Lottie Blossom - Latest
Roger Wardale writes:-

Lottie is just about ready for a trial trip, with smart antifouling by courtesy of Monica Deare. I had quite a job with the sail material. In the end I tried to match Hayseed's main in Classic Boats. The sheets look a bit odd due to the demands of the R/C gear, sandwiched in the small cockpit. Hopefully, the next photos will be of Lottie's maiden voyage on the Oyster Pond in Littlehampton, where I believe Hillyard's boatbuilders used to race model yachts before WWII.
Regards,
Roger
Lottie Blossom (3)

Crew For Seadrift of Ridge
Jeff Bailey writes:-

Dear Sir / Madam
I am the proud the owner of Seadrift of Ridge and over the past four years I have been trying to make her look pretty for the festival in Brest this July. Attached is the latest photo, minus the mast since I am varnishing it!
I planned to take her to Brest with David Colthorpe, owner of Julie Anne for many years and a member of the association. However, David and another crew member have had to retire from this sort of sailing and are really only up for jollies in the Blackwater. Quite understandable at 73!
This leaves me trying to find two crew members for the festival!
I have one chap on board who is very experienced, in fact he used to fish the bearing sea and has been sailing all his life, but really need two more. If any of your members have a boat out of action this year and would like to spend July sailing to Brest and back I would be very keen to have a chat with them.
Seadrift is currently kept in Tollesbury, Essex, and we plan to leave from Tollesbury in early July. It is possible that we could get the boat to Brighton or Portsmouth and pick up crew there. All permutations on a passage plan will be considered!
Kind Regards
Jeff Bailey
Mob: 07921 846986

Anyone Got a Spare 12 Ton Headsail

The fine restoration team who are putting the finishing touches to ‘Pasiphae’ in Littlehampton are in need of Genoa - Please see below.

"We are doing up the hillyard ‘Pasiphae’ in Littlehampton and wondered if anyone has a spare genoa suitable for a 12 ton with a bow sprit for sale"

Please contact - Quenton Kelley

Green Miles Fuels Ltd

01992 717840

07967 861194

www.greenmilesfuels.co.uk

Lottie Blossom - Afloat
Lottie Afloat

Roger Wardale's latest mage of Lottie Blossom with ...
"The false keel is held temporarily with cramps....."
Roger requests information regarding the sourcing of a particular sail colour.....he writes;
I wonder if you can help.
Lucas made the sails for Lottie, back in the dark ages and the specification states 'Golden Rust No 12'. Lucas today are pretty sure that a company called DNUactually treated their sails, but the company only seem to make industrial sewing machines. No call for treatment of cotton tents these days!
I wonder if any of the members could help with the colour - sometimes colour names are deceptive.
Many thanks,
Roger
Please let Roger via hillyardyachts@ntlworld.com

Lottie Blossom 6 Ton Hillyard
(or is it 6 lbs)

Please find below the fascinating phoographs of Lottie Blossom (the reincarnation in a smaller form) skillfully brought to life by Roger Wardale, who writes:
"Hull is balsa on formers below the W/L with three coats of epoxy.
Laminated ply centreline, keel, deadwood etc
Plank on frame above W/L,
Mahogany cockpit, cabin, etc
Cabin details are in, but not perfect as there will not be a lot visible
once the coachroof is on".
Lottie Blossom

Save Our Hillyards

Dianda II of Whitstable

Nigel Sherratt writes;
Dear Hillyarders / Guy

I spotted this on Apollo Duck. Maybe outside the remit of HOA but it
would be a shame if she ends up being scrapped which looks like a possible
fate from the description. Perhaps she could be added to the For Sale
section.

