Classic_Boat_2016-02

SECTION HEAD

SUB SECTION

ATAO

Ready to go anywhere

See boats for sale at classicboat.co.uk/type/buy-a-boat

C/O BERNARD GALLEY

TOM BENN

C/O THE BROKER

One might not naturally equate lavish interiors with lashing ocean crossings, but Atao looks like a good example. In fact, she’s en route for the
Caribbean right now. She was drawn by Barracuda Yacht Design and launched in 2007 after a two-and-a-half-year build by the JFA yard in Brittany.
She has an aluminium hull, teak deck, and mahogany deck furniture. Below, the theme is French cherry wood, white paint and oiled teak.
Accommodation comprises four double cabins and a crew area forwards. Volume is rather less than usual, thanks to her emphasis on sailing ability.
America’s Cup designer Iñigo Toledo gave her a deep daggerboard that extends draught from 2.6m (8ft 6in) to 4m (13ft) giving about 3-4 degrees
of upwind capability more than typical. She should do well in SoT races, such as the forthcoming Antigua Classic.

Lying Caribbean. Asking €1,990,000 (c£1,430,000), Tel: +33 (0)4 6766 3993, bernard-gallay.com

/M\QVOIÆWI\

NORTH SEA 24

Proper yacht

We make no apology for the number of Buchanan and

Holman designs we feature on these pages. In every case

you get a good balance of speed and seaworthiness,

easy bermudan sloop rig, killer looks and relatively

recent solid timber build (inch-thick mahogany on

Canadian rock elm steamed timbers in this case, copper

fastened, built in 1965 by Uphams). These post-war

British classics are really the swansong of wooden

boatbuilding. The North Sea 24 (named after the

waterline; she’s 31ft/9.4m on deck) is effectively a larger

version of the famous Twister, one of Holman’s most

enduring designs. She has five berths and 6ft 3in (1.9m)

of headroom. Condition is good but not concours.

Lying Liverpool. Asking £22,000, woodenships.co.uk

EDITH GRAY

Smaller pilot cutter

The idea of a slighly smaller pilot cutter is an appealing one. They are not easy

boats to handle, with their big gaff rigs and multiple headsails, qualities which

make them ideal for charter. Edith Gray, at just 38ft 6in (11.7m), however, is

easier to handle than some, but still quite roomy with the economy of the

transom stern. Two-handed sailing beckons, but she’s still able to sleep up to

nine, with something of the solid charm of a country cottage below decks

(including the Belfast basin). She was built of larch on oak by John Raymond-

Barker in 2011 and seemed to win just about every race in sight, despite her

shorter length. With her pugnacious bows, deep bulwarks and low cabin trunk,

you just know that she’s ready to take on the world.

Lying UK. Asking £220,000

Tel: +44 (0)1202 330077, sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk