Glasgow’s booming industry of the 19th and early 20th centuries saw the Clyde become arguably the most important yacht racing centre in the UK, the scene of lavish summer regattas, grand mansion homes and fancy clubs fuelled by the wealth of important industrialists who spent fortunes on their yachts.
The faster, slicker, more luxurious and more beautiful they were, all the better to turn heads of rivals and scoop prizes in races that attracted thousands of spectators.
Today there is little left to show for the Clyde’s golden age of yachting, other than a sprinkling of remaining marinas and a handful of yacht clubs.
And only a handful of yachts survive from the revered Scottish yacht designers whose crafts were the Formula One racers of the age and with style beyond compare.
Now a collaboration with two prestigious archive collections has brought them together again for a new exhibition at the Scottish Maritime Museum that celebrates their remarkable achievements.
Drawing on rare artefacts, original drawings and intricate models from the Mylne Archive and the G.L. Watson Archive, which is held by Scottish Yachting Archives, Crafting Elegance: the Golden Age of Scottish Yacht Design revives the extraordinary designs of George Lennox Watson, Alfred Mylne I and II and William Fife I, II and III.
It also features exhibits and historic vessels from the Museum’s own collection and explores how the yacht design pioneers combined traditional shipbuilding techniques gleaned from the Clyde’s world-famous shipyards, with their own ground-breaking innovation.
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Their talents helped to push the boundaries of yacht design in a roaring age of late 19th to early 20th century. Clyde-built and designed racing yachts would go on to challenge for the legendary America’s Cup, while luxurious vessels were commissioned by European high society and royalty.
Regattas and races held by yacht clubs brought the fastest yachts together to challenge each other watched by thousands of spectators who crammed promenades in places like Rhu, Rothesay and Dunoon.
The exhibition, on now at the Museum’s Linthouse building on Irvine Harbourside, spotlights George Lennox Watson, who established his yacht design firm G.L. Watson & Co., in Glasgow at the tender age of just 22.
He became the world’s first dedicated yacht designer and revolutionised the field by introducing scientific principles to what was once a purely intuitive craft.
Among his commissions was Britannia, built at D&W Henderson shipyard in Partick in 1893 for the Prince of Wales. It was a jewel in the crown of British yachting and scooped a string of stunning race victories.
He also designed four America’s Cup challengers, while his expertise in luxury steam yacht design attracted clients that included European crowned heads as well as the Vanderbilt and Rothschild families.
Over 400 vessels of his design were launched during his career.
Sailing had emerged as a popular pastime in the mid-19th century. As interest grew in yachting and regattas, demand for naval architects and specialist studios and yards sprang up along the coast.
The River Clyde’s geography and rich maritime heritage created perfect conditions visionary design firms to flourish: soon Scotland became synonymous with excellence in yacht design.
The exhibition also features Alfred Mylne, the apprentice turned master who, having trained under G.L. Watson went on to establish his own yacht design office in Glasgow at the age of 24.
He quickly gained a reputation for designing race-winning sailing yachts and helped evolve yacht racing rules, refining his own designs to match.
He would influence generation of designers and builders worldwide, with collaborations extending to yards in Europe, India, Argentina, Japan and Australia.
His success was also shaped by a good natured yet fierce rivalry with fellow Scottish designer William Fife III played out at spectacular regattas, where spectators rented steamers to chase the speeding yachts, and promenades at Rothesay and Hunters Quay at Dunoon were crammed with thousands craning necks to spot their favourite.
The competition between Mylne and Fife pushed both designers to reach new heights of creativity and innovation, and to develop some of the finest yachts of the era.
For the country’s elite who decamped from the city grime to the west coast marinas to soak up the Great Gatsby-style glamour, the name ‘Fife’ was synonymous with some of the greatest yachts to grace the Clyde – and beyond.
William Fife I established his boatbuilding yard at Fairlie, Ayrshire, in 1803. His boats included one of Scotland’s early steam-powered vessels, and he developed a reputation for craft that were both ‘fast and bonnie’.
One of them, Lamlash, built in 1812, became the first Scottish yacht to cruise the Mediterranean.
His son, William Fife II, took over the yard during a time when it built many of the most successful British racing yachts, taking success beyond the Clyde and to dominate yacht construction.
When his son, William Fife III, took over, the yard’s fame spread worldwide. Designing and building both racing and cruising yachts, he also designed two America’s Cup challengers for Sir Thomas Lipton.
The exhibition includes two yachts built by William Fife III – Vagrant and Powerful.
The 1884 Vagrant, which recently underwent a major preservation in the Museum’s Scottish Boat Building School, is thought to be the oldest surviving Clyde-built racing yacht.
While the small racer Powerful was built in 1900 and is believed to be one of only 50 surviving seaworthy Fife yachts across the world.
In the 1920s, Robert Balderston Fife joined his uncle at the yard to become the fourth and final generation in the firm.
The glory days of yachting on the Clyde would eventually fade, however. The impact of two world wars, shifts in international travel and a move away by the nouveau riche to new playgrounds meant the glory days of yachting on the Clyde were over.
Now it’s hoped the exhibition will shed some light on a glorious period when Clyde yachts ruled the waves.
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Eva Bukowska, Exhibitions and Events Officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, said: “The exhibition takes visitors on a compelling journey through a remarkable chapter in Scotland’s maritime history.
“It has appeal for everyone, whether a sailing enthusiast or simply curious about Scottish innovation and craftsmanship.
“We hope everyone enjoys learning more about these internationally recognised designers whose beautiful, fast and painstakingly crafted vessels were masterpieces of engineering and artistic vision.”
Crafting Elegance: The Golden Age of Scottish Yacht Design is at the Scottish Maritime Museum until Sunday, 25 May.
