The Fundación de Vela Clásica de España has rescued another classic boat. We tell you the story of the Livia, a 1964 Herreshoff built at the Myabca shipyard in Pollença (Mallorca). Four were launched, only one remains.

The history of the Livia is marked by a meteorological hecatomb and by the ability to get through the worst conditions thanks to the efforts of the Fundación Vela Clásica de España. This elegant 42-foot Yawl was designed in 1958 by Lewis Francis Herreshoff, son of the legendary ‘wizard of Bristol’ Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, and built at the Myabca Shipyard in Port de Pollença in 1964.

Herreshoff's designs were characterised by their elegance, practicality and attention to detail. Four units of this model were built and the Livia is the only one that has survived to the present day. It included technical innovations such as a folding wooden centreboard that was operated with a winch.

‘This boat has two curiosities for a ‘58: it has a folding wooden daggerboard that we raise and lower with a winch, which gives us a competitive advantage at the stern because it offers less resistance to water. And it has the largest bathroom I have ever seen in a classic boat, as it was one of the requirements of the first owner's wife’, explains Javier Gorbeña, vice-president of the Fundación Vela Clásica de España.

The Livia was originally commissioned by Estanislao Domecq and was named after his wife, a regular sailing companion. The yacht had a sporting life full of triumphs, mainly in the Palma and Barcelona regattas. After Estanislao Domecq, it became the property of the Palma-born doctor Ferrer and Emilio Espinosa, president of the Fundación Hispania de Barcos de Epoca.

The Livia was docked in Valencia in January 2021 while undergoing repair work when her fate changed in the form of a meteorological disaster. It was then that the storm Filomena struck, which devastated a large part of Spain and also left its mark on the Levante peninsular, leaving the vessel battered and semi-sunken.

Espinosa then decided to donate the boat to the Fundación Vela Clásica de España on the condition that it would be restored and returned to sailing and competition. It was not an easy task, but the Foundation accepted the challenge.

The yacht was moved to the Foundation's shipyard in Puerto Sherry, Cadiz, where the work of restoring Livia to her origins was undertaken with patience, tenacity and attention to detail. This process was also perfectly documented and on the website of the Fundación Vela Clásica de España you can independently see all the steps that have taken place to complete this reconstruction: caulking, sanding, priming, carpentry, painting.... Everything has been explained point by point.

El proceso de restauración, según comenta Gorbeña, ha sido largo: dos años. “Nos hemos basado en los planos originales para llevar a cabo la recuperación. Toda la zona de cubierta de babor estaba prácticamente hundida. Los interiores han sido totalmente renovados mientras que los palos y la botavara se han mantenido. Nos hemos basado en los planos originales para llevar a cabo la reforma”, señala.

Finalmente, la promesa se cumplió y con gran alegría para todos los aficionados a la vela clásica y satisfacción para el equipo de la atarazana de la fundación, con Víctor Unzueta al frente, el Livia fue devuelto a su sitio, el mar, a finales de junio del año pasado y esta temporada ya despliega velas en la Copa del Rey de Barcos de Época.