Falmouth Celebrates a Century of Sunbeams
by Louise Midgley 12 Aug 21:12 NZST
5-10 August 2024
Some fine old ladies of the sea have been celebrating their 100th birthdays with V19 Sunbeam Audry, sailed by Stuart Sawyer and Josh Redgrave, winning all three days of the classic class's Centenary Regatta and V38 Halcyone's Gilly Fox and Bob Warren taking the 2024 Open Centenary Championship.
Twenty seven classic Sunbeams, including twelve from the Solent fleet and one from Salcombe, gathered in Falmouth Harbour to pit the wits and skills of their crews - looking like miniature J-Class yachts and sailing like a dream.
"These iconic one-design racing boats have graced the harbour for generations and are a massive part of the harbour's culture," says Falmouth Harbour CEO Miles Carden. "Sunbeams are among the loveliest well-proportioned racing boats I know and to see 27 of them racing here was an incredible sight.
"Falmouth Harbour was honoured to support and be among the sponsors for the celebrations of the 100th Anniversary of the Falmouth Sunbeams and it was also great to welcome the boats from the Solent who came down this year after celebrating their Sunbeam centenary in 2023."
Gentlemen and women of the twenties and thirties saw Sunbeams as the epitome of elegance combined with technical skill and the same applies today - with an ever more competitive edge.
"It was an honour to be part of the Sunbeam Centenary and seeing all the boats do the Parade of Sail in their numeric order in the heart of Falmouth Harbour was such an amazing sight," says owner and helmsman of 98-year-old V19 Audry, Stuart Sawyer. "Of all the racing I've done this has got to be some of the most competitive and challenging and it's great to be part of the Sunbeam story."
"The Falmouth Sunbeam Centenary is the culmination of over 12 months of planning by a dedicated team of Sunbeam owners," says Falmouth Sunbeam Class Captain Andy Stevenson. "It's the biggest single fleet in Falmouth for many years. The racing has been spectacular - hard fought and highly competitive with any mistakes resulting in a loss of many places.
"The event concluded with Gilly Fox and Bob Warren, who have been sailing together for almost 50 years, taking the overall Championship sailing V38 Halcyone - the first of the original Falmouth fleet in 1924, which made a fitting end to the celebration."
Through the decades Sunbeams have only been found as a racing class around the Solent - where most of them were originally built - and Falmouth. The original Sunbeams are wooden with everything from the size of the pitch-pine planking to the length, beam and draught exactly to the specifications of Alfred Westmacott's design of the early 20's.
As they celebrate 100 years of racing in the beautiful waters surrounding Falmouth, Mylor Yacht Harbour is still taking pride in the skills that have ensured the class flourishes and grows - the only yard in recent years to build new, wooden Sunbeams on exactly the same lines as their elder sisters.
"At Mylor we share a passion for these fantastic vessels and for boats in general," says Mylor Yacht Harbour's Roger Graffy whose own Sunbeam Milly was built at the yard, "and our team of master craftsmen with decades of experience between them nurtures younger talent to make sure we keep those brilliant skills alive and thriving."
"Sunbeams get my heart pounding and when I'm out racing Milly and look around at my friends and competitors in the other boats I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe we are part of what keeps this wonderful fleet fit for the future."
Over the last ten years GRP or glass-fibre Sunbeams have been introduced to both Solent and Falmouth fleets and they also exactly match the lines and weights of the original boats, with the most recent GRP boat finished at Mylor Yacht Harbour during the last month.
"Seeing so many of these beautiful classic yachts racing in the port - the second biggest fleet of Sunbeams that has ever competed here - is very special," says Shane Carr, Acting Commodore of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club.
"We've been delighted to welcome them ashore for afternoon tea after their Parade of Sail and hosting their Championship Dinner. They are such an important and integral part of yacht racing in Falmouth, and it's been fascinating to learn so much more about their history."
Miles Carden adds, "Falmouth Harbour is one of the best places in the UK to sail offering a variety of challenging race areas from the Carrick Roads, the Inner Harbour and Falmouth Bay: it is unique and unrivalled.
"We know how important events like the Sunbeam Centenary are to local business and the local economy and we want to make sure everyone here enjoys them to the full."
For more on the events, work and environmental initiatives of Falmouth Harbour visit www.falmouthharbour.co.uk or call the Falmouth Harbour team on 01326 213537.