Legendary Yachts Author:Gilles Martin-Raget A tribute to the great racing yachts of the past, their current renaissance, and today's new enthusiasm for the classic regatta. Every summer, as international classic yacht regattas pass through Monaco, Porto Cervo, Cannes, and other harbors, the public imagination is seized by the elegant wooden J-boatsmajestic vessels of gleaming brass, hone... more »d teak decks, and brightly varnished hulls. Under their expansive canvas sails, the last of the extraordinary 12-meter racing yachts compete once again, evoking a vanished era when the waves were broken only by the power of the wind. Vibrantly illustrated in full color, Legendary Yachts offers a definitive exploration of the glorious age of sailing while also recounting the lore and mystique of the classic yacht regatta. This handsome book features such renowned yachts as Pen Duick, Shenandoah, Avel, and Creole, admirably captured in exterior and interior photographs. Whether twisting furiously in the heat of a race, coasting serenely on the sea, or docked in a picturesque Mediterranean port, the yachts are displayed with astonishing clarity. With an engaging text that illuminates five different regattas and delves into the histories of over a dozen classic boats, Legendary Yachts also details the rather recent phenomenon of restoring these wooden boats, some of them more than a century old! The book describes the care and craftsmanship that go into bringing the boats back to life and uses 90 precise drawings from a variety of perspectives to reveal the structure of each vessel. Sure to appeal to sailing enthusiasts, Legendary Yachts will also be welcomed by those who love the sea, admire fine craftsmanship, or appreciate beautiful photography. 300 full-color illustrations; 90 black-and-white drawings« less