Heatherbell

Overview

Built in 1907 by Alexander Robertson & Son at Sandbank, Scotland, HEATHERBELL was among the very first yachts constructed under the International First Rule for the 12 Metre Class. Designed by Thomas C. Glen-Coats, she was commissioned by his uncle, Major Andrew Coats, one of the pioneering patrons of early International Rule yacht racing.

HEATHERBELL was launched in July 1907, at the height of the Clyde shipbuilding season, and immediately entered competition for the upcoming 1908 Olympic trials. Although she did not qualify for the British team, she set the standard for the generation of First-Rule Twelves that would soon dominate both national and Olympic racing.

Design and Construction

HEATHERBELL was built according to the 12 Metre formula of the First International Rule (1907) and represented the newest thinking in performance yacht design at the time. Her hull was a finely proportioned steel-framed, wooden-planked vessel typical of the early class—graceful, balanced, and optimized for heavy-weather performance on the Clyde and the Solent.

The interior was finished throughout in cedar, with the ladies’ cabin and saloon done in white enamel with polished dado panels. The forecastle provided berths for five crew. Her contract price, excluding sails, was £1,750, a significant investment for the era.

Built at the busiest time of the yard’s season, her completion required extensive overtime, increasing her final cost. By late 1907 she underwent a systematic lightening program—strengthening spars, re-cutting sheet leads, removing heavy skylights, and replacing fittings with lighter gear—to improve balance and responsiveness.

Early Racing

HEATHERBELL competed in the English Olympic trials of 1908, though without notable success. Her real recognition came later, when she was sold abroad and became a central figure in the early history of international 12 Metre competition.

By 1912 she was sailing under the Finnish flag, owned by Ernst Krogius, Vice Commodore of Helsingfors Yacht Club. Under his command, HEATHERBELL represented Finland at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, earning the bronze medal in the 12 Metre class—an important milestone in both Finnish and 12 Metre history.

Subsequent Ownership

HEATHERBELL’s later life traced the expansion of the class across Northern Europe and into the Mediterranean.

1907–1909 – Major Andrew Coats, Glasgow (Great Britain). Original owner.
1909–1915 – Ernst Krogius, Helsingfors (Finland). Represented Finland in 1912 Olympics; bronze medal.
1916–1918 – Harald Zetterström syndicate (Sweden/Finland).
1919–1920s – Gustav Eslander and Niels M. Magnussen, Christiania (Oslo, Norway). Renamed Margit IV.
1924 – C. E. Nicholson, Portsmouth (Great Britain).
1925–1926 – P. C. Mérillon, Cannes (France). Renamed Yolande; converted to auxiliary Bermudian cutter with engine installation.
1927–1949 – Comte Jean de Polignac, Antibes (France). Renamed Sylva; later rigged as yawl; repowered with a Baudoin petrol engine in 1936.
1950–1953 – Comte Guy de Boisrouvray, Antibes and Golfe Juan (France).
1954–1960 – André and Georges Auniac.
1961–1963 – André Comette.
After 1964 – Disappears from Lloyd’s Register; rumored to remain sailing in Norway, though unconfirmed.

Modifications and Renamings

Over her long career, HEATHERBELL underwent numerous alterations. Her original lead keel was replaced with concrete during 1917 wartime shortages, reducing cost but affecting balance. She changed hands across four nations—Britain, Finland, Norway, and France—and under at least five names: Heatherbell, Teresita, Margit IV, Yolande, and Sylva.

In 1925 she was converted to an auxiliary Bermudian cutter, marking her transition from pure racer to fast cruising yacht. Later French owners maintained her through the 1950s, after which her trail fades from the official Lloyd’s registry.

Significance

HEATHERBELL’s story spans nearly six decades of European yachting history. She was among the earliest International 12 Metres ever launched, the first of the Coats–Glen Coats lineage, and one of the few First-Rule Twelves to compete successfully in the Olympic Games.

Her construction by Alexander Robertson & Son also marks one of the Clyde yard’s earliest major International Rule commissions—a lineage that would later include several famous racing yachts. HEATHERBELL stands as a symbol of the 12 Metre Class’s origins: international, elegant, and built to race at the highest level.

Today

Though her present whereabouts remain uncertain, HEATHERBELL’s name endures in the 12 Metre heritage records. The Heatherbell Trophy, awarded within the Vintage and Antique divisions of the class, commemorates her legacy and her role in the birth of International Rule competition.

She remains a founding figure of the 12 Metre story—a link between the craftsmanship of the Clyde, the Olympic spirit of 1912, and the enduring beauty of the class that still races more than a century later.