Full Pelt (Dubois One Tonner)

Full Pelt was a One Tonner, designed by Ed Dubois and built by Neville Hutton for Stephen Fein in 1986, with that year's Sardinia Cup and later, the 1987 Admiral's Cup, in mind. The design featured an aggressive approach to the IOR, with an apparent close attention to minimising weight and maximising any hull shape advantages available under the rule.  

Full Pelt during the 1987 British Admiral's Cup trials (photo Rick Tomlinson | Seahorse)

While those were traits employed on most of her serious competitors, Dubois took it further, with flat decks (presumably to lower the overall centre of gravity of the boat) and a minimum sized coachroof, that finished just aft of the mast. With no windows, halyards and other control lines were led aft along the side of the cabin, while halyard winches were mounted on the deck to lower their centre of gravity. As with many IOR boats of that era, Dubois extended the maximum beam at the deck aft and between the 'BA' and 'BAI' measurement stations so as to maximise the leverage of crew weight. This was a response, in part, to changes to the IOR in November the previous year regarding the effect of crew weight on stability ('CSAF'), which encouraged reductions to maximum beam ('BMAX').

Full Pelt alongside the Tony Castro designed Maiden Hong Kong in 1986, both showing distinctive kinks in the deckline between the BA and BAI measurement points (photo Seahorse/histoiredeshalfs.com)

Dubois was quoted at the time (in Yachting magazine) that the IOR incorporated a "silly rule" that produces such slab-sided yachts, but if the ORC hadn't changed the rule to try to control beam he would have designed even wider yachts for the 1986 season. Structurally, Full Pelt was simple but strong. Her flat deck (weighing just 0.6lb/sq.ft.) effectively resists compression forces where shroud tention tries to pull the sides of the hull together, while longitudinal members inside do a similar job for and aft, creating a light but rigid hull. To meet minimum headroom requirements, a boxy, windowless doghouse of flimsy construction is perched between the cockpit and the mast, its sides forming a convenient site for cleats to hold control lines that don't involve high loads.

Full Pelt during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo Bruce Banks Sails/Seahorse)

Full Pelt proved her pedigree and the designer's approach when she emerged as the top individual yacht in the 1986 Sardinia Cup. In a regatta where One Tonners filled seven of the first ten places (and comprised half of the fleet), Full Pelt revelled in the typically light airs. She displayed a boat speed advantage attributed to her small keel and low wetted surface area that provided good acceleration when puffs would arrive and allowed her to get out of trouble in difficult moments, while pushing her to the front when unopposed. Jo Richards and Geoff Meek worked together to make a formidable team, with Meek seeming to give the boat an injection of new life after a very disappointing showing in the 1986 One Ton Cup where the boat never featured in the results.

Full Pelt during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo One Ton Facebook page)

Full Pelt won both the short offshore and third Olympic race to boost her impressive individual performance for the British team, winning by 20 points over Germany's Rubin IX (with placings of 5/1/2/1/3). Supported by Marionette (15th) and Pocket Battleship (17th), Full Pelt led the British team to victory in the series over second-placed Germany. 

Full Pelt rounds a leeward mark during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo Seahorse)

The photographic record is unclear, but it seems that Full Pelt may have been altered after the Cup, with her original sloping transom remodelled and made more upright, but retaining the measured transom and deck intersection (the AGS measurement point) in the same position.  This would have allowed crew weight to be moved further aft when required. Many other yachts, such as the New Zealand One Tonners Propaganda and Fair Share, made similar amendments for the 1989 series.

Full Pelt during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo Bruce Banks Sails/Seahorse)

Full Pelt narrowly missed selection for the British team for the 1987 Admiral's Cup, with Flying Dutchman helmsman Joe Richards at the helm. After good early season performances, she lost impetus after losing her mast in the De Guingand Bowl event, the first race of the trials, allowing Jamarella and Juno to make the running. 

Full Pelt during the 1987 Admiral's Cup, as Irish Independent Full Pelt (photo Seahorse)

However, after sailing the Irish selection trials in the the chartered Irish Independent (ex-Mean Machine, ex-Rubin 85), Tom Power quickly negotiated a charter of Full Pelt when it became apparent that she was not going to make the British team. Power organised sponsorship with the Irish Independent newspaper, with the boat renamed as Irish Independent Full Pelt, and she joined another Dubois One Tonner, Jameson Whiskey and the bigger 34.2ft rating Turkish Delight (ex-Itzanotherpurla). She was skippered by Tim Goodbody as helmsman, but kept the bulk of Fein's original crew, including Dubois, Joe Richards and Graham Deegan.

