Robert Clark 68 ft Bermudan Yawl 1963 - Sold

Even by modern standards FIRE BIRD defies the norm that classic yachts don’t have enough accommodation, whilst performing well enough to win a transatlantic race in the early 1990s. This Robert Clark-designed masterpiece has been lovingly looked after by Italian family owners for most of its life, and in recent years benefited from a regime of consistent professional maintenance by a well-known Italian yard, including replacement of her expansive deck. Whether for enjoying la dolce vita with her huge cockpit and sunbathing areas, or letting her roam blue waters, FIRE BIRD is one of the finest classic yachts of her size available today.

The commission to improve on his client’s famous FIREBIRD X (now better known as OISEAU DE FEU) within the same overall length of 68 ft would have been a fascinating and prestigious challenge for Robert Clark, who had risen to fame during the lifetime of the Camper & Nicholson yawl - a period in which yacht designers were learning how to increase volume, performance and comfort without detracting from looks. That Clark nailed it with FIRE BIRD (launched as FIREBIRD) is immediately obvious from first and then intimate impressions of this quite remarkable and beautifully preserved example of 1960s British yacht design and building. Clark had designed a yawl rig in place of FIREBIRD X's original cutter rig and this was refined in FIRE BIRD.

In their design review, Yachting World magazine described Clark's design as, "a reinterpretation of the earlier yacht in modern times", and interestingly and quite effectively used FIREBIRD X's (40 'tons') and the new boat's (51 'tons') comparative volumetric Thames Tonnage figures to demonstrate the space gain Clark had achieved by giving the new boat 2 feet more beam and increased freeboard yet less draft.

FIRE BIRD may well be Robert Clark's masterpiece.

- Carvel, teak bottom and African mahogany topsides planking
- Laminated oak frames; 2/3 intermediate oak timbers between
- Teak laid deck

From aft
- Varnished and raw teak pasarelle
- Teak deck with varnished teak coverboards and bulwarks
- Raw teak toe rail
- Chromed open ended pushpit
- Stainless steel guardrails running forward through stanchions each side
- Chromed fairleads on taffrails each side
- Raw teak and chrome mooring cleats each side
- Chromed cylinder vent
- Flush hatches each side for lazarette access to generator and secondary anchor
- Laurent Giles levers each side to mizzen running backstay
- Single spreader alloy mizzen mast with 2 x chromed |Merriman halyard winches
- Varnished teak coaming
- Deep and very spacious cockpit; full width aft for helmsman
- Engine control lever aft bulkhead stbd of helm
- Chromed binnacle mounting helm wheel and housing the Sestrel steering compass
- 2 x Original Lewmar secondary winches mounted outboard
- 2 x Original Lewmar primary winches mounted outboard
- Lifting seats access stowage to port and fuel tanks stbd
- Raymarine Navigation instrument 5 x displays by window on doghouse port aft bulkhead
- Aft end of coach roof overhangs fwd end of cockpit for shelter
- Trunk cabin with large windows each side aft and smaller port lights to the sides and fwd
- Mainsheet 6 fold tackle to four blocks on coachroof
- 2 x Lewmar 55 3 speed mainsheet winches with raw teak and chrome cleats
- Boom gallows
- Expansive cushioned area on lower coach roof forward
- Long jib tracks each side on toe rail
- Laurent Giles levers each side for mainmast running backstays
- Raw teak hand rails each side
- Deck prisms
- 2 x Butterfly skylight hatch en echelon
- Life raft
- Bathing ladders
- Granny bars each side of mast base
- 2 Spreader alloy main mast
- 2 x Lewmar 40 single speed halyard winches at mast base
- Traveller for boomed staysail
- Butterfly skylight hatch
- Gas locker
- Raised booby hatch
- Chromed cylinder vent
- PNP Duerr Torkmaster windlass with 2 capstans and 2 drums
- Raw teak and chrome mooring cleats each side
- Retractable inner forestay
- Chain lock
- 2 x Bow rollers
- Large plough anchor at bow
- Chromed fairleads each side

Sliding hatch, doorway and 3 companionway steps down to

Doghouse
- Navigation station with instruments detailed in Nav section
- Ships isolator panel
- Perkins engine instrumentation
- Full size chart table to port
- Pilot’s seat aft
- Locker stowage by companionway
- Large quarter berth with drawers under to stbd,
- Shelves in aft bulkhead stbd
- Forward to saloon

Saloon
- L shaped seating to port around dining table
- Stowage lockers and book shelves each side
- Settee to stbd
- Drinks cabinet stbd
- Lights, port lights and skylight
- Access fwd

Owner's en suite cabin to port
- 2 x Up and over berths
- Vanity dressing table/ desk with mirror, light and drawers
- Porcelain wash basin with hot and cold taps
- Hanging locker wardrobe and other locker and drawer stowage
- Butterfly skylight in deck head
- 2 x Reading lights

Owner's en suite head
- Tecma auto WC
- Porcelain wash basin with hot and cold taps
- Stowage lockers
- Shower and teak grating sole
- Butterfly skylight hatch

Guest cabin to stbd
- 2 x up and over berths
- Vanity dressing table / desk with drawers, mirror and light
- Hanging locker
- Porcelain wash basin with hot and cold taps
- 2 x Reading lights
- Butterfly skylight hatch and prisms lights in deck head

Guest head and shower fwd also to stbd
- Tecma auto WC
- Stainless steel wash basin with hot and cold taps and large mirror
- Laminate worktop and surrounds
- Stowage lockers
- Teak grating cabin sole
- Butterfly skylight in deck head

2nd Guest cabin to stbd
- 2 x Berths
- Chest of drawers
- Hanging locker
- Washbasin with hot and cold taps
- Vanity mirror and light
- Small banquette seat
- Butterfly skylight hatch and prism light in deck head
- 2 x Reading lights
- Door adjacent in corridor access to port

Galley forward to port
- Large fridge freezer
- Stainless steel sink in laminated worktop, hot and cold mixer tap
- Drawers and lockers below worktop and outboard above
- Alpen 3 burner hob and oven
- Butterfly skylight and 2 lights in deck head
- Access forward

Focsle
- 2 x Upper level cot berths
- Stowage in lockers and under benches each side
- Anchor chain locker and hawse to deck fwd
- Butterfly skylight in deck head
- Ladder to booby hatch on foredeck

En suite head aft to stbd
- WC
- Wash basin with hot and cold taps
- Shower
- Grating sole
- Butterfly skylight in deck head

- Raymarine C120 plotter
- Raytheon Raypilot 650
- Raytheon Nav 398 GPS Loran
- Raymarine ST60, Autohelm, wind, CH wind, speed and depth
- Furuno Weatherfax
- Furuno radar
- ICOM IC-M401
- Brassbound ships clock
- Smiths thermometer
- Smith hygrometer
- Schatz brass clock and barometer

- Perkins M135 130hp Diesel motor

Bermudan yawl cutter-headed rig, painted alloy spars
- Double spreader alloy main mast
- 2 x Lewmar 40 single speed halyard winches at mast base
- Single spreader alloy mizzen mast
- 2 x Chromed Merriman halyard winches
- Wood main and mizzen booms
- Wood boom for staysail
- Mizzen, mainsail, boomed staysail, hanked genoa / yankee