This exciting 8mR refit and optimisation project came to the team here all the way from the United States. The new owner was keen to optimise her for racing. Working closely with designer Ian Howlett the work undertaken included:

• New rudder (Ian Howlett design)
• New keel (Ian Howlett design)
• New rig
• New deck gear
• Reworked topsides and faired below waterline.

Having subsequently returned back across The Pond, ‘Natural’ has enjoyed 3 seasons of racing with an owner who is delighted by the quality of the work and also the increase in performance.

In 2000/1 Peter Wilson bought and restored ‘If’, an 8-metre racing yacht designed by the great Bjarne Aas in late 1929, and then built and launched at his yard in Fredrikstad in 1930 . He sailed her down to Cowes for the America’s Cup Jubilee in 2001, and then campaigned the boat on the world 8-metre circuit annually, always sailing the boat to and from the venue wherever possible. Destinations included France, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Finland, as well as the Clyde in Scotland.

In 2017 after years of racing and delivery trips ‘If’ found a new owner to start the next chapter in her eventful life and to continue racing. As soon as the purchase was concluded her new owner asked Demon Yachts to carry out all the refitting work that was needed to be done to meet his requirements. He did not need the facilities on board to be able to sail the boat to racing venues, as Peter had done, and so a significant amount of work was carried out before she was delivered to her new home. This included:

“Scallywag” started out in life as “Perspicacious”. She was commissioned by Gayle Post and built in San Diego in preparation for the 1979 World Championships in Seattle. The boat was finished late and received her certificate just days before the regatta started in September. “Perspicacious” was in good company at the regatta with other 1978/1979 Gary Mull designs, including “St Francis VII” (USA 108) and “Ranger” (USA 112). She ended up 10th out of 25. The team also competed at the 1983 World Championships at Newport Beach, California, the owner’s homeport, and was placed 9th of 15 in that Pacific Ocean series. Gayle then shipped the boat to Europe to race her in various regattas and ended up selling her in Cannes in 1985. She eventually made her way to the UK with the name “Scallywag”, and sadly fell on hard times. Fortunately she was rescued from being broken up after being found in Cowes for the St Francis Yacht Club 6mR team.

At that point she came to us at Demon Yachts so we could give her the full treatment to get her back to her original performance, speed and beauty in time for the 2017 World Championship in Vancouver.

As can be seen from the pictures, “Scallywag” has come from near destruction to live on to fight another day. At the 2017 6mR World Championship “Scallywag” ended up 7^th overall out of a fleet of 24, and won the Nelson Trophy, awarded to the highest-placed boat among those first constructed and certified as a Six Metre between 1966 and 1979, which have had no alteration to their underwater shape other than permitted modifications to the rudder.