Adventuress
under schooner rig ca. 1926

For more than a century, Fife was one of the premier names in yacht design and construction. Among knowledgeable yachtsman worldwide, the Fife trademark - a pair of stylized Chinese dragons carved into the prows - is synonymous with superior design and quality of construction.

As the third generation of a venerable Scottish boat building family, William Fife inherited a rich legacy and 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 from European royalty and from clients as far away as Australia.

Fife designed two America's Cup yachts for grocery and tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton who challenged for the cup a total of five times. The Fife designed Shamrock lost to Columbia in 1899 and Shamrock III lost to Reliance in 1903. Although unsuccessful in the quest to return the America’s Cup to Britain, they were certainly worthy competitors, helping endear Lipton to the American public through his sportsmanship and sense of fair play. After the establishment of the first International Rule in 1906, Fife became a prolific designer of meter boats, designing and building several very successful 15- and 19-meter yachts in the years leading up to the Great War.

Eric Tabarly, the famous French sailor, two time winner of the OSTAR and owner of the Fife design Pen Duick (ex Yum, 1898), writing on the designs produced by Fife during the first few decades of the century noted that:

”the great designers of the period were Herreshoff, Watson, Nicholson 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 construction.”
(Excerpted from the Preface to William Fife: Master of the Classic Yacht, F. Pace, 1998).

While Fife established a leading reputation on the yacht racing circuit, his work also included a number of fine cruising vessels. Dr. William Collier of Fairlie Restorations in Hamble UK, writing on Fife's work in the 1920's, noted that during this period,

”[Fife] 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 schooner Altair, many of the cruisers echo his turn of the century designs such as Cicerly or Suzanne; similarly there were few fundamental differences in his ketch designs spanning this era. Perceived by some as anachronistic, these yachts were considered by many to represent some of the greatest refinements of the auxiliary cruising yacht ever achieved.”
(Same source)

Adventuress is fortunate to share good company. Today, larger yachts designed by William Fife still under sail include Altair (1931), Belle Aventure (1929), Halloween (1926), Kentra (1923), Sumurun (1914), Tuiga (1909), and Moonbeam (1903). Painstakingly preserved and maintained by their owners and crews, these fine examples of the Fife tradition stand as a lasting legacy to the genius of their designer and the durability of their build. Most sail annually in the Mediterranean classic yacht circuit alongside other restored yachts of the era and are prized by their owners as the best yachts ever built.

Of the some 820 yachts designed or built by the Fifes of Fairlie, there are estimated to be approximately 100 still in existence. Although the yard closed in the late 1930’s, amazingly, some 50 are still sailing. Of the yachts in the range of 70 feet and greater, there are perhaps ten left in the world. Unlike many of her sisters, which at one point or another were stripped of their keels and relegated to life as houseboats on the mud flats of Britain, Adventuress has never stopped sailing.

Much of the Fife legacy has been preserved through his original drawings that are now carefully archived and maintained at Fairlie Restorations in Hamble, UK. Copies of the original drawings for Adventuress were obtained by the current owner and have served as the basis for the restoration process. Personnel at Fairlie Restorations have also provided the benefits of their experience and insights, having been involved in the restoration of a number of important Fife yachts, including Altair, Tuiga, The Lady Anne, Kentra and Maraquita.