CRAFTSMANSHIP
MYLOR YACHT HARBOUR YARD VISIT
FORMER NAVY YARD In 25 years, Mylor Yacht Harbour has become a real yachting hub WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY NIGEL SHARP AND ANTHONY GREENWOOD
I
Facing page,
of London to a better place to bring up their two
clockwise from
winter were a 42ft (12.8m) sailing boat built in Germany in
small children. At that time, Dinah’s parents ran Bar
top left: Oyster
the late 1940s which was virtually rebuilt at Mylor about 20
Creek Yacht Station on the Truro River and so they
dredging
years ago and has been maintained there annually since; the
Falmouth
36ft (11m) 1906 Luke Brothers Ciris which is now having a
Working Boats
lot of engineering and electrical work, including a strip and
was, in the 19th century, England’s most westerly (and
laid up for the
revarnish of her spars; Magyar, a 48ft (14.6m) Saunders-Roe,
smallest) naval dockyard – was for sale, they decided to
summer; The
Dartmouth-based canoe-stern motor yacht which, after a
buy it. They saw the hugely significant potential, not least
sawmill; The
structural rebuild elsewhere, came to Mylor for some
because it is so sheltered from prevailing south-westerly
Seaview
significant seasonal maintenance; and Naomi, a 1922 Seaview
winds. A quarter of a century on, Mylor Yacht Harbour is
Mermaid Naomi
Mermaid rebuilt at Mylor nearly 40 years ago and celebrating
one of Cornwall’s most popular sailing destinations, with a
(near) and the
her 100th birthday having had all her paint and varnish
180-berth marina, 240 swinging moorings and space to lay
Sunbeam Misty;
stripped off and recoated. Later this season Mylor will also
up about 600 boats in the half-mile-long ‘valley’ that runs
Laying a new teak
be restoring a lightly-built 1905 wooden clinker rowing
behind the boatyard and workshops. The marina, which
deck; The
dinghy with huge sentimental value, having been built as a
was built in 2000, is secured in position with the Swedish
Saunders-
wedding present for her current owner’s grandparents.
Seaflex system rather than piles or anchors, “and this
Roe-built Magyar;
allows it to have a unique curved outer breakwater which
Shipwright at
a Sunbeam, both designed, of course, by Alfred Westmacott
gives it so much of its character,” said Ollie Graffy, son of
work
within a couple of years of each other. Mylor Yacht Harbour
knew the Fal Estuary well. When they heard that Mylor Harbour – based at what
At the time of my visit, Naomi was lying alongside Misty,
Roger and Dinah who is now one of the directors of the
has developed a close relationship with the Sunbeams,
company working closely alongside MD Neil Salter. Ollie, a
having built three new wooden ones in the early 2000s. The
qualified naval architect, brings with him a wealth of
first of these was for Roger Graffy and launched in 2000, and
experience and boat knowledge, having worked in a number
her name Milly not only respects the class’s tradition of
of boatyards before taking up an active role in the
names ending in Y but also had a nod to the new millennium.
company two years ago. The site also now includes a modern sanitary block,
The Solent Sunbeam class subsequently decided to allow GRP boats of which 14 have now been built. The Falmouth
launderette, eight self-catering holiday cottages, a café and
class is considering allowing GRP Sunbeams and will be
restaurant, a sailing school, boat hire, yacht club, chandlery
treating this year as a trial run. Mylor Yacht Harbour already
and rigging company. Until 2011, Mylor YC had a small
have two GRP Sunbeam hulls and decks ready for
clubhouse at the end of the main quay. But both the
completion, just needing the addition of timber covering
building and the listed quay’s foundations were falling into
boards and coamings, interior fit-out and deck fittings.
disrepair and so to preserve the quay a new building was
Mylor has a 35-tonne travel lift which, at the time of my
built for both the club and Café Mylor. Meanwhile the quay’s
visit, was busy launching about 15 boats a day. Each boat
foundations have been strengthened and a new marina
(and its cradle) is brought down the valley to the dock with
office has been built on the end of it.
one of the company’s two Roodberg trailers (23- and
With ongoing investment over the past 25 years, the
38-tonne capacity) which are towed by tractors. These can
company has gradually expanded its boatyard facilities and
be submerged at the bottom of the slipway to allow wider
now employs about 45 full-time staff (collectively known as
beam (and bilge keel) boats to be launched, adding greater
The Marine Team) including marine engineers and
flexibility to the yard’s lift and launch capabilities.
electricians, shipwrights, painters, GRP specialists and a
Mylor is the base for a number of small, local commercial
dedicated yard team. The Marine Team has recently
fisherman – including most of the Falmouth Working Boats,
completed significant refits on four classic boats, three
which still dredge for oysters under sail. The traditional punts
GRP sailing boats and two commercial fishing boats.
are also moored and berthed here and have called Mylor
Ollie thinks that Mylor Yacht Harbour has established a good reputation, especially for its engineering and electrical work (particularly because they employ their own
74
Among the classic boats the company was working on in
n 1997, Roger and Dinah Graffy were keen to move out
home for many years. “We have a great connection with them and we love having them here,” said Ollie. Mylor Yacht Harbour’s services and boatyard continue to
specialist staff rather than relying on subcontractors), but
serve their customers with seasonal boat maintenance
in the last few years there has been more focus on offering
along with managing a steady stream of traditional and
‘the full package’ to allow complex refits to be carried out
modern refit work which continues to grow the company’s
by multiple trades working closely together.
services infrastructure.
CLASSIC BOAT JUNE 2022
