even in the harshest weather conditions.
The splendid interior by the Camper & Nicholson’s shipyard was designed for use in a bygone era. Before air-conditioning, yachtsmen would spend very little time in their cabins below, instead preferring to live on deck underneath large awnings. The designers understood the needs of the yachtsmen and the relationship between sun, wind and shade, and knew how to use the elements effectively to maximise their comfort.
There are lessons to be learned today from close inspection into how parts of the yacht were designed, and it is only by understanding the thought behind their decisions that we are able to see the intelligence in their design concepts.
For more information contact:
European Marine Services Ltd, Norwich. UK
Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR & Mediation | Expert Witness
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
