A book celebrating the life and projects of Alfred Mylne, one of the foremost naval architects of all time. His boats were fast and built to last. Story by Bruno Cianci.
George Lennox Watson, William Fife III, Alfred Mylne: it would take more than an encyclopedia to address Scotland’s greatest yacht designers. And now David Gray and Neil Lyndon, respectively naval architect and journalist, have taken the first step by writing a comprehensive book that analyzes in great detail the third name on the list above.
Born in 1872, Alfred Mylne cut his teeth working as a yacht designer for the aforementioned Watson, who involved him in the design of dozens of boats, including the royal cutter Britannia (built in 1893) and Valkyrie III, the British challenger of the 1895 America’s Cup, won by the Herreshoff-designed yacht Defender.
A native of Glasgow, a city that the industrial revolution had transformed from a small rural centre into a shipbuilding hub, Mylne was a man of independent thought, which is why he found it hard to work for someone with a cumbersome personality like Watson. Furthermore, the existing relationship did not allow the ‘novice’ to design the sailboats that he had in mind and that he would have preferred to offer personally to a passionate clientele.
For these reasons Mylne began to work independently and, with limited funds, founded A. Mylne & Co in 1896. Thanks to his vision, hard work – always fuelled by an irrepressible passion for the task at hand – the young man rather swiftly earned himself a respectable reputation. In the early years of the 20th century his repute was already such that he became involved in the elaboration of the International Rule which came into force in 1907.
During the First World War, the Bute Slip Dock Co., then owned by Mylne, began to also produce components for seaplanes, which allowed the company to adopt new construction methods and materials which were then used to construct race-winning yachts. The new construction methods contributed to the results achieved on regatta courses, especially in the metric classes.
During his life he befriended and collaborated with his compatriot Fife (1857-1944), with the Englishman Uffa Fox (1898-1972) and the American Olin J. Stephens (1908-2008), to name just a few world-class yacht designers. Mylne remained firmly in charge of his company until 1945, when his nephew Alfred II (1918-1979) succeeded his uncle, who passed away six years later.
The philosophy
The Alfred Mylne approach can be effectively summarised in three words: ‘Grace, pace and space’. Shrewd and farsighted, to his thinking a boat had to be designed to last at least 50 years. What’s more, he conceived yachts that in the second phase of their life could be converted into cruising boats with relative ease. In a certain sense, therefore, Mylne was a sort of promoter of a reasoned and sustainable boating approach.
He was also extremely eclectic: his creations include many working boats, motor cruisers of various shapes and displacements (including some of the ‘Little Ships’ that participated in ‘Operation Dynamo’ in Dunkirk, 1940), the aforementioned metric classes and, obviously, the thoroughbreds from the regatta world that have secured him a prominent place in yachting history.
Tigris, a cutter built in 1899, successfully participates in the regattas reserved for classic boats and epitomises the work of this extraordinary designer like few other craft. Jenetta (1939), the longest 12-metre IR (third rule) ever built, is the latest boat by Mylne to have been relaunched after being recovered from the bottom of Lake Pitt, British Columbia. She’s been wonderfully restored in Flensburg (Germany) by Robbe & Berking. The motif chosen for her hull livery is the tartan of the fabrics and gadgets of Mylne’s alma mater the University of Glasgow.
Eight decades on from her original build, this boat has demonstrated the value of a design pedigree through its racing performance. In fact, Jenetta provides us with a prime example of how old boats can re-emerge from the past and recover – thanks to the contribution of the vintage boat circuits and other regattas – what neglect or misfortune has taken away.
In the wake of the great Scot
The Mylne Yacht Design studio, based in Glasgow, is the heir to the company founded by Alfred, and continues to design boats to this day thanks to David Gray (one of the two authors of the aforementioned book) and his staff: classic-inspired yachts and motorboats for discerning owners. The 7,000-plus plans and drawings of various types that make up the archive effectively support the owners of existing boats, with their sheer volume of available project data and information.
The studio, among other things, not only encourages the restoration of existing boats, but also the construction of accurate and philological representations of those unlucky specimens to have been destroyed. Among these are the 19-metre IR Octavia (1911), the schooner Panope (1928) and the 12-metre IR Marina (1935), examples of famous Mylne yachts awaiting rebirth. Each of these jewels of the past has a unique story.
Alternatively, there are a further 400-plus projects to choose from: boat designs ranging in length from 3 to 40 metres. Needless to say, this Scottish studio archive has a pervasive flavour and patina of the past, which is also true for its motto, best summarised in the self-same three magic words: ‘Grace, pace and space’. In the wake of that great Scot called Alfred Mylne.
The Book
This long-awaited 512-page book is illustrated with over 500 historic photos and 100 original drawings from the Mylne archive, woven into an engaging narrative of over 120,000 words across 18 chapters.
The book is co-authored by David Gray (Chief Naval Architect at Mylne Yacht Design) and journalist Neil Lyndon. It includes a complete listing of all known existing Mylne yachts, as well as a complete catalogue of every Mylne design, and every yacht built to that design.
A selection of beautifully maintained Mylne yachts is pictured towards the end of the book, with descriptions of the boats and the owners’ enthusiasm for their chosen craft. The book measures 296 x 270 x 40mm (11.5 x 10.5 x 1.5in) and weighs 3kg (6.5lbs). It is supplied shrink-wrapped and boxed. It is available on Amazon. And while, priced at 95 pounds plus postage, it is rather expensive, it’s a must-have for every classic boat enthusiast.
