In his article beginning on page 22 of this issue, Nic Compton notes that the last sail-driven working Bristol Channel pilot cutter, CARIAD, was retired from her trade in 1922. These vessels were developed for the singular purpose of placing pilots aboard ships negotiating the Bristol Channel, and the qualities that made them so good at this job—speed, weatherliness, seaworthiness, ease of handling—also made them ideally suited for ocean voyaging. This was proven in the 25 years following CARIAD’s retirement, as she logged 30,000 miles around Europe as a cruising vessel. It is also proven to this day in the popularity of these boats.
Incredibly, more than 100 years after CARIAD’s retirement, eight pilot cutters—plus one pilot-cutter-inspired yacht—sailed in the Pilot Cutter Review, an event just for these boats at St. Mawes, England. Three of the contestants were originals and five were built relatively recently, well after the heyday of working sail. One of these recent ones, EVE OF ST. MAWES, was launched by Luke Powell in 1997, and appears on the cover of this issue. I’ve been mulling lately why such breathtaking boats, which could be obsolete, instead thrive into modern times. I’ve boiled it down to three factors
First, they’re beautiful. Even to someone casually acquainted with sailing craft, pilot cutters exude an air of timelessness, romance, and history. This is self-evident in Nic’s photographs.