CERINTHE
her in Poole in 1992. By this time she had been renamed
Cerinthe after an Alpine flower and, as David’s wife
Monika is Austrian, there was no question of changing
the name again. She has been based in the Fal estuary
ever since and a couple of years ago David passed
ownership on to his son Nick.
Throughout the time the Offords have had Cerinthe
they have made a number of changes to her and ensured
she is kept in first-class condition. In 1999 they bought the
company Rustler Yachts and much of Cerinthe’s work has
been carried out there, or at least by its refit and repair
division Falmouth Yacht Services. However, Nick adds:
“We’ve always pottered on the boat ourselves as well. I
really enjoy working on her. That’s part of ownership.”
Cerinthe’s deck was originally plywood with painted
canvas laid over it, and one of the first Offord
modifications was to remove the canvas and lay a new
swept teak deck on to the ply. The canvas had also
covered the forward cockpit bulkhead and that was
Below: The
canvas was
stripped off the
original plywood
deck and
replaced by
swept teakLeft: Sailing in
Falmouth’s
Carrick Roads