spirit of birmingham yacht

The Iron Room

Archives and Collections @ the Library of Birmingham

Lisa Clayton  – the Spirit of Birmingham

I was walking past Birmingham Council House the other week admiring its civic grandeur when I suddenly had a recollection of a yacht on display outside the columned entrance to the building – it must have been at some point in the 1990s. That provoked my little grey matter (what’s left of it) to conjure up the name of Lisa Clayton – don’t know how I manged to do that – perhaps I just channelled Lisa for a few seconds. Such entertaining digressions from the standard dross occupying my consciousness prompted me to find out more. Why, I asked myself do we not know much more about Lisa Clayton and her achievements. This blog – in whatever minor way possible – is an attempt to redress the balance. 

Britain as an island nation has a strong and prestigious maritime heritage – there’s all that naval stuff and we do very well at sailing at the Olympics – but then I got to thinking about the success of female long-distance yachtswomen such as Dame Ellen MacArthur and before that, Clare Francis. And then of course, Lisa Clayton. What inspired her. Lisa became the first British woman to sail solo non–stop around the globe.

I’m sorry to report there aren’t too many materials held in Archives & Collections – I’ve chiefly had to rely upon Lisa’s account – At The Mercy of the Sea (1996) which in large part takes the form of a daily log and fax communications. Luckily, Archives & Collections holds a series of news cuttings about Lisa in our Birmingham Biography cuttings collection, lovingly gathered by library staff at the time.

Some of the news cuttings on Lisa Clayton, Reference: Birmingham News Cuttings Collection

The Biography Bit

Lisa, now Dowager Viscountess Cobham was born in Birmingham in 1958. Educated at the Church of England School for Girls, Edgbaston and latterly Birmingham University, Lisa spent several years working in a chartered accountants’ office before moving to Horizon Holidays. There she was offered the opportunity to socialise in the world of sailing which appears to have ignited the aspiration to eventually sail the world. She had to plough a sizeable percentage of her savings into a vessel which had seen better days. Birmingham University allowed Lisa to store the vessel on their grounds so she could transform the yacht into a reliable and seaworthy 39-foot yacht she named The Spirit of Birmingham.

Lisa naturally endured numerous setbacks acquiring sponsorship until she encountered Peter Harding, her eventual project director. Lisa also managed to obtain financial support from Birmingham University. 

On 17 September 1994 after many trials and tribulations, Lisa set out to attempt two world records – the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by a woman single – handed without assistance and the first British woman to sail single – handed and non – stop around the world. 

When Lisa returned to Dartmouth on 29 June 1995 having covered 31,000 miles and after spending 285 days at sea, according to her book, she ‘became the first woman to make a full circumnavigation of the globe single – handed, non – stop and unassisted’. 

There was considerable public and press attention at the time – Lisa was greeted by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham when she returned to Dartmouth. Latterly, Lisa was offered the status of Honorary Freewoman of Birmingham. It must have been not too long after this when the yacht was put on display in front of the Council House. Either my Swiss cheese memory is failing me, or I can remember seeing the yacht in Victoria Square. I can even recollect seeing a photograph of the yacht by the Council House somewhere in the archive. 

After the initial euphoria surrounding Lisa’s triumphs – not a lot. Well, I can’t recollect much more. It is nearly 30 years ago now,  so perhaps I just have no immediate recollection. 

Let us know on our Twitter account @TheIronRoom if you have any more information to share. 

Paul Taylor, Coordinator 

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Sp0686 : "the spirit of birmingham" outside council house 1995, taken 29 years ago , near to birmingham , england.

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Spirit Yachts: Inside the British yard behind some of the world’s most beautiful boats

• February 6, 2020

Few builders possess the power of seduction demonstrated by British wood epoxy experts Spirit Yachts. David Glenn reports

Spirit Yachts’s workforce with one of the laminated sapele frames of the Spirit 111. Photo: Emily Harris

Highly stylised furniture

Two of the defining features of the Spirit 111 are aesthetics and a determination to use modern technology to make the yacht as efficient as possible, reducing the amount of fossil fuel required.

In profile she has a noticeably low freeboard and while the owner was warned this might limit headroom in the ends of the accommodation he was prepared to sacrifice this for looks. “The freeboard is just 1.4m which means she looks stunning – she’s more J then a J,” said Sean McMillan who is clearly relishing working with a client who won’t let anything get in the way of aesthetics.

Using some unusual, highly stylised furniture as guidance on how he wanted the interior designed, the client went to Rhoades Young in the UK to develop the accommodation. The result, which suits the use of wood construction perfectly, is quite extraordinary.

