Troy class keelboat racing in the Fowey estuary, Cornwall, England, UK: T25 "Gem", built 2006 running downwind under spinnaker
The Troy class keelboats are the local ‘one-design’ class of Fowey, first conceived in1929. The boats are made of timber, measure 18ft long (22ft including bowsprit) and have a lead keel weighing 1500lbs. Class rules require traditional wooden varnished spars and that the boats be built by a local boat builder and kept within a 10 mile distance of the River Fowey. The first 19 boats were constructed by boat builder Archie Watty at his yard in Fowey. T1, Jocelyn, was ordered as a one off by Sir Charles Hanson, ex-Lord Mayor of London for his daughter to race in Fowey. So impressed was the local bank manager, Mr Strong, at the boat taking shape in the yard, that he also ordered aother boat. Both boats performed so well that a further 4 were ordered the next year. With 6 boats on the water, a class was formed and Sir Arthur Quiller Couch was approached for permission to use the name Troy, from his novels based on Fowey, renamed Troy town. Intertwined with the history of Fowey, the Troys have been sailing the harbour waters ever since. By 1937, 11 boats had been made. After the war, Watty’s Yard continued to built Troys occasionally, with T19 Topaz, the last, launched in 1970. After a hiatus of 19 years, T20 Maid of Polruan, was built by John Fuge, of Golant. Further boats followed at intervals and 29 Troys have now been built, with the latest boat T29 Lucy built by Marcus Lewis and launched in Originally gunter rigged, a tall Bermudan rig has now been adopted, designed to capture the fickle winds blowing over the hills surrounding Fowey Harbour. Troys could be described as ‘sporty’ in winds of 20kts, while in light airs, use of momentum and knowledge of tide, current and local wind variations in the harbour are vital for successful racing. The spinnaker system has the pole permanently attached to the spinnaker and can prove challenging to fly in high winds, with many a pole flown from the masthead by mistake.
Size: 3708px × 2788px
Location: Fowey estuary, Cornwall, England, UK
Photo credit: © will Perrett / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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