Tern II, made famous by Claude Worth, returning to Auckland

[John B]

hot off the press...

Tern II is an English yacht made famous by Claude Worth in his seminal book, Yacht Cruising. I'm away from my books etc ATM but from memory she's 1899 Stowe and Sons? built Shoreham?
Anyway As I said she became quite famous in the UK and the book was full of cruising techniques and methods well before it was regarded as a leisure activity. Its a book heavily credited with advancing the sport/pastime of cruising in a yacht.
The boat was sailed here sometime in the fifties ( Jeremy Burnett might be able to refresh that information) and latterly spent a lot of time moored up by Greenhithe bridge . Eventually she was sold and I visited her when she was being made ready for sea back in about 2003 IIRC . She left with the intention of Seattle as a destination but she only made it to Tonga.

Peter Brookes has said to me

"Claud Worths old Tern which has spent the last few years basicaly abandoned in Tonga is on her way back to NZ on a ship. She will be coming up to the yard and will post some pics up on my site when she arrives some time in Oct www.classicsail.net
John B have you a pic of her in your great collection you could put up."

which is great news. really good news.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/p2b0c938b613c2d829de755801f27cc6d/fc30f220.jpg

One of the significant feature of this boat is the fact that although she's had her counter docked and her rig has been changed around, she still has all her original fittings ...at least , the fittings that Claude Worth had made for her. Roller reefing, a windlass on the mast.etc
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/pfa98425ce734d2951feea772b208113b/fc30f084.jpg
If you're fortunate to own a copy of the book you can find drawings and plates showing these very fittings.

I haven't actually spoken to Pete to get all the news yet( via internet only at this stage )

But I have now.
Apparently Mike Lyon, who has been working with Pete, has bought her. He's been cruising around the world on his ferro BCPC and is currently cruising the islands.

Yes !!.

[Graeme Forrest]

John, do you know if they are going to return her to her original appearance or just do up what is there now? In the late fifties, apart from the docked counter, the external appearance was very close to the photographs in "Yacht Cruising". If the new owners are interested I may be able to fill in some detail for them.

[John B]

Not sure Graeme. Mike won't be back till oct/ november. I would imagine that he would expect to head the restoration route given his background and which yard its going to.
Great news though eh.:D

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

It is very good news that she is in the right hands.

"Tern III" was wrecked in the West Indies, and when I last heard anything about "Tern IV", 3-4 years back, her owner was threatening to burn her unless someone bought her at his price. Don't know what happened.

But just the other day I saw the boat built immediately before Tern III by the Whitstable Shipbuilding Co; i.e. she must have been in frame when Worth chose the yard. She is a big yacht smack or yacht on smack lines - built as a smack but never fished - bought as a yacht right away - and is in immaculate order.

[martin schulz]

But just the other day I saw the boat built immediately before Tern III by the Whitstable Shipbuilding Co; i.e. she must have been in frame when Worth chose the yard. She is a big yacht smack or yacht on smack lines - built as a smack but never fished - bought as a yacht right away - and is in immaculate order.

Hmm Whitstable Shipbuilding, huh?

The KATRINE (you know the boat that has been to the RumRegatta and the one I sailed on 2 years ago in B'lingsea) has also been build there and she is of course a smack-yacht, if such a term exists.
Any parallels there Andrew?
http://www.tallship-fan.de/images/segl561a.jpg

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

100% parallel, Martin - same boat!:)

[bamamick]

Marvelous. One obvious question with an obvious answer: on my schooner the sprit extends about 6' off the stem. I try and have the jib ready to hoist when I leave the dock but I usually have a couple of sail ties on and I have to scoot out on the sprit to untie them before raising the sail. I assume that the people sailing those boats have to do something similiar? That's a long way out there without footropes or netting. I am not much of an acrobat and probably would create some colorful stories for any observers should I ever own such a boat.

Mickey Lake

[martin schulz]

Marvelous. One obvious question with an obvious answer: on my schooner the sprit extends about 6' off the stem. I try and have the jib ready to hoist when I leave the dock but I usually have a couple of sail ties on and I have to scoot out on the sprit to untie them before raising the sail. I assume that the people sailing those boats have to do something similiar? That's a long way out there without footropes or netting. I am not much of an acrobat and probably would create some colorful stories for any observers should I ever own such a boat.

Mickey Lake

Wow you really make things difficult.
Usually the jib is a flying jib only connected on the base and the top. at the base the jib is attached to a grommet or metal ring that can be yanked out and yanked in. I some cases there are roller-furling gears for the jib (as with KATRINE), but those are also attached to a grommet/ring sliding back and forth on the jibboom.

And also Mickey...remember that those long jib-booms/sprits used to be called "widowmaker" for a reason.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid67/p1e834052cfd992a0a19b806a54eb2667/fbccc95e.jpg

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Yes, the bowsprit traveller is one bit of Old World technology that does not seem to have made it to the New World!

