Taken many moons ago on the Norfolk Broads, where is she now?

This Senior was owned for many years by Martin Lewis, and sailed every creek in the Thames Estuary, and I do mean EVERY creek, if it were too shallow, he got the dinghy out!

Expertly sailed by David Showell and Catherine, here seen on home water, the R. Blackwater.

Here seen in UK inland waters, now she in in Holland!,  Where Chris lives.

Seen here at launch, easily raising the mast!

Outside his home in Holland, power washing off at the end of the season.

Was owned by Richard Doherty and lived in Hampshire. This Senior is now sold via this web site, we are waiting for the new owner to be in touch.  April 2005, welcome to Paul Moktar the new owner, we hope for more photos later.

See further down the page for an update, May 2006,  she has just been sold and Paul has bought  'Compass Rose'

Bit  of an odd one that...  maybe the owner can enlighten us...

John Stevens has unearthed this snippet for me...  According to the Book of Genesis, Asenath (אָסְנַת, Standard Hebrew Asənat, Tiberian Hebrew ʼĀsənạṯ) was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph son of Jacob to be his wife.   Now we know!

2011, a friend of mine, Phil, my regular crew, was holidaying in Cyprus.  He came across 'Freebooter' out there.  The owners said he knew she was featured here, (Get in touch so we can add a name and maybe a few photos!)  The owner now lives there and had her shipped out.

Is undergoing restoration and has sold to Stuart Keane.

Passed on to one of his sons, she can still be seen on the Suffolk and Essex rivers.

Pictured here on one of John Williams's trailers, about to leave the barn where she had resided for many moons.

   Oh Yes lots of it!!

Any one any idea what it is, it is 20 ft long, no sails thus no insignia. Kenneth did design many craft, is this one of his?

My boat doesn't have a name because when I bought her, she didn't have a
name.  This allows a strong possibility that during her approximately 20
years of existence the boat was actually given a name but I don't know it. 
If I was to assign a name, I would thus be changing a boat's name wihich is,
as you know, bad luck.  Why?  Any sailboat (like mine) that has character
and a decent amount of tractability is given the female gender.  This has
always been the case.  Have you ever been so unlucky as to call a girl or
woman by a wrong name?  Did you detect her anger?  That is why you don't
change a boat's name.  When using the VHF, I call the boat 'EVENTIDES',
which is sort of her surname and is thus allowable.
 

We like that!

Charles says,  I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  This Senior was built
somewhere in Canada.

Certainly a smart vessel. 

I have a bit more info on my Senior, should you want to add it to the website. She was built in 1973 by RJ Swift and originally named Pom. Sail number 1165. She has been on the Norfolk Broads for the past few years. I bought her from a chap called Ross Fergusson at Sutton Staithe. He bought her 4 years previously, at Brundall, named Tanglereed. The photo of the un named Senior after Dabbler in the gallery is her.

Brian Marsh

Thanks for the update Brian, look forward to seeing her with her new gaff rig!

Stephen has her in New Zealand and used to work for Yachting Monthly and Classic Boat, so no stranger to wooden craft like the Senior I suspect.

'Nancy Blackett' again,  February 2007.  Steve still tells me the name will change, I think he just wants to be 'Ruthless'  (Get it?)  What, never read Swallows and Amazon's, shame on you!

Apparently having got hold of garages, to hopefully store her in,  she only just goes into the largest one, because of the overhangs on the trailer and spars....

'Taro' Senior built by Roger and Rita Jones, seen here on Osea beach in the Blackwater about 1973.  Roger and Rita went on to build the experimental Eventide 26 in Ferro, that was such a success.  'Contaro' She has a page to herself in the builders section!

'Tavi'  This Senior is in South Africa and Pete the owner thought it was the only one!  however it is different, she has a fin keel, working through a lead keel bolted to the underside of the hull.  He thinks she may have been a centreboard version that was converted.  She is also built in GRP, one of only 2 we know of, see 'Heretic' above.

'Tarka' Owned by Danny.  No sooner had I entered 'Tavi' than her sister ship comes along!  'Tarka' was built in GRP from the same mould and is also in South Africa!  She was built with a fin keel as well but later converted to centreboard for easier trailing.

Here she is sailing on a dammed lake about a mile from Danny's home, very convenient!  It was a bluster F4-5. with 2 reefs in the main and a jib set he is making 4.5 knots

Danny says the tiller control was copied from an idea seen  on the web and works like a charm.  It enables him to go forward whilst sailing..   Hope you trail an emergency release line Danny!  You can see the advantage of the centreboard version, very shallow draft. however many fit internal ballast so as not to have to 'sit out'!

Chris has been in touch with the yard at Shepperton, but although they were helpful, stated the records had been destroyed by fire years ago and they had no information on the design, wonder if anyone else has... 

Just a quick e-mail to say that I believe I have identified my Kenneth Gibbs design. I sent an e-mail to the membership Secretary of the sailing club local to Shepperton who passed it on. By chance, one of the readers had become friends with a John Emmerson, whose father was a founder member of the Club. I spoke with John and he says it was his father who approached KG with some drawings, KG designed the boat and the Halcyon Class was born! I got loads of information from John and it was a pleasure to talk to him.

