Tracing Boats built by Bill Sutton at Wakering

[Jan Harber]

Crackerjack is a Wakering 33, the 4th in the series. Any news of her ? I've found the Suria, the 1st in the series and I own the 2nd, so where is the 3rd, Ester Ruth ?

Andrew, good to know that like several other 40 and 50 year old Bill Sutton-built boats, Jade is still going strong. I imagine that Archachon is an ideal place to sail a Wakering 33 – Alan Hill's bilge keel design must have been drawn up with just such a shoal draft area in mind.

Surita used to be kept on the foreshore off Thorpe Bay by one of her previous owners, Ian Ratnage. I remember seeing Jade about at one time on the East Coast but not sure exactly when. Have not heard of Esther Ruth, and she does not appear in my '78 Lloyds Register, wonder if there was a name change?

Crackerjack of Leigh, as was mentioned in an earlier posting, was a stretched Wakering 33, with a counter stern that made her 34ft loa. She was built in 1973 by Whisstocks at Woodbridge.

On the website of the Kent Police Sailing section there is currently an ad for another Wakering 33, Alligin of Oare built by Sutton and Smith in 1970 (the same year as Surita), currently based at Burnham on Crouch in Essex. This ad appears to have been posted at the end of December 2009, and there is a nice photo with it.

So it looks as if there were 4 Wakering 33s plus one stretched one.

 

[Simon Lemar]

hi i am new to this page but i have read with interest the comments about the history of wakering 33's.

my father had the 2nd wakering 33 built - i wud say she was launched circa 1971 ? i recall surita was indeed the first one, we have a sail in her off thorpe bay prior to placing the order for esther ruth 2. esther ruth 2 was originally moored at heybridge basin and then moved to bradwell mariner when it opened. I am having to reply on my memory here as sadly my father passed away 3 years ago so i can't ask him...but i think he sold esther ruth in the very early 90's and i suspect that 'jade' is in fact er2 renamed. (i assume jade is not surita ? and if that is the case then i've no clue what er2 is now named but i can clearly confirm that surita was the first and er2 was the 2nd.

i recall a third was built slightly longer but cannot recall her name.

When my father passed away we found some photos of er2 which i had framed and are hanging on my home.

I hope this clears the history up a little.

happy to hear from you and my email address is simon.lemar@talk21.com

i hope this show up on the ybw forums

 

[Simon Lemar]

wakering 33's

Hi again.

Ref tracing back wakering 33's

I've just looked at a picture of Esther Ruth 2 and on the sail you can see the W with a 2 underneath.

So was 'Jade' the 3rd one (although from memory the 3rd one planned/being discussed at suttons yard was going to be a tic longer) or is 'jade' ex Esther ruth 2 or could she be ex surita...does anyone know surita name changes as she was sold on ??

Anyhow the long and short of it i have a picture showing Esther Ruth 2 with a sail number of 2 so you/we are not relying on me remembering in my 50's what was happening when i was in my teens.

A couple of years ago i saw 'Jade' for sale and i looked over the information and checked the pictures and from the interior cushion covers etc etc i was certain she was 'er2'. Er2 also had a bell on the starboard side as you walked through into the 'heads' section' so maybe there are holes/or a repair there once that bell was taken down. She also had a clock and barometer on the opposite bulkhead. Chances are the others had also.

If i can think of anything else that might help decide / determine the history i will get back on line.

Simon

 

[Andrew1963]

Surita used to be kept on the foreshore off Thorpe Bay by one of her previous owners, Ian Ratnage. I remember seeing Jade about at one time on the East Coast but not sure exactly when. Have not heard of Esther Ruth, and she does not appear in my '78 Lloyds Register, wonder if there was a name change?

On the website of the Kent Police Sailing section there is currently an ad for another Wakering 33, Alligin of Oare built by Sutton and Smith in 1970 (the same year as Surita), currently based at Burnham on Crouch in Essex. This ad appears to have been posted at the end of December 2009, and there is a nice photo with it.

So it looks as if there were 4 Wakering 33s plus one stretched one.[/QUOTE]


I contacted the owner of the Alligin of Oare, it is the Surita. Alan Hill wrote to me telling me that their were 4 built, Surita, Jade, Ester Ruth and Crackerjack.

 

[Andrew1963]

Simon,

Fantastic ! to find the 1st owner of Er2/Jade. The Bell is still there, it is engraved "Jade". the clock and barometer I took down, neither worked !

On the sales form, from the before last owner, the invoice read Ester Ruth 2. So I'm confused, I'll ask Alan Hill of what he can remember. He wrote saying that Jade was the 2nd Built, followed by Ester Ruth and Cracker Jack.

The previous owner bought Jade from the UK to Arcachon. The Wakering 33 is absolutely ideal for the bassin area.... just got back from a weeks sailing around the bassin..... I love that yacht....

Do you know who bought Er2/Jade off your father ? and when ?

Can you tell me about any special prizes won and particular crossings (atlantique / to europe ) ? also where did your father sail her?

 

[Simon Lemar]

esther ruth 2 / jade

hello andrew

so jade is esther ruth 2 ??

Well i am pleased to have helped. From memory esther ruth 2 (esther ruth was my mum's name) was lauched in 1970/71 and she was moored at Heybridge basin on the river Blackwater. When Bradwell mariner (also on the River Blackwater) was opened my dad moved to there. I beleive he sold her in 1990/1991 and all i recollect it was to a Greengrocer who i think moved her to the River Orwell. I then lost track of her untill in googled 'wakering 33' a couple of years ago and saw 'jade' for sale and assumed she was ex Esther Ruth 2 as she was based in the Orwell or Debden, can't actually recall.
We spent all our holidays on her and generaly popped across to holland and went up the canals...my mum was not a keen sailer so anything futher than the continent and she would have got off....

