tillergirl
Well-Known Member
That's rather fun to follow through the years.
When I replaced the decks on TG, I was working away in the yard at Heybridge with Adrian the yard owner and a nice chap came round and asked me if I was the owner. He then owned a small smack (MN9 I think it was berthed at Maldon). Turned out he had the boat built before TG in the yard of Seacraft at Leigh-on-Sea (nigh on a stone's throw from Roger's home). Apparently in 1964he was having a Vertue built and the commissioning owner of TG wanted something larger but with the same shaped bow and the Laurent Giles 'knuckle'. Below the waterline it looks like they followed a Maurice Griffith's design of which Seacraft had built several. Prior to constructing yachts, Seacraft built Leigh Bawley's and the lineage is clearly visible in certain parts of the construction. It is also clear that she was intended to dry out on the foreshore at Leigh or there abouts, the owner living at Thorpe Bay just up the road. In March of 1971, TG was sold to a chap in Parkgate Cheshire and clearly kept up there for she was sold again in 1980 to a guy in Birkenhead. In 1985 she came to Pensarn near Harlech and I think at some time later to South Wales where in 1988 she was sold again and moved to Salcombe where we found her in 1991, bringing her back to her home waters of the Estuary.
When built she had a doghouse Vertue Style but this was removed between 1985 and 1988 during her stay in Wales during which time here original timber large iroko bilge keels were replaced with some unlovely smaller steel ones. The day TG arrived by lorry in Heybridge, the owner of the Boston smack 'Telegraph' walked down the seawall and called out to me that he did the work in South Wales and still had the iroko bilge keels in his shed! Tis a small place this world.
When I bought TG she had the original sails from 1964; three jibs, the main and a spinnaker all made by Jeckels. There was also a Ghoster by Rockalls which was in the worst condition. I was able to use the sails quite adequately for a year until sale of our former boat funding a new set from Valient of Maldon (no longer going). 1995 having had enough of the vibration from the BMC 1.5 engine, I re-engined delighting in removing the heavy and huge reduction gear and agricultural gear box. She had an interesting gear arrangement. Moving the gear lever turned a sprocket which first tipped a lever which disengaged the clutch. Moving it further engaged gear and moving it further still released the clutch. Doing that quickly was fun in an expensive crunchy sort of sound! Major work has included a couple of new planks in the transom on purchase and a new deck. At some time the mast has been moved forward which means that the mainsheet angle ain't the best but it was done apparently to reduce weather helm which apparently worked as she is now (aided by the lighter engine) nicely balanced.