Fearnought

Current boat name

Fearnought

Boat class

7330

Number

120416

Function

Sports and Leisure

Type

Length (m / ft)

8.99 / 29ft 6in

Beam (m / ft)

2.77 / 9ft 1in

Leeward

Keel - long

Masts

1

Rig type

Aux Gaff Cutter

Propulsion

Sail

Designer

Payne A E

Design date

1897

Date of build

1897

Place of build

Hamble

Present use

Sailing

Built by W G Luke & Co to the design of A E Payne in 1897 at Hamble -owner H T P Young - port Cowes. She was originally built as a gaff cutter with a lead keel and centreboard. During the 1st WW the centreboard and lead keel were replaced with an iron keel. At the same time, the floors and deadwood were reinforced with iron strappings. In approximately 1930, Tom Ratsey converted her to Bermudan rig when rot was found in the gaff. She remained Bermudan rigged until converted back to Gaff Rig in the late 1980's. In the inter-war years she cruised extensively and at outbreak of WW II she was laid up at Dickies of Tarbert. She has been based on the East Coast in the past 40 years and in 2004 was up for sale (see C B 2004 October p80). Now under her present owner. sailing from Mylor, who has inherited much of her interesting history, including copies of the Yachting World reports of her build progress from 1896/7, a list of all previous owners and photographs (including her on the cover of Classic Boat Nov 1998). GH February 2014