Aluminium Vickers 45 launched in Italy

"Alemar" is an aluminium Vickers 45AC, built in Florence, Italy and launched a few weeks ago. She is owned by friends Marco and Alessio, who have also built her. Marco is a computer programmer with his own business and Alessio is a woodworker in the boatbuilding industry. I was fortunate to be hosted by Marco and his lovely wife Anna for a few days when I visited Italy for the launch of an aluminium Dix 38 Pilot about 6 years ago.

Marco and Alessio appear to have done a great job of building the cruiser of their dreams. The hull looks to be nicely faired with a beautiful standard of finish. They have modified the shape of my superstructure design, adding Italian flair. This is not surprising, considering the stylishly beautiful sports cars that are built by Italian factories. I remember that Marco asked me why I was rebuilding a British Lotus sports car and not an Italian Ferrari. Well, we can't make everybody happy.

To read the full story about their build, go to the "Alemar" blog, where you can also follow their sailing adventures. It is in Italian but this is easily translated if accessed through Google Chrome.

Ready for launch.

Nice standard of finish.

About to get wet.

Afloat.

Italian styling added to pilothouse roof.

Waiting for her rig.

Rig up, floating nicely.

I look forward to sailing updates from "Alemar" and also sailing photos.

To see more of this and our other designs, go to our main website or our mobile website.

The tale of "Vlakvark", a very cold warthog

"Vlakvark" is a steel Vickers 45AC . She is named for an African warthog but she has spent much of her time in the past two years in the Antarctic. Owned by Stuart Sugden and Charmaine Lingard, this beautiful photo of her appeared last week as Cruising Shot of the Week in Cruising Compass, The Weekly Newsletter for Sailors & Cruisers.

"Vlakvark" was originally named "Tantalus". She was built by Brian Alcock and his team at Hout Bay Yachts, for John and Rose Stockwell. They cruised her across the Atlantic and chartered her for a few years in the Caribbean.

Her next owner renamed her "Sweetwater". She was based on the East Coast and cruised the Caribbean.

That owner sold her to Stuart and Charmaine, from British Columbia, who renamed her "Vlakvark". They wanted a connection to her South African origins, so chose the Afrikaans name for the warthog. They then took their warthog out of its normal hot climate and headed through the worst cruising waters in the world, to the ice. They have done this not once but twice. It seems that she has enjoyed the change and has carried her crew in comfort and safety. Now she is en-route North through the Pacific, heading for her home base in BC, Canada.

Dudley