C
/
O
J
O
H
N
R
I
C
H
A
R
D
S
O
N
The story of Farida’s restoration will be familiar to anyone who
has fallen in love with a beautiful boat only to find their worst fears
realised. It started in 2012 when the present owner bought her
from a classic boat enthusiast who had undertaken a restoration
after a limited fashion. She looked magnificent and there was
reason to believe she was in good condition. The reality, however,
was very different indeed.
A further survey led to JWS Marine in Southsea being
commissioned to replace three planks either side from the
garboard upwards but as soon as they were stripped away, it
became clear that many of the frames were in poor shape and
the floors completely shot. And that was just the beginning. As
the boat’s infrastructure was laid bare, more and more came to
light: the chainplates, iron frames, keel bolts and mast spider were
corroded beyond repair, the sheer planks were rotten, the stern
was crumbling and many of the deck beams were fractured. She
needed a new deck and the cabin trunk and coachroof required
radical surgery. Even the mast was beyond saving and had to be
replaced. What had begun as a targeted and contained repair
had turned into a full-scale and unimaginably expensive rebuild.
The agony has been real, but the ecstasy is that Farida is now
in even better shape than when she was launched from Newman’s
Yard in Poole in 1939. She has been skilfully and beautifully
restored using as much of the original as possible and with the
very best materials where she is new. She is surely one of the
finest classics from the Laurent Giles drawing board and once
again truly ‘unique’ or ‘precious’ as her name suggests. She is
a thoroughbred and a work of art – and worth every penny.
Farida’s total restoration
Above: note
the unusual
tumblehome
on Farida
10 CLASSIC BOAT JUNE 2019
FARIDA
forepeak, has moved from its starboard position
stipulated in Giles’ general arrangement, to
the middle. The approach has clearly been to
create a comfortable, spacious interior by not
squeezing too much in, and it has been a success
in this area, as well as on deck.
A year after that day in Portsmouth Harbour,
John went to work on his snagging list, tackling
plumbing, cushions, galley, instruments, swinging the
compass, even making the many deck covers himself.
Since then, he has been sailing the Solent, sometimes
singlehanded, and reports that the boat is “very, very
seaworthy. Bit of a wet boat, drops a rail, feels really
secure even though you’re near the water and there’s
no guardwire. She’ll reach hull speed very easily.”
After that began the process of getting to know the
boat, reefing over and over again to make sure he could
do it quickly when needed – important for one who
usually sails solo or shorthanded. Similarly, John put
a lot of practice into anchoring: “It can be tricky on
your own to make it bite.” And after that, finally,
happiness at the end of the road.
Arriving in Studland Bay, near Poole in Dorset,
Farida’s birthplace, and one of John’s favourite
cruising areas, after a blowy passage, he woke up in
a lovely anchorage – “Riddle of the Sands stuff”– and
the morning was peaceful, the sunset golden. “Then I
knew I was on the right track.” In the future, John would
like to cruise to the west coast of Scotland, east coast of
Ireland then perhaps foreign shores: the Baltic, Frisians,
perhaps the Med after that. The main thing for now is
just enjoying ownership. “People often recognise her.
If they don’t, they at least come and say she’s beautiful.”
If you would like to own a share of Farida, email
John at [email protected]
Clockwise from top left: replanking from the keel up; the new and original planks in contrast; new mahogany transom
in place; silicon bronze strap floors ready to be fitted; details of the new deck; the original lead keel, cleaned up
and ready for a newly-rebuilt Farida to be lowered onto it