Sincerely

Nigel Sherratt (Waterwitch)

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=80156

Round the UK in a Hillyard

Link to Nigel's website/blog http://njdafloat.blogspot.com
Nigel writes in a recent email to the HOA

"I'm featured in your news page regarding my UK trip. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm due to start the last weekend this month. Up to London first, then down the Thames and turn right. I plan to call into Littlehampton to see the Hillyard premises"

From Practical Boat Owner February 2008 issue: No 494

FAVERSHAM CHANDLER SELLS UP TO ROUND BRITAIN IN HIS HILLYARD

Well known Faversham chandler Nigel Davidson is selling his shop at Iron Wharf so that he can sail his 6.7m (22ft) Hillyard, Patsy Rye, around Britain in spring 2008. Many cruising visitors to Faversham will have seen the 4-ton teak-on-oak yacht undergoing a refit outside Nigel's creek-side chandlery. Built in 1937, Patsy Rye was one of two small Hillyards specially commissioned by the British Army Yacht Club of Alexandria in Egypt. After a two-year refit, everything inside is now new except for the 1999 Yanmar 1GM10 engine.

A Gentleman from Spain Writes

Hello : There is a Hillyard 32 or 33 lying ashore in the Fuengirola Marina in Malaga Spain. It was offered to me for the amount of 3000€ it belonged to an Englisman who later went back to Gibraltar and apparently left the boat there. The marina will probably crush the boat if nobody wants her. I could send a photograph , however I own a sailboat it is too much work for me and I do not have time to work in it.

In the hope somebody would like the boat

Yours Truly

Antonio Gutierrez

Malaga Spain

(I have emailed requesting further information and a photo with no reply - if there is anbody out there with any knowledge please contact hillyardyachts@ntlworld.com)

'Petmar' - 6 Ton

Anybody with knowledge of the whereabouts of Petmar a 6 ton Hillyard please contact the Hillyard Owners Association via hillyardyachts@ntlworld.com as the original Certificate of Registration and associated documents have been traced.

Laying Up 2007

Many thanks to all those members who attended the recent Laying up event held at the Hillyards Yard, preceded by a convivial lunch at the Arun View Public House. A full list of those attending is detailed below. The first event of this type to be run was well supported with a total of thirty seven making it down to the yard. Those who attended were treated to some fine cakes to accompany tea and coffee in the main shed. Many thanks to Tracy, Hillyards Marketing Guru for arranging the stickies. I did try and eat as many pieces of the Victoria Sponge as possible but hardly made a dent in the plentiful supplies. The stores area adjacent to the main shed was also opened for bargains to be had. Well done to Colin Leworthy who I saw walking from the yard like a Pirate walking away from a plundered ship with his bag of swag. I hope others had an opportunity to grab some goodies for their much loved Hillyards. Thank-you John for manning the loft and keeping the marauders at bay.
Ron & Mark were on hand to offer advice on all things Hillyard. I hope those gathered had an opportunity to learn a thing or two from their vast stocks of knowledge. On a personal note, these two men have provided me with much sound advice in the three years that I have been almost semi-resident at the yard. They have made the ownership of one of these fine vessels an even sweeter experience and for that I truly thank them.
As if there wasn't enough experience in the room we were joined by Dennis Cullingford to offer his very special brand of wisdom, humour and experience.
A special thanks to Simon Cullingford for entertaining my mad cap idea for the Laying Up event in the first place. Let alone for laying on staff (on their days off), time and flexibility in an ever changing itinerary, format and numbers.
Let us not forget the importance of Hillyards as the actual, as well as spiritual home of the Hillyards we all own and love.
They should be top of the list to call when we have a problem with them.

Attendees

David Stickland - Tashana

Nigel Sherratt - Waterwitch

Colin Leworthy and Iris - Bonheur

Michael & Gillian Walden - Trimley Maid

Alex and Becs Tullett - Dawn Lady

Keith & Lynne Tullett - Vivona

Guy & Sally Smith - Mavodaphne

Ted & Kay Hargreaves - Dorenda Ellen

Mike Radford + 2 guests, New Owners of Nourlangie

George Briden - Ellanore

Nim Campbell - Crusader of Arun

Peter Crook and Elspeth Macfarlane - Margaret Ann

Tony Fortnam - Billy Blue

Stefan Meyric Hughes (Co owners of Billy Blue)

Steve & Liz Tiffin - Ianthe

John & Kersty Chambers - Nemorar

Roger & Diane Apps - Maffick

Douglas Coulson - Hannah

John & Jan Ridgeway - Winfrith

The following turned up to tour the yard only :

Dennis Coulson (Father of the 'Hillyarder' family Coulson)

Bill Chapman and crew - Leione

Vincent Van Walt - Lady Ailsa

Adrian Chorley - Fjord

Thank-you one and all for your attendance and support for this event.

