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Characteristics of a classic


23 May 2019 | Last update: 23 Dec 2020

Gemini is a Gauntlet, built in 1947, but the design dates from 1934, when the first of these famous yachts was built in the Berthon boatyard in Lymington, on the English south coast. In all, 39 Gauntlets were built by the yard between 1934 and 1951.

History of the first Gauntlet

The class got its name from the first boat. The customer asked the yard to design a boat, but when he saw the design, he rejected it, and went to a competing yard. Harry G. May, who owned the Berthon yard, had such faith in the design that he built the boat anyway, without having a customer for it. Once completed, he threw down the gauntlet and challenged the other boat to a race and handily won. The story got around and pretty soon, everyone wanted one of his Gauntlets.

Two further boats were built in New Zealand just after the war, but I don’t know the story behind that. Perhaps someone from the yard emigrated there and took copies of the design along with them.

The design brief was for a fast, seaworthy, comfortable boat, easily handled by a small crew. These boats were destined to be successful long-distance, ocean-going racing boats, and they had a lot of success in their day. Even now, when the sea is rough and the wind is strong, they can keep going at speed when modern, lighter boats will want to reduce sail.

Read on to find out how the design brief was fulfilled:

What our customers say

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Fantastic first time sailing experience!

We were looking for more unique things to do in Barcelona than just the regular tourist sites and so we booked this sailing trip. It was by far one of our favorite and most relaxing parts of the trip. The water is beautiful off the coast of Barcelona and the views of the coast were fantastic. In mid april, the weather was beautiful and my light jacket was all i needed for a cover-up over my sundress.
cldegen | Greater London, United Kingdom

Fantastic day of sailing!

What a great experience! We went sailing with Dave in early April for my birthday. Dave is fantastic and Gemini is gorgeous! Seeing Barcelona from sea was gorgeous. Can't recommend doing this enough!
calitravels48 | Los Angeles, California

Exiciting...and calm! Awesome sailing trip!

We had booked with Dave for 4 adults and 1 child on a Friday afternoon. However, once we took off into our sailing trip, the waves were crazy! The boat was at 45 degrees most of the time. My 7 year old and I enjoyed it very much, but the wife and auntie were hanging on for their lives! Well, after almost an hour of this excitement, Skipper Dave called it off and we headed to port. A man of his words, he'd volunteered to refund most of our trip due to weather, but we opted to reschedule. So, again, we went on Monday morning. Calm sea and beautiful weather. This time it was a very smooth ride. We stopped for a few an took a dip in the clear cobalt blue sea. A very relaxing trip. Anyways, bring your own food and water. Enjoy the view and relax...But I have to say, I loved battling the waves!!!
phuwanai1194 | Atlanta, Georgia

Beautiful

A beautiful sailing trip with a great skipper :). Nice sailing boat , I had a very cool experience on sea.
Ioan C |

Barcelona by full moon

Last night a friend and I went sailing from Barcelona Marina in a beautiful old wooden sailing boat 'Gemini', with her gregarious and knowledgeable captain, Dave. Clear skies and a full moon, the light breeze filling the sails, pushing us through the calm water, it was a perfect evening jaunt, admiring the magical vistas of night time Barcelona. Definitely something to be considered on a trip to Barcelona. It got a little chilly towards the end of the evening so take a sweater or a fleece.
Yubitzume | Barcelona, Spain

Great sunrise cruise watching Perseids

This was our first time on a sailboat and didn’t know what to expect. We booked the special tour for a pre-dawn sail to watch the Perseids meteor shower, Dave was super responsive answering all our questions and made the booking process easy. He was available on what’s app as well for ad-hoc questions and gave detailed instructions at every step. We got started right on time and the small group of people made it a really pleasant and calm experience. Sunrise was gorgeous and the night sky was beautiful. Customer friendly and English speaking - highly recommended.
kopsai | Barcelona, Spain

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