Donald M. Street Jr.

Ariel Shot, racing in British Virgin Islands Regatta, 1980

Built 1905; major refit of 6,000 man hours 1995. major overhaul in 2005.
As the years have gone by Iolaire has become younger and younger. The summer of 2005 was a celebratory summer, Iolaire was 100, the owner D M Street Jr. celebrated his 75th birthday July 26th, and it was 50-years since I made a pier head jump onto the Lloyds Yacht Club boat Lutine one hour before the start of the Fastnet. Lutine won her division, Street was asked to sail the rest of the season on board, and he became a member of the RORC 50-years ago. On Lutine he made the contacts that enabled him to go into the insurance business ten years later.
To celebrate, Iolaire took part in the British classic Yacht Club Regatta in Cowes, July 16th to 23rd, D M Street Jr.s birthday party was held on board on the 26th July starting the Fastnet on August 7th it was Street’s fifth Fastnet and Iolaire’s fourth.
Iolaire is the most unique yacht afloat today. What other yacht has been in commission for 98 of her 100 years? Has made twelve transatlantic passages? Has sailed over 300,00 miles? Has been as far north as North Cape, as far east in the Baltic as Hanko in Finland? As far east in the Mediterranean as eastern Turkey? Visited all the Atlantic islands? Criss-crossed the Caribbean for 48 years visiting all the islands as far west as Jamaica? Has been owned by two founding members of the R.O.R.C.: R. H. “Bobby” Somerset and Major T. P. Rose-Richards?

