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The Sailing Yacht Tiffany

by Yvonne Higgs 2018

Tiffany I

The Tiffany (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection.)

In 1961 Pelagic Pacific built a sailboat mould and laid up 4 or more hulls on it. They were 10.36m x 3.23m x 1.49m (34.0’ x 10.6’ x 4.9’) but were 40’ (loa). She was powered by a 38bhp diesel auxiliary engine.

Some of the boats were finished as sloops, and two as ketches. The Tiffany, finished at Philbrook’s boatyard in Victoria as a ketch, with the aft mast mounted directly above the rudder post. We always laughed and said it could be a ketch or a yawl and named it our ‘yetch’. She had a center cockpit, aft cabin. She was rigged with foresail, loose footed jib beam, main rolled on to the beam, small mizzen sail and provision for an ‘aap’ (monkey sail) between the main and mizzen.

The boat was originally named Tiffany, but the second owner let the name registration lapse when he purchased the boat and renamed it Nordlys. The third owner reverted to Tiffany on registration but as that name was in use for another registered power boat, she took the name Tiffany I. My husband, Dave Higgs, and I purchased the Tiffany I from Janet Thibodeau on March 6th 1992 and were the fifth owners. After my husband died in May 2002, I sold the boat to Dennis Hudson in Comox, where it is still docked.

Tiffany I

The Tiffany (Photo from the Yvonne Higgs collection.)

In 1963–1977 she was owned by David Angus, Victoria BC. In 1978–1979 she was owned by David A. Oliver (MO), Saanichton BC. In 1980–1988 she was owned by William B. Sampson (MO), Victoria BC. In 1989–1992 she was owned by Janet L. Thibodeau, West Vancouver BC. In 1993–2003 she was owned by Yvonne Higgs, Comox BC. In 2004 she was owned by Jacinthe A. Trottier, Simcoe ON. In 2011–2018 she was owned by Jacinthe Trottier and Dennis Hudson, Comox BC.

Tiffany I

The Tiffany (Photo from the Yvonne Higgs collection.)

The interior layout in the main cabin was, on descending the steps, a U–shaped galley on the left, then a diesel stove. In the center part of the U, was an insulated cold box running some length out under the port side cockpit seat. On the right, a chart table with drawers, radio equipment, radar and Loran mounted above. A bunk on both port and starboard sides, a center folding table butted against the mast. Forward of the mast on the left, the head, with basin. On the right a hanging locker. Further forward a V berth bunk with a bath tub under the left side of the bunk. A roof hatch located centrally allowed one to sit in the bathtub and look out the hatch! It was simple to rig a solar heated water bag from the loose footed gib beam to deliver hot water into the bathtub for a shower. The aft cabin held a double bed narrowing slightly as it went aft. The person sleeping on the starboard side had very little head room!

Tiffany I

Dave Higgs, my daughter and myself (Yvonne Higgs), sailing the Tiffany, taken between Goose Spit and Sandy Island, Comox about 1997. (Photo from the Yvonne Higgs collection.)

Tiffany I

The famous Tiffany diamond spinaker Tiffany (Photo from the Yvonne Higgs collection.)


To quote from this article please cite:

Higgs, Yvonne (2018) The Sailing Yacht Tiffany. Nauticapedia.ca 2018. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Tiffany.php

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