HOA Database

For many years the HOA has maintained a card index of the yachts that HIllyard’s have built. This is extremely extensive and kept in the safe hands of our Commodore and his wife Gillian.
Michael asked that volunteers come forward to computerise this record thus ensuring that, should something happen to the cards a back-up is maintained.
We currently have records and in some cases photos of over 730 boats – including all the HOA members. We are hoping that, once complete, we can make this database searchable and place it on the website to allow members to find more information about their, and other, boats.
We should not underestimate this task, there are 5 boxes of cards and accompanying photos – based on current progress this will take more than a few months to complete.
However, we would like to issue a plea for members to provide as much information as they feel comfortable giving to us. This will help inform the nature of the database goingforward. A typical record right now contains the following information:

Current Name	Aboukir	Aqualeo
Original Name (if renamed)	Pastime
Renamed 2	May (2)
Year Built	1938	1971
Hillyard No		729
Thames Measurement	4	13
Hillyard Measurement	4	12
Rig	Sloop	Sloop
Original Sails		Lucas
LOA		38
Length Water Line		32
Beam		10.1
Draught		4.8
Designer		D Hillyard / D Cullingford
Official Registration No		340880
Sail No		3043Y
Original Engine		Newage Commander 4 Cylinder, 50 BHP Diesel
Replacement Engine
Keel
Cockpit
Status	Lost / In Use / Abandoned / Restoration	Lost / In Use / Abandoned / Restoration
Member?	Yes
Type of Member	Boat Owner
Current Owner (s)	Simon Hallam
Boat Memo
Original Owner		Mr D Holden Brown (1971)
Original Port
Owner 2		Mr and Mrs D R M Nisbet, South Fenniby (LRY 1977)

As you can see, some records are far from complete. Do we need more, what are we missing? Is there information out there that should be recorded?
This will, hopefully, become the most complete picture of our beloved yachts. Please do help if you can!
Please contact hoadbase@hotmail.co.uk if you have any further information, queries, comments or thoughts on this project.

Dear All, please find below a link to a Hillyard which is in desperate need of a home.
http://plymouth.boatshed.com/hillyard_classic_wooden_sailboat_project-boat-31743.html

Good news for the above mentioned Hillyard in need of a home. a potential new owner has been found.
If you are that person don't hesitate to make contact for any help, support and advice via this website or the Yahoo Group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hillyards

'Bobolink' - Under New Management
Below are some cracking photographs of Bobolink, 12 Ton, now owned by Drew Maples & Lori Merritt. The photographs were taken in her current cruising ground, The Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska.
bobolink glacier bay

Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay, Alaska

Hillyarders Abroad - Caption Competition

Inappropriate Suggestions to hillyardyachts@ntlworld.com

'Two Pearls'

Dear HOA

I wonder if any of your members are now the owners of 2.5 ton Hillyard called ‘Two Pearls’ that I owned for a year in 1963 and sailed to France and back over about 6 weeks. It would be wonderful to know about her and where she is after all these years – if she still floats and sails.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sibadd/428615095/

That’s a B&W photo of her on Flickr.