Full Pelt in light airs and sporting her near transparent Banks no.1 genoa (photo Sailing Year 1987-88)

Irish Independent Full Pelt rounding Fastnet Rock during the 1987 Admiral's Cup - she made good time to the Rock and went on to win this ocean racing classic (photo by Michael Mac Sweeney)

Full Pelt had a somewhat average Admiral's Cup series overall, with results during the inshore and Channel Race of 13/15/18/31. However, she found her legs in the Fastnet race finale - Full Pelt two-sail reached to the Fastnet Rock along the rhumb line, while those who went west looking for a forecast windshift sailed needless additional miles. Unfortunately, as the main prizes were not at that time awarded to sponsored yachts, the Fastnet Trophy was awarded to second-placed Juno. Nevertheless, this result lifted her final placing to fifth overall, and elevated the Irish team to fourth overall. An interesting and recent postscript to Full Pelt's Fastnet Race achievement, and a late award of first place, can be seen here.

Irish Independent Full Pelt seen here in Queen Annes Battery Marina in Plymouth after winning the 1987 Fastnet race (photo Shockwave40 blog)

Full Pelt seen here in Sandhamm, Sweden, before the 1988 Gotland Runt offshore race (photo Facebook)

Full Pelt seen here racing in Kiel in 1989 (photo Bateaux magazine)

Full Pelt was acquired by Swedish yachtsman Bo Bernholm for the 1989 Admiral's Cup, sailing alongside the former New Zealand 43-footer Kiwi and Greve Duckula. The boat underwent a major refit, with a new mast and rigging, keel, rudder and deck layout for the series, but despite still being fast in light airs, she had a disappointing regatta, finishing in 38th place (of 42), with placings of 14/39/35/25/37/39. The Swedish team finished 12th overall.

Full Pelt was chartered for the Swedish team for the 1989 Admiral's Cup, seen here leaving Lymington Marina (photo Shockwave40 blog)

Her history from that time onwards is undocumented, but she has been featured recently on the One Ton Class Facebook page, and appears to have been upgraded and is now looking like new.

Full Pelt as seen in 2016 and following a recent upgrade, and below sailing off Denmark in 2017 (photo One Ton Facebook page)

As seen in July 2022, lying in Faaborg, Denmark (photo Facebook)

Full Pelt - May 2024 (photo Facebook)

Article updated June 2024

Police Car (Dubois 42)

Admiral's Cup 1979

Police Car was a 42 footer, designed by Ed Dubois for Western Australian yachtsman Peter Cantwell who wanted a downwind flyer to the Two Ton class limit of 32ft IOR, and to campaign for the 1979 Admiral's Cup. Police Car was built in aluminium with medium displacement and sported a lofty fractional rig which was unusual for a yacht of this size at this time. She also sported one of the earliest examples of the 'Double German' mainsheet system.

Police Car proved to be everything Cantwell could have wanted - the wind in Melbourne for the Australian Admiral's Cup trials gave the yacht the opportunity to extend herself, particularly in anything over 20 knots downwind. She won the trials and qualified for the Australian team, alongside Gerald Lambert's Impetuous and Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin. Police Car then went to Poole for the 1979 Two Ton Cup, held a month before the Admiral's Cup in Cowes, where she found the conditions to be an anathema - the light and shifting winds for that regatta were far from her forte and she finished fourth. As with many of the other Two Tonners in Poole, Police Car had optimised her rating for the Admiral's Cup and so gave away about half a foot of rating in the series.

Police Car slides along in a moderate breeze during the 1979 Two Ton Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

Police Car with her spinnaker quickly reset after rounding a gybe mark during the 1979 Two Ton Cup in Poole (photo J Humphris | Facebook)

Police Car in close company with Vanguard (to weather), Morning Cloud (to leeward) and Rrose Selavay (bottom)

What Police Car needed, and what she got at the Admiral's Cup that year, were strong winds and there was no shortage of that for the 1979 series. Police Car loved the Solent races, with the reaches and runs against strong spring tides multiplying her advantage in these conditions. 

Police Car sails downwind in fresh conditions during the 1979 Admiral's Cup, above and below (photo Jonathan Eastland photo archives)

Police Car to leeward of Argentinian yacht Red Rock IV

Police Car scored a fifth and a third in the first two inshore races, and an eighth in the Channel Race.  Meanwhile, ashore, the crew got endless mirth out of the yacht's name, wearing fake police uniforms when the occasion permitted and the crew bus was a black London cab with a blue light on the roof. 

Shipping water over the bow in fresh conditions during the 1979 Admiral's Cup

In the third inshore race it should have been Police Car's day to show off her much-vaunted downwind speed - the wind was blowing a full gale and the tides were running fast in the opposite direction.  The crew were pumping the spinnaker sheet and guy like crazy as the blue boat hurtled down the Solent in a flurry of spray. However, Police Car had been involved in a startline collision with Brazil's Indigo, and later faced two protests, one was dismissed but the second was acknowledged and so Police Car took a 20 percent penalty to drop from fifth to 17th. 

