5th Decembe r 1986 1 6 Wal t ham Walk Eye

Pe t erbor ough PE6 7XE

Mr J Lawrence Sailmaker 22-28 Tower S tre et Brightlingse a ESSEX C07 OAL

Dear Mr La wrence ,

I spok e to you r e c e nt ly on t he ph one r e garding my . p l an to have a new wooden Vertue bu i lt wi t h Ga ff R i gg .

I will be pu t ting the order wi t h t he I nte rnationa l Boa t Bui l ding Tr aining Cen t r e at Lowes t of t who wi ll be us ing iroko on s teame d oak f r ame s a n d wil l bu i l d t o Lloyd s 1 00 Al s t andards. I al so intend to have a t eak d e ck . The huli is t o be bas e d on t he Humphr e y Bar ton XXXV d e sign

I have not ye t ob t aine d a ful l set o f plans f rom Laure n t Giles but I t hought I wou l d send y ou wha t I have got ~

We discussed the sa i l c l o th t o be used and I t h i nk I r e member you sugge s t ing a soft tery l ene in p a le cream wi t h brown s t i tching which i s j us t the sor t o f thi ng I wou l d l ike. I kn ow it i s some times t he c ase t hat the t opsa i l i s a di f f ere n t colour t o t he res t o f t he sai l s bu t on t his occ as i on I would l ike the~ a l l t o be in t he same colour.

From t he a t t ached ske t ches wou l d it be poss i ble for you to p rovide rough e s t ima t e s for t he individual sai l s so that we can work ou t t he best combina t ion f or- t h e money available t o us. In addi tion, I would l ike a s t orm j i b a nd t r i sail. If y ou wou l d pre fe r to wait unt il I can suppl y full s ai l p lans however I would unders t and.

I wou ld a l so like you t o quo t e fo r t he rigging and intend t o have al l t he s tanding rigging in galvanis e d wire wi th hand splicing .

You also menti oned t hat you cou l d ge t dead e yes. Are you a lso ab l e t o ob t a in wooden b l ocks a t a competi t i ve ra t e ?

If you would l ik e t o d i scuss t he proj e c t f u rther, my te lephone numbe r i s Pe t erborough (0733 ) 222177 and I am norma l l y home af t er 6 pm and at we e kends du ri ng t he wi n ter .

I look f orward t o heari ng f rom y ou soon.

Y5~~2;?V IAN G WR I GHT

.JAMES LAWRENCE SAILMAKER

22-28 TOWER STREET BRIGHTLlNGSEA ESSEX e07 OAL

Telephone: BRIGHTLlNGSEA 2863 0]...0 ,\ 0

5th January 1987. p

Mr. I. Wright. 16 Waltham Walk, Eye, Peterborough. PE6 lXE.

Dear Ian,

It was nice talking to you on the telephone and I congratulate you on your choice of vessel and I look forward to being involved with you on this project.

~irst of all, yes, we can supply dead eyes and we have these made. We do a full rigging service and can supply everything custan made to your own requir~nts. -le also have an interesting rope here, which although it is synthetic, it has got a very natural feel and look about it. e send you two samples - one \¥hich has a cotton appearance about it and ·the other, a more natural hemp appearance. ~

Our sails are all special orte-offs and made to the very highest standards, with only the best quality materials used throughout in all cases. Sails are complete with sail lacings, bags, insignias J brass/gt.ll"llretal piston hanks, eyes and other such requirements . . ;

For your information, we have pleasure in offering you our quotation 'at our current prices to give you an idea of what you need to allow. All sails are quoted as being in cream colour with a brown thread and to be u.v. protecte.d.

MAINSAIL .)( . £377 .31 4'3. 3 . 7 Qtr..

STAYSAIL )C 144.32 ,,£ No.1 JIB x 136.27 L,'.71

~ STORM JIB 112.70 I).,~ · "O GENOA >-.. 243.78 .J.... (!) y. ~" 7

TOPSAIL .x 105.02 ,,,0Ill' · 1f'

The above prices are subject to V.A.T. at the current rate of 15%.

(

We also have wooden blocks made and I think it would be a good idea once you have got your project started to cone and visit us so that we can have the pleasure of showing you our quality of work and to discuss the type of blocks that you would need etc.

In the meant:inE. we look forward to doing business wit.'1 you and offer you our best wisbes.

Yours sincerely,

JAMES lAWRENCE

28th May 1987 16 Waltham Walk Eye

Peterborough PE6 7XE

Mr J Lawrence James Lawrence Sailmakers 22-28 Tower Street Brightlingsea ESSEX C07 OAL

Dear Jim,

Thank you very much for the time and attention you gave me on my visit to your loft on 22nd May. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to you and relished the opportunity to "pick your brains" to ensure that I have the right gear on my Vertue.

There are however, a couple of things I forgot to ask you and if you feel you can best answer these by telephone, my number is Peterborough (0733) 222177. You will rarely find anyone home before 6.30 p.m. during the week but weekends are more reliable.

1. Running Back Stay. Should I have tackles or "Highfield" levers?

2. The drawings I have at present are somewhat incomplete. Therefore, would you be able to recommend the placement of sheet leads, cleats and so forth at the appropriate time?

3. I would like the Bow Sprit to be retractable. Can you suggest how this can be achieved and rigged to best effect?

4. How will the mainsail be cut, vertical or horizontal?

5. If horizontal, would you suggest fitting battens?

6. You mentioned the use of a wink on the mast. Could you please recommend a supplier?

7. Would I use the wink as a halyard or reefing winch or is it possible to use it for both purposes?

8. I am trying to avoid using metal mast bands and you mentioned wooden gaff and boom jaws. How would this affect the main if it were laced to the boom?

9. Could you please confirm how many mast hoops will be required.

/Continued ....

18th July 1988 16 Waltham Walk Eye

Pe t erborough PE6 7XE

Phone (07 33) 222177

Mr & Mrs D Dawson 1 0 Ha rtcroft Linton Glade Croydon Surrey CRO 9LA

Dear Mr & Mrs Dawson,

I am name

wr iting t o i n the OGA

chang e members

the detai ls which Book.

currentl y appear i n my

I have now sold my Jaguar 21, Skipp i ng Stone II and am having a Ver tue bui lt at t he In ternationa l Boat Build i ng Training Ce n t re in Lowes t of t. She is t o be called 'VECTOR' a nd is an Ext ended Ocean Cru ising (EOC) version of t he La ure n t Giles designe d Ve rtue, bui lt to Ll oyds 100 Al LMC in iroko on oak .

The EOe v e rsi6n bas t he same unde rwater l ines as t he standard Ver t ue but incorporates a rai s ed s heerli ne t o main t ain the standard freeboard whe n heavi l y l aden f or" ocean cruising. This of course has the e ffect of incre a s ing the draf t by 3 inches.

The upper works are also changed f rom the s t~ndard dog hou s e t ype v e rtue and i ncorpora t es a s l i ghtly l ower coach ' roof e xte nde d forward t o t he mas t. I am e nclosing a sketch f or your r ecords.

The sai l p l an is bas e d on Andri l lot - Ver tue No 1, t he topsa i l sligh t l y al tered t o sui t e x tend ed cruising, and a shor tened bowsprit (3 fee t overhang ).

Originally t he f irst EOC version t o come of f t he drawi ng board had alterna t ive sail p l ans as t he owner i s repor t e d as be i ng unde cide d on whe t her to have gaff o r b e rmudan r i g. He chose bermudan! I , on t he othe r hand, have chosen gaff, and I e nc l ose a s ail plan . Jim Lawrence of Brigh tl ing s e a has agreed t o make t he sa i ls for me and wil l be us ing mod e rn terylene sa il c l oth in crea m with brown stitching t o ma intain the traditiona l appe aran ce. However, t his is t he f irst t ime, as I unders t and, that the Eoe version ha s been bu ilt wi t h gaff rig (I hope it works! ) .

The ri gging plan was designed in t he days of natu ra l f ibres and ca l ls for par t chain running r igg ing! The rigging wil l al so be done by Jim La wr e nce a nd he wil l be using man mad e f ibre and ga lvan i sed wire.

De ck metal work will be in bronze from Bronze S t ar Inc, San Die go, Ca l ifornia , USA a s I was unable t o find a supplier t his side of the Atlantic.

The builder s assure me t hat 'VECTOR ' wi ll be comple t e d by Chris t mas 1988 al t hough I have no t booked a winte r storage be r t h y e t! My pe rsona l target is to be a f loat by t he Eas t Coast OGA race i n 1989 a nd I hope to meet you t here.

Yours s ince rely,

IAN G WRIGHT

- -19th November 1988 16 Waltham Walk

Eye Pe t erborough

PE6 7XE Phone: (0 7 33) 2221 77

Mr David Jackson-Smith Secretary Ver t u e Owners Association 35 Sand f ord Ringwood HAMPSHIRE

De a r Mr Jackson-Smi t h,

In 1985, I decided t ha t I wan t ed t o own a boa t wh i ch wou l d be bu i lt i n a t radi t ional man ne r, using t radi t ional ma ter i a l s . I t was du r ing t his s electi on pr oce ss t ha t I spoke t o you on t he te l e phone and discussed t he meri ts o f a VER TUE.

I conside red t ha t the Ext e nde d Oce an Crui sing Ve rsion was t he one for me a nd t he I nternational Boat Building Train i ng Cen t re a t Lowestoft, a r e curre n tly worki ng on t he proj e ct . Name d 'VECTOR', she i s bui lt in iroko o n oak and wi l l be gaff rigg ed .

Barry van Gef fe n at Laur e n t Gile s has s upplied me wi t h as much information as he is ab l e but I und e rs t and t ha t ma ny o f the original d r awi ngs and supporting ma te ria l has be e n l o s t over the years. . ,

Accor ding to t he Peter Woolass book ' Ve rtue' t here have be e n th ree Ver tues buil t wi th ga f f r i g, but none o f the s e have been the Exte nded Oce a n Cru is i n g Ve rs i on.

I have bee n provide d wi th t wo vers i o ns f or a sa il p lan . One is the origina l ' ANDR ILLOT ' design. The o t her was drawn f or Mr F Scahi l l ( a nd I be l ieve sub s equen t ly abandon e d) showing a reduce d sai l area of approx i mately 20 % wi th shorte ne d mast, boom and bowspri t. I am unsure on t he e x a c t configura t ion on the othe r t wo ga f f rig boats, FIONN (Sa i l No 140, Aus t ral i a) and KOTIM U (Sail No 11 7, Austral i a) and wondere d whether you have any in f orma t ion on t hese ves sels.

Although I am intending to under t ake at l e ast one e x t ended voyage in the e ar l y 1990's, the majori t y of my sai l ing wi ll be UK coasta l a nd Continen t al.

I would t herefore like to adop t t he bes t possib le con f iguration f or 'VECTOR' and would be d e ligh t ed to he ar f r om a ny Vertue owners who may be ab le to help me.

I don ' t mind t ravel ling to talk to experts on t hi s s ubject and can usual ly be reli e d upon to bu y t he firs t two round s !

I a m a l s o k e en t o j oin t he Associa t ion a nd would be p l e as ed t o r ece i v e in f o r ma t i on on t he sUbscr i pt ion req ui r e d a nd any f or t hcoming ac t i v i t ies.

I hope t o he ar from you s oon an d thank you for your assi s t ance.

Yours since r e l y ,

I AN G WRIGE'r

19th Novembe r 1988 1 6 Wal t ham Walk Ey e

Pete rborough PE6 7XE

Phone: (0733) 222177

Mr C Lar rewyn 14 John ston S t reet Earlwood New Sou t h Wa le s 2206 AUSTRALIA

Dea r Mr Larre wyn,

I learned o f your gaf f -rigge d Vertue - ' F lONN' f rom a Vertue Owner 's Assoc iation me mbe rs l i st da ted 1973 and am wonder ing whe t her you would be able t o give me any advice on the rig sele c t i on f or t he Ve r tue I am pre,sen tly build i ng .

I have already decided t hat ' VECTOR' should be ga f f~r igged but as t he hull des i gn is the Ocean Cru i sing Version I have be en suppl ied wi t h t wo vers i ons f o r a . sail plan. One is, I bel iev e , based on 'ANDRILLOT's' original rig a nd the other was des i gned f o r ex t ende d ocean cru ising, showi ng a shorter mast, boom and bowsprit wh i ch reduces t he sai l area by about 20 %.

I am undecide d which sa il p l an t o adop t and would appreciate it v ery much if you were able t o te l l me t he con figurat i on you have on ' FlONN' and whether you wou ld recommend i t. If y.0u we re a l so ab l e to advise on t he s treng t hs a nd weaknesse s o f the rig I wou ld be mos t gra t e fu l.

I understand t ha t my Vertue wi l l be t he f irs t f or man y man y years t o be bui lt with gaff rig and a s i t i s a lso be ing cons t ructed in timbe r i t cou ld be un ique i n t he united Kingdom.

I know of one other gaf f r i gg e d Ve r t ue which s a i ls in Australia. This is 'Kotimu', sail number 11 7 which was r e ported as be longing t o Nils and Bi l lie Powe ll. I cannot tr ace t he s e owners and i f you do know of t he i r pr e s ent address I wou l d be plea s ed t o receive it.

Normal ly I wou l d enc l ose a stamped addre ssed enve l ope fo~ you r reply but as you are in Australia I r egret I am u nab le to supply ei t her t he correct a mount or t ype of s t amps required. However, I look forward t o hearing f rom you and t hank you for y our

~~SjlCt. IAN G WRIGHT

-1 3 t h Augus t 1 989 16 Wal tham Walk

Eye Pe t erborough PE6 7XE Te l: ( 0 7 3 3 ) 2221 77

Mr P W Has l e r 34 Tavis t o c k Square London We lR 9EZ

Dear Peter ,

Than you very much f or t aking t he t rouble to rep l y to my appeal in Classic Boat for informa t ion on the Vertue. I had t h ree rep lies, t wo f rom UK a nd on e f rom Canada.

Whe n I d e c i d e d on the Vertue , I k new ( somewhere in t he d e pths of the subconc iou s> that I wa nted a ' t rad it iona l boa t . From there my th ink i ng wen t f urther and f urther awa y from t he type of boa t we s e e now which, I believe , are manu f ac t ured t o satisfy some marketing hype rather t han be c ons isten t with the laws o f boat building whic h have exis t e d for centur i es. The more I found ou t about broad be ams , U s haped dine ttes(!) a nd " c ockp its su itab le f or dinner par tie s " t he mor e I dis li k e d t hem.

This obviou s l y narrowed my choice considerably, but as I we nt along t hi s r ou t e I discove red a ran ge of boats much more akin t o t he one Ikhad construc ted in my mi nd as t he one I w?nted.

The n - wi t h great joy , I f o und a design f or t he Ve rtue. Even then I t hough t it would be a f i b r e-g l a ss construction, having on ly seen t he Bossom' s Boatyard version . You can i magi ne how I fe l t when I r e a l ised that t h e plans s t ill existed f or a wooden cons t ructi on - nothing was going t o stop me now.

I a l s o manage d to dispel t he my th t hat wooden boats are all hard work. When I thought long and hard abou t t hi s I r e a li sed that t h i s philosophy had c ome f rom people who were sailing woode n boats which we r e 40 - 50 ye a rs old. It was obvious t o me then that o f course t hey would requ i re a l o t of work. P lanks need repl acing a n d varnish ne eds renewi ng constantly . But wh y, I a sked myse lf, should a new wooden boat, care f ully pro t ected, be a n y more o f a bu r den t han a fi bre glass boat. I didn' t know of any body who h ad ever got o smos is in a woode n boat and y ou can 't jus t r eplace a p lank i n f ibre g l ass c a n you!?

Using the benef its of mod e rn sea l a nts, she ath i ng and metals i t wou l d be possible t o substitute s ta inle ss s t ee l for galvan i s e d r i gg ing, teryle ne for cotton sai ls and copper f o il she athing fo r hull protect ion.

I then se t ou t to plac e t h e order a nd have not looked back s i nce . I have a l so been p lease d t o be a b l e t o f ind suppliers o f t radi t iona i l ly c raft e d c handlery. Although this has on a few

occas i ons be e n more e xpe nsive t han t he mass -produced rubbish y ou find on the s e a f ron t , i t has bee n we l l worth i t . The good s are much more like ly t o las t for 40 years t han a chrome plated plastic a nchor light which you know is going to f a l l apart i n 6 months. .

The deci sion t o have ga f f - r ig was pe rhaps the mos t impuls i ve one I made. I wanted gaff- rig so I f ound e x traordinarily good rea s ons why this shou l d be so.

Wha t did suprise me though was tha t my gut -feel i ng got a response of "What a good idea" f r om people who kn e w much more about boats than I did. Even t he Edi t or of Practica l Boa t Owner t hought i t was a bri l lian t ide a. Whe n the Vertue was f ir s t designed, with ga f f-rig, f ashion dicta t ed that al l ne w boats were bermudan rigged. The des i gn wa s qu i ckly changed t o bermudan t o f ollow t his and th is sty l e of r ig was deve l oped over the ye a rs . The ga f f-rig was f orgotten and no developme n t work was apparen t ly done i n it since i t f irs t came of f the drawing board~ Humphrey Bar t on, who was f or tunate enough t o sa i l bo t h r igs, s a id in his book ' Vertue XXXV' t hat "The bermudan rigged boat is a be tter boa t i n ever y way . " I am sure he was righ t ­and who am I to disagree wi t h t he man h imse lf , but I was set o n havin g gaff -r ig.

Wha t I am now t r y ing to achieve is a ga ff -rig sai l des i gn which take s advantage of the Ve r t ue shape and s t ructure a nd bui l ds on t he knowledge gained since t he original de sign was f irst laid down.

I have spe nt many hours with t he secretary o f The Ol d-Ga f fe rs Associa t ion , Mi k e Burn and Jim Lawre nce t he tradi t i~na l s t y le sailmaker and we think t h a t we have n ow got a de sign which is a t l e:ast an improve ment on t he 1935 v e rsion. It is now 1 937 and coun t ing!

We ha ve increased t he sa i l are a, leng the ned t he boom a nd bowspr it , increased t he l uff leng t h of the mainsai l , shorte ned t he mast and in t roduced a jack-yard t opsai l. I wonder how it wi ll s a il?

I f eel f ortunate t o have been able to draw on s u ch expert know l edge and have thorough ly en j oye d collecting origina l in f ormation, expert opin ion and pe rsonal pre j ud i ce. Each person I have spoke n to has made a contribution to t he op i nions I have f orme d. Even t hose that I have disagreed wi th have he l ped to shape my t hi nking. It has e v e n r e a c h ed the poin t now tha t whe never I spe ak to pe ople in t he tr ade on the East Coa s t, they respond wi t h "Oh - are you the one who' s having the wood e n Ve rtue bui l t?'. Fame at l a st!

I am sure a lso tha t I wi ll continue t o ponder on all aspects of t he v e r t ue be cause I know I can't possibly have got it al l right yet.

I see f rom the la t est Ye arbook t ha t you are member of t he Cru is i ng Association. My Ver t ue is listed but t hey have put t he name down as ' Vector'. We have si n c e changed our mi nd and she

is to be c a lled Ipatien ce l Comple t ion date is d ue f or December•

this year but 1 1m not expecting to launch un ti l Spring 1 990.

Our main cruis ing ground wi ll be t he Eas t Coas t but 11 11 keep an e ye ou t f or Sa l l y II if I venture toward s the south.

Thank you again fo r t he information you sent, 1 1m sorry i t has take n so long to rep l y but l I ve got th is project on you s e e •••

Be st rega rds,

IAN G WRIGHT

o·

~ "Aax Curnmjng. Co

Fl orance Avenue.

Russell.

Bay of fs ands,

ew Zealand.

26 h December 1989.

lette r which has only just reached me

on a man t l epiece in Devon for a few

Englis can't be laid back. W 11 . I do

about yo u r Vertue in a glossy boat

( magas i ne . She i s g n g to be a modern classic without a doubt . o A tw i st of fa t e had me headed of f 0 he Carr'bean t - crew on

a charter yacht not long aft~r I'd put Francolin Into a shed

in Sal combe for hp win e r. Ou r it inery took us acr ss t he

Pacific to Oz . and f bad t o take t h e gu wre h ing deci s i on to

sel l my little ma t e. Tha t 's wha they become Ian so beware.

get your emot i ons In o rder befo r e yo u launch her !

Going t o a gaff r ig is a must on a new Ver ue don't thi k

Mr. Bar t on had the p i eas u re of seeing/s~ili g a t ruely we- 1

tune d a d well se UP Gaffe r. The reeen g nera t ion of Fal

Oys erboa t s a r e te5timent to this r ig , . pointing and fooU n g

with any ber mudan equivalent . There is a love l y o rigina l gaff

sailplan amo ngst Francolins papers b ut I fee l your idea o f

bumping up the sail area is a beaut ; sail has ne ve r been a

problem, just ge t ting rid o f it 1 a hurry! Gi ve a though t to

some of the slng l e l ine r eefing systems . halyards lead aft.

adJus able lazy jacks etc . .. Not ALL these n ew - fa ng l ed gizmos

are bad. If yo u rea l ly wan t t o ge t such a rig wo rkin g have a

talk to the Carrs aboard the QuayPunt tIC rlew", I think

they ' re up your way at the moment . Talk about go! Pretty !

A risk o f b ing excommunicated r 'm go ' ng 0 tell you of my

lates t schem /dream. Under cons t r uction . about half way

through I s a 40' Racing Tr i ma r an. Yep,trimaran . At least

she's wooden ! ... and carbon,Kev l ar .t riax 'al g l ass .... Cal l ed

Wild Thing,she is also bu i l t to s u rvey so ! can do charter•

~ ..r

s~ "'" aY"

~o ~

v\.:

'Wi ~

Dear Ian,

Many t hanks for your

here "down under"! Sa t

months

hope

who said the

ge t to read

tl work go to make a l iving somehow . .. 1 sti ll look hrough m

en j oy theft~":it.J·::"t~""!lI!~t~a'; B!\:iftl:,~..

~-- \k~~ n~~ ~ ....q ...

....

Fig.I2

PROPO'SED VERTUE FOR

EXTENDED OCEAN CRUISING

Dimensions:

L.OA 2S ft. S in.

~ L.W.L. 21 ft, II in.

Beam 7 ft. 2 in.

Draft ­ 4 ft. 9 in.

Designed by Lallf'!n( GileL & Partners Ltd., 4 Quay Hill, Lyrnington, Hamp­shire, Eng!and

I----~~~ ~ ---~- ---

r7DrtHt

Q(J ,7/1 '1"f; ,-h-Al ? I 0 ~ I'

Fig. 13. ,--­Arrangement Plan of proposed Vertue ~or extended ocean cruising.

- _.. , .:";' ..­_ __t-;---_ _ --:~ .._ 1' ' '

~rr

/'

VERTUE 203

PATIENCE

Length over deck 25ft 5in Length over all 30ft 5in waterline Length 21ft llin Beam 7ft 2in Draft 4ft 9in Working Sail Area 406 sq ft Displacement 4.2 tons

Monday 5th November sees the culmination of a 3i year long building project with the launch ~t 10.35 am of what we believe to be the 'Rolls Royce' of the 26ft class range of boats.

Most traditional boat launches are rebuild or restoration projects, but PATIENCE is a brand new wooden boat of a type seldom seen in this country these days. She is car~el built with iroko planks on oak frames fastened by copper i boat nails.

Designed in 1936 by 'Jack' Laurent Giles the Vertue was based on the Bristol Channel pilot Cutter and he is reported as saying that once drawn he never needed to alter a line.

with the utmost respect for traditional quality and appropriateness P~TIENCE has been fitted out to a high standard.

Our aim was to build a well proven boat capable of undertaking extended ocean cruising, incorporating the best of the old and the best of the new and we think this has now been accomplished.

P~TIENCE has been superbly built by students of the International Boat Building Training College (IBBTC) under the direction of Chief Instructor, John Parker whose boatbuilding skills are unsurpassed. The old adage that those who can't do - teach - certainly does not hold true at IBBTC.

Jim Lawrence and his staff at James Lawrence Sailmakers, Brightlingsea, P.ssex, the country's finest traditional sailmaking 10ft have been rpsponsible for the sails and rigging, using blocks made by Colin Frake (J[ Faversham.

lOver. ...

Copper sheathing for the hull has been carried out by Frederick Mitchell from Cobbs Quay in Poole and the bronze deck fittings were specially imported from Bronze star Inc in San Diego, California. Those which have not been available as standard fittings have been hand made by local workshops.

Fairways Marine Engineers of Maldon supplied the Sole Mini 14 engine, with Blakes of Gosport supplying the cooker, heater and plumbing

John Clarke of the oulton Broad company, Trimwise was responsible for designing and making the upholstery.

She is rigged as a gaff cutter after the style of 'Andrillot', the first of the line and the results of her sailing trials are eagerly awaited ­not least by those Bermudan rig vertue owners who have had it all their own way for far too long!

'l'he OGA' s annual match between a gaff 'rigged boat and a Bermudan rig boat of the same class looks 1ikely to be the first showdown!

Vertues as a class have travelled further and made more ocean voyages than any other class of similar size and it is our hope that PATIENCE will carryon this tradition with a voyage to ,Holland planned for 1991, Norway a possibility in 1992 and eventually Maine, USA.

V -, '1"1 .... ,. "', .... H~4 ....,'i."Ht)¥J.!, lJ •

~.!JIC; •." No -r '10 ,le S eN'" H V-EH ~ - 01'1'- '1 c... 0 f' Y.

II

ANDRILLOT \

Length, overall - - 25 ft. 0 in. = 7,62 m. Length, water-line - 21 ft. 6 in; =6'55 m. Beam 7 ft. 2 in. =2'184 m.Draught - 4 ft. 5 in~ = 1'34 m. Displacement - 4'28 tons =4348 kilos. Sail Area - - 366sq. ft. = 34 sq. m.

,Owner, R. A. KINNllRSLY Designer, LAURENT GILES Builder, A. H. MOODY AND SON

THIS little cutter made a remarkable cruise this summer, visiting 22 ports in 23 days, her cruise taking her to the Scilly Isles, and amongst other harbours such as Brest, Benodet, Concarneau, Audierne, Lanildut, I'Abervrach, .

Treguier, Lezardrieux, lie Brehat, Guernsey and Cherbourg, and when we bear in mind that she has no engine, we realise not only that she had good weather conditions for the cruise, but that she was an exceptionally flue little vessel to be able to take advantage of those conditions.

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Often, though a vessel meets wonderful sailing conditions she is so slow or clumsy or her owner so lacks sea­manship and knowledge, that the benefit of the conditions is lost, and many a vessel lost at sea or hove to in a gale of wind would have been safe in port had she had the ability to get there. Future years will's~e less damage through heavy weather to vessels as their good sailing qualities will have taken them into port, while ale~ shore has also lost its dread because the vessels developed to-day are remarkably weatherly. . .

All of us remember the fable of the fox and the stork inviting each other out to dinner, and how when the stork asked the fox he had the food in the bottom of a long deep pitcher and was able to eat himself while the poor fox could not get his head into the neck at aU, and when the fox asked the stork he had the food in a low fiat trough so that he could gobble the food up in large mouthfuls while the stork could only peck at the food bit by bit. We who love sailing the seas must remember this fable when we start thinking and planning out our new ships, for these have

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ANDRILLOT

When we meet a transom-sterned boat with very little overhang forward and a gaff rig we expect to find a clumsy hull under water, bu~ as so often happens we are deceived by the outward signs, for under water Andrillot has very clean lines indeed. The water-lines and buttocks being very fair, she is rcally a fine-bottomed boat, though as her sections will show she has been designed to give a great deal of room inside.

In the accommodation plan we see that she has no fo'c'sle as we generally think of such things in small craft, but instead has a double berthed cabin extending just abreast the mast, abaft of which is a cosy cabin with settee to . starboard 6 ft. 6 in. in length, and long enough and large enough to be used as a bed in case a third was carried, while ­to port are the dresser and chart table. At the after end of the cabin the stove, pantry and oilskin locker are arranged. One climbs up the companion way at the after end over the bridge deck and into the cockpit, the floor of which is so low that it cannot very well be self bailing.

Now this bridge deck is a fine and comforting thing in the very worst ofweather, but one wonders if the owner will not in years to come abolish it (although it forms a fine sail bin) and instead have two steps up from the cabin straight into the cockpit, for this little vessel, as can be seen, is buoyant, and would very seldom ship water heavy enough into the cockpit ·to make the need for the bridge deck felt. '

Andrillot's rudder, being hung on the stern, makes for simplicity and strength, and if anything should ever happen to such a rudder it is the simplest thing in the world to unship and reship it, and such little vessels have C3{ried. out this operation at sea. '

The sail plan shows her gaff cutter rig, the well-shaped topsail setting the whole off to perfection. The mast, it will be noticed, is well aft, and as the forestay goes to practically the stem head she has a large staysail, and the jib stay running parallel with this makes for an efficient combination of headsails.

Such a rig only needs a single cross tree, and Andrillot is an example of simplicity throughout. But this simplicity ~b~en-obtained withou~ any loss of efficiency and we cease to ~onder at the 850 miles cruise made by W. Barton ~s wife without the aid of an engine, for Andrillot is a fine example of a transom-stemed gaff cutter now oe('t')'ming more and more rare in spite of its low cost and upkeep.

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(0733 ) 222177 16 Wa ltham Walk Eye Peterborough PE6 7XE

3rd March 1994

Mr Matthew Power Ve rtue Owners Assoc i ation 13 Gordon Road Cowes Isl e of Wight P03 1 7SW

Dear Matthew,

We were delighted to hear from you and congratulate you on taking the initiative to resurrect the Vertue Owners Association.

When 'Pat i e nce' (V203) was launched in Novembe r 1990, Rob Wi lliams on (Maid of TesajV36) presented us with his VOA burgee f o r the occasion and we have always t a lked with him about giving the Association the 'kiss of li f e' . We are hoping to be able t o come to your Meeting ' on 25 t h March but this wi ll depend on funds, work and any other irritating problems which may intervene. In any event, we would like to be part of the Association and when you have ' decided the subs level, then we wi l l send you some cash.

'Patience' was launched on 5th November 199Q at the International Boat Building Training Centre , Lowestoft, where she was built under the supervision of John Parker. John was awarded the BEM for services to Boatbuilding , having trained ov e r 2000 apprentices and in our opinion just about walks on water!

'Patience' is r igged as a gaff cutter and I 'm prepared to defend this with anyone who will buy me a p int. In iroko on steamed oak frames with a proper teak deck, mahogany cabin sides and bronze f i ttings, she looks a pict ure. We chose the Extended Ocean Crui s i ng version drawn by Humphrey Barton after Vertue XXXV had her famous knockdown.

Whe n she was being built, I wrote to anybody I c ould fi nd who had had anything to do with Vertues and I was pleased to make contac t with Pete r Woolas s.

We did invite Peter to the launch party ( which was quite a thrash ) but he couldn't come because of i ll - health. What he d id do however wa s rather touching because he sent us the

coin which had been under Stelda's mast, now known in our family as "Stelda's Tanner". We felt quite honoured, and Stelda 's Tanner took her place under 'Patience's' mast along wi th a 1936 shil ling, to commemorate the year Laurent Giles drew the design and a half-crown because I like the idea of the h al f-crown bet wh i ch started the single-handed Transatlantic race. This ought to be the maximum race entry fee!

We have sent Peter photographs and write to him occasionally to let him know of 'Patience's' travels so he can see that SteJda's Tanner is still sailing.

We are pleased to hear also that you intend to republish the Blue Book. Could I suggest that you make contact with Tim Plummer, Navigation Cottage, Heybridge Basin, Maldon, Essex, CM9 7RY who has been keeping his own records of Vertues wherever possible, and has extensive files which you may find helpful. Tim's Vertue is Seamist of Rhu (V76 I think), moored at Heybridge Basin, alongside 'Patience'.

If we don't see you on 25th March we wish you a successful meeting and hope to hear from you again soon.

Yours sincerely,

IAN & SHEILA WRIGHT