1972-75 Rob Humphreys gains Honours Degree in Industrial Design (Engineering). Then member of the editorial staff of Yachts and Yachting magazine, looking after the journal’s offshore and design coverage. 1973 First design launched, the Quarter Tonner Midnight Special. Modest success. 1975-1978 A period of freelance writing, both for Yachts and Yachting and for numerous international yachting magazines - in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Period was also interspersed with embryonic design efforts, mainly at around the 20-30ft size. Most notable success was the top British place in the Mini Ton world championship in La Rochelle in 1977. 1979 First major international success. The 31ft Roller Coaster won the British trials convincingly and went on to place a very narrow second in the Half Ton world championship. 1980 Roller Coaster, renamed Glafki II, won the Aegean Rally in Greece. Micro Cup design Gem launched, third overall and winner of the production boat prize at the Micro Cup in France. 1981 Glafki III third in the Half Ton world championship in Britain. Gem again top production boat prize in the Micro Cup. 1982 Three Quarter Tonners Roller Skate and Countdown dominate class in Britain. 1983 40 footer Jade member of the British Southern Cross team. 1984 Flash second in the Half Ton world championship. 1985 One Tonner Jade II winner of the One Ton world championship and member of the British Admiral’s Cup team. 1986 Jade class winner and second overall in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference in Florida. Three Quarter Tonner Decosol third in Three Quarter Ton world championship. 1987 One Tonner Juno winner of the Fastnet Cup; member of the British Admiral’s Cup team. Quarter Tonner Quest second in Quarter Ton world championship. Appointed member of the International Technical Committee of the Offshore Racing Council (1987 -95). 1988 Whitbread Round-the-World Maxi Rothmans designed. Apriori (36ft) winner Lymington Spring Series. Designer for Peter de Savary’s America’s Cup Challenge, including the radical 65 footer Blue Arrow. Chairman of the group of designers working on the new America’s Cup rule (Southampton IACC conference). 1989-90 Whitbread race. Rothmans fourth overall and second sloop. 1989 Apriori RORC Yacht of the Year (CHS Division) and One Tonner Citroen RORC Yacht of the Year (IOR Division). Apriori 2nd in RORC IMS season’s championship. Ultimate 30 Flyer winner Ultimate Yacht Race in the United States. Buzzard (42ft) winner King’s Cup in Thailand. Ultra class formed in UK. 1990 Old Mother Gun winner Lymington Spring Series and Apriori second. Apriori and Old Mother Gun members of winning (British) team in IMS European Championship, with Apriori top individual scorer. Buzzard winner King’s Cup for second year. Gib’sea 312 Sealance CHS class winner in Spi Ouest, La Trinite. Member of the Whitbread Offshore Council, developing the Whitbread 60 Rule. 1991 Design of a fast 128ft aluminium cruising ketch,Cyrano de Bergerac. Built by Camper and Nicholsons. Buzzard winner of King’s Cup for third year. 1992 Design of a Whitbread 60 for the Dolphin Circumnavigation Project for the 1993/94 Whitbread Round the World Race. 1993 Cyrano de Bergerac - winner of the Showboats International award for “The Most Innovative Yacht of 1993”. Cyrano goes on to make successful and uneventful circumnavigation. Gib’Sea Master 48Sealance winner of the big boat class in Spi Ouest . 1994 The Gib’Sea 414 voted “Le Bateau de L’annee 1995” at the Paris Boat Show. Awarded by the French magazine BATEAUX and selected by a group of European magazines. Only the second non-French designer to win. Sigma 400 Alain Afflelou winner big boat class Spi Ouest . 1995 Fremantle 8 awarded 1995 Australian Sailboat of the Year by Modern Boating and the Australian Boatbuilding Federation. Gib’Sea 414 Majule V winner big boat class Spi Ouest France, also winner of La Rochelle Week (IMS). Saryba winner Copa del Rey, Spain. Contessa 33 winner of the ARC race. Development of the Prefix® Build System, a radical construction system designed to reduce boatbuilding labour and improve precision. Megalopolis wins third consecutive ISORA Championship. Conclusion of eight-year term on the ORC’s International Technical Committee. 1996 Construction of 72ft prototype for the Challenge 2000 race, Sir Chay Blyth’s sequel to the British Steel Challenge and BT Global Challenge. Launch of Ocean Phoenix, the first Phoenix 77, designed for blue water cruising. Prefix® system wins Innovation Award at the British Nautical Awards. Big Buzzard winner of King’s Cup, Phukett. 1997 Ocean Phoenix wins Heineken Regatta in St.Martin’s; also voted UK Yacht of the Year. H35 Havoc wins UK IMS National Championship. Corwynt wins ISORA Overall Championship. Gib’Sea 414 wins Spi Ouest France; four Humphreys designs in first nine. Oyster 56 sells eleven units before launch - an Oyster record. Dolphin wins line honours in 1997 ARC trans- Atlantic race. Gib’Sea 414 Box Clever wins Lymington Winter Series. 1998 Oyster 56 Oystercatcher XXII wins class in ARC trans-Atlantic race. Prototype BT Global Challenger launched. New Oyster 53 launched. Design work started on new Oyster 66. Humphreys One-Design 35s Gunrunner, Twist and Shout and Krush win respectively the Lymington, Burnham on Crouch and Plymouth Winter Series Regattas. 1999 Commissioned by the Kingfisher retailing group to design singlehanded round-the-world race Open 60 for Ellen MacArthur, in collaboration with Owen-Clarke Design Group. New Elan 333 launched and wins class in the Warsash Spring Series. Design work started on new Oyster 62 and Oyster 77. Design work in progress on 92ft schooner. Humphreys One Design 35 Zarafa class winner of UK National Championship. Oyster 56 wins class in Antigua Race Week. 2000 Oyster 53 wins Yacht of the Year award (UK). Elan 45 probably the first new launch of the new Milllenium (launched shortly after midnight on 1st January).Kingfisher wins the Trans Atlantic Race 2001 Ellen MacArthur and her Open 60 Kingfisher finish second in the Vendee Globe. The twelve boat fleet of Humphreys designed BT Global Challenge boats successfully complete the 2000/01 Race. Kingfisher wins the EDS Challenge. Rob Humphreys becomes part of the GBR Challenge design team. New Oyster 49 is launched at the Southampton Boat Show. 2002Oyster 62 wins Cruising Division of Antigua Race Week.
