Despite his English name, Colin Archer was a Norwegian, He was born 1832 in Larvik. His father and mother were Scots. His father, William, as a young man bred in Perthshire, became a partner in a firm importing timber from Scandinavia to Newborough on the Firth of Tay. During a business trip to Norway in 1819 William Archer visited Larvik, a thriving seaport then. He liked what he saw.

The economic depression which followed the Napoleonic wars almost ruined the timber trade and William Archer felt there was little opportunity left for him in Scotland, so in the summer of 1825 he decided to emigrate to Norway with his family, which then numbered seven children. The Archer family bought a house with several acres of land on a rocky headland which jutted out into the Larvik fjord. It was known as «Tolderodden». Five more children were born to the family, including Colin.

As a small boy, Colin was fascinated by the boats and ships nearby. Unlike his older brothers who emigrated to Australia, Colin stayed at home after he had finished his schooling. He was employed as an apprentice at Michael Treschow’s shipyard, and at the same time attended evening classes in navigation.

In 1850 his father decided to send him to Australia to join his brothers. But he travelled the long way round, via America, and prospected for gold in California. He also did carpentry to make ends meet. In 1852 he visited Hawaii before finally arriving at his brothers’ sheep farms. Colin stayed for almost ten years and sailed a small ketch to supply sheep stations more easily reached by sea. He made quite a lot of money, but when his father died in 1862 he returned to Norway. He decided to remain in Larvik and develop his passion for sailing and boats.

Although he had no formal training, he decided to make a career of designing and building small craft. He had two building docks constructed behind his house. This was where most of his boats were built. He also built large ships, such as the FRAM, in which Roald Amundsen much later sailed to the south Pole.

He married a Norwegian girl from Kragerø and built himself a smaller house in the grounds of Tolderodden. By 1879 Colin Archer’s technical ability had developed considerably, and his reputation as a designer spread beyon d southern Norway. He was elected a member of the Institute of Naval Architects, was awarded the Cross of the Order of St Olav in 1886, and received the silver medal of the Royal Geographical society. These honours were bestowed upon him for his achievements in designing sailing rescue vessels (hulls were double planked) and pilot boats – his typical ultra sturdy double-ender yachts with a gaff rig.

He also enjoyed his leisure, particularly going for day sails with picnics to the neighbouring skerries outside Larvik. He was a most cultured man, appreciating English poetry and writing many letters to a wide circle of friends at hhome and abroad.

In 1909, at the age of 78, he decided to retire, but he was to live for a further 12 years. He remained in good health almost until his death in 1921, and keenly followed the voyages of the vessels he had built.

At his funeral, Johan Anker said: «As long as there are sailing craft on our waters, so long will his memory live».

Anker’s words proved to be true. Today I can often read in the boat columns that there is a «Colin Archer» for sale. But few of the boats sold under his name today are likely to have been built or designed by him personally - his designs have been popular models to copy.