History
lolaire was built by Harris Bros, in 1905 and is one the only yacht of 100-years old that has been in continuous commission since she was built. She was cruising and racing during WWI as she was Irish owned and based in Ireland during WWII she was laid up in a mud bank on the Hamble. She raced successfully from 1909 to 1923, under her gaff rig for the Tweedy family, of Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire), and also cruised extensively.
In 1928 P. T. Rose-Richards, one of the founder members of the R.O.R.C., purchased lolaire and raced her successfully, she was then variously owned by Lt. Colonel Alston, the Burton family and Owen Edmunds - all of whom raced her under gaff rig.
After the war, still under her gaff rig, R.H. Bobby Sommerset another founding member of the R.O.R.C. bought her. He sailed her to the Caribbean in 14 days and hours from the Cape Verdes to Barbados, cruised extensively through the Caribbean as far west as Jamaica—as far north as North Cape; then back to the U.K. and as far east as Turkey.
Sommerset then raced her and won the R.O.R.C. Class 2 Seasons Points Championship in 1951 under Marconi rig—He had inherited the rig out of German Freres Joanna, when Freres had Camper & Nicholson build him an aluminium mast.
The present owner, Don Street, purchased her in 1957 and has cruised and raced her extensively—lolaire has made twelve transatlantic passages, seven of them under the present owners command.
She is a passage maker.
Three trips; Cape Verdes to the islands of the Caribbean in 14 days and hours in 1949, 1985 and 1989; the Canaries to Antigua in 18 ½ days in 1975; Halifax to Mizzen Head in 1975 - averaging 154 miles a day.
He raced her successfully in the Caribbean until 1985 when he retired her from round the buoy racing. He has continued racing
her in Classic Regattas in the Caribbean and European waters.
Despite having no engine the present owner has taken her all the places that people say you cannot go without one. Through the East River in New York; through the Cape Cod Canal; eight trips up and down the Thames River; five trips up and down the Elbe; to various harbors on the south coast of England that people say you cannot enter without an engine—to the south coast of France to La Rochelle; Benodet; Trinit<5; Brest; Douarnenez—all possible because of the yawl rig.
He has owned lolaire for 48 years and has sailed her roughly 200,000 miles - in all conditions. Considering the extensive cruising done before the present owner bought her, she has probably done between 300,000 and 350,000 miles in her life time.
Numerous articles have been written about her. The distinctive ones in recent times are: Yachting Monthly, December 1997; One Man and His Boat; The Sunday Times: Irish Yachting Review; One Gun Yawl. Classic Boat June 1998 has a special feature article on lolaire; lolaire's Baltic Cruise, Sail magazine March 1999; Don's Street's Baltic Cruise, Classic Boat June 2000;
There are videos of lolaire — Transatlantic with Street, pre-1995 rebuild; Antigua Sailing Week, 1985 lolaire's swansong in racing. Both of these videos are available in the U.K. from Kelvin Hughes, and in the States from Armchair Bookstore.
No boat has ever been offered for sale under such favorable terms and conditions as lolaire is being offered.
When lolaire is hauled in June 2005, the mast will be pulled for checking, the bilges will be completely emptied, water tanks and internal trimming ballast removed, iron work, mast step and floors in the forward part of the bilge will be cleaned, chipped and painted with coal tar epoxy, and new batteries will be installed.
lolaire has been painted red for fifty years. When I purchase lolaire 1958 she was red. I accused the previous owner of painting her red to hid the rust stains from the iron work whose galvanizing had long since departed. Through the years I eliminated all the iron fittings but kept the color as she had become famous as "the old red race horse".
lolaire is the Scottish Gaelic name for "White Tailed Sea Eagle" so for her 100th birthday my wife Trich has persuaded me to re-paint lolaire original white color.
The topsides, bulwark, bottom and all varnish work brought up to first class yacht standard. On relaunch lolaire will be ready to sail anywhere in the world. She can be raced in the Classic Circuit as is, or the aluminum mainmast can be replaced by a wooden mast which will greatly reduce the rating, or she can be converted back to gaff rig. She is so original above and below decks she should rate like a bandit.
What boat is available to the owner who wants to race in the Mediterranean Gaff Rig circuit that can be converted back to her original rig, deck layout, and Edwardian elegance with no structural alterations on or below decks? The present owner is willing to manage the project of conversion back to her original rig and Edwardian elegance.
In forty eight years of ownership a tremendously flexible and effective rig has been developed. Iolaire will work to windward in gale conditions under a double reefed main and staysail, or storm trysail and staysail. She will heave to in storm conditions under the Mizzen alone.
Yet with the aid of an MPG she will sail quite nicely in the very lightest of wind
The Mizzen is used as an air rudder when sailing her in and out of the marinas that otherwise people say, would be impossible to negotiate without an engine.
She is a passage maker.
Three trips; Cape Verdes to the islands of the Caribbean in 14 days and hours in 1949, 1985 and 1989; the Canaries to Antigua in 18 ½ days in 1975; Halifax to Mizzen Head in 1975 – all trips averaging about, 154 miles a day.

