Classic Boat — March 2018

EMILY HARRIS

C/0 THE OWNER

/M\QVOIÆWI\

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

The Victorian gaff cutter yacht Sorceress has unexpectedly come up
for sale, representing an opportunity to finish a project that has
already had a lot of work carried out. The end result will be a
stunning, rare, early Victorian yacht that could rate well under CIM.
She was built in 1878 in Gosport, to a design by AE Payne and
measures around 60ft (18m) LOD. Built as she was for an RYS
member, the construction is quality: Burma teak planks bronze-
fastened to oak frames with a slim, external lead keel and much
internal ballast to bring her up to her c50 tonne displacement. Her
hull is copper fastened and the deck, which needs some refastening
work, is in kauri. Current owner Christopher Dean, lifelong
woodworker and engineer, has spent many years and a lot of money
getting her to the stage she is at, but recent ill health means he must
now, reluctantly, find a new owner or syndicate to take her on.

As well as the work already carried out, she benefits from a lot of

valuable new equipment, including a six-cylinder Perkins diesel

(virtually unused), new hollow-section wooden mast from Collars,

new sails that Christopher says haven’t yet been out of the bag and

new rig drawings for an as-original rig from Mark Butler of James

Lawrence Sails.

Christopher would like to recoup his expenditure (about £100,000)

in a purchase, and advises that the boat would need the same again

and a bit more to get her back in really good shape – but the most

important thing is to see the project completed. It would certainly be

worth the expenditure to the right owner.

Asking £100,000, lying Ipswich, Suffolk,

[email protected]

DAWN

Rare GU Laws

gaff yawl

The largely forgotten English yacht

designer GU Laws was responsible

for this elegant 34ft (10.4m) gaff

yawl. She was built in 1905 and

graced the cover of our June 2016

issue, after being almost

completely rebuilt in Cornwall in

time to take part in the RYS

Bicentenary. Today she is 95 per

cent new, with a 2016 engine, 2015

re-rig and 2011 sail wardrobe.

Asking £60,000, lying IoW,

tel: +44 (0)1803 833899,

woodenships.co.uk

SORCERESS

Early Victorian gaff cutter for sale