The lovely William Fife-design schooner Adventuress is one of the finest to emerge from the Scottish yard. Designed and built by Fife in 1924.

She was restored and relaunched in 2012 after an extensive two-year refit and return to her original rig at Rockport Marine in Maine. She was brought there by her owner after he bought the boat in 2010.

At that time, Adventuress had gone to Rockport Marine for a new deck, but when the planks came off most of the frames needed to be replaced, and then the ironwork, and bit by bit as the structure was uncovered the project spiralled until it was on such a scale it is comparable with a new build.

After all the work was finished, Adventuress sported a new rig, deck and deck frames, 60 per cent of new planking was new, almost every deck fitting had been custom made, and the interior was completely refitted. The result is spectacular, and the video shows the boat in her full glory, inside and out, shortly after relaunch.

Adventuress, classic Fife design schooner

The joinery and detail on Adventuress is lavish and beautifully executed. Many of the ideas have been taken from other Fife yachts, as relatively little of the original yacht survived.

She cruises offshore with a crew of eight, but on occasions round the race course, there can be 20 or more, and there were times when all hands are at work as they handle main and jackyard topsail, fore, fisherman, topsail, staysail, jib and jib top.

Adventuress can carry her tower of canvas, though at times, as I discovered when I raced on board at Antigua Classics, she heeled hard to sluice the leeward scupper and slid to leeward. Even when not hard pressed this is a wet boat, with such a deliciously low counter that the quarter wave regularly rides up to lap over the capping rail.

It’s a fabulous sight to be so close to the water in such a large and powerful boat, the very opposite of most high-sided modern boats. I’m told that offshore the cockpit is regularly filled. There may be faster ways of sailing but few experiences are more exhilarating than this.

Adventuress, classic Fife design schooner