Rig Double Headsail Yawl
The rig is very flexible and easy to handle. The spreaders are raked slightly aft to create a slight pre bend in the large sectioned 9 '/2 inch fore and aft; 7 ½ inch athwartship aluminum mast.
The preventer back stays are seldom used and if being used short tacking in heavy weather they are far enough forward, that both runners can be set up and left set up. They do not have to be adjusted each time the boat is tacked.
Over the 48 years of ownership the present owner has worked out the rig and it works superbly in all conditions.
The working rig is Main and Mizzen, big Yankee and Genoa-Staysail. This provides the same sail area as a 135% Genoa but this rig is much easier to tack than a 135% Genoa. While racing this has often been proved when short tacking up the south coast of Antigua. As the wind increases the main can be shortened down quickly using slab reefing, in extreme conditions a storm trysail can be set in a separate track. In normal off shore sailing the storm trysail is bent onto the track and stowed in a bag on top of the dinghy.
Under storm trysail and heavy weather staysail she will work to windward in 50 knots of wind. In storm conditions 70 knots she will heave to under Mizzen alone with helm lashed.
The Yankee is set on a Harken roller reefing foil and can be reefed. Genoa-Staysail is roller furling in its own luff wire. In extreme conditions the Genoa-Staysail is rolled up completely and a bullet proof reefable heavy weather staysail is set, hanked on to the staysail stay.
In light airs the first step is to roll up the roller furling Genoa-Staysail and set on the staysail stay the hanked on light Genoa-Staysail, with the Yankee. This gives the same sail area as a 10/150% Genoa but is much easier to set up, tack and handle.
When the wind goes really light, the light Genoa-Staysail is dropped; the Staysail stay is disconnected and brought back to the mast. The Yankee rolled up. Then the 675-sq. Foot MPG (Multi-Purpose Genoa) stowed in a snuffer is set flying on its Kevlar luff. It is hoisted on an oversized halyard to minimize luff sag. In light airs one person can steer and tack the MPG as there is a clear fore triangle. When reaching the Mizzen staysail can be set. The small one is 320-sq. Feet, the larger one 640-sq. Feet!!
Spars
The aluminum main mast was built by Proctor 1965, it was anodized and painted. Through the years there has been a corrosion problem with the mast heel. This has been replaced twice. The last time in 1993. A spare tube for the 12" bottom section can be replaced, and is already made up. This new section should probably be installed ten years hence—2013.
The mast was removed for a complete check in 1997, and again in 2005.
In 1993 all fittings were taken off the lower part of the mast checked and where there was any significant corrosion double plates were welded on. The mast was removed for painting in 1995 and in 1997 for checking—when all rigging was checked.
The main boom is spruce and believed to be the original.
The Mizzen mast was built in 1954, for the Aberking Rasmussen yawl Ondine and well maintained over the years.
Rigging
Main Mast - The standing rigging is 5/16 -inclj. 1X19 stainless steel—all replaced in 1995 in the rebuild. The end fittings are Staylock—all fittings dye checked in 1997 polished and checked with magnifying glass
The head stay was replaced in 1995 when the Harken gear was dismantled and checked by Spencers of Cowes.
The rig is very flexible and easily handled. The spreaders are raked slightly aft to create a slight prebend, in the large sectioned mast 9'/2 fore and aft 7'/2 thwartships.
The preventer back stays are seldom used
Winches
There are six halyard winches and nine sheet winches, three of which are self tailing.
Running Rigging
There are ample supplies of running rigging. Too numerous to list individually.
Sails
Main —440 square feet, Fully battened Doyle Stack Pack that can be single or double reefed.
Mizzen —80 square feet, fully battened Korsan (North Venezuelan Agent).
Headsail —MPG, 675 square feet set flying Kevlar luff, with snuffer to an oversized halyard minimizing luff sag - Doyle.
Yankee — 340 square feet, foam luff set on a foil, North
Genoa Staysail roller furling set on its own luff wire—Korsan (North Venezuelan Agents)
Heavy Weather Staysail , hanked on and reefable 170 square feet—North.
Light Genoa Staysail of 350 square feet set on the staysail stay with hanks—North.
Spitfire Jib —,hanked on 60 square feet North
Storm Trysail —250 square feet with 6´reef sets on separate track stowed in bag on top of the dinghies. Ulmer
Spinnaker with snuffer,
Mizzen Staysails —two: Small Mizzen Staysail 320 square feet; Big Mizzen Staysail 620 square feet.
All sails are in good condition and have been completely overhauled and checked by the sail makers and repaired as necessary in June 2005.
Construction
Largely original Teak to the waterline; pitchpine below and the bottom four planks are Elm-all planking fastened with bronze spikes-now totally refastened in silicon bronze screws. The Kauri pine deck was iron fastened and was replaced in 1994/95 rebuild.
Framing