The yacht’s drive train comprises a 200hp electric engine served by four banks of lithium ion batteries providing a 380V system. The technology has been developed by the German outboard manufacturer Torqeedo, which has branched out into other forms of what it calls ‘water-based electromobility’ in response to the need for boats to be super eco-friendly on European inland lakes.

Nigel Stuart and Sean McMillan visited several companies developing the technology and were impressed by what they saw at Torqeedo in Gilching, Bavaria. One of the attractions is that the company considers the system as a whole, including batteries, the drive train to the folding Gori propeller, the ‘freewheeling’ prop generator system while sailing, and smart control to keep electricity consumption to a minimum.

The electric propulsion package perfectly suits the Spirit 111’s easily driven hull and relatively light displacement of just 59 tonnes. The batteries, which are similar to those used by BMW for their i3 and i8 electric cars, have a nine-year warranty and are small enough to fit under the yacht’s cabin sole in way of the keel.

It is anticipated that the Spirit 111 will be able to remain in quiet ship mode (no generator running) using all domestic appliances including air conditioning and water making for three to four days, assuming charging via the propeller while sailing can be achieved for up to five hours a day. Recharging the batteries using the yacht’s twin 25kw/33hp four-cylinder Torqeedo generators takes just four hours.

The deckhouse of a new Spirit in build showing the fan skylight. Photo: Emily Harris

In addition to propulsion efficiency, low current means running motors for cooling systems for the battery bank and the electric engine itself, plus pumps for the hydraulic system and a Webasto electric water heater, will also be far more efficient through smart control and monitoring. If these targets can be reached, the Spirit 111 will use half the amount of fuel than that of a conventional system, demonstrating a big advance in the search for the genuinely eco-friendly superyacht.

Another yacht in search of low consumption, and attracting considerable attention, is the recently-launched Spirit P70 motor yacht . She’s a semi-displacement fast cruiser with a top speed of 25 knots, whose owner required a 1,000nm range at 18 knots enabling him to complete cruises from Hamble in the UK to Scandinavia and back without refuelling.

Her advantageous power-to-weight ratio is achieved through her lightweight timber construction requiring two MAN diesel inboard engines of just 800hp each to reach the required performance. She carries 10,000lt of fuel, divided into five tanks, which is automatically distributed between the tanks to maintain efficient trim as the fuel is consumed. With luxurious accommodation on three levels this is a businesslike-looking yacht capable of high average speeds in almost all sea conditions.

The P70 powerboat hull in the early stages of build with major engineering fitting such as engine and stabilisers. Photo: Emily Harris

With these three yachts alone, Spirit Yachts is displaying not only its known ability in sophisticated wood epoxy construction, but also its keenness to use advanced technology available from other industries. It’s a powerful combination likely to attract considerable attention in the demanding world of superyachting.

The Spirit Yachts story: From a cowshed in Saxmundham to building superyachts

Spirit Yachts has come a long way since a 37-footer called Spirit was built in a cowshed in Saxmundham in 1993. The hull of this beautiful long-ended, wood epoxy sloop was so light that Sean McMillan and his late business partner Mick Newman could pick it up between them and turn it over for completion.

Demand for larger yachts soon grew with eleven 46s built to date, four 52s and many other sizes including a 56, 74 and the 100-footer Gaia . Despite a steady flow of orders over the years and a big spike in interest when a Spirit 54 ‘starred’ in the James Bond movie Casino Royale , Sean McMillan had to spend a lot of time explaining the advantages of building in wood epoxy to the boat buying public.

Daniel Craig took the helm of a Spirit 54 in Casino Royale

“Thirty years ago people thought wooden boats were dirty smelly things, difficult to maintain with dodgy stuff lurking in the bilges,” said McMillan. “The journey has involved subtly re-educating the yachting public about composite wooden yachts.”

Due to its epoxy saturated protection, composite wood yachts are almost maintenance-free, they are easy to repair and can be done so invisibly, maintains Sean McMillan. The very structure of the hull is, without doubt, a thing of beauty something illustrated by the interior of the stripped out Spirit 52D Oui Fling . And it is the outward appearance of the Spirit genre that gives it its must-have status.

In 2007 Spirit Yachts launched five yachts including the 100ft Gaia , but it was also the year in which Sean lost his business partner Mick Newman, who died in a light aircraft crash in Turkey. Shortly after that in 2008 the financial crisis hit, although the effects didn’t filter down to Spirit Yachts until 2010 when business slowed.

The stripped-out interior of the Spirit 52D Oui Fling exhibits the yard’s craftsmanship. Photo: Mike Bowden

When Nigel Stuart arrived in 2013, the first thing he did was replace the industrial style metal door leading to reception with a solid mahogany one. He booked a stand at the Düsseldorf Boat Show, fired up the media machine and sat Sean down at his drawing board.

