Stanley Charles Huntingford
Our True North 34 sailboat SV Dove, was designed by a well-respected Canadian Naval Architect named Stanley Charles Huntingford of 3912 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We were curious to know a little more - so who is Stan Huntingford?
Basic internet searches based on his name revealed websites Sailboatdata.com, YachtDatabase.com, and Sailboat Guide and they all indicated that Stan Huntingford had designed many other sailboats. Further internet searches revealed many boats designed by Stan Huntingford and owned by individuals, but nothing about Stan Huntingford - he was just a name. Further focused internet searches using locations in Canada, years/dates, and many other variables yielded nothing - could not find a picture of him, birth date, obituary, biography, relatives, etc. Researched marine, maritime, shipwright, nautical, historical, etc., institutions in the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada area but again nothing - it was like he didn't exist. Continued research using a free trail subscription on websites called Newspapers.com and Ancestry - discovered a few interesting things about Stan Huntingford.
Stan's parents were Arthur Stanley Huntingford (born 14 Oct 1889) and Stella Cakebread (born 18 Jan 1891) who immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Twickenham, England in 1911/1912. They were married at St Mark's Anglican Church, Kitsilano, Vancouver on 17 August 1912. {The 100-year-old-plus St Mark's Anglican Church and property was sold, demolished, and replaced by a five-storey apartment building complex in 2019.}
Per the 1 June 1921 Canadian census the Huntingford family - Arthur Stanley (32), Stella (30), Margaret Elizabeth {Betty} (7), Mary Stella (5), Dorothy May (1), and Stanley Charles (2 ½ months) - owned a three room wooden single house on a plot of farm land in the small agricultural community of Agassiz located in the Eastern Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, about 97 kilometers east of Vancouver and immediately north of the city of Chilliwack. They later had an additional son David Geoffrey. Numerous newspaper articles revealed that Stan's father Arthur, an independent farmer, also raised chickens and pigs; he often competed in local farm exhibitions/fairs. His father participated in the 1921 year-long Agassiz Farm egg laying contest and achieved 5th place standing with 2,085 eggs produced. In 29 Sept 1921, at the Chilliwack fair he was awarded the 1st prize Silver Cup for his exhibited poultry pen.
Based on the 1921 Canadian census data, Stanley Charles Huntingford, was likely born in mid-February 1921 in Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada. His younger formative years were in a rural farmland community enviroment surrounded by majestic mountains covered with old-growth forests and the multiple tributaries that feed into the Frazier River.
It appears sometime after 1928, the Huntingford family relocated from Agassiz to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where Stan’s father was involved in the residential construction business as an independent contractor. School records reported in local newspapers indicate that the Huntingford children attended Kitsilano School System, 2550 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver.
Stan Huntingford served aboard Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Prince Harry, an armed merchant cruiser and Infantry Landing Ship (ILS) in service with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. The war service record of HMCS Prince Henry F70 and its crew is well documented on the Wikipedia website and "For Posterity's Sake" - a website dedicated to the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy. Stan Huntingford is pictured with the ship’s crew – he is in the third row section of the picture.
On 19 May 1945, Chief Petty Officer Stanley Charles Huntingford, Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR), married Isobel Wallace Banks, Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division (RCAF WD) at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They resided principally in the West Vancouver area and raised a family of five children. They eventually resided at 3912 Marine Drive, the previous home of Isobel’s parents John Walker and Harriet Josephine Banks. {The home now located at 3912 Marine Drive was built in 2008 per real estate records, inferring the previous home at that location was demolished and replaced.}
Stan was a founding member and later a Commodore of the West Vancouver Yacht Club which originated in the fall of 1945. A review of their website's “Our Story” history mentioned Stan Huntingford’s voluntary contributions in construction of the new clubhouse and surrounding infrastructures in the 1960’s. Newspaper articles indicates he was a very active member holding various official positions in the club and an active yacht racing participant.
In 1954, Stan, after a three year effort, completed building the wooden sailboat STELLA MARIS V (pictured below) measuring 33.6' x 10.1' x 4.6' (10.2m x 3.1m x 1.4m) equipped with a 20hp engine. This sailboat was Canadian registered, number 198098, and retained by Stan and Isobel Huntingford throughout their lives and used for family enjoyment and yacht racing. Stan partook in numerous yacht races with STELLA MARIS V, winning many accolades.
On 9 May 1964, West Vancouver Yacht Club Commodore Stan Huntingford of sailboat STELLA MARIS V, officiated the annual opening day Sail Past ceremonies at Howe Sound (immediately northwest of Vancouver), Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada.
Stan's occupations in voter registration lists were building contractor, chart accountant, and naval architect. Was unable to locate any educational institutions he attended. How one progresses from novice to respected naval architect remains a mystery.
Calmark Industries LTD built the Maple Leaf 30 per the designs of Stan Huntingford under the business name Maple Leaf Yachts LTD marketed by Marine Yacht Sails LTD of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Both companies are no longer in business.
Stan had extensive business relationships with Cooper Enterprises Ltd., 642 Langan Avenue, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. Cooper Enterprises built a significant majority of the Stan Huntingford’s designs. Cooper Enterprises Ltd or Cooper Yachts are no longer in business.
Svend’s Yachts Ltd., 315 West 23rd, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada had exclusive rights to build the Huntingford’s Maple Leaf 42 design and their build facilities were located in Port Coquitlam. Svend’s Yachts Ltd. is no longer in business.
The Philbrook’s Shipyard, 2324 Harbour Road, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada produced the Huntingford PH 41 racing sailboat and others. Note: the PH stands for Philbrook – Huntingford.
Numerous Huntingford designs were built overseas in Taiwan and many more by do-it-yourself boat enthusiasts.
The list of sailboats below is a small subset of the over 200 hundred designs that Stan Huntingford originated. The sailboat design name is linked primarily to data contained on the Sailboatdata.com website.
In August 1987, Stan and Isobel Huntingford retired to the Pender Islands, Gulf of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada.
In February 1995, Stanley Charles Huntingford was convicted by Her Majesty the Queen (Supreme Court of British Columbia, Vancouver Registry No. CC940539) and sentenced to a six year prison term.
On 4 April 2002, Stan Huntingford passed away at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, 1952 Bay Street, Victoria, BC, Canada. His funeral services were held 12 April 2002 at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 4703 Canal Rd, Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada.
On 8 March 2008, Stan's wife Isobel Wallace (Banks) Huntingford (born 11 June 1922) passed away in Sidney, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Stan and Isobel Huntingford were survived by their children/(spouse) Sandy (Margaret), Sally (Hugh) Campbell, Iain Wallace, Dorset Mary (Derek) Norwich-Young, and Charles Kennedy (Nancy), 10 grandchildren, and 9 greatgrandchildren.
What became of the Huntingford's sailboat STELLA MARIS V? In 2011, its Canadian registered number 198098 was closed out. For an unknown period of time it was held or stored by Silva Bay Shipyard, 383 South Road, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada. It was then donated in 2018 by Silva Bay Shipyard to the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, 1761 Cowichan Bay Rd., Cowichan Bay, British Columbia, Canada and they attempted to sale it.
Latest word in the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society’s bi-monthly "Soundings" newsletter for May/June 2020 was CWBS member Philip Alcock has taken on ownership and restoration of sailboat STELLA MARIS V.