Essex Melody

Current boat name

Essex Melody

Boat class

7188

Function

Sports and Leisure

Type

Length (m / ft)

7.01 / 23ft

Beam (m / ft)

2.13 / 7ft

Leeward

Centreboard

Masts

one (wood)

Rig type

bermudan sloop

Propulsion

Sail/engine

Designer

Scarlett J

Design date

1957

Date of build

1959

Place of build

Maldon

Present use

Sailing

ESSEX MELODY was designed and built by John Scarlett who was an electronics engineer at Marconi in Chelmsford. He was inspired by the achievements of Patrick Ellam and Colin Mudie in the first JOG Sopranino in 1954 and decided to design and build his own “dream boat” along the lines of Sopranino but with a lifting keel for the shallow Blackwater. Essex Melody has therefore a pronounced reverse sheer (typical of the late 50’s), is incredibly well balanced and sails so well that she is a great credit to her designer. John Scarlett, whilst building ESSEX MELODY, also became involved with the restoration of gaff-rigged boats and instigated the formation of the OGA. ESSEX MELODY is therefore unique in having links both with Sopranino and the OGA, even though she has has a Bermudan rig. The present owner acquired ESSEX MELODY in April 2008 in a very poor state of repair and gave her a full rerstoration in a home-made boatshed in the garden in Maldon. This culminated in a launch party at the old Dan Webb and Feesey yard when she was re-launched by Johns Scarlett's grandchildren in April 2011, haqving been originally launched there in 1959. About 100 people came including representatives of the OGA and Classic Boat. References to Essex Melody are also made in Viv Head’s 50 year anniversary book Sailing Gaffers. Rosemary Joy of the Classic Boat Museum, IOW, believes that she is an exceptional and unique boat with a considerable heritage and must be saved.