36 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2016ROMILLY
Above and
below: Perfect
for estuary
pottering and
safe for all the
family (Betty, 6,
approves)could imagine owning only something that could safely
sail around the world. Yet Romilly was very specifically
designed for daysailing in coastal waters, rivers even.
Cut to 20 years later, and my perspective had
changed completely. I was about to move to a small
village on the River Dart – coincidentally, only half a
mile from where I had sailed Romilly #1 – and was
looking for a boat to keep on the river. It had to be big
enough to take my wife, our various children and
assorted friends (most of them non-sailors) sailing, yet
not so big that I would have to spend all my time
maintaining it or pay huge mooring fees. It had to be
shallow enough to potter around the river and get stuck
on the mud without any fuss, yet seaworthy enough for
me to take off on the occasional inshore cruise, either
solo or with friends. As a bonus, the ability to go on a
trailer would both expand our cruising range and
potentially save on mooring and storage fees.
There were any number of pretty, cheap old wooden
boats which I could have lost my heart to, and it took a
great deal of concentration to stick to the plan. When I
spotted a Romilly for sale within our budget, it was like
an epiphany. Not only did she fulfil all the criteria, but
she would be the perfect companion to my other boat:
a 12ft skiff, also designed by Nigel Irens! Within a few
weeks it was a done deal, and Ramona (ex-Dolphin)
was bobbing at her new mooring off the village of
Stoke Gabriel. Tantalisingly, we couldn’t move down
for another few weeks, and it was during this period
that Nigel (who I had become friends with since sailing
Roxane and Romilly all those years ago) asked if he
could borrow the boat for a week for his family holiday
in Cornwall, as he was momentarily boatless. At week’s
end, he would either trail the boat back to the Dart or,
weather permitting, we could sail her back together.
There was no way I was going to pass up a chance
to sail my Romilly with the designer on board, so I
started watching the weather charts studiously. The trip
from Fowey to Dartmouth is a 60-mile, open sea
passage along some of the most rugged coastline in
Britain, including two tricky tidal races off Devon’s
southernmost point. On a good day it can be stunningly
beautiful, but on a bad day conditions can get pretty
wild, as the countless wrecks on the seabed testify.
Sailing a small half-decked boat, we would have tochose the weather carefully, or face a long, wet slog
home. Our main concern were the tidal races off Bolt
Head and Start Point, which can run at up to 4 knots
and throw up a nasty sea in a wind-against-tide
situation – as Nigel had found out the year before,
motoring home on his 26ft (8m) launch Greta.WEATHER WINDOW
So when a weather window showing moderate
southwesterly winds (and sunshine!) showed up after
Nigel’s holiday, we dropped everything and headed
straight to Fowey. On the way, Nigel told me about his
holiday and enthused about Ramona. “It was great to
discover this little boat – I had never had the opportunity
before to use her so intensely, doing exactly what she
was designed to do,” he said. “We did stretch the limits a
bit as we had eight-and-a-half people on board and
sailed every day of the week! Even the non-sailors agreed
it was the best part of the holiday.” (The ‘half’, by the
way, refers to his six-year-old daughter Katie.) There
were a few adjustments needed, he told me, such as
replacing the worn-out rudder pin and putting some
extra chocks under the cockpit sole, but otherwise she
was in great condition – fit for the journey ahead.
By 11.30am, we had loaded the boat, topped up with
fuel and got our foul weather gear on. Low clouds and
rain were coming in from the west as we motored past
Punches Cross – a small white cross set into the rocks
which has welcomed sailors into Fowey for at least 500
years – and hoisted the sails. The rain squall brought a
fresh breeze with it and Ramona surged forward eagerly,
ignoring the waves growling on the rocks to port. As we
raced out to sea, the sky cleared and we were soonJULIETTE IRENS