FIREBRAND

Model: Offshore Racer

Designed: 1964 - Launched; 1965

Design: #1780

Builder: Clare Lallow

HISTORY

Firebrand is a 1965 Admiral’s Cupper: designed by S&S for Dennis Miller and built of Honduran Mahogany over Elm Frames and Bronze Floors at Claire Lallow’s.

Firebrand, Quiver IV and Noryema IV won the cup that year. Firebrand then crossed the Atlantic to represent Britain in the 1966 Onion Patch; and sailed back again only to be selected a second time for the British Admiral’s Cup team in 1967.

Dennis retired to Bermuda, so Firebrand sailed across the Atlantic for a third time. Two years later Denis sold her: after that all we have is rumours of her racing on the Great Lakes.

“For I am Firebrand, handmaiden to the Sea God: built to plough furrows through the Salt Sea ‘til Ocean’s End”

RENEWAL

Until, in 1997, Ed Dubois discovered her languishing in the Florida Keys; brought her home and restored her. He owned her, loved her and raced her until his sad death in 2016, by which time she was again in need of some TLC.

Ramona-Ann bought her later that year; and we took her up to Matt Lingley at Aldeburgh Boat Yard for a new rig and her second restoration.

Firebrand has always been a stiff yacht, with 5 tonnes of lead in her keel: that's half her total weight. She immediately took to her new, taller rig

DEVELOPMENT

Firebrand originally had a keel-hung rudder - she was virtually impossible to steer downwind under Spinnaker in heavy weather: a common problem back in those days.

So in 1966 she changed to a “Constellation” style rudder, separated from the keel: the right place but an ineffective shape.

When he restored her, Ed Dubois did three key things:

• Upgraded Firebrand’s rudder to a semi-balanced spade: twice the depth. Finally you could steer downwind in a blow.

• Changed from wheel to tiller steering, which released a fair amount of cockpit space, gave her more “feel” and saved some weight.

• Sheathed her hull in glass + epoxy: she is stronger, stiffer and ever so much dryer now.

But by the time Ramona-Ann bought her, the rig was over 50 years old: we even had trouble getting insurance to sail he home from Cowes to Hamble.

SO NOW:

• The new taller mast is aluminium with rod rigging – that’s exactly what Firebrand had when she started life in 1965.

• Gone are the 150% Genoas, but we increased upwind sail area by adding 3.5 m to the mast and 1.5 m to the boom: the center of effort scarcely moved, but we gained a very welcome 20 m2 on the Spinnakers.

• When we started work we found no less than three cockpits stacked on top of each other: very modestly, we decided one was enough.

• We streamlined the deck layout with new gear throughout; including jammers to replace the mare’s nest of winches and cleats just aft of the mast, where the poor pit-man used to crouch at permanent risk of falling overboard.

Firebrand is a little lighter than when she was first launched: we have saved about 250Kg on the steering and rig - nothing has been added.

Down below she is essentially unchanged: we have some original plans, but they show multiple options. We do know she must have had room for the racing sails, plus room for the off-watch crew to sleep to windward – and that’s exactly how she is now.

REFERENCE

“Design #1780 is a very typical R.O.R.C. racing yacht. A number of these boats were built by various builders.
This is right at the point in time when separate rudders were coming into fashion so the boats built to this design were from modified plans with a separate rudder. Other modifications were made to differentiate the boats, mostly with changes to the deckhouse geometry.”

— Sparkman & Stephens Blog Spot

Classic Boat September 2012_02.jpg — FIREBRAND

CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2012