Grown Oak 3 ½ " squared-double amidships, single at the ends of the boat.
Keel
Lead keel with bronze keel bolts-all replaced in 1936 and regularly checked. All other centreline bolts are bronze-1980 or more recent.
Reconstruction through the years
The original bulkheads were non-structural partitions. They have all been replaced by structural 3/4" marine plywood bulkheads bolted to frames and deck beams. Through the years when broken frames were discovered they were replaced by laminated Iroko frames 3'/2" X 4 inches, and the planking refastened in with 3-inch No. 18 silicon bronze screws.
Needless to say, in all old boats the mast step gives problems. In 1985 Mick Jarrold, who served his seven year apprenticeship in Campers in the 1950s, tore everything out in the region of the mast step and installed four steel plate floors, ¼" all tied to the main frames by bronze bolts and a seven foot long I-beam on the top—completely curing any movement in that area.
In 1995 lolaire went through a major rebuild done by Mick Jarrold, who sailed is own Lily Maid (one year older than lolaire) from Madagascar to Venezuela to do the rebuild. All new deck beams were installed, and beam shelf, using pitch pine salvaged out of old warehouses built in England in the 1840s and 1850s. Any planking and any frames on lolaire that were the least bit suspicious were removed and replaced.
The deck is not a skin job. There are two layers of 1/2 inch plywood epoxy glued together with 7/8" teak, screw fastened through the plywood and into the deck beams.
The teak was the driest Mick had ever seen as it came from a 23-ft 12X12 log that had been lying in Grenadian Yacht Services for fifteen years. The remainder of the teak, Trinidadian Teak, bought in Trinidad was air dried, stacked and slicked, for three years in the top of a tropical warehouse.
The iron floors in the deep part of the bilge which had given trouble over the years were pulled out and replaced with stainless steel and secured with bronze bolts.
Two keel’s bolts were pulled and checked. It was decided they were perfect and they were reinstalled. Through the years all the bolts on the centre line stem and stern post bolts have been replaced with bronze.
The rebuild used approximately 6,000 man hours. Since the rebuild lolaire has sailed roughly 20,000 miles.
We discovered one problem with the stem (an area we did not work on in 1994/95), which was cured when she was hauled in Gibraltar at Shepherds in April 1996.
Below decks layout
6-ft. headroom under the deck. 5´ 9" under the beams-7-ft. under the hatches and skylights.
Foc’s’le and Galley
Thirteen and half feet long; with two pipe berths — seldom used in modern times, except when sailing down wind and in port. A large galley with a heavily gimbaled Luke stove, (three burners and oven).
We have always eaten well, even in gale conditions. The stove is very well gimbaled — and pot holders are very seldom needed. There is a gimbaled sideboard forward of the stove. There are two separate refrigerators with air-cooled compressors.
The boxes are so well insulated that in Northern European climate the compressors are only run an hour a day. In the Caribbean in the hottest weather they only need to be run two hours in the morning and two in the evening. The Galley is fully equipped with spice rack, pots and pans stowage and ample food stowage for tinned goods and fresh vegetables in ventilated lockers and baskets fitted on the overhead.
Main Cabin
There are two hanging lockers and two sideboards with a big liquor locker on one side, and secretary locker on the other, holding papers and files with a folding desk in between. Two settees, full 6-ft 6-ins long with pull up pilot berths above them, giving four fall length berths in the main cabin.
You are secure in the upper bunks in all weather as you are secured in place by 10" high bunk board that hinges down in the middle to enable you to easily get in and out of the bunks.
In the low bunks you are held in place by proper lee canvases.
There is ample storage underneath the settees — it will hold twenty cases of beer and two cases of wine. Clothes stowage is underneath the pilot berths — the four lockers provide adequate stowage for four people.
Between the settees is a gimbaled table — which is reputedly older than the boat. The gimbal works so well that we have often served a full dinner on the table in a full gale.
Navigation Area
To starboard of the companionway hatch there is a chart table with a large book rack ample stowage over the chart table for charts tools under chart table and the batteries under navigation area sole.
Head
Opposite the chart table is the head, sink and counter space plus ample stowage for foul weather gear. Also, foul weather gear can be stowed under the companionway ladder.
After Cabin
There is a single bunk on the starboard side and a double bunk on the port side with ten inch high boards that hinge down to allow you to easily get in and out of the bunks, a settee along the starboard side bunk and across the after end. With good reading lights over each bunk. There is a door in the cabin that opens up to life raft stowage under the cockpit.

