The yacht FIRECREST was built in 1892 by P.T.Harris at Rowhedge, Essex. U.K. as a wooden racing cruiser.
Her first owner not known by my.
Tonnage around 10 tons, dim. 11.88 x 2.62 x 2.13m. (draught). Length on waterline 9.14m.
Built of oak and teak. And she was divided in three compartments, a forecastle, saloon and a cabin aft with two sleeping bunks.
Cutter rigged.
Carried 3 ton solid ballast and a lead keel with a weight of 3.5 ton.
The yacht was designed by Dixon Kemp.
After WORLD WAR I Alain Gerbault decided to make a voyage on a yacht, and not finding a good yacht in France he crossed the English Channel, and near Southampton he found the yacht he was looking for.
1921 He bought the FIRECREST and brought her to the French Riviera, were he used the yacht for more as a year there.
25 April 1923 he left Cannes for a solo voyage around the world, his first port of call, Gibraltar.
06 June 1923 he left Gibraltar and after a passage of 101days he arrived on 15 September 1923 at New York, during the passage he had 26 days gale force winds.
At New York he left the FIRECREST and travelled back to France, returning in 1924, after considerable repairs and alternations and fitting out the yacht for a voyage to the South Seas.
01 November 1924 he left from New York, again he hit bad weather, on 05 November he found his port light out, he took it down to fill it again with oil and light it, when he was refilling the lamp a steamer scraped his bowsprit, the force of the collision tore out the bits of the foredeck and her forestay and the jibstay broke, threatening the mast to topple. Most probably the steamer never had seen the yacht and she passed without stopping.
Gerbault carried out a temporary repair, and then he sailed on for Bermuda, where the yacht was repaired. The FIRECREST stayed at Bermuda for almost three months before she headed south bound for the Panama Canal.
After passing the canal, he headed for the Galapagos Islands, and after 37 days he reached the Chatham Islands one of the islands of the Galapagos group. At this island he got fresh food and water, before he made the 3000 mile voyage to the Gambier Archipelago.
After 49 days at sea he anchored at Rikitea, French Polynesia, where he stayed many months before sailing on for the Marquesas before heading for Papeete, Tahiti. From there he sailed to Wallis and Futuna Islands.
When he arrived at Wallis Island, he was blown on to a reef while at anchor, she lost her lead keel, then she floated over the reef, and beached in the sand behind the reef.
Gerbault first righted the yacht with the help of natives, and shored her up; he took all the ballast out and moved his belongings to the shore, where he stayed with friends.
He recovered the lead keel.
After many failures the lead keel was replaced.
After he brought his belongings back on board he sailed out to Thursday Island before heading to the Cocos Islands. From there he crossed the Indian Ocean to Rodriguez, and from there to Reunion.
In Reunion some repair work was carried out before he set sail again to Durban and Cape Town.
In Cape Town the FIRECREST was dry-docked.
From Cape Town he sailed to St Helena and Ascension and then to the Cape Verde Islands where she grounded on a reef off the beach of St Antonio.
The weather stayed fine, and after Gerbault arranged some help he got her off, a hole in her hull was plugged and the yacht was towed to Porto Granda, where she was repaired.
After sailing the yacht was leaking so badly that he returned to St Vincent, where she again was repaired.
After a few months he sailed out again, the FIRECREST was still leaking, and he had to pump regular to keep her dry, after he made a call at the Azores he sailed to Le Havre where he arrived 26 July 1929.
The FIRECREST was thereafter used for advertisements campaign, what her fate was I do not know, but in a poor state most probably she was broken up or rotted away in some creek; anyhow Gerbault did not use her again.
France 1970 70c sg 1855, scott 1263
French Polynesia 1976 sg 218 and 1993 150f sg 688, scott 628
St Helena 2008 45p sg?, scott?
Wallis and Fortuna SG820
Source: http://www.garemaritime.com/features/fi ... /index.php