Stuart has also encouraged the company to re-define its range, which now includes, The Classic Style (Spirit 46,52, 56); The Cruising Style (Spirit 47CR, 55CR); The Deckhouse Range (Spirit DH57, DH60); Spirit Superyachts (100 to 130) and then the entirely bespoke. Spirit Yachts expanded into new, modern premises in 2017, making the build process faster. In all respects it’s a very long way indeed from that cowshed in Saxmundham…

Spirit of Birmingham (Yacht)

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Journal articles on the topic "Spirit of Birmingham (Yacht)"

Morrell, J. B. "Wissenschaft in Worstedopolis: Public Science in Bradford, 1800–1850." British Journal for the History of Science 18, no. 1 (March 1985): 1–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007087400021671.

Cruz Rivera, Samantha, Richard Stephens, Rebecca Mercieca-Bebber, Ameeta Retzer, Claudia Rutherford, Gary Price, Anita Slade, et al. "‘Give Us The Tools!’: development of knowledge transfer tools to support the involvement of patient partners in the development of clinical trial protocols with patient-reported outcomes (PROs), in accordance with SPIRIT-PRO Extension." BMJ Open 11, no. 6 (June 2021): e046450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046450.

Hart, Vaughan. "William Richard Lethaby and the 'Holy Spirit': A Reappraisal of the Eagle Insurance Company Building, Birmingham." Architectural History 36 (1993): 145. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1568588.

Yong, Amos. "Salvation, Society and the Spirit : Pentecostal Contextualization and Political Theology from Cleveland to Birmingham, from Springfield to Seoul." Journal of Youngsan Theology 17 (December 31, 2009): 35. http://dx.doi.org/10.18804/jyt.2009.12.17.35.

Hick, John. "Encounter in the Spirit: Muslim-Christian Meetings in Birmingham. By Andrew Wingate. London, British Council of Churches, 1988. Pp. 86. £3.50." Scottish Journal of Theology 44, no. 1 (February 1991): 138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0036930600025448.

Zojer, Heidi. "Vienna–London–Belfast: Schnitzler's Reigen on the Translation Roundabout." New Theatre Quarterly 25, no. 1 (February 2009): 88–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266464x09000086.

Cadge, Charlotte, Charlotte Connor, and Sheila Greenfield. "University students’ understanding and perceptions of schizophrenia in the UK: a qualitative study." BMJ Open 9, no. 4 (April 2019): e025813. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025813.

Cornish-Bowden, Athel. "Of the making of books: Biochemistry textbooks: are they getting better?" Biochemist 29, no. 5 (October 1, 2007): 16–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/bio02905016.

Lovell, Ben. "Editorial – Evolve, Adapt, Innovate and Deliver: Acute Medicine post COVID pandemic." Acute Medicine Journal 20, no. 2 (April 1, 2021): 90–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.52964/amja.0847.

"‘Sly, Sir, devilish sly!’: The torments of Baldwin, July 1935 – March 1937." Camden Fifth Series 5 (July 1995): 485–520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0960116300000737.

Books on the topic "Spirit of Birmingham (Yacht)"

At the mercy of the sea . London: Orion, 1997.

Encounter in the spirit: Muslim-Christian meetings in Birmingham . Geneva: WCC Publications, 1988.

Wingate, Andrew. Encounter in the spirit: Muslim-Christian meetings in Birmingham . 2nd ed. Geneva: WCC Publications, 1991.

Glennie, John. The spirit of Rose-Noelle: 119 days adrift : a survival story . Auckland: Viking, 1990.

Holland, Michael. Arctic 2 Antarctic: A Celtic Spirit of Fastnet adventure . Cork: Collins Press, 2008.

1968-, King Janet, ed. Arctic 2 Antarctic: A Celtic Spirit of Fastnet adventure . Cork: Collins Press, 2008.

Book chapters on the topic "Spirit of Birmingham (Yacht)"

DuLong, Jessica. "“I need a boat.”." In Saved at the Seawall , 134–58. Cornell University Press, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.7591/cornell/9781501759123.003.0009.

Hermanin de Reichenfeld, Giovanni. "‘The Material of the Gifts from God’. Is the Spirit a Creature in Origen’s Commentary on the Gospel of John?" In Studia Patristica. Vol. C - Including Papers Presented at the Sixth British Patristics Conference, Birmingham, 5-7 September 2016 , 103–12. Peeters Publishers, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1q26kdg.12.

Claes, Koenraad. "Politicised Aestheticism outside London: the Quest and the Evergreen." In The Late-Victorian Little Magazine , 145–85. Edinburgh University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474426213.003.0006.