Police Car surges downwind with spinnaker and blooper set during the 1979 Admiral's Cup

Police Car thunders down the Solent, chasing Italian yacht Vanina who appears to have lost control of their blooper sail and have sent a crewmember up the rig to retrieve the errant sail (photo Guy Gurney)

Police Car crosses ahead of Italy's Rrose Selavy (centre) and Britain's Morning Cloud during the 1979 Admiral's Cup (photo Facebook)

In the infamous gale-tossed Fastnet Race Police Car had a wild and wet ride under boomed out staysail, reefed main and storm jib for a while, then piled on the canvas as the wind lightened to finish in fourth place. 

Police Car arriving in Plymouth after the finish of the 1979 Fastnet race (photo Jonathan Eastland photo archives)

Police Car finished as second yacht in the individual standings (409 points), some 17 points adrift of Jeremy Rogers' Eclipse, which had sailed consistently well to finish as the top yacht of the series following her win in the Fastnet race. The other Australian boats had also finished the Fastnet strongly and unscathed, with Impetuous' third and Ragamuffin's 13th overall being enough for Australia to win the Admiral's Cup for the first time since 1967.

Police Car on Sydney Harbour in 1979, with Challenge visible behind (photo Phil Uhl) 

Police Car competing in the Clipper Cup, possibly during the 1980 series

Jim Hardy, who was aboard Impetuous for the series, was much impressed by Police Car and bought her to race mainly in Australian waters. Twice, in 1980 and 1982, he skippered her to wins in Division B in the Sydney Hobart race. Police Car was also chartered by Mike 'Zappa' Bell for the 1981 Australian Admiral's Cup trials, but she missed selection. 

Police Car during the 1981 Australian Admiral's Cup trials (photo Chris Furey)

He also took Police Car to the 1982 Clipper Cup in Hawaii. After a strong start where she won the first race in Class D decisively, she was again well placed just minutes from the finish of the second race when she slammed into a wave trough and her mast folded at the gooseneck. A spare bottom section was flown to the venue but fitted too late to make the Molokai Race. The newly knighted Sir James remarked that the new bottom piece would have to be painted. "What colour?" came the question. "Oh, pink'll do" was the reply, and so it remained for a few more years, as seen in the photos below.

Police Car returns to Waikiki after breaking her mast in the second race of the 1982 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Police Car seen here in Mooloolaba in 1983, still sporting her 'pink section' mast repair (photo Chris Furey)

Showing her longevity in the Australian IOR scene, Police Car also sailed in the 1985 Australian Admiral's Cup trials, seen here to windward of the Dubois One Tonner Black Magic (photo Chris Furey)

Police Car during the 1984 Sydney-Hobart race, and still sporting the pink mast (photo Police Car Facebook page)

Police Car was subsequently owned by Michael Purtell of Tasmania who sailed the yacht in two Sydney-Hobart's. She raced as part of the eighth-placed Tasmanian team in the 1985 Southern Cross Cup, finishing 30th yacht overall following placings of RET/32/33/24/23. Her next owner, Mike Prendergast, sailed her in the 50th edition of the Sydney-Hobart in 1994, placing seventh in Division E. 

Police Car on her way to winning the King of the Derwent race, 1985 (photo Facebook)

Police Car after the Sydney Hobart race in 1994, with a different livery (from the Police Car Facebook page)

Police Car at the CYCA marina before the 2002 Sydney-Hobart race, and after her refit by Alan Duffy and return to her original paint scheme

She was then sold to Alan Duffy in or about 1996 who raced her in short offshore races out of Broken Bay. He carried out a restoration before the 408 mile Gosford to Lord Howe race, as a shakedown for the 2002 Sydney-Hobart race. The restoration involved extensive fairing of the alloy hull and repainting the boat in her original colours, after which she looked better than new (see above). 

Police Car is currently located in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, and as of the start of 2016 was undergoing another restoration. She was relaunched in December 2019 (see the Police Car Facebook page here).

Police Car sighted in November 2024 (photo Sailing Anarchy)

Article updated March 2025

Vanguard (Dubois 44)

The Hong Kong yacht Vanguard, designed by Ed Dubois, features here in a classic gybe sequence taken by yachting photographer Jonathan Eastland during the second inshore race of the 1979 Admiral's Cup, with the wind gusting to Force 7 and blowing against a strong spring tide. 

In this sequence you can see Australia's Apollo IV to the left, and then US yacht Williwaw to the right. Williwaw went on to have her own problems (see 1979 Admiral's Cup photos). Although Vanguard lost time through this unscheduled manoeuvre she managed to salvage 19th place in this race in a 57 boat fleet. 

Vanguard was a sistership to her team mate Uin-na-Mara IV, and along with La Pantera III performed strongly with the Hong Kong team finishing in third place overall, behind Australia and the US.

Thanks to Jonathan Eastland for permission to display these images. An archive of his other photos can be seen at Jonathan Eastland archive