Kind regards

Simon Baddeley
34 Beaudesert Road
Handsworth
Birmingham B20 3TG
0121 554 9794
VoIP 0121 343 3614
mobile 07775 655842
s.j.baddeley@bham.ac.uk
http://democracystreet.blogspot.com/

Wembury 5 Ton Cutter

For Latest Pictures see Wembury

Hapara

November 2002, Atlantic ocean, 200 miles south east of the Azores ,call from the cockpit time to boil the kettle Steve, OK Paul on my way, not wanting to extract myself from my warm sleeping bag and snug lee cloth,
Passed the tea to the helm and took over the watch, nothing to report then the off going watch climbed down into the snug cabin.
The aries was holding course as always, tea drunk, it was me the boat and the open sea.
I was half of the crew, me and the owner we sailed this 11 ton wooden De archy designed yacht from , Maderia hoping to get the best of the north easterlies, the passage went to plan and after a short stop over at the Azores the high pressure subsided and 11 days later we moored at Roch Bernard northern France, and the wooden gaffer was handed over to the new owner, but my appetite to be at sea on a sound wooden vessel was born, something about the natural world and hand crafted wooden yacht go together.

Back at Wareham Dorset maintaining my own 23 foot Falmouth working boat,
I was talking about future sailing ambitions with John Lilly
(Yacht surveyor and timber specialist) he mentioned a Hillyard called Hapara was for sale down at Salcombe,
It was a cold day but very bright, something about the ambiance of that day took me back to the Atlantic.
When I have things on my mind I find it difficult to sleep, so that night the open fire in the house was kept alive with more logs, Jupiter was setting as the last embers had lost there glow before I turned in.
Speaking on the telephone to the broker a few hours later an appointment to view Hapara was arranged.
The drive down to Lincombe yard a few days later was uneventful but I had wished I had the walking boots in the car to stretch my legs over the moors of Dartmoor, but no time, I was on a mission.
There she was in a shed covered in dust, I think I knew at first sight this was the boat for me, she was going to be launched in the next few weeks.
Hapara was possibly the last yacht Hillyards built in 1982.

With moderate freeboard and deep aft cockpit, all being powered by the gaff rig, I think Hapara will be capable of some sustained cruising.
I had John Lilly to give her a full survey, this was completed, and all was fine with the exception of cosmetic work, which I can attend to.
Hapara had been out of commission for almost 3 years

I had work commitments awaiting, so I had to wait a few weeks before I could view her afloat. Fortunately that winter my Falmouth working boat was sold, so now I could move forward
With the purchase of Hapara completed, and a few trips back and forth to Devon, making things ready, we were on our way
Basically with high pressure dominating the scene again we had a motor sail across Lyme Bay
The 30 horsepower Lister turning that large propeller soon had us across the bay
Portland light 4.7 miles abeam by vertical sextant angle, Hapara was coming into my home waters.
Hapara has no modern electronics, but we were in the grove

Poole is now Hapara home port, so this summer 2007, will be spent learning the complexities of the rig, and collating a list of over winter maintenance tasks.

Hopefully a trip to Dingle Bay next year.
Hapara - Under Way
hapara

**********************************************************

Hillyard Project - For Sale

The owners of Boatshed Plymouth wish to draw prospective Hillyard owners to the below:

To whom it may concern,

Having enjoyed your great site many times, I would like to introduce myself and hopefully aid in the input.
I am the owner of BoatshedPlymouth.com and currently have an old Hillyard for sale and she is in project state with the owner due to cut her up and sell as scrap if a buyer is not found within the next 2-3 weeks!
I was hoping a link or some information on your for sale board would be possible to try and save her from this fate as I would hate for her to be lost forever.
Please see the link below any information photos editing can be supplied just let me know what you need. The engine is fully functional with portholes and such still in his possession he is looking to move her off his drive way he started to restore her but it is beyond his time capacity at the moment and he just wants to move her off his drive way.
Hillyard project- http://plymouth.boatshed.com/hillyard_classic_wooden_sailboat_project-boat-31743.html

If you login then click on the main picture you will find a vast selection of photos of her above and below decks as is the way we advertise every boat with us.
Any feedback and /or help would be very gratefully received and appreciated to try and save her. Please feel free to contact me anytime on my details below.
Look forward to your reply in nervous anticipation.

