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The J-Class sailing yacht Shamrock V was built in 1930 for Sir Thomas Lipton’s fifth and final America’s Cup challenge. Designed by Camper & Nicholsons, she was the first British yacht to be built to the new J Class Rule and is the only remaining J Class to have been built in wood.
Shamrock V arrived for a one-year restoration at Pendennis in 1999. The comprehensive works were planned to improve the yacht’s ballast ratio and with the addition of a new rig and sails, performance was dramatically enhanced without compromising historical authenticity. Leading naval architect Gerard Dykstra was a major influence on the successful completion of the project, which began with a massive programme of refurbishment including the returning of her deck structures and rig to their original 1930s configuration and improvements to the interior layout.
The yacht was also brought into class under ABS which required a full survey of her steel work. This revealed the need to repair a considerable amount of the hull strapping, a task which was undertaken section-by-section so as not to disturb the integrity of the existing hull.
