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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
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Drumbeat
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Designer:
Ramond Hunt
Builder: Clare Lallow, Cowes, 1958
Rig: Masthead Bermudan cutter
LOA: 70ft (21.54m)
LWL: 55ft (16.76m)
Beam: 13ft 6in (4.12m)
Draft: 8ft 6in (2.59m)
Displacement: 14.5 tons
Owner: J Robson |
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"
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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.
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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.
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