POWER & GLORY
NORWEGIAN WOOD
The 1930s Anker-designed Bojar has always attracted owners keen to cruise and race, things she has performed with equal success. Today, she’s happy and living in England
WORDS AND PHOTOS NIGEL SHARP
A RIDDLE WRAPPED IN A MYSTERY
The English Dorothy is by the same designer and builder as her Canadian namesake, but the rest is a riddle.
WORDS AND PHOTOS NIC COMPTON
MERMAID DUTY
Sixty-five tonnes of sailing barge is more fun without an engine, as countless people have discovered aboard the Thames barge Blue Mermaid
WORDS AND PHOTOS NIGEL SHARP
It all seemed so effortless. We were sailing an 87ft (26.5m) flat-bottomed, shallow-draft vessel displacing about 65 tonnes – the design of which is effectively hundreds of years old – to windward in a gentle breeze down a particularly narrow river, and we were making impressive progress.
Of course, I shouldn’t have been surprised, for this was a Thames barge, a type of vessel which is legendary for being very effectively sailed in its working days by small crews in waters and conditions such as this.
We had joined Blue Mermaid – a faithful replica of a barge of the same name that was built in 1930 – on her swinging mooring off Heybridge Basin on the River Blackwater in the Thames estuary, in the early hours to catch the tide. Owned and operated by the Sea-Change Sailing Trust, on board today were Richard Titchener, Blue Mermaid’s skipper and the trust’s executive officer (and a recent recipient of an MBE for services to disadvantaged young people and to the community in Essex); Hilary Halajko, the chair of trustees; Diggory Rose, the mate; and half a dozen paying guests, including King’s Waterman Chris Livett, whose financial contributions have greatly helped this charitable organisation.
MOVING MERMAID
Blue Mermaid was lying to the last of the fl ood tide, and so the mizzen was set fi rst, simply by releasing the brailing line to bring her head to wind. Meanwhile, Diggory had been aloft to unstow the topsail which was then set, fi rst by pulling on the sheet and then the halyard. The mainsail brailing lines were released, and fi nally the foresail (in this case the headsail closest to the mast and therefore more often referred to as a staysail on other cutter-rigged vessels) was hoisted.
For now the bowsprit remained ‘steeved up’ in its vertical position and the jib stowed. The foresail was backed to bring us on to starboard tack, and we cast off. During this process, two other Thames barges – the 1895 Thistle and the 1929 Reminder – overtook us by motoring down the river from Maldon. That wasn’t an option for us as Blue Mermaid has no engine. She gathered way amazingly quickly and from then on we made steady progress. With the usable
The original Blue Mermaid at Mistley, Essex, in the 1930s
A PLACE OF HISTORY & MYSTERY
Sawn-off keels, sawn-off bowsprits and sawn-off shotguns: the Thames Estuary’s creeks are shallow, the rivers narrow and the boatyards run by geezers from places like Bow, Bermondsey and Bethnal Green, where old habits die hard
WORDS AND PHOTOS DICK DURHAM
SPIRIT OF TRADITION
This year’s Southampton Boat Show has attracted some beautiful, spirit-of-tradition motor cruisers, but little in the way of traditional sailing, at least on the water. However, as well as the Wooden Boat Stage (see p18), there is the Boating Academy, with daily talks from the top names in the industry on everything from the history of foiling to knot-tying lessons. See southamptonboatshow.com for all things show-related, including a full talks timetable.
RUSTLER 42
Rustler Yachts is bringing two boats to the show this year. The first, the Rustler 42, is pure Rustler, the sort of yacht the Falmouth firm built its name on nearly half a century ago with the original Rustler 36. Designer Stephen Jones, who has done most of Rustler’s work, has an uncanny knack of drawing boats that are effortlessly classic – perhaps ‘timeless’ would be a better description. It’s not overtly traditionalist, seamlessly marrying reasonably modern upperworks to a handsome hull with an overhanging bow, proper sheer and a traditional transom. But like all Jones’s creations, many of which combine old and new, it looks like just the sort of ‘proper yacht’ that many would lust after. Its looks are a reflection of what it actually is: this is a strongly-built, heavy-displacement cruising yacht to sail around the world in. The construction, in four layers of quadraxial glass and isopthalic resin, gives her an 11-tonne displacement; the lead ballast is an internal casting; the keel is a
long fin, the rig is cutter, and the rudder is skeg hung. The interiors of these boats will please a traditional sailor too: teak furniture, oak sole, and room for six crew members in three cabins make for a very comfortable liveaboard feel. See her and the Rustler 41 (below) in the marina at M623-635.
RUSTLER 41
The Rustler 41 is a newer offering. It is, in fact, the first motor yacht from the builder, and we took it for a test drive in our April 2025 issue. This one is a break from tradition, designed by Tony Castro, an interesting mix of old and new. It’s a surprisingly contemporary look from one of the last bastions of traditional yacht design, until you remember the other key feature of Rustler Yachts: performance. Just as their sailing boats are just that bit faster than you might expect (not by chance did they sweep the board of that Golden Globe Race), so their motor boat needed to perform exceptionally well. She came about as a result of Rustler customers reaching an age where power is a more comfortable option than sail. And this one moves. She rises to the plane at 18 knots and maxes out at 35. Fuel consumption at 23 knots is around 75 litres per hour, giving a range of more than 400 miles, considerably better economy and speed than most of her rivals. There is comfortable, stylish modern accommodation for four in two cabins below decks, and a lot of outdoor space for long days, with well-protected sidedecks to access all areas of the boat; the inside and outside are connected by a dining wheelhouse. It’s the sort of boat you might use to casually cross the channel in and be in a different country a few easy hours later.