I have wonderful memories of her and often regret not taking her over from my dad when he was finding the maintence side of things too much, but it was at a time when i had a young family and no spare money.

I felt she wuold have taken me around the world if i had asked her....

my dad replaced her with a southernly which sailed well and was a lot more comfortable but i don't think she ever replaced er2 in his heart.

so the sequence of owners seems to be

1) my dad Ron Lemar
2) the Greengrocer
3) are u the third or is there one or more others

i think dad had her built for about gbp 9,000

i had at home and i cannot beleive i wud have thrown it away a bit of her hull showing the convexed/concaved method that was glued and pinned.

pleased to hear more from you with regard the number of owners...

Thanks

 

[sue_bagnall]

Charles Wiggins

Our boat Lady Anne was built in 1935 by Charles Wiggins of Great Wakering, designed by Norman E Dallimore who lived at Burnham. She was built for Mr Edward A Redmayne of Whetstone Middlesex who was a stockbroker.
Lady Anne is currently being rebuilt by my Husband at Halls Boat yard at Walton on The Naze. We have copys of the original drawings that she was built to.

Hope this helps

 

[cleeve]

Cavalier of Kent Vashti Class

For your intersted; we own the Cavalier of Kent and are currently rebuilding her after finding her laid up in Pembrooke. Always happy for an interested party to visit. We are based in Uphill Weston Super Mare. Colleen & Neil Blake. Let us know if you want more info and I will send our email add.

 

[Jan Harber]

Scorpion of Wyke

Scorpion of Wyke, built by Bill Sutton in 1965, was seen last week on a mooring at Felixstowe Ferry. Her splined topsides look splendid and you would never know she was getting towards 50 years old. She is certainly a credit to her current (third) owners who are based on the Orwell from where she is cruised extensively.

 

[Andrew1963]

Jan,

I've setup a web site and I would like to collect as much information as possible on the Wakering 33's. I will update the site with the information.. http://www.voilier-arcachon.com.

Yours

 

[Andrew1963]

Do you know who would have been the first owner of JADE ?

 

[Jan Harber]

Kudoso

Bill Sutton's nephew Robin Nicholls has kindly let me have copies of these three photos which, we are fairly sure, were taken on the day of Kudoso's launch at Burnham on Crouch in 1958.

 

[Jan Harber]

Amaris

The current owner of Amaris has contacted Bill Sutton's nephew, Robin, and sent some photos. She is now based in the Solent.

Built by Bill Sutton in 1952, Amaris was based on the Bayzand-designed Blue Shoal (built by Souters of Cowes in 1950).

Blue Shoal (now renamed Moonfleet) has also been recently restored. Here are some photos taken of her in June this year, at the Orwell YC, Ipswich.

 

[kuijvenhoven]

Thank You Very, Very Much!
Do you know anything about the (peculiar) way the name Kudoso is written on the safety buoy?

 

[harteveld]

capella of burnham

Capella of Burnham was build bij Sutton in 1960 for Bill Hawkins of H&M engineering in Gillingham. In dutch ownership for the last 16 years still going strong we cruised the Baltic this year.

Best regards Paul Harteveld

 

[glynwhite]

Oakfeaf 28

I've recently bought an Oakleaf 28 (Thirza), I'm told of of 14 that were built by Sutton and Smith. I've not noticed any mention of this class in the thread so far and would appreciate any relevant history/background on offer.

 

[Andrew1963]

Wakering 33

To all,

I've now got a small history of JADE (ex Esther Ruth II) but I'm trying to find Bradley Higgs, the before one owner, anyone know were he lives ? I have an address but it dates back to 2000 and his email is not actif anymore.

see www.voilier-arcachon.com

Andrew

 

[Casey1]

I also owned an Oakleaf (Kala Sona, sail No. 2)) until October 2008 when I delivered her to her new owner in Woodbridge. Jan Harber does have some information on the Oakleaf but it has not come up on the thread. I was told that there were only eight Oakleafs built although when I first owned her I was told twelve! Excellent boats and I regretted that old age and decrepitude (mine not the boats) made passing her essential.

 

[norfolkranger]

C J Morehouse's boat

I was a lad in the 50s and remember Morehouses's boat very well. She was named Marie Louise. Could often be seen moored just off Southend Pier
Pete

Yes, there is a photo of Scorpion of Wyke on the Buchanan owners website so it looks like she could still be around but not sure where.
The 23ft Mapleleafs were popular clinker-built centreboarders and they built a number of them at Wakering in the late '60s early '70s. Was the Wakering 33 a larger version of these?
I remember Crackerjack being at Leigh, didn't she have an accident being dropped from a crane at Johnson and Jago's yard one time and having to be rebuilt?
Another boat that Bill built early on (1956) to be kept on the foreshore at Southend was Cee Jay for C.J. Morehouse (owner of the Kursaal); she was quite big, about 40ft and could be seen off the Southend seafront for many years certainly up to the '80s; I think she may have ended up in the Med.
Still hoping that someone out there may know what happened to the three centreboarders, Amaris, Elizabethan and Quintet built in 1952 and '53 (they were among the first boats built by Bill Sutton).

 

[Andrew1963]

I do know Lindsay at Suttons, we used to lay up our lift keel Hunter 701 there in the 1980s and my dad, Jack Coote, kept his Twister, his Scimitar keelboat and later his Dragon Cluaran there in the winters up until the year he died, 1993.....

Jan, I've juste found two of your dad's original photos of Esther Ruth II (a Wakering 33)

Yours