The History of Explorer.

KSSC was built by Jeremy Rogers in 1977 for the Armed Forces, we purchased Explorer from the Combined Services on the 20th November 1991, she had been an Combined Services Yacht up to that time. In 2020 we are trying to find more out about her history, it seems that the Forces Contessa 32’s did not have a yacht captain and the skippers rotated through, information is difficult to find, the larger Forces yachts had captains.

We have now established that Explorer was also called Explorer of Hornet and as Explorer of Hornet she was in the famous 1979 Fastnet storm. She is also mentioned in the Adlard Coles Book “Heavy Weather sailing” as sailing through the “1987 Channel Storm”, she has quite a pedigree. We are still trying to find out more about our Explorer’s history

I have collated various links to Contessa 32’s and to information about our Explorer, this is an ongoing project, I hope to find out more from the Hornet Sailing Club at Gosport, this was where most of the Forces Contessa 32’s were based.

The following are various links that I have discovered:

1/. Yachting World excellent Article: Assent, the only Contessa 32 that finished the infamous 1979 Fastnet race.

https://www.yachtingworld.com/fastnet-race/fastnet-race-1979-restored-survivor-assent-123180

2/. Mathew Sheenan story of the 1979 Fastnet race.

https://www.yachtingworld.com/features/fastnet-79-matthew-sheahan-122220

3/. 1979 Fastnet storm, why was it so devastating?

https://www.yachtingworld.com/features/fastnet-race-1979-storm-122408

4/. 1979 fastnet race Finishers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Fastnet_race

5/. Heavy Weather Sailing - Allard Coles Book. A Contessa 32 called Explorer is mentioned in section about the 1987 Channel storm, this is in most editions of this book. I have editions 5 and 7 of this book

6/. Link to the Hornets Sailing Club.

https://hornetservicessailing.org.uk/history.aspx