Along with the tapered, greased, oak fid, across the face of the bitts, holding the running bowsprit outboard - one sharp tap and the whole business, jib, rigging and all, flies inboard.

[donald branscom]

Wow you really make things difficult.
Usually the jib is a flying jib only connected on the base and the top. at the base the jib is attached to a grommet or metal ring that can be yanked out and yanked in. I some cases there are roller-furling gears for the jib (as with KATRINE), but those are also attached to a grommet/ring sliding back and forth on the jibboom.

And also Mickey...remember that those long jib-booms/sprits used to be called "widowmaker" for a reason.


Yes but should all boats be short little fat boats that handle poorly
have no windward ability and heavy tiller,not enough sail area, just so the boat owner can get a lower berth fee. Berths are charged for BY THE FOOT. Its not that hard to screw a platform onto the bowsprit to walk on. Those that fall behind will be left behind!
Arghhhhhh Ha Ha Ha

[martin schulz]

Its not that hard to screw a platform onto the bowsprit to walk on

Certainly you are makinf fun, right?

[bamamick]

Where I live there are not many (as in next to none) boats with traitional sailplans. We have a bunch of big sharpie schooners, though (and mine is 40' LOD) and the bigger ones have footropes. I had no idea that you had a travler for your jib to slide the tack in and out. That's really a great idea. My sprit is not easily removable, either. It can be removed, of course, but it's not something that you would do to fool around with sails.

O.K., I learned something. And in all honesty scooting out on my sprit is not a problem or even hard, since I am tall enough to have my feet on the bobstay while I am scooting. I was just in awe of anyone who would do such a thing on one of those really long sprits in any kind of sea.

Mickey Lake

[John B]

you never do that.

[Jase]

You may not John.... :P but I know someone on your crew who does!!

[John B]

Thats what I said... You never do that .You get someone else to do it.

[Jeremy Burnett]

Tern was sailed from England to NZ in 1953 by my friend Ben Pester,an expatriated Kiwi, who was serving in the navy at the time.Him and a friend Peter Fox got unpaid leave to do the trip.The boat had no electrics etc.There was no vane gear or other steering aid so they hand steered the whole way.It took nine months.They carried mail to the Galapagos.Ben is still at it,for the millenium we ,plus one friend, sailed his current 36' McGruer wooden sloop from Falmouth to Cape Horn and back,another nine month trip.(see his book,"Through the land of Fire").

[John B]

Thanks Jeremy. I'll update our local Classic assn site with that info too.

[Andrew S/Y Rocquette]

Marvelous. One obvious question with an obvious answer: on my schooner the sprit extends about 6' off the stem. I try and have the jib ready to hoist when I leave the dock but I usually have a couple of sail ties on and I have to scoot out on the sprit to untie them before raising the sail. I assume that the people sailing those boats have to do something similiar? That's a long way out there without footropes or netting. I am not much of an acrobat and probably would create some colorful stories for any observers should I ever own such a boat.

Mickey Lake

If you're not going for a roller furler (modern or Wykham-Martin roller gear) why not "stop" it with some woollen yarn or rubber bands, then hoist in a sausage, so you can simply break it out with the sheets when ready?

A common old technique and looks damn fine in practice!

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

You beat me to it, Andrew. I was just going to suggest using rotten stops, breaking them out with the halyards when you're ready.

Old-fashioned? Yes. Simple? Yes. Does it work? Yes. And it looks slick into the bargain. (A bit like using a highwayman's hitch when you're casting off....)

Mike

[John B]

She's back!. she's been freighted back here from Tonga and she's safely in good hands awaiting her new owners return from his cruise.
I had a look at her today and crawled around inside her and she's pretty well as she was when she left.
One important boat saved and ready for her restoration by a very competent new owner.Fantastic.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/pb2539fad8c30b0fe53d803966016cac9/ec1dc8e6.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p7c14dcf24adaf915bdad8cf4675feada/ec1dc8e7.jpg
The important stuff all still there.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p2f11bcbb06ce927c544836ff57f7a6cc/ec1dc85f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p6dd6a10ce671c8682de6a452c3f2c94e/ec1dc8e5.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p770f6767fd408797b8039b86f876801b/ec1dc87c.jpg
check out the teak to pitch pine at the w/l
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p3a8be0cabd6e848b99d52245c9431e21/ec1dc8e4.jpg
and the rather agricultural but necessary cradle arrangements
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/p91dacbe66a6de8ed594e5b3d1d07790c/ec1dc870.jpg
never mind , that horrible cabin is going anyway...

[martin schulz]

Hmm - somehow the stem looks wrong.

Has there been some shortening?

[John B]

Stem? not that I'm aware of. The counter has been chopped.It'll be coming back.

[martin schulz]

Stem? not that I'm aware of. The counter has been chopped.It'll be coming back.

Probably exactly what I meant. To use a better term, although not a correct nautical one: It looks like the ass has been chopped of if that boat is a sister to KATRINE.