Name Saskia

Built by William Fife & Son, Fairlie, in 1931, for Sir Alistair Young. Before WWII, Eights were arguably the most prestigious international yacht racing class. She is a pure racing vessel with no engine or internal accommodation. She was specifically built to take part in the 1931 Seawanhaka Cup, which originated in 1895 and is the oldest American yachting trophy that is still in active competition.  In 1931 the Cup took place on the Clyde, hosted by the Great Northern Yacht Club, and was won by SASKIA. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics she was the British Olympic sailing team's boat and took part in the sailing events that were held in Kiel, Germany. The commemorative plaque marking the occasion is still displayed on board. She continued to race in the late 1930s, winning more than 50 races in 1938 alone. 

In 1954, the well known Australian yachtsman, Sir William Northam, bought SASKIA and shipped her to Sydney with the specific objective of winning the Sayonara Cup which had been the symbol of pre-eminence in big-boat, round the buoys racing in Australia since 1904. SASKIA won the Cup for the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron ending 34 years of dominance by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. She remained at her mooring at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron winning many races for the next 52 years.

In 2007 she was shipped back to the UK to take part in that year's celebration of 100 years of Metre Rule Sailing. She competed at the Centennial World Championships on the Clyde where she won her class and the Sira Cup. She then went on to win the Eight Metre Class at the Metre Class Centenary Regatta at Cowes.

Although she performed well in the 2007 regattas, SASKIA was clearly showing signs of age and was in need of restoration. She was sold by her Australian owners, John and Michael Stephen, to another Australian, Michael Maxwell. Mr Maxwell arranged for her to be shipped to the Absolute Projects yard in Lisbon, Portugal where a major restoration project began in 2008, with the intention to ship her back to Australia as a fully restored classic yacht.

For various reasons the project stalled and although it was substantially completed by 2010, Mr. Maxwell had not given instructions to ship. At this point another Eight Metre owner, a UK resident, heard of the project and became the owner in November 2011. Further work was then done to put SASKIA back to her original condition including the removal of the engine. Since 2011, SASKIA has been meticulously maintained by her current owner. She is configured to race in the prestigious Neptune class.
 

Update, January 2026: Vessel for sale.