Cyra

Designed by Alfred Mylne – Built by Alexander Robertson & Sons, 1909

Design and Construction

Cyra was designed by Alfred Mylne and built by Alexander Robertson & Sons at Sandbank, Scotland, launching in May 1909 for A.F. Sharman-Crawford of Greenock. Built to the International First Rule, she measured 18.47 meters overall, with a 12.27-meter waterline, a 3.40-meter beam, and a 2.48-meter draught. Her hull was of wood planking over steel frames, with topsides in Honduras mahogany, bottom planking in pitch pine, and a Washington spruce mast.

Supplied without sails, Cyra cost £1,520 and reflected Mylne’s meticulous craftsmanship—sleek, balanced, and designed for both speed and seaworthiness. During her first seasons, she raced successfully in the Clyde 12 Metre circuit, recording six firsts, five seconds, and one third in the 1909 season out of thirty-two entries. In 1910 she entered twenty-four races, earning one third-place finish, competing among an elite field of new International Rule yachts.

Early Ownership and Racing Career

Owned by A.F. Sharman-Crawford from 1909 to 1922, Cyra was a fixture on the Clyde, racing from Greenock under the Royal Ulster Yacht Club burgee. By 1915 she was listed in Lloyd’s Register as “formerly International Rating Class 12 Metres,” reflecting the post-war decline in First Rule racing.

In 1922, she was sold to A. Menchacha of Bilbao and renamed Ella, later changing hands to F. Sanchez & Incha’ustegui (Bilbao) as Maria in 1923. Her move to Spain marked the beginning of a long Mediterranean chapter, transitioning from active racer to elegant cruising yacht.

Modifications and New Identities

In 1926, under new owner C.E. Nicholson, Cyra was refitted at Greenock and renamed Lucella. She was converted to a Bermudian yawl, remeasured as a 12 Metre I.R., and fitted with a four-cylinder petrol engine, reducing her sail area from 195 to 177 square meters.

Later that same year, Col. E.J. Hollway reacquired her and restored the name Cyra. Between 1927 and 1930 she was re-powered and further altered from a cutter to a yawl. Through the 1930s, she changed hands several times: Frits Johannsen (Copenhagen and Antibes, 1933–1934), Mrs. R.E. Pascal (Cannes, 1935–1936), and Maurice Harlachol (Cannes, 1937–1938), who renamed her Elfe II and remeasured her once more as a 12 Metre.

After World War II, Cyra reappeared as Elsa under Joseph Regis of Marseille (1947–1955). By 1956, she had disappeared from Lloyd’s Register, likely broken up or retired from service.

Legacy

Cyra was among the last of the great pre-war 12 Metres to survive into the post-war period. Designed at the height of Alfred Mylne’s creative career, she embodied the grace and craftsmanship of Scotland’s finest yard at Sandbank and showcased Mylne’s philosophy of combining “grace, pace, and space.”

Her long and varied life—from Clyde racer to Mediterranean cruiser, from Cyra to Lucella, Elfe II, and Elsa—illustrates the evolution of the early metre yachts. Though her final fate remains uncertain, Cyra stands as a testament to the artistry and endurance of the First Rule 12 Metre era, when yachts were built as much for beauty and craftsmanship as for competition.