It was featured in the January 1950 edition of Yachting Monthly, a copy of which I have borrowed from my boss, and I am sure it is the same boat.

I have asked him to check out your pictures and also sent him some close-ups of mine to see if we can get a visual confirmation of their identity.

Watch this space!

'Jasmine'

Thanks for your very fast reply, chaps like you do a sterling job but I fear often get taken for granted and used as unpaid consultants on a lot of projects.

Indeed, please do put the pic and the others I've attached on your website. (The awful legs aren't mine by the way). I'll be keeping a photo diary but I haven't done much actual work since bringing her to my home, other than doing a brutal job of stripping the paint from the bottom, and digging at what I think is rotten wood at the very bottom of the centre plate housing. Not sure what to do with that yet. Anyway, yes, will definitely be joining the forum when back from hols. And please do pass on my details, via this email if you like, to Chris.

I had expected to be stripping out and replacing lots of corroded metal fastenings (about 3,000 ?), but actually they're in quite good condition so that will save me some time. Was also expecting to have to re-caulk about 280' of joints...but apparently clinker boats don't have caulking, so more time saved there. Yet another job I thought would need doing would be stripping to bare wood before varnishing, but what I've read advises against this. However, I hadn't been aware of the woodwork jobs I mentioned, but I don't mind investing time "saved" learning the techniques and doing the work for a better end result.

 The book I have does describe how to do a 'butt' joint, but says to expect a little leaking. Although form the pictures it seems the damage on Jasmine is above the waterline, it would be nice to keep her as authentic as possible and not be fitted with extra little blocks and lumps, so I've spent this afternoon making some jigs to start practicing scarph joints on scrap pallets. Hoping to use the same technique on the ribs, will probably use a plane to match the profile as closely as possible enabling me to use solid wood.

The deck has been built as a new item, and differs ever so slightly from Chris's boat. I'm not expecting big waves so if it's not marine grade ply I might just waterproof it with varnish as best I can, worst case if it rots I'll need to build a new one in a few years rather than in a few weeks.

Working for the next few days, will be in touch again.

Thanks again,

Ivan

Hi John,

Back from hols now, returned to find a message from Chris on my answerphone so we'll hopefully meet soon.

At the bows the planks are joined edge to edge, I can't remember what pics I sent so it might have been a close up detailed shot from that area, further back they look more like clinker with pronounced sticky out edges (this is a technical nautical term !). But do bear in mind I'm completely new to all this so might be wrong. Underneath a hard setting putty has been used so I'll need to get rid of that. John Scarlett, who wrote the book I'm reading, does seem to be a bit of a purist, stating at one stage that it is possible to build a wooden boat without sealants of any kind, that is "dusted out, not mopped out". I'm probably not at his stage just yet, maybe another 30 years or so if I did it full time, so I might have to cheat a little, but as well as using the boat as an opportunity to go sailing, I have another opportunity to learn a new skill so I don't mind tearing up the collection of scrap pallets I have to practice my scarf joints. And I agree with you absolutely about keeping her in salt water, I might spend a season in a lake while I learn how to sail (did I mention, as well as never having worked on boats, I have also never sailed ?) but I'd like to have a home for on the coast as soon as possible.

And have just enrolled on the website, if you know anyone who would like to poke around and have a nose on my driveway they'd be more than welcome. We have biscuits.

Cheers,

Ivan


Great to hear you are getting on well and the offer of biscuits may well entice another owner to get in touch, Good luck,

John

She  has  a trailer too.

Wagtail is moored at Pin Mill and I suspect we will see her at meets next year.

Sadly August 2010 we hear she is for sale, see our pages... Step forward the new owner Bryan Mott.

I've just enrolled, having been unaware that the somewhat sorry looking craft which I found abandoned under a tree, on a farm in Hertfordshire has turned out to be yachting monthly Senior.

I had no prior knowledge of boats prior to purchasing this, however was looking for a project during a lean spell of business 4 years ago.

The boat is now ready to go except for the mast which is too far gone to be usable and will be replaced.

The craft had no docs, marks or plates, however I am told that the previous name was "Benny The Ball" !!

Spencer Perry

Hi John

Please find attached an image of the GRP senior now known as "Benny the ball" that my late father and I built. My father Brian Watkins at the helm pulling faces with my uncle (Bob Moss) who is still living in Letchworth.

The photo was taken by Vernon Rutt the owner of one of the farms that I refer to. He passed away winter of 2010/11. The picture was taken shortly before my father passed away it was on the river Orwell just off Pin Mill approx 1981. Second pic Pin mill as well.

Regards
Gary Watkins

Gary has sent us the history of the building of this Senior. December 2011, I have just realised the name comes from one of the amiable characters in the cartoon 'Top Cat'!

A Brief history of the building of the two glass fibre YM Seniors.