Many Thanks,

Joshua Flavell

Josh@boatshed.com

Mob: +44 (0)797 0509031

Off: +44 (0)1752 426 106

Boatshed.com Ltd

Royal Clarence Yard

Gosport

PO12 1AX
Company Registration No. 4859944
VAT Registration No. 871 6546 01

Tel: 0870 990 5857

www.Boatshed.com

For sale - Gearbox for BMC "Captain" engine

Piers and Sue Snell, owners
of 8-tonner "David G Hillyard", replaced the engine on their vessel soon
after they acquired it. The engine itself had irredeemably reached the end
of its working life, but the previous owner happened to have had the
gearbox comprehensively overhauled only a year or so earlier. The gearbox
having had something like £800-worth of work on it, Mick West (who
installed our new engine for us, and had done the overhaul) advised us that
if there *happened* to be anyone out there with a BMC Captain engine with
some life left in it, but a gearbox which was past its sell-by date, our
gearbox would be worth four or five hundred pounds to them, since it is in
very good nick indeed. If there *is* any such party out there, we are very
much open to offers... doesn't even have to be four hundred, as long as it
is a serious offer, and as long as the gearbox goes to a good home on board
a Hillyard!

Please contact Piers Snell post@pierssnell.force9.co.uk 01908 501942

Hillyard Yahoo Group

Daniel Eugenio, association member and proud owner of Malina (6 Ton) has very kindly set up a yahoo group for Hillyards owners so that we can communicate and exchange valuable information between the owners and interested parties.
To subscribe, just a message to:
hillyards-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
and follow the instructions
This appears to be a great idea that will compliment the existing website, to which I will add an appropriate link.
Give it a go.
The more that goes in to the group the more we can get out of it.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hillyards

Windvane Steering with a Bumpkin

A call to all those in the association and visitors to the site to anyone with knowledge of a self steering system of the windvane variety that is suitable for and/or adaptable, so as to fit a 5 Ton Hillyard with a transom stern mounted rudder and bumpkin (please see image below)
Any ideas please to to one with hair in the photo below.
Barry Almond barryalmond@talktalk.net

wembury

Carrick Classic Regatta

The Carrick Classic Regatta is run between the 22nd to the 24th of June 2007. details have been passed to the association by Gary Lyons, the events co-ordinator for the Northern Ireland Old Gaffers Association. Please follow the links below that provide details of the event and it's content.

Introduction
Entry Form
Poster
www.oldgaffers.com

Republished items from the Spring & Autumn Newsletters of 2000

Circumnavigation

Autumn of Arun is an amiable lady. She dates from 1971 so as Hillyards go she is comparatively youthful. From what I hear she was a very well turned out young lady in her earlier years, belonging to Mr Holder, a founder member of our association and designer of the associations flag. I brought her early in 1997 after she had spent some years as a liveaboard in the Mediterranean. Since then I have lavished money and tlc on her, as elderly men often do on ladies of comparative youth and buxom lines. She has reciprocated, making life at sea relatively comfortable and free from other temptations. Blowsy might be the apt word for her now.

My brother and I sail her. We find her 13 tons TM just about enough space to keep the two of us on reasonably civilized terms with each other, and she inspires such confidence at sea that we can cruise with few worries. She is no ocean greyhound - built for comfort one might say.

AUTUMN's first little cruise with us was to Falmouth, where we had her Aries wind vane steering made serviceable by Nick Franklin, the inspired designer and maker of that splendid device. Going there and back to Littlehampton we discovered that AUTUMN leaks when she is at sea. No one seems to know why, and I am sure I do not. She still leaks. We have installed a second bilge pump, and use both pumps regularly. It does not take much water in the bilge of a boat like A of A to make the devil of a mess - and it often does. However it does not seem to be life threatening. She does not leak when moored in the river at Littlehampton. I think the river mud fills up the gaps, but it washes out quite quickly at sea.

In 1999 we set out to circumnavigate the British Isles, anticlockwise so we could be well positioned to watch see the total eclipse on 11 August. We did not intend to visit the Orkney Islands and did intend to leave Ireland on the left as we came southwards. As it happened the weather was such that we chickened out of going Westwards through the Pentland Firth and wound up at Kirkwell in the Orkneys. And we chickened out of the West coast of Ireland and came down the East coast instead. but we did get to the Scilly Islands for the eclipse on 11 August, returning to Littlehampton from there via the North Brittany coast and the Channel Islands.

Littlehampton to Littlehampton took us 88 days. We covered 2362mpG (miles per Garmin), anchored nine times, moored at buoys nine times, moored alongside 11 times and at pontoons 23 times. We called at 52 places of which 35 were new to us. We had one minor disaster when the boat fell away from the quay at Roscoff - but no serious damage was done apart from a very uncomfortable night with the boat lying on its side and a broken coffee mug, plus severely damaged self esteem. It is slightly shame-making that we appear to have had the motor running for 229 hours which seems to imply that we must have motored about half the total distance. Hillyards may be counted as motor sailors but still?? There was no problem with the supplies on this cruise. I think we might have had trouble with Calor propane in Ireland had we run out there, but we did not - and they were right out of it in Hugh Town but we had just enough to get by. Whatever, all the credit goes to A of A - she kept us out of trouble again.
Christopher Myers

Leaks

In newsletter No. 42 Chris Myers relates the story of his 88 day circumnavigation of the the British Isles in his 12 tonner AUTUMN of ARUN, with particular reference to the unsolved problem of her persistent leaking.

Member Peter Holder, who owned this boat for many years, and lovingly maintained her in A1 order, kindly provided a check list for Chris. It is drafted with Peter's customary logical and painstaking care and we thought it would be of interest to other owners. Here it is;

Dear Mr Myers,

I congratulate you on your round Britain voyage, it must have been as enjoyable as it was intrepid. You certainly plough long furrows! i have given some thought to the leaking you mention, and forgive me if I am teaching you to suck eggs - as you are clearly a very experienced yachtsman - but for what they are worth my thoughts are as follows:-

MUD - There must be some clue in the fact that she does not leak in Littlehampton. Are you on a mud berth? Anyway a gap in the hull planking big enough to block with mud would give her a serious leak at sea, certainly more than you report.

SKIN FITTINGS - With your experience, you would automatically close all the skin fittings when leaving her. Therefore if the leak is inboard of these fittings the leak would stop. Another clue. If these fittings are the original ones, then they are 30 years old, and therefore suspect, and if there fastenings are original too, then they are definitely suspect, if not dangerous. Leaks can occur from under the pad to the hull, between the pad and fitting, and from each end of the valve cone. Also the hoses connected to them can relax under the hose clips (double clips?) and then start a leak. Plastic hoses, reinforced or not are particularly prone to this. As you have three of these fittings that I know of, that gives 15 possibilities.

HEADS - As I remember it, there are two hose connections to the head below the water line, plus some gaskets - another two or more possibilities.

LOG & ECHO - Two more skin fittings and five more leak points.

ENGINE - Hose from skin fitting to water pump - pump to heat exchanger - heat exchanger end caps - gearbox cooler connections, and water injector to exhaust pipe. In my head i can count some twelve connections, most of them below the waterline.

STERN GLAND - A great source of leaks. They all leak to a greater or lesser extent, all the time, but more when under way. In AUTUMN, having a boxing around the stern gland in the after cabin, which always had some water in it, it was hard to see the ingress of water. AUTUMN has a stuffing gland inboard, and also one outboard which can only be got at when she is out of the water.

If the propeller shaft is the original one it would certainly be scored by now, and this would prevent you from ever making a manageable seal. It would be worth while checking to prove that the engine and gearbox are set up truly to allow true running of the shaft through the stern gland. If it is not running true, then expect a bog leak and a spoiled shaft, not to mention the gearbox aft bearing.

KEEL BOLTS - These are made of iron and can over time become 'wasted' and being deep down they can leak badly