Islander: Scottish Spirit, Mediterranean Soul

Dario D'Atri
May 29
3 min read

Updated: Jun 4

Launched in 1937 by nA. M. Dickie & Sons in Scotland, Islander is a 17.20-metre Marconi ketch that embodies the elegance and strength of the great British yachting tradition. Designed by G.L. Watsonfor long offshore passages with character and autonomy, her lines are sleek and purposeful, built for the open sea.

With a refined hull and a well-balanced rig, Islander is a noble and responsive yacht, capable of both speed and seaworthiness. Her main and mizzen masts, set up with a classic Marconi rig, allow for versatile sail configurations—ideal for both close-hauled precision and broad reach cruising. With a beam of 3.30 metres and a draft of 2.00 metres, she offers remarkable stability without compromising agility.

Now sailing under the Spanish flag with home port at the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, Islander is owned and skippered by R. Albiñana. Carefully restored and maintained, she regularly takes part in classic yacht regattas, where she draws admiration for both her timeless silhouette and exceptional sailing performance.

Islander is more than a veteran yacht—she is a living testament to pre-war Scottish naval design, a floating tribute to the functional beauty of the great classic yachts of the twentieth century.

The Islander’s Burmese teak planking was crafted from timber aged and seasoned for eight years, while her oak frames and teak deck speak volumes of the vessel’s enduring strength. Built by one of Scotland’s most esteemed shipyards and drawn by one of the region’s finest naval architecture firms, she is a robust and elegant example of pre-war British yacht design.

Curiously, her first owner parted with her on the eve of the Second World War, only to repurchase her in 1950—though he kept her for merely four more years.

The Islander stands as a quintessential example of the English cruising yachts of the 1930s, comparable in pedigree and character to the famed Nicholson designs Flame and Patience, or to Shepherd’s celebrated Lexia. Her easy motion and comfort under sail came to the fore under her fourth owner, Mr Tom Blackwell, heir to a family renowned for their culinary sauces.

Between 1968 and 1971, Islander completed three solo circumnavigations, pausing only for repairs and provisions. During the third voyage, Mr Blackwell fell ill and was tended to by a community of nuns. In gratitude, he gifted the yacht’s boom to the Durban Yacht Club, where to this day, the “Islander Room” stands in her honour, presided over by that very boom.

It is said that when Blackwell finally left the vessel in his tender, he did not look back—for such was the sorrow of parting with his beloved yacht in South Africa. The new owner’s attempt to sail her back to England was thwarted by crew issues in the Canary Islands. It was from there that Islander set her course for Barcelona, which has since remained her home port.