Yachts

C001: Josephine
C002: Cetewayo
C003: Frenesi of Clynder
C004: Undina
C005: Rebecca of Vineyard Haven
C006: Whirlaway
C007: Drumbeat
C008: Whooper
C009: Thendara
C010: Zoom
C011: Foglio
C012: Vanity V
C013: Talisker Mhor
C014: Pazienza
C015: Danegeld
C016: Mikado
C017: Elona
C018: Sensa
C019: Droleen II
C020: Corrie
C021: Lotus
C022: Mingary
C023: Dirk II
C024: Sceptre
C025: Thendara
C026: Outlaw
C027: Athena
C028: Bettine
C029: John Dory
C030: Swanilda
C031: Marigold
C032: Sally of Kames
C033: Monsoon
C034: Charm of Rhu
C035: Moonspray
C036: Firebrand
C037: Gluckauf
C038: Cereste
C039: Mitzi
C040: Roar for Joy
C041: Zahir
C042: Maria Hendrika
C043: Vivette
C044: Berenice
C045: Huff of Arklow
C046: Fairlight
C047: Iolaire
C048: Sibyl of Cumae
C049: Ilderim
C050: Dorothy
C051: Zaleda
C052: Dione
C053: Clarion of Wight
C054: Safir
C055: Shantih
C056: Eveline
C057: Shuttle
C058: Windflower
C059: Erica
C060: Cygnet of London
C061: St David's Light
C062: Leonie
C063: Tar Baby
C064: Caressa
C065: Tiger C
C066: Barbican
C067: A Day at the Races
C068: Kelpie
C069: Suzalah
C070: Rubicon
C071: Infanta
C072: Rampage
C073: Halcyon
C074: Thalassa
C075: Sinbad
C076: Lutine
C077: Twilight
C078: Alera
C079: Aeolus
C080: Nightfall
C081: Mossie Estelle

The Register: A printed version of these pages is available to buy. Please click for further information.

Drumbeat

Charging through the water with tremendous power and speed Drumbeat's huge varnished mahogany hull is a striking and legendary sight to behold. Built at Clare Lallow, Cowes, Drumbeat of today is quite different from the 1957 58ft masthead Bermudan cutter designed by Raymond Hunt for the Hon. Max Aitkin, son of Lord Beaverbrook - proprietor and founder of the Daily Express newspaper.

As a key yacht in British ocean racing history she was described in 1958 Yachting World Annual as, "the most technically ingenious yacht to have appeared for many years"
.
Originally designed with twin centreboards, Drumbeat was of the American type with a broad beam, shoal draft, generous overhangs and a rig of low aspect ratio. The shear size and weight of Drumbeat's beam is striking even to the untrained eye, which with a beam of 20 per cent more than the average Class I British yacht of her waterline length from 1958, perhaps explains her busty proportions.

Drumbeat's graceful sheer line disguises a length of raised depth amidships which provides necessary depth within the shallow body of the hull, and the incidental advantage of forming a breakwater a few feet forward of the mast, where a portion of foredeck drops into a well with a foot rail.

Built for the offshore Bermuda race in 1958, the introduction of duel centreboards, positioned side by side, which could be lowered alternatively according to tack, was regarded as a radical development in racing yacht design. The motivation for such a design emerged when the advantages of a keel with an asymmetrical section able to develop a higher lift-drag ratio had been discovered and thought to be an advantageous asset to a vessel's performance. Indeed they did power Drumbeat with an exceptional speed off the wind with her relatively shallow bilge for her size.

Her 'ingenious' design has not stood the test of time, however. Sir Max Aitkin replaced the duel boards with a single centreboard after just one season, nearly doubling her draft to 10ft 6in. Intent on improving and altering Drumbeat he continued to experiment with new technologies and rigs - a total of ten installed from 1958 to 1967.

Drumbeat appears to have always moved with times, a classic with a mighty yet adaptable character. Under ownership of Lord Peter Palumbo, Ed Dubois redrew her plans between 1986 and 1990, and it is during this period that she metamorphosed into a totally altered yacht. She was given a long keel, fin and skeg rudder.

In 1996 Alan Dykes bought and transformed Drumbeat from a racing yacht to a seaworthy, luxurious and comfortable cruising yacht by, among other additions, the installation of hydraulic steering, electric winches and refurbishment and modernisation of the interior accommodation.