Water Capacity
120 gallons in five separate tanks.
Ventilation
There is a four-inch dorade to ventilate the foc’s’le, and a six-inch dorade that ventilates the main cabin. In the head and navigators area are two straight-through 4-inch ventilators which are turned aft in heavy weather.
Ventilation is also provided by hatches. The foc’s’le hatch can be left part open on a short prop in all but the worst gale conditions. The main skylight hatch in the main cabin, since it is under the dinghy, can also be left open under a canvas cover on a short prop in all but the worst conditions. It is the same for the after cabin hatch.
In port the main cabin and after cabin hatches are double hinged so that they can be open facing forward to gather more air. In tropical conditions the whole main skylight can be unlatched and propped up giving an opening three and a half feet long and two feet wide-giving more than ample ventilation.
Heating
There us a coal stove in the after end of the main cabin with a Jolie Breeze pivoting ventilator, i.e. it has a weathercock so that it is always facing down wind it will draw even in gale conditions. This heats and dries the main cabin beautifully. In the galley the oven provides plenty of heat. Underneath each ventilator there is a sliding door, which in cold weather it can be closed to allow below decks to warm up.
Electricity
There is an Ampair wind generator mounted on the Mizzen mast head which, as long as the wind is abeam or forward of the beam, produces enough electricity to keep everything going. When the wind goes aft of the beam we trail a water generator which will put out 6 amps at 6 knots. At times, on reaching conditions when they are both overside, they generate so much electricity we have to turn on lights to keep the battery from overcharging.
In 2005 the below decks fluorescent lights were replaced by LED lights. With five lights on the current draw is barely 1-amp.
The three-way masthead light was replaced in 2005 with an LED light, drawing 0.5-amps or 5-amps in ten hours of darkness.
A new improved Ampair wind generator was installed on the mizzenmast in 2005.
With all these improvements in the electrical system, Iolaire will have more electricity than we know what to do with.
Batteries
Two banks of 12 volts, 120 ampere hours each. New May 2005.
Bilge Pumps
2 big Edson Bilge Pumps. 35 GPM—infinitely better than the Whale pumps as they have only one intake valve and one discharge valve of 2-inches in diameter. These suck all the bits out of the bilge and over board without clogging. One can be found under the main companionway and discharges on the port side. There is a secondary pump in the aft cabin, discharging through a sea cock under the cockpit.
Life raft
Switlick, stowed below decks under the cockpit. Rechecked and restowed by Switlick agent 2000. This will be recertified 2005
Lifejackets
10 Switlick of highest grade US Coastguard Air/Sea Rescue lifejackets. These will be rechecked 2005. Two man-overboard poles with big ARC strobe lights. Sea anchors and life rings.
Dinghies
Nesting clinker dinghies made to Lawley design of 1898. The dinghies are built clinker plywood epoxy glued so they do not dry out. They are extremely light and row extremely well. See article in Classic Boat, August 2000.
Lazarette
This is huge-to the point that all sails can be stowed below decks. In fact in the tropics the lazarette is so large that a number of Iolaire’s crews have rearranged the sail bags so that they can sleep back there often claiming it is the best bunk in the boat!
The main lazarette hatch under the tiller is 26-inches by 30-inches, leads to sail stowage. Two small hatches aft of Mizzen lead to after lazarette with ample stowage for spare lines. Life raft (6-man Switch, re certified May 2000) is stowed in foreword Lazarette under cockpit and is accessible by a door in the aft cabin.
Deck Layout
Iolaire is flush decked with narrow hatches all in line, giving wide side decks that make he seem wider than her 10-ft 6-inch beam.
She has only a foot well cockpit, but 8-inch high cockpit coamings give an eight-foot long cockpit with a collapsible dodger that shelters the whole forward end of the cockpit in foul weather.
There are nine sheet winches properly placed. She is tiller steered but properly trimmed she is easy to handle as the owners wife Trich, who weighs no more than 45kg is considered the families best helmsman!!
Ground Tackle
Anchors
There are six anchors—
A 50-lb Wilcox Crittenden copy of the Herreshoff. (Our standard working anchor catted under the bow sprit).

