Sparkman & Stephens/Félix Silvestro 37 ft One-Tonner 1968/2016 - Sold

VOLONTÉ is considered to be famed Nice boatbuilder Félix Silvestro's masterpiece, and there can be no doubting her Sparkman & Stephens provenance (design no.1922; a CLARIONET development) from a time when their designs were all but dominating top-end yacht racing results worldwide. VOLONTÉ is recognised with Bateau Monument Historique status by France's Patrimoine Maritime et Fluvial.

The two-year build to an unlimited budget for keen amateur owner-helmsman Yves Soissons was supervised by Rod Stephens. It is said that on his final of many progress visits, after thoroughly inspecting VOLONTÉ for a whole day with the drawings in one hand and the rating rule in the other, Rod said to Silvestro, “OK, my dear Félix, it’s very good, it’s marvellous”. VOLONTÉ had been Silvestro’s first racing yacht build. His passed-down skills are now preserved in the safe hands of his protegee, Gilbert Pasqui at Villefranche.

VOLONTÉ is believed to have been overall winner of the prestigious Croisière Bleue regatta at Antibes in 1969, and in 1972 her near identical Silvestro-built S&S sister ARCADIA was One-Ton Champion of the Mediterranean. More recently VOLONTÉ won the classic division in the 2011 edition of Sweden’s Round Gotland Race.

Her present owner purchased VOLONTÉ from Sweden in 2015, and winter 2015/2016 she enjoyed a major refit by Hubert Stagnol at Loctudy, Britanny. VOLONTÉ has subsequently been a regular attendee at classic yacht events on both sides of the English Channel, including the 2016 One Ton Cup Revival Cup at Breskens, Netherlands, and the British Classic Yacht Club 'Panerai' Regatta.

Major refit 2015-2016 by Hubert Stagnol, Loctudy; total cost of €150,000
- Full control of the hull
- New cockpit to the original design
- New teak deck
- Full varnish

Ongoing maintenance, always by Hubert Stagnol
- 2 new coats of external Varnish each year since 2016
- Antifouled every year

- Glued, varnished mahogany planking on laminated frame
- Stainless steel floors
- Teak laid deck (2016)
- Marine plywood deck substrate
- Mahogany deck carpentry

- Full Harken 2017

SPARS/ RIG
- Sparlight gold anodised mast
- Z-SPAR gold anodised boom (2016)
- Sparlight spinnaker pole
- Profiled rod rigging (surveyed by radiography in 2016)
- Running rigging 2016/2018 (in excellent condition)

SAILS
- 3DI Genoa 0 to 20 knots
- 3DL Heavy genoa
- Carbon Code 0 (2019)
- Spinnaker (2016)
- Heavy spinnaker (2017)
- 3DL Main (2016 in perfect condition)
- Hydranet tri-radial genoa (2016)
- Hydranet Main (2016)
- Older genoa

MECHANICAL
- Vetus M3.09 25 hp Diesel (fully overhauled 2018)
- Maxprop

ELECTRICAL
- All new 2016

- Full B&G (2016)
- Raymarine plotter (2017)