Wooden Ships

13/11/2024

Another boat that will be condemned to the chainsaw if not saved in the next month. Roskilde was designed by Kiwi John Russell and built by McGruer & Co. in 1974. She is a clinker planked double ended bermudan sloop and was built to a very high standard by a yard known for quality boat building. Sadly she has been neglected by her owner and has now been seized by Exeter City Council who manage the Exeter Canal where she is berthed. We hold a lot of detail and information on the boat so any buyer will have a lot of history to go with her. She is a very interesting yacht and needs to be saved. The boat has been put up for sale by sealed bids, the deadline for any bids in 20th December 2024. The boat needs to be moved by the end of January 2025, there is space on the canal for a hiab lorry to access the waters edge and lift her so transporting her away will be relatively straight forward.

Currently her mast is lying on deck in 2 pieces so will need replacing. She has a Yanmar 3GM30 engine but it is not known when it last ran.

Follow the link below to the council advert for the boat, all enquiries should go to Exeter City Council but we are happy to assist a buyer in the future by providing the historical paper work.

Someone please come forward and save this special boat from the chainsaw. We suspect she will be sold for nothing, the council need her out of their way and would prefer to give her away than pay to have her broken up.

Link to the council listing here:
https://exeter.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/sport-and-leisure/exeter-port-authority/vessel-for-sale/

13/11/2024

My Alice is a well known and respected vessel in the East Coast Smack fleet, racing regularly over the years and known to be a fast boat. She had a total rebuild that was completed in 2003, and has since had more upgrades with the installation of an engine and twin hydraulic driven legs, new interior and new taller rig with recent sails. Sadly due to ill health she is being put up for sale at a sensible price given the huge amount of investment she has received in recent years. The Smacks have an active racing fleet in and around Brightlingsea with boats of various sizes turning out regularly to race. My Alice is certainly one of the fore runners in this racing with her powerful rig and elegant hull lines, so a new owner could step in and take part in this active and social racing program without any further significant investment in the boat. Full details, photos and video in the link below:
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/kidby-oyster-smack-ck348/

08/11/2024

The Kidby Oyster Smack My Alice under full sail. This superb east coast smack will be coming in the market very soon with us priced at £98,000.

04/11/2024

This is a lovely 27’ wood epoxy gaff cutter that is shortly going to be cut up if a new owner is not found. She can be had for virtually free and is an excellent boat with a lifting centreboard. Known to be fast and very seaworthy. Some areas of delamination of the sheathing in isolated areas but certainly not a wreck. It would be a shame to have her disposed of. Currently ashore in Plymouth.

Contact the broker Liberty Yachts if interested

https://www.libertyyachts.co.uk/brokerage/

24/10/2024

Tethys is a 28' steel gaff cutter built by the owner and launched in 1997. The design concept was developed by the owner, then refined with the help of professional naval architect Dave Marsh, formerly of Dixon Yacht Design. The result is a huge volume and very capable cruising yacht, built to a high standard and nicely maintained over the years with none of the usual signs of trouble in a steel boat. New Beta 20hp engine in 2017. Large aft double cabin with full size double berth. Excellent headroom throughout and plenty of storage for long distance sailing. A lot of boat for the money, she is currently based in Falmouth and will shortly have a new insurance survey inspection which will be available to potential buyers. Very easy to see the next owner sailing off over the horizon in the boat on a long distance adventure.
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/28-steel-gaff-cutter/

17/10/2024

Pretty 28’ gaff cutter viewed in Brightlingsea today that will be going up for sale very soon. Rebuilt boat in recent years with 4 berths and maintained by her professional shipwright owner. She will be going on the market at £19,750.

17/10/2024

Elegant lines of the oyster smack My Alice that will be coming up for sale very soon.

17/10/2024

The Smack Dock in Brightlingsea with some lovely oyster smacks in the morning sun

10/10/2024

Incredible images, albeit computer generated, of the wreck of the Endurance discovered lying 3000m below the surface in Antarctica.

A new 3D scan shows Endurance exactly as it is 3,000m down in Antarctica’s icy waters.

24/09/2024

Dolphin is one of a few remaining original Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters and is known for her exploits with the present owner who has spent many years sailing her in Arctic waters with legendary adventures around Greenland and Svalbard. This is a boat which changed the owners life and took him on Tillman inspired adventures that would simply not have been possible without her, and now having made the decision he will not be sailing north again, he wishes to find a worthy new custodian who can take the boat and continue her sailing adventures. The asking price has been reduced to £49,000 which is very cheap for an original Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter.
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/bristol-channel-pilot-cutter-5/

17/09/2024

The weather on the Clyde has not often been as nice as this recently, but today we were lucky with clear skies, calm water and a beautiful backdrop to photograph Spirit of Callisto. She is a 42’ gaff yawl built by Spirit Yachts Ltd and launched in 2013. Link below to her advert and full specs
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/spirit-yachts-42-gaff-yawl/

14/09/2024

This little gem is a Herreshoff Islander. She is a 19’ keel boat, seen here in Salcombe harbour. This particular boat used to belong to Peter Gregson of Wooden Ships and she gave us many happy years of sailing. Nice to see her again looking so smart!

13/09/2024

Beautiful day in Salcombe to photograph this McGruer launch. An elegant boat with a Kelvin diesel engine, she is a real head turner.

13/09/2024

The full advert for the recently featured Spirit Yachts gaff yawl is now live with photos and full spec. She is on the market at £267,000. Follow this link to her full advert:
https://woodenships.co.uk/sai.../spirit-yachts-42-gaff-yawl/

09/09/2024

Full advert now live for the Harrison Butler ALMONDE recently featured on our page. The web advert has a video tour of the boat showing the many interesting features and details of this marvellous yacht. Lying in Dartmouth she is on the market for £34,000. https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/harrison-butler-englyn-design/

09/09/2024

Dartmouth Classic regatta which is run as the first two days off CCR also runs in the in between years as a stand alone event. Please email [email protected] for more info. The regatta forms part of the West Country Classic Series and is held in 2025 the weekend before Falmouth so crews join us on their way down . The third leg of the deities will be in Fowey later in the summer!

08/09/2024

A great story about Bessie Ellen and how her current owner came to buy the boat and refit her to become one of the leading traditional charter vessels in the UK, showing how much effort and determination has gone into getting the ship to the superb condition she is in today. Bessie Ellen is for sale through Wooden Ships as a turn key charter business:
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/westcountry-trading-ketch-bessie-ellen/

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06/09/2024

Short clip showing the Luke Powell Pilot Cutter Amelie Rose on her pontoon mooring. She is up for sale through Wooden Ships: https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/luke-powell-pilot-cutter-2/