YARD NEWS

Craftsmanship

Yard News

Edited by Ste an Meyric Hughes: +44 (0)207 349 3758 Email:ste an@classicboat.co.uk

C/O CMBB

MARYLAND, USA

State ship launched after three-year build

Nearly three years after beginning the largest construction project they had ever taken on, shipwrights at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum watched the roughly 43-tonne Maryland Dove being craned into the Miles River on 28 March, the biggest vessel to have been launched in St Michaels since 1904. It’s a major milestone in the project, which is due to be complete this spring. Maryland Dove, a two-masted vessel of 57ft (17.4m) is a representation of the late-17th-century trading ship that accompanied the first European settlers to what is now Maryland. The ship is owned by the state of Maryland and will be operated and maintained by the Historic St Mary’s City Commission. An earlier version of the ship, built in the 1970s by Cambridge’s Jim Richardson, was nearing the end of its useful life and decades of new research meant that a new ship could be designed to be a more historically accurate representation of the original Maryland Dove.

“I am incredibly proud of my team’s accomplishment” said CBMM’s lead shipwright, Joe Connor, who has managed the build from the start. “We have assembled some of the most talented shipwrights I’ve ever worked with, and we’re all looking forward to seeing the ship sail away.”

NIC COMPTON, SALTY DOG MEDIA FALMOUTH, CORNWALL

Ben’s hattrick

Contributor Nic Compton recently took this photo of all three of Ben Harris’s newly-built boats under one roof. “Alva, Panacea and Constance are in the shed now and we have other boats being worked on too” said Ben. Alva is a 30ft (9.1m) Paul Gartside design; Panacea a 23ft (7m) Ed Burnett yacht; and Constance is a 34ft (10.4m) yacht from the lines of the famous Curlew.

WOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK

Arthur Ransome’s Peter Duck restored

The IOD yacht Falcon, highly commended in this year’s awards in the ‘restored sailing vessel under 40ft’ category, left the yard in April 2021, to be replaced by Arthur Ransome’s Peter Duck, which came in for a major refit. The yacht, known to all as ‘PD’, ever since she was so named by Arthur Ransome, has been on the River Deben many years and these days belongs to the maritime author Julia Jones, who usually carries out annual maintenance.

Since her construction at Harry King’s yard in nearby Pin Mill, PD’s layout and arrangement has remained largely unchanged as subsequent owners have been far more satisfied with her performance and handling than Mr Ransome famously was but it was decided to make some subtle, practical changes this time around. PD’s mizzen horse has always been fastened to a short timber atop her transom rather than to her transom itself, causing repeating problems with movement and water ingress to the aft deck. Now an extended bronze horse, securely fastened, and a rebuilt aft deck should have resolved the issues.

While replacing a section of bridgedeck and mizzen tabernacle, the cockpit layout was also subtly tweaked, improving engine access, drainage, stowage and allowing for a new water tank to be fitted. Peter Duck’s hull was largely left alone, requiring only some raking and caulking on her starboard side, a butt block refastening and a heel repair. She emerged looking transformed, with new paint above and below the waterline shining below new bulwarks, freshly painted decks, varnished cabin sides and rig. Peter Duck has not seen such extensive works since 1999 when, upon her return from being left in the ice in St. Petersburg, Julia again employed the help of Woodbridge Boatyard, then still Everson & Sons, to bring her back to a seaworthy state. With her latest body of work complete Peter Duck is ready to cruise East Anglia for decades to come. This summer she will be joined by another of Arthur Ransome’s yachts, Nancy Blackett at Su olk Yacht Harbour as part of the Felixstowe Book Festival where Julia will be presenting one her latest book Uncommon Courage – The Yachtsman Volunteers of World War II.

CORNWALL

First all-new Hardy designs in build

Since listing the Hardy 42 part-built by Cockwells in our recent awards (see pages 18-22 in this issue), the builder has confirmed the sale of two of its all-new Hardy designs. The first of these is the the Hardy 45AD, designed by Andrew Wolstenholme, which does away with the flybridge (that configuration is available on the Hardy 45, also a new design) and replacing it with an aft deck helm position and removing the internal helm option to maximise saloon space. It’s due for delivery in spring 2024. The Company’s first Hardy 50DS is also in build at its new yard at Ponsharden. Inspired by the original Hardy 50, this sea-going explorer yacht is the larger version of the Hardy 40DS. It’s due for delivery in spring 2023.