Wolves in sheep’s clothing - that’s the expression often used to describe the Humphreys cruiser-racers. Between them these boats have won Cowes Week, Copa del Rey, Cork Week, the Scottish Series, Celtic Week, East Anglian Week, Spi Ouest France, La Rochelle Week, the ARC race, the King’s Cup in Thailand, etc. Not just once but on several occasions.

Although Humphreys has had considerable success in the grand prix sector, the sometimes inevitable financial write-downs in this genre have often left him feeling less than comfortable, even when the owners of these boats have been more than happy to trade trophies for residual value. As one of the first designers to seek a sensible compromise in the dying days of the IOR rule, Humphreys was instrumental in defining a new direction with the highly successful Apriori, owned by then RORC Commodore John Dare. Designed in 1987 and twice UK Yacht of the Year, this remarkable 36 footer epitomised the essence of cruiser-racing in that, sixteen years later, she enjoys the same very happy owner who has added thousands of highly enjoyable cruising miles to that early-day round-the-can existence, and more than most boats knows every rock and inlet from the Baltic to Brittany.

Apriori certainly showed the way and a great many followed, some to become classics of this highly significant yachting sector. It’s a philosophy very close to Humphreys’ heart, for whom it makes such good sense as it clearly does for a vast number of yachtsmen, and it is very likely that this will continue to be an important part of the office’s work.

Following on from Apriori were boats like Old Mother Gun, the Sigma 400 (a dominant CHS boat in the mid-Nineties), Buzzard and Big Buzzard (between them several-times winners of the King’s Cup in Phukett), the Gib’Sea 414 (Boat of the Year at the 1995 Paris Boat Show), the HOD 35. And towards the end of the Nineties came the Humphreys Elan fleet. A number of these boats have had spectacular dual-roles, really strong on the race-course but extremely desirable from a cruising point of view. The Elan 333 and Elan 40 stand out in terms of racing prowess, and the new Elan 37 seems set to take this race-winning potential further.

Oyster Marine, too, are beginning to pay more attention to this sector with the Oyster 72 Fast Track, a high performance edition of the Oyster 72 with up-to-the-minute appendages but still with the interior and deck that will find her more than comfortable in the luxury cruising world.

Humphreys Yacht Design
Lower Seaforth House
Bath Road
Lymington
Hampshire
SO41 3RW
UK
Tel. +44 (0)1590 679344
Fax. +44 (0)1590 671651
info@humphreysdesign.com