George Lennox Watson, William Fife III, Alfred Mylne: it would take at least an encyclopaedia to cover the lives and boats of Scotland’s most important naval architects.
David Gray and Neil Lyndon, naval architect and BBC journalist respectively, have taken the first step by co-writing an exhaustive book that finally analyzes in detail the third of the list, the one that until now had been the least considered by the publishers and by enthusiasts, although Alfred Mylne designed dozens of winning yachts in the course of his life, in particular hulls belonging to those metric classes that he himself had helped to bring to life in the two-year period 1906-07.
This highly anticipated 512-page volume is illustrated with over 500 historic photos and 100 original drawings from the Mylne archive, woven into a gripping narrative of over 120,000 words spread across 18 chapters. The book was written by the aforementioned Gray (Chief Naval Architect of the Mylne Yacht Design studio) and Lyndon and includes a complete list of all existing and known Mylne designed yachts, as well as a catalog including every Mylne project and yacht built based on of that specific design.
Towards the end of the book is a selection of beautifully maintained Mylne-designed yachts, with descriptions of the boats themselves and the owners who own them. The book measures 296 x 270 x 40 mm and weighs a good three kilograms. Available on Amazon, comes shrink wrapped and nicely boxed. The price is 95 pounds (over one hundred euros) plus shipping costs. It’s quite expensive, but it’s really a must for any classic boat enthusiast.