A 35-lb. CQR—also catted;
A 40-lb. FOB; A 25-lb. high tensile Danforth. A large aluminum Fortress anchor which dismantles into bits and pieces and is stowed in the Lazarette.
A 60-lb. Pinky, stainless steel that can be taken apart; (basically a copy of a North Hill).
The Life Insurance policy is a three piece 150 Ibs. Nevins copy of the Herreshoff anchor.

Anchor Rode
There are three different anchor rodes 5/8th nylon totaling probably between 600-700 feet. Also, four fifty foot 5/8 " nylon. Four lengths of 5/i6" chain. Each length 12 to 18-feet. Two lengths of anchor 5/15" chain, approximately 100-feet each.
Anchor handling gear
On the foredeck in a heavy bronze Gravity Ratchet to hold the chain. We have discarded the anchor windlass as we discovered through the years that it is faster and easier to haul up the anchor chain by putting a chain hook on it, running a line from the chain hook to a sheet winch and cranking up on the sheet winch.
Engine
Iolaire has been without an engine most of her life - but has had a few through the years. The first of three were installed by Vospers Thornycroft (1928). None were reliable. The last one we dropped in Vigie Harbor, St. Lucia in 1956.
The present owner installed 20HP gasoline Gray Seascout in 1959. Despite a rather inefficient belt drive and inefficient folding propeller she still did 5% knots in calm water. The engine was seldom used; used up time, money and energy and was dropped St. Georges Harbor, Grenada in 1972. The engine was replaced by a chart table that has produced nine books and about 150 magazine articles.
lolaire has spent the last 33 years sailing every where people said she could not go without an engine - seven transatlantics; eight times up and down the Thames; five times up and down the Elbe; the Brittany coast of France; the south coast of England and Ireland. But if the buyer wants an engine, read below:
Installing an Engine
If a new owner felt he had to have an engine, a small quiet well insulated diesel generator could be installed in the fore peak driving an electric wheel, (new super efficient electric motors are available; with fully feathering propeller), the drag would be minimal.
Because she was originally gaff rigged with a heavy wooden mast and is now a yawl with an aluminum mast, she carries 900 Ibs. of ballast under the mast step which could be removed. With a all lighter than original (mast and topmast where solid not hollow), an engine installed in the foc's'le the trim would remain the same. The accommodation would not be disturbed. In fact it would be hard to find the engine!
With this installation, back aft you would never know an engine was running. Further the electric wheel could be allowed to free wheel when sailing for a few hours a day and would produce more than enough electricity to charge batteries. The electric wheel could be used when Entering and leaving harbors - without starting the generator! Thus the engine would only be needed on long periods of powering in absolute flat calm conditions.
The current owner feels he has cruised all the areas in the Atlantic basin that he desires to sail. It is time for someone else to continue Iolaire’s long and illustrious career.
All reasonable offers from real sailors who will sail her and who have the ability and finances to maintain her will be considered.
No boat has ever been offered for sale under such favorable terms and conditions as Iolaire is being offered. She is in such good shape that when she is bought the present owner will put 20% of the purchase price in escrow. If the new owner finds in the first 12 months any structural problems that affect the integrity of the hull, the repair costs will come out of the escrow fund.
What boat is offered for sale in which her owner is so confident of the rig, that if the new owner blows the rig out of the boat in the first twenty four months of ownership, the present owner will pay the insurance deductible?

Racing Falmouth Regatta 1995, sailing short handed only three of us on board, blowing like stink, the most exciting race any of us ever did, hard work with only three but we beat boat for boat, boats that were 10´ longer.

1975 Fastnet owner D M Street Jr. also sailed her in 1995 Fastnet and will be celebrating her 100th birthday by sailing her in 1005 Fastnet, it will be Iolaire’s fourth, and Streets fifth.

Channel Race 1931, owner Major P T Rose Richards founding member and later Commodore of RORC

Cowes Week 1934, owner Lt. Col Alston RORC member

Cowes Week 1939, owner D H Owen Edmunds RORC member who in WII flew spies behind German Lines at night, landed and returned to pick them up, again at night.

Cruising Sweden 2001.

Fafner

FAFNER

'Faner'

'Fafner'