Notable A-Raters and Their Innovations

Throughout this history, certain boats stand out as icons of the class, each introducing something new or achieving landmark success. The following table highlights a few of the Thames A-Raters (by no means an exhaustive list) and their notable contributions:

Boat (Year) Designer/Builder Notable Innovations or Achievements
Ulva (1898) Alfred Burgoine (Kingston) Oldest surviving A-Rater; so well-designed she “marked a plateau in rater design”thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Ulva was unbeaten in light airs and her hull became the plug for all modern GRP raters in the 1980sraterassociation.co.uk sail-world.com. Linton Hope praised Ulva as “one of the best boats ever seen on these waters”thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk.
Carina (1902) Alfred Burgoine Another Burgoine masterpiece; virtually unbeatable in her early yearsthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Hope called her owner “the king of boat sailors” and noted Carina’s consistent podium finishes in any weatherthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Winner of many early trophies; beautifully restored in 2003 for her centenary (and promptly won cups again).
Vagabond (1907) Linton Hope (built by Townsend) The most historically significant A-Raterthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Designed with ultra-narrow beam, Vagabond introduced the trapeze (“bell rope”) and sliding seats in the 1930s – the first use of these on a conventional sailboatthamessailingclub.co.uk thamessailingclub.co.uk. Rebuilt in the 1980s, she spearheaded the wooden boat revival, and with a carbon rig was Queen’s Cup champion in 2001 and 2003thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.u
Scamp (1906) Linton Hope (built by Hart & Co) A rival to Caprice in trophy count, Scamp (and her successor “Scamp II”) won more Queen’s Cups than any other boat. Hope designed her long and lean, trading some light-wind speed for windward power. Scamp was the last A-Rater standing in the 1950s at UTSC, keeping the flame alive almost single-handedlyraterassociation.co.uk. Her original lines (published in Yachting Monthly) were used in the 2010s to create a new mold for building modern Ratersraterassociation.co.uk.
Caprice IV (1911) F.H. “Jack” Jackson (built by Townsend) One of the few not by Hope/Burgoine, Caprice IV was enormously successful – twice she won the Queen’s Cup three years running (a feat of consistency)thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Longest and widest hull in the fleet (Jackson favoured beam for stability)thedailysail.com. Raced in the 1920s–30s by aviation pioneers Fred Sigrist and Sir Frank Spriggsthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. After an extensive 1990s rebuild, she returned to top form, winning the Queen’s Cup again in 1997 under Ossie Stewartthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk.
Spindrift (1983) N/A (Ulva mould, GRP build) The first of the “plastic” raters, launching the GRP erathames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Dominant in her early years; in 1998 she became the first GRP boat to undergo a restoration of her own – emerging with a new wooden deck and lighter rig, which made her faster than everthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. She also pioneered the use of a carbon-fiber mast in the class, contributing to a Queen’s Cup win in 1999thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk.
Atlantis (1980s) N/A (Ulva mould, GRP) A top performer among GRP boats. Helmed by Julian Smith, Atlantis amassed an unparalleled six Queen’s Cup victories, more than any other single boat in the modern erathames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Known for excellent crew work and a series of young helms, she proved that the new GRP boats could build their own legends. Refurbished in 1999 with a wooden deck and new carbon rig, she continued to win into the 2000sthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk
Tara (2001) Steve Neal (Ulva mould, carbon/aramid build) The newest Thames A-Rater as of the 2000s, and the only one with a carbon-aramid composite hullraterassociation.co.uk. Built as Caprice V for the Caprice syndicate, she has slightly lower freeboard and needed ballast added to meet the 750 lb minimum weightraterassociation.co.uk raterassociation.co.uk. Renamed Tara in 2005, she brought the class into the 21st century. Though “inconsistent” initially, she showed flashes of great speed and proved that even a ultra-modern build still respects the class rules and spiritthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk thames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk. Tara also has the distinction of pioneering female participation – she’s the only Rater to consistently sail with a woman helm or crew in the Three Rivers Race and beyondraterassociation.co.uk.

(Above: A selection of notable Thames A-Raters, illustrating the evolution from 19th-century wood to 21st-century composites. Many other boats have rich histories as well – for example Viva (1910, by Burgoine) which was a champion in the 1920s under Fred Sigristthames-sailingclub-history.thecomputerguy-it.co.uk, or Dainty and Vanessa, etc. This table focuses on those mentioned in the brief.)

The Clubs and Their Trophies