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As the third generation of a venerable
Scottish boat building family, William Fife inherited a rich legacy but was quick to establish his own reputation as one of the top designers in the yachting world. Often dominating his chief competitors, Fife was a master of his trade who received commissions
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The Fife yard also had a reputation for the extremely high quality of the craftsmanship of the yachts built at the yard. Today, it is thought that there are somewhat less than 100 Fife designs still in existence. Of these, there are around fifty still sailing, most notably:
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designers and builders. In his time, William Fife designed around 600 yachts, including two contenders for the
America's Cup. The Royal Yachting Association was formed in 1875 to standardise rules, and Fife and his rival
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and
William Fife. Amongst these, Fife has acquired a particular reputation thanks to the sheer artistry and balance of his designs. Furthermore, those of his designs which took shape in his yard were of unmatched
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on the beach in the village. Fife began building yachts in 1890 and soon surpassed the achievements of his father and grandfather and became known as one of the premier yacht designers of the day.
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William Fife of
Fairlie, Ayrshire, who designed many racing yachts, including several of the famous Shamrocks for the late Sir Thomas Lipton, died today at the age of 88. ...
206:. His father William Fife Sr. (1821–1902) and grandfather William Fyfe (1785–1865) had also been designers and boat builders in Fairlie. The family business operated from a
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Altair (1931), many of the cruisers echo his turn of the century designs such as Cicely (1902) or
Susanne (1906); similarly there were few fundamental differences in his
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designed and built not only smaller Metre boats but also a series of fine cruisers. This combination typified the inter-war era of the
Fairlie yard. Like the
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as his trademark. Thereafter, those yachts that took shape on the shingle at
Fairlie were known throughout the yachting world by this distinctive scrollwork.
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360:, these yachts were considered by many to represent some of the greatest refinements of the auxiliary cruising yacht ever achieved.
298:. The yard was continued for some years after his death by his nephew, but never achieved the renown known under Fife's ownership.
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190:, were instrumental in these rule changes. Around one third of Fife's yachts still exist. His last designs were built in 1938.
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275:. Between 1907 and 1913, William Fife Jr. designed eight of the twenty 15mR yachts ever built, but his first 15mR named
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circuit, his work also included a number of fine cruising vessels. Dr. William
Collier wrote of Fife's 1920s work:
711:"William Fife, 88, Yacht Designer. Creator of Racing Shamrocks for Lipton Dies. Drew Up Plans for Clyde Cutters"
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162:, a 26-foot cutter designed by William Fife, was built by Reuben Harlow in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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in 1906, Fife became a prolific designer of metre boats, designing and building several successful
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Fife once said that the secret of a great yacht was that it should be both "fast and bonnie".
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IERNE was designed by
Willian Fife III and built at the Fife yard in Farlie in 1914.
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who challenged for the cup a total of five times. The Fife-designed challenger
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Fast and Bonnie – A History of
William Fife & Son Yachtbuilders
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William Collier and part-owner Bob Fisher both suspect that the
524:(1936), which famously featured in the music video for the 1982
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787:"William Fife III 8-Metre 1914/2008 - Sandeman Yacht Company"
598:(96-ton cutter, later a yawl, William Fife Sr. design, 1882)
592:(50-ton cutter, later a yawl, William Fife Sr. design, 1875)
310:, two-time winner of the OSTAR and owner of the Fife design
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218:. Following on the heels of the success of his design
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from European royalty and from clients as far away as
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served as a performance testbed for the larger yacht.
294:. He never married or had children. He was buried in
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was not built at his famous Fairlie boatyard, but by
339:While Fife established a leading reputation on the
271:and 19-Metre yachts in the years leading up to the
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620:(first-class rater, William Fife Jr. design, 1893)
356:designs spanning this era. Perceived by some as
290:Fife died on 11 August 1944 at the age of 87 in
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174:(15 June 1857 – 11 August 1944), also known as
917:flickr archive of the Scottish Maritime Museum
687:(1898–1899) – built by James E. Doyle Kingston
576:(30-ton cutter, William Fife Sr. design, 1864)
570:(15-ton cutter, William Fife Sr. design, 1864)
452:(the oldest 12mR in existence, launched 1909)
8:
957:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
820:(Supplement). 8 January 1919. p. 455.
606:(10-tonner, William Fife Jr. design, 1883)
178:, was the third generation of a family of
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864:William Fife: Master of the Classic Yacht
655:(1892) – built by James E. Doyle Kingston
648:(1891) – built by James E. Doyle Kingston
612:(40-rater, William Fife Jr. design, 1891)
461:(launched 1909) and Ierne (launched 1914)
881:May Fife McCallum (29 September 2002).
