THENDARA yacht

[aukepalmhof]

Italy issued in 2002 a stamp to honour the Raduno di Vele d’Epoca in Imperia, on the stamp is depict the yacht THENDARA.

Built under yard No 555 by Stephens & Sons Shipyard at Linthouse, Glasgow for Lord Arthur Young one of Scotland leading yachtsmen. She was the last yacht built by this shipyard.
1937 Launched under the name THENDARA.
Tonnage: 87 gross, 49 net, displacement 140 tons. Dim. 37.00 x 23.16 x 6.09m., draught 3.95m.
Designed by Alfred Mylne. Built of teak on a steel frames. Ketch rigged.


She was the last big cruise yacht built prior to the Second World War. Her first skipper was Capt. Alan McMillan.
Took part in the Torbay Coronation Regatta, were she obtained her first success in the over 75 ton class, and the overall prize.
Then next three years she took part in several races, and made cruises mostly in the Baltic. A very frequent guest was Prince Olaf of Norway.

When World War II broke out she was requisitioned by the British Navy from September 1940 till September 1945, in use as a BBV (barrage balloon vessel) in the Clyde.
She was handed back to the owner and was fitted out again as a yacht by her owner. Took part in minor regattas, the time of the big yachts was gone after World War II.
When Lord Young died in 1950 on board at Benoder, England, the THENDARA was put up for sale.

First she was sold to an Australian person, who used the yacht in the Greek Archipelago, at that time she was rigged as a Bermuda Ketch.
Thereafter she appears in Italy, she was on the shipyard of Cantiere Navale Valdettaro at La Spezia, registered under a new owner from 1986 till 1988. Most probably the new owner tried to repair her.
1991 After a change of ownership she was brought to Southampton Yacht Service at Southampton, but a deal to restore her fell trough.
Yacht broker Mike Horsley brought the yacht to the attention of a European industrialist, and he got the money to restore her to her old glory.

Her old engine was replaced by a Volvo diesel 238hp, speed under engine 9 knots.
Sail area 924 square meters.
She has now 3 cabins for guests and carried a crew of 7, which are berthed in 3 cabins.
1994 Re-launched, hereafter she cruised widely and she took part in classis yacht races.
She was later sold to Philip Swinstead, again she was handed over to Southampton Yacht Service for a refit.
Sailed by skipper Jacques Luovet from 1996, and she took part in many races around the world. She still carries the name THENDARA, and I could not find of she even had changed that name in an early stage of her life.

http://www.swinsteadshipping.com/thendara.htm has her complete storey, and some I have used. (The URL is out of order.)

Italy 2002 0.41 Euro, sg?, scott?

Source : Mr. A. Borgogno and he got some details from the book Vele d’Epoca nel Mondo by Flavio Serafini. Ships of the Royal Navy Vol. 2 by J.J.Colledge.

[lnwyd]

Such an extraordinary thing to find. In the mid-fifties, my parents were the guests of my grandparents, Iva and Jerome Preston, and and English couple named Bott, for a cruise in the Aegean aboard the Thendara. My grandparents subsequently named their new cottage in NH, "Thendara." I have a few lovely photographs of that cruise. Is there anything more known about the yacht during that Greek period?

[davidjgray]

We are proud to say that Thendara is one of our most famous Mylne designs. We would love to see any photographs of the yacht as we catalogue the histories of each of the 400+ designs produced by this world famous designer. For more info see www.mylne.com