Photo courtesy of Q7 Yacht Designs, www.Q7YD.com.

One of the things the Classic Yacht Owners Association membership is best at—besides racing classic beauties—is preserving and celebrating the history of storied racing yachts of the past century. Member Peter Silvester has continued that tradition with his stewardship of the Q Class sloop Q7 Falcon, which marks its 100th anniversary in 2026. Recognizing the immensity of the occasion, Silvester and Q7 Yacht Designs have set out to build a new Q7 commission that reimagines Falcon’s prowess with the cutting edge of modern boat building technology through a project known as the Falcon Study.

Falcon was among the first class of yachts to race under the “Universal Rule” developed by Nathaniel Herreshoff in 1902 and that governed eligibility to compete for the America’s Cup from 1914 to 1937. The boat was designed by Burgess, Swasey & Paine and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in Bristol, RI. Falcon has raced in the Northeast, the Great Lakes, and off San Diego, winning two Chicago-Mackinac Races and five Queen’s Cups among other accomplishments. While the yacht was also known as Lively Lady, it has always raced under the sail number Q7, continuing that tradition today.

“I’ve always loved classic designs from the 1930’s Universal Rule era, epitomized by the mighty J’s of America’s Cup fame,” Silvester says. “When I saw Q7 ‘Falcon’ and learned more about these so called ‘mini-J’s’ I knew I’d found a new passion” Silvester and Q7 Yacht Designs came to own Falcon in 2023, moving the boat to San Diego and returning it to the water after several years on the hard. The yacht was brought back to life through an extensive, years-long refit between 2007 and 2012 by renowned boat builder John Anderson.

When it comes to the Falcon Study, Silvester is clear in what he wanted to accomplish. “The goal is that we could produce an incredible yacht that is beautiful, fast, and celebrates the heritage of the original Falcon and will be admired by sailors for the next 100 years.” He adds that there is also a dream that through the project Q Class racing will have a revival over a century after the first of these boats took to the water. 

“The Falcon Study has been an amazing project. If there’s others out there who share my passion for design, great performance and exquisite craftsmanship give me a call,” he adds. The plan is to make a total of 7 commissions to celebrate Q7 - and in the process, keep Q Class sailing around for another 100 years"

Q7 Reimagined, as the new boat is known, retains the original Q7’s critical dimensions including the original Hull Lines, Sail Plan and Displacement making her ‘authentically Q Class’. The original 1926 Lines Plans were adapted for manufacture by Dystra Naval Architects, renowned for their work on the J Class revival of the late 1980’s and  built by the expert builders at Spirit Yachts in the United Kingdom. It was launched and had its first sail in April of this year—a perfect way to punctuate 100 years of the original Falcon. Silvester and the Q7 team plan to race Q7-1  in the upcoming Mediterranean regatta season, where the boat will compete in Spirit of Tradition classes.

Here’s to another 100 years of Falcon and the shared passion of CYOA members for the history and legacy of classic sailing.