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321:the great designers of the period were
263:. After the establishment of the first
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151:(Fife) in the 1903 America's Cup races
634:(1860) – designed by William Fife Sr.
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972:20th-century Scottish businesspeople
967:19th-century Scottish businesspeople
554:. In 2004, he was inducted into the
962:People from Fairlie, North Ayrshire
546:He was appointed an Officer of the
233:yachts for grocery and tea magnate
27:Scottish yacht designer (1857–1944)
511:10.4m canoe stern auxiliary sloop
25:
862:Franco Pace (30 September 1998).
30:For those of a similar name, see
586:, William Fife Sr. design, 1865)
222:(1888), Fife adopted a stylized
885:. John Donald Publishers Ltd.
839:Lloyds register of Yachts 1902
671:Alexander Robertson & Sons
487:(1929) on the Eastern Seaboard
281:Alexander Robertson & Sons
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942:America's Cup yacht designers
848:Lloyds Register of Ships 1899
32:William Fife (disambiguation)
675:6-ton Dublin Bay 25 cutters
548:Order of the British Empire
251:Nathanael Greene Herreshoff
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582:(80-ton cutter dubbed the
556:America's Cup Hall of Fame
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866:. Adlard Coles Nautical.
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789:. Sandeman Yacht Company
562:Selected historic yachts
410:cruiser handicap raters
952:British yacht designers
665:8 ton 1.5-rater lugger
625:Yachts for Irish owners
375:cruiser handicap rater
292:Fairlie, North Ayrshire
200:Fairlie, North Ayrshire
116:(1903) pictured in 2008
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651:3 ton 1-rater lugger
552:1919 New Year Honours
504:gaff-rigged schooner
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399:(1898), sisterships
331:Charles E. Nicholson
327:George Lennox Watson
127:(1903) launched in
830:Y.R.A. appeal 1894
817:The London Gazette
748:on 7 February 2017
669:(1895) – built by
265:International Rule
229:Fife designed two
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912:Fife Regatta 2008
892:978-0-85976-566-4
873:978-0-7136-5030-3
306:French yachtsman
235:Sir Thomas Lipton
198:Fife was born in
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285:White Heather II
176:William Fife III
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167:William Fife Jr.
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253:, 1899) and
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149:Shamrock III
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125:Shamrock III
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114:Moonbeam III
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87:(1944-08-11)
71:15 June 1857
55:Fife in 1903
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937:1944 deaths
932:1857 births
812:"No. 31114"
723:1 September
526:Duran Duran
483:(1924) and
481:Adventuress
439:(1909) and
416:Moonbeam IV
414:(1903) and
188:G.L. Watson
926:Categories
793:13 October
773:Shamrock I
692:References
492:Hallowe'en
459:Lucky Girl
388:(formerly
323:Herreshoff
240:Shamrock I
145:Herreshoff
67:1857-06-15
752:3 January
667:Vill-u-An
467:Mariquita
395:21-rater
385:Pen Duick
382:36-rater
313:Pen Duick
273:Great War
216:Australia
194:Biography
129:Dumbarton
681:Nepenthe
677:Darthula
653:Nansheen
574:Kilmeney
513:Sumarel
479:(1914),
435:(1909),
432:Hispania
429:(1908),
401:Pierette
350:schooner
269:15-Metre
260:Reliance
246:Columbia
208:shipyard
180:Scottish
140:Reliance
685:Whisper
646:Gew Gaw
639:Achilla
632:Corsair
617:Calluna
596:Erycina
590:Neptune
550:in the
542:Honours
499:Cambria
477:Sumurun
474:Ketches
426:Mariska
392:, 1898)
366:Vessels
202:on the
889:
870:
768:Mignon
662:(1894)
641:(1889)
610:Thalia
603:Ulidia
521:Eilean
518:ketch
515:(1973)
508:(1931)
506:Altair
501:(1928)
494:(1926)
470:(1911)
450:Cintra
443:(1912)
418:(1920)
407:(1899)
405:Yvette
397:Mignon
379:(1897)
316:wrote:
302:Quotes
277:Shimna
220:Dragon
147:) and
580:Fiona
568:Torch
528:song
497:23mR
464:19mR
437:Tuiga
422:15mRs
354:ketch
296:Largs
183:yacht
160:Youla
887:ISBN
868:ISBN
795:2022
754:2017
725:2015
683:and
660:Elva
447:12mR
403:and
82:Died
61:Born
531:Rio
456:8mR
390:Yum
377:Nan
171:OBE
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700:^
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65:(
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20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
