Sparkman & Stephens 52 ft Sloop 1944

CICLON was designed by K. Aage Nielsen while at Sparkman and Stephens in New York. Olin Stephens considered Neilsen the best designer they ever had – moreover stating that if he was ever going to have a yacht built for himself, he would most surely have wanted an Aage Nielsen design. Nielsen’s manic attention to detail extended to his demanding the best from his builders and CICLON was no exception - and benefitting further from being the yard owner’s own boat ! Launched in Cuba in 1944 she was rarely off the podium – beating such legends as STORMY WEATHER and TICONDEROGA. Of course beautiful and fast, is it time now to reintroduce her to her sisters ?

CICLON was built for Senor Remigo Hernandorena in his own boat Yard in Havana, Cuba. In October 1944, the year she was completed and launched, there was a tremendous hurricane or cyclone as the Cubans called them, hence the name - which she has fully lived up to. Together with his captain, Pipo Bustamente, a veteran large yacht skipper, he sailed her to victory in many races. Her first major taste of victory was in 1947 in the St. Petersburg to Havana race, set the pace for a most successful racing career. She won the SORC in 1947 and was second in 1948 when yachting really re started after the Second World War. For the Miami Nassau race of 1948 the “New York Times” reported on CICLON beating STORMY WEATHER into 2nd place, REVONOC third and TICONDEROGA finishing 5th – all on corrected time.

For the next 10 years at least she continued to win or be placed – and this at a time when the fleet included some of the most fêted ocean racers of the 20th Century. Further details of her legendary racing career and victories are available to any interested parties and such was her racing prowess that the Ford family commissioned a yawl based on CICLON’s design No. 379. That yacht MAGIC VENTURE (design No. 379C) was built in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay in 1950 and she is still sailing on the US West Coast. During the 1950s CICLON was also converted to a yawl rig probably because the CCA rating rules at the time did not penalize the extra sail area generated by the mizzen and mizzen staysail. A large copy of the Yawl rig sail plan is available.

- Cuban and Honduras mahogany planking; carvel below the water line, splined above
- Mahogany keel and deadwood
- Oak frames and stern post
- Everdure bronze fastened, lead keel
- All teak superstructure, teak cockpit with high coamings
- Teak with holly inlay highly varnished ply cabin soles throughout

From aft
- Varnished teak toerail
- Chromed bronze fairleads over transom each side
- Adjustable backstay
- Raised varnished hatch to lazarette aft with chromed bronze mushroom vent
- Dinghy - with 2 HP Johnson outboard
- 8 x Fenders
- 1 x 60 lb Herreshoff fisherman type storm anchor, 200 ft warp and 6 ft + chain in lazarette
- 4 x Chromed bronze spinnaker sheet sheeves
- 2 x Large stainless steel Herreshoff type mooring cleats
- Deep self draining cockpit with removable teak grating sole; filler caps for diesel under
- Cockpit coamings in varnished teak with six chromed bronze sheet cleats
- Helm position aft with large varnished wheel and compass binnacle
- Engine controls below at sides
- 2 x Lewmar 44 spinnaker sheet winches on varnished pedestals outboard
- Schaeffer Ronstan traveller and Harken main sheet blocks
- Barlow 24 main sheet winch
- Seating all round cockpit with cushions with sail locker beneath
- 2 x Wimaq ST 48 sheet winches; 1 each side on steel pedestals outboard of cockpit
- 2 x Opening ports into owner’s cabin
- Stainless steel bimini frame with canvas cover over cockpit
- Tent style awning over boom
- Hard dodger canopy over fore end cockpit; full standing head room but clear view from helm
- Main trunk cabin superstructure
- Chromed running lights port and stbd
- Large varnished dorade box with chromed bronze vent to port
- Butterfly skylight opening port and starboard over owner’s state room below
- Life raft stowage
- Varnished teak sliding hatch with bronze housing offset stbd to main companionway
- Large skylight opening to main saloon below
- Mast aft flanked by varnished dorade boxes with chromed bronze vents each side
- Opening hatch access to galley
- Long Merriman bronze Genoa tracks each side on toe rail
- Gunwales with mahogany cap rail
- Spacious mid and fore decks
- Varnished opening hatch to fore cabin
- Inner forestay detachable by Wichard type ratchet
- Varnished mahogany dorade box with chromed bronze cowl
- 1 x 45 lb CQR with c 200 ft / 60 m of anchor rode
- 1 x 75 lb CQR with c 330 ft / 100 m 3/8th inch galvanized chain
- Herreshoff type stainless steel mooring cleats fore and aft
- Anchorlift stainless steel capstan windlass with chain gypsy and rope drum
- Varnished oak Sampson post
- 2 x Chromed bronze Panama eye fairleads for mooring lines
- All stanchions and safety lines are removable
- Varnished cap rail
- Stainless steel pulpit
- Stainless steel stem head fitting with 2 bow rollers for anchor chains – not original

