Camp Freddie: Rocket 31

The Design

Whilst designing this boat Jim Young enticed Greg Peck over from Cornwall to build a cedar prototype.  However, Peck had his own ideas for the design of a high performance keel yacht and working in conjunction with Jim Young they created this new and innovative boat  – Camp Freddie.

Rocket 31

Like Positive Touch, Camp Freddie is a Rocket 31. The moulds taken when building Camp Freddie show a Rocket 31 in different stages of build.  These moulds were intended to be used to make the Rocket 31 a development class with an easily driven hull.   The rest of the boat including the rig, keel, engine, and interior finishing could then be fitted by its owner. The idea being to create a high performance yacht design that could also be economical, as the home builder could pick up the build at at any stage and save some money.

The Hull

What marks a Rocket 31 and Camp Freddie as different is its wide beam which along with the hull shape make the boat travel very fast.  It’s believed Camp Freddie starts planning downwind and at 11 knots.

Camp Freddie’s hull is light with an almost dinghy type shape with a keel.  Its wide beam also made Camp Freddie work well for cruising as there is heaps of space down below, at least for a 30ft yacht.

The Rest of the Boat

Camp Freddie had a fin and bulb keel which fit into a slot in the hull and could be removed when moving or storing the boat.  For the mast it had a double swept back spreader without runners or backstays. This allowed the boat to get maximum power out of its fully battened mainsail.    

Greg Peck

Not only was Camp Freddie built by Greg Peck but it was also sailed by him.  He raced Camp Freddie in the UK bringing their unique design to the northern hemisphere, where nothing like it had been seen before.  He won every regatta he entered. This included the 1994 Class One Cowes Week and he beat 1800 races to win the Round Isle of Wight Race where they achieved 20 knots in force 5-6 winds and waves.  This made Camp Freddie the only New Zealand designed boat to dominate the northern hemisphere regattas.

During what sounds like a particularly brutal 1996 Cowes Week, Camp Freddie hit the rocks and had to be craned to the shore. But they weren’t the only victims of the 50 mile an hour winds as two boats sunk, 17 lost their masts and three broke their booms before the organisers finished the race early.