Category Archives: archives

The Fife dynasty – first family of yacht design

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Peggy Bawn Press

It was our pleasure last year to assist CNN Mainsail’s Richard Simmonds and double Olympic gold medalist, Shirley Robertson, with their superb coverage of The Fife Regatta 2013, now up at YouTube. Their desire for accuracy and attention to detail … Continue reading →

Posted in America's Cup, archives, art, boatyards, book, Clyde yachting, film, Firth of Clyde, G.L. Watson, Glasgow, journalists, naval architect, object of desire, other yacht designers, yacht design, yacht designer, yacht racing, yachting history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The launch of the ‘Queen Mary’: ship 534

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Peggy Bawn Press

Originally posted on University of Glasgow Library Blog:
80 years ago today ship number 534, the Cunard White Star Liner built on the river Clyde by John Brown’s shipyard, was launched and given the name RMS Queen Mary. (DC101/1481/Q/4/Y7) The…

Posted in archives, Clydebuilt, Firth of Clyde, G.L. Watson, gift, Glasgow, object of desire, River Clyde, ship launch, shipbuilding, shipyards, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wind of fortune

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Peggy Bawn Press

  Snippets of news slipping out online more than strongly suggest that one of the most exciting of classic yacht replica projects is well underway: a reincarnation of G.L. Watson’s design for the fabulous and fast schooner Rainbow, later Hamburg, … Continue reading →

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Britannia behind the scenes

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Peggy Bawn Press

We’ve been spoiled rotten of late by wonderful footage of G.L. Watson’s masterpiece, Britannia, from the recently fully released Pathe archive. This, from 1931, is particularly fine – and rare because she’s in passagemaking mode: the galley stove pipe and … Continue reading →

Posted in archives, art, Big Class, boatbuilders, boatyards, book, Britannia, Clydebuilt, film, Firth of Clyde, G.L. Watson, G.L. Watson & Co., Glasgow, Martin Black, naval architect, object of desire, replica, River Clyde, shipbuilding, shipyards, yacht design, yacht designer, yacht racing, yachting history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Speed, grace and beauty – The Clyde Fortnight 1923

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Peggy Bawn Press

For 13 tantalising seconds in the newly released Pathe archive newsreel above, we are treated to the full broadsides beauty of King George V’s G.L. Watson-designed cutter, Britannia: the special one; probably the most famous racing yacht there will ever be; … Continue reading →

Posted in archives, Big Class, boatbuilders, boatyards, book, Britannia, Clyde yachting, Clydebuilt, film, Firth of Clyde, G.L. Watson, G.L. Watson & Co., gift, Glasgow, Irish yachting, leather-bound, limited edition, Martin Black, naval architect, object of desire, other yacht designers, yacht design, yacht designer, yacht racing, yachting history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scotia’s “Thistle”

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Peggy Bawn Press

Inevitably, a 127 year-old challenge from Glasgow, Scotland to New York, USA for yachting’s Holy Grail, the America’s Cup, has left lingering family memories and mementoes. It was a big deal, as it would be now, and is still within … Continue reading →

Posted in America's Cup, archives, Baltic Germany, Big Class, book, Captains, Clyde yachting, Clydebuilt, G.L. Watson, G.L. Watson clients, gift, Glasgow, Martin Black, object of desire, photography, yacht design, yacht designer, yacht racing, yachting history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The “Big Class” on Film, 1899

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Peggy Bawn Press

As part of the research for G L Watson – the Art and Science of Yacht Design, we discovered in the Irish Film Institute’s Irish Film Archive an amazing film clip from the Golden Age of Yachting. The year is … Continue reading →

Posted in archives, Big Class, Clyde yachting, Clydebuilt, film, Firth of Clyde, G.L. Watson, Hal Sisk, object of desire, yacht clubs, yacht racing, yachting history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment