£4.95 US$10.99
DECEMBER 2021
T H E W O R L D’ S M O S T B E A U T I F U L B O A T S
FATHER TO SON
CLOSE HAULED TO HAWAII 2,400 miles into the wind
German Frers’ new yacht
GLASS CLASSIC GRP Broads cruiser
BOND BOAT At speed in a Fairey Huntsman BOB MCNEIL’S LEGACY
Saving Coronet
ALDEBURGH YACHT CLUB The 120-year photo album YACHTING LIBRARY
The latest books
TIPS FROM TOM CUNLIFFE
Sail an anchor out
www.classicboat.co.uk
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY This Frers-designed ketch was designed by German Frers Sr in the 40s, but never built until now. This year, the design was finally born as the new Frers family yacht WORDS AND IMAGES RON VALENT
BROADS SAILER BUILT IN GLASS At 30ft, the new Broads cruiser from Marthan Boats offers good accommodation for a family of five, a great turn of speed, and the ease of maintenance of a glassfibre hull WORDS AND PHOTOS RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN
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have always believed that the best way to see the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads is from the deck of a local classic sailing craft. For me, it is hard to beat the experience of sailing a gaff-rigged yacht on an open stretch of river with only the sound of the local wildlife or the wind in the reeds to disturb the peace. Unless you already own a classic Broads yacht, one of the best ways to enjoy this experience is to hire a yacht like the 30ft (9.1m) gaff-rigged Jacindar. She is the latest addition to the Martham Boats hire fleet and combines a swift turn of speed with a high-quality bespoke interior that makes her ideally suited for racing and cruising on the Broads. The family-run Martham Boats has been a well known part of the Broadland hire industry for 75 years. Gordon Curtis, who is the son-in-law of the founding Managing Director Jimmy Brown, still runs the business together with his sons Patrick and Ian Curtis. The yard once operated the third largest hire fleet on the Broads and as the company’s name suggests, it’s located on the River Thurne in Martham. The hire fleet is made up of a wide selection of traditionally styled boats, many of which were designed and built by the yard, including motor cruisers, motor launches, Broads yachts and half deckers. The fleet experienced its biggest expansion in 2011 when the Norfolk Broads Yachting Company (NBYCo) sold the majority of its yachts to Martham Boats along with the moulds for the Easticks 28, Farrington 30 and the America Class Broads yachts. The revised line-up provides Martham Boats with the distinction of operating the oldest and largest Broads yachts available for hire in the form of the 27ft (8.2m), gaff-rigged, two-berth Zoe and the 36ft (11m), gunter-rigged, eight-berth America. Having fully amalgamated the former NBYCo yachts into their hire fleet, the Curtis family wanted to continue its gradual expansion by building new yachts using the moulds they bought in 2011, starting with the Farrington 30, which has also been known as the Easticks 30, Facey 30 and Wolstenholme 30. The hull’s lines were drafted by Andrew Wolstenholme in 1982 for the Norwich-based boatbuilder Kingsley Farrington to cater for those who wanted a larger version of Andrew’s successful Farrington 25. Malcolm Watt
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Above left: With the mast fully lowered, Jacindar passes under the notorious bridge at Potter Heigham en route home to Martham Boats, as another hirer’s holiday draws to an end. The mast’s lead counter weight can be clearly seen Top right: Jacindar in action at the Barton Charter Yacht Regatta
commissioned the first example, Lacewing, which was launched by Kingsley in 1983 and the only one to be built to Andrew’s original drawings. The Acle-based Easticks subsequently bought the mould tool and altered it by adding 4in (10cm) to the freeboard to increase its internal volume for hire fleet use. As the first of the Farrington 30s to be completed since Martham Boats bought the mould, the yard wanted to fit out the hull to its own design for cruising by a family of five. As Ian Curtis explains: “Jacindar’s layout was done the old-fashioned way on the back of a fag packet. The decision to opt for a plywood deck topped with the WEST System epoxy, as opposed to the existing GRP deck moulding, provided us with greater freedom to devise the most effective layout for our needs. Having drawn out the hull shape, we chose the best places to fit the engine, the 6ft 6in (2m) long berths, galley, shower and heads as well as determining the extent of the cabin and cockpit. “The subsequent layout is ideally suited for a family of two parents with two or three children. With a double berth up front you can put the kids to bed early if you want, and still have the double berth and a single berth in the main cabin for when the evening finally draws to a close. I originally wanted to fit mahogany panels with oak panels in the cabin. Unfortunately, I couldn’t secure oak that was dry enough which meant the original panels ended up cracking, so I switched to mahogany panels instead. To make Jacindar as comfortable as possible, she is also fitted with warm air heating, hot water, shower, fridge, double gas hob, oven and grill, USB charging points, a radio with CD player, and an electric lifting cabin roof with 6ft 4in (1.9m) of headroom when raised. The distinctive curved laminated mahogany cockpit coaming was created to maximise the cockpit’s size and ensure that all five hirers could enjoy sailing Jacindar in comfort. After all, people do not hire a yacht to stay in the cabin all week! “The position of the engine within the forepeak on some of the other Farrington 30s meant that the length of mast below the pivot pin in the tabernacle had to be reduced to ensure that the heel of the mast cleared the engine when it was raised or lowered. This in turn increased the height at which the lead counterweight
JACINDAR
Inset: Jacindar’s distinctive curved laminated mahogany cockpit coaming was designed to maximise space in the cockpit so all five hirers can sail in comfort Main: Jacindar’s 410sqft (12m2) gaff rig gives her a swift turn of speed, making her equally suited to racing and cruising the unique inland waters of the Broads
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