Below decks is accessed via a sliding hatch just forward of the doghouse offset to starboard and the main companionway leads down on the starboard side to a lobby and the main saloon. The interior is original and finished beautifully in fine mainly teak and mahogany joinery, contrasting with the white painted deck head, which with skylights provided excellent light. Varnished teak and holly cabin sole

Main Saloon
- Settees to port and starboard with stowage beneath, extend out to form wider berths
- Pilot berths above and outboard each side with drawers beneath and bookshelves above
- Hanging locker at the foot of the port berth
- Full size locker at the foot of the starboard berth with shelves
- Chest of drawers forward by the mast with drinks Tantalus above
- Small banquette seat inboard and desk with locker beneath
- Large original S&S gimballed drop leaf table which raised extend to 45 x 43 inches
- Large skylight in deck head over the table
- 2 x Bulkhead style lights in deck head
- Doorway forward of the mast leads to

The galley
- Stainless steel gimballed Luke Heritage 2 burner hob and oven; lockers below
- Stainless steel sink with two fresh water taps; one pressurised, one hand operated to port
- Lockers below and above the working area
- 2 x Deep storage lockers set into the working top by the sink
- Crosby front loading fridge and top loading freezer to starboard
- Crockery lockers above and below fridge
- Hatch in deck head and 4 x opening ports
- Doorway with a zipped canvas door leading forward to

Fore cabin
- Single bunk to port with storage below and a locker outboard
- Hanging space for rope storage to stbd
- Chain locker with removable canvas door press-studded to the bulkhead forward

Coming aft back through the saloon
- Oilskin hanging locker to stbd by steps, drains into bilge
- Chart table fwd to starboard of main companionway with lockers and drawers beneath
- Small drawers and shelves above and wet locker aft of the chart table

To port a doorway leads aft to the aft state room cabin suite
- Berths each with seats alongside to port and starboard with storage beneath
- Chest of drawers with a mirror over aft between the berths
- 2 x Small lockers each on the port and starboard sides
- Hanging locker
- Doorway fwd leads to the head, also accessible from the saloon
- Large skylight hatch in the deck head
- 4 x Opening ports
- 2 x Bulkhead lights
- Magazine racks
- Corridor forward
- Doorway to port to the head
- Blake manual WC, stainless steel sink, shower, hot and cold mixer tap and storage lockers
- Access to engine under companionway steps out

- Aluminium custom made mast
- 2 x Barient 24 ST winches
- Barient 17 ST downhaul and reefing winch
- 2 x Barlow 24 halyard winches
- Main boom sheeted in with a Barient 24 winch
- Harken traveller to de-power the main
- 2 x Spinnaker poles; one large and one small custom made by Johnsons of St. Petersburg, Florida
- All halyards run inside the mast and all halyards run through Harken blocks
- Lazy jacks and running back stays on block and tackle arrangement

Sails; not new but deemed reasonable condition
- Dacron 12 ounce fully battened main three slab reefing points going to interior of the boom
- Large genoa
- High cut forestay jib
- Reefing inner forestay jib
- Heavy storm sail plus several other sails not used as short handed

- Perkins 4108 four cylinder marine diesel engine, 48 HP, approx 900 hours since rebuild
- Hurth gearbox fitted new at that time
- Alternator on engine
- Main electric control panel in varnished compartment behind the main companionway
- Isolator panel for both 240 V and 12 V systems
- 2 x Sealed 200 A domestic batteries
- 1 x 85 A engine battery
- Solar panel for routine battery charging
- 1 x 240 V power outlet in fore cabin
- 2 x 240 outlets in galley
- 1 x 240 V and 1 x 12 V outlet in main saloon
- 1 x 240 V outlet in aft state room
- 2 x Deck head lights in saloon and reading lights above berths
- Deck head light in head
- Deck head light in aft state room with reading lights over berths
- 2 x Bulkhead mounted bronze lights in galley
- Deck head light in fore cabin
- Deck head light in chain locker forward
- 2 x 12 V deck mounted headlights underneath cockpit seating
- 1 x 12 V bulkhead light in sail locker
- 240 V shore power terminal in cockpit under dog house
- 2 x Monel 40 gallon diesel tanks one each side under cockpit sole
- 1 x 100 gallon fresh water tank under main saloon cabin sole
- Grey water waste tank under saloon cabin sole
- Black water tank under port side sliding settee berth
- 240 V refrigeration equipment and compressor in a locker below the main companionway

- Perko American glass house compass binnacle
- Walker log, sextant, charts
- Depth sounder
- Standard Horizon VHF radio
- Wempe clock and barometer in saloon

- Life rings
- Man overboard sling
- 1 x Edson manual bilge pump in cockpit sail locker
- 2 x 12 V bilge pumps both on electric float switches
- 3 x Fire extinguishers
- Plastimo 8 man life raft new 2009 needs servicing

- Fitting Baby Blake WC by current owner
- Stripping of white paint from interior by current owner