Morning Cloud - where are they now?

[oldgit]

an interesting thread......
Why do I seem to remember Mr Heath visiting a boat yard located in Vicarage Road at Hoo in Kent to check progress on the fitting out of a sailing boat hull, carried out by shipwright called Charles Manley.
My pocket money job at the time was applying interminable coats of varnish and white spirit to spars and masts, many of which ended up aboard the Medway sailing barges being restored at the time.One of which was the Cabby.
Still recall the adze, chalk line and the square baulks of timber in the workshop with the steel tube plus fire outside to steam ribs and planks.

 

[earlybird]

Had a quick look around Opposition when she was berthed at Largs a few years ago Beautiful boat, but quite dark and austere below deck, in keeping with her original purpose. The modern electronics were concealed behind opening covers to maintain the period appearance.
She had been restored from very poor condition, IIRC there is an on-line video of the project. The skipper then on board said that the owner had purchased a complete mahogany log to ensure that the outer skin colour was consistent over the whole hull.
I have a copy of Heath's sailing memoirs, "The Course of my Life", but not the most enthralling read.

 

[caerolusmagnus]

Morning Flight is in Clyde Marina Ardrossan. Newly painted topsides.

Image is from ten years ago.

 

[Aja]

Image is Rothesay?

Donald

 

[caerolusmagnus]

Image is Rothesay?

YES. Inner basin.

 

[Stoyareginagoodwooder]

Very few owned her at the time too bad retouching and photo manipulation tuts weren't around at the time

 

[Marina K.]

Morning Flight is in Clyde Marina Ardrossan. Newly painted topsides.

Image is from ten years ago.

How is the current technical condition and appearance of the boat? 10 years later)

 

[caerolusmagnus]

My apologies for sloppy syntax. The photo is from ten years ago. She had the normal scuff marks.

This winter the boat has new topsides and bottom paint.
I know she was sailing around the Firth last season.
I would guess the boat was professionally painted by Boatcraft, Ardrossan by Donald and/or Robert.
Tel 01294603047. I have no commercial interest.
They may know the tech condition.

 

[Capt Popeye]

Well airways thought that Ted Heath sailing fortunes were down to the EEC and us being taken into it by Ted Heath got no evidence of it at all, no way, but to me just seems like the way of the World

 

[Jon C]

I have only just come to this many years after the event!

As others have said I assume that Heath had substantial income from outside 'consultancy'. He also didn't have a wife and children syphoning off money on a regular basis and was probable reasonably frugal outside of his hobbies.

In those days (pre-professional racing crew) I don't suppose he paid his crew, no more than expenses anyway and sails etc... were much simpler and not as expensive as they would be today. We had a boat in Hamble a couple of pontoons away from the last Morning Cloud in the later years of Heath's racing time (early 80s). Beautiful boat, loved the modified transom. I think I heard that it ended up in the States but I'm not sure.

I saw him out racing several years later when he was an old man (mid 1990s?) sitting at the back on either Yeoman or the last Blizzard (probably Yeoman I think) enjoying a nice Sunday morning race in the sun but very much just along for the ride.

The bow section of MC 3 is in the garden of Arundells in Salisbury looking immaculate with no evidence of what it went through.

Funnily enough, when my parents bought their last house in Bursledon, on the Hamble, they were told that Heath had wanted to buy it several years before but it had not been deemed safe enough for security purposes.

He must have gone on to buy Arundells, a magnificent house but it was available on the open market when Heath purchased it so I doubt he was given special treatment by the church as suggested earlier. I came across the details in an old Country Life (mid 80s probably) and it wasn't wildly expensive. c £400k which was obviously a lot of money at the time but not overly excessive.

Opposition (Morning Cloud 2) is currently for sale for £375k. I think it has been on the market for a while. OPPOSITION (EX MORNING CLOUD II) | Sparkman & Stephens 44 ft IOR Bermudan Sloop 1971/2008 | Classic Yacht For Sale

 

[TSB240]

I was close by when Opposition started flooding off Abersoch due to a damaged through hull (impeller) fitting.
It was a dramatic few minutes as they had in total a helio and two lifeboats in attendance.

Lifeboat pump from Atlantic was in operation but not coping with inflow.

Helio dropped another off but then helio had to call its own mayday and made an emergency landing close by.

Pwllheli AWB arrived with third pump a few minutes later.

The crew of Opposition had gathered on top of the coach roof which by then was only just above the water.
Boat was just saved by third pump and lifted out at Poofywilly marina.

Opposition had encountered and struck a whale on their way down from the Clyde.

Beautiful racing machine.

 

[The Q]

My Aunt had a much smaller house just round the corner from Heaths, I used to walk past the policemans box in his garden, walking to her place.

While the cathedral may not own the houses, they do have a say in who can own the houses in the grounds. My Aunt got permission as a former missionary, then later working for the church commissioners.

It was her retirement home, and like Heath with no partner or children she had saved the money to afford a house there.

Also had at one time a Great Aunt living just outside the Cathedral grounds and many other relatives within a half hours drive.

 

[creeks]

Had the honour? of racing against Morning Cloud II (now Opposition) in the '71 Fastnet. We met Ted Heath at the post-prizegiving party in the Royal Western and I remember him saying that he'd had to go back to London immediately after they'd finished as he had a little problem in Belfast to deal with. There was some criticism of him at the time for taking part in the race whilst there were major operations in Belfast but it was said that there was a concern that if he had pulled out it might have given warning about the planned operations.

 

[dgadee]

That was internment and the chaos it caused.

 

[Bajansailor]

Morning Flight is in Clyde Marina Ardrossan. Newly painted topsides.
View attachment 75330
Image is from ten years ago.

I sailed on Morning Flight with a previous owner in May / June 1995 from St Maarten to Maine via Bermuda and Newport - she had a white hull then, with a red sail cover and a red canvas bimini awning over the cockpit, and I thought she was lovely.
She had a Monitor wind vane on the transom, but she was so well balanced that it never had to work very hard when it was being used. On my watches I would often disconnect it and hand steer, as she was such a joy to helm. When the wind picked up she would just heel a bit and take off, with no inclination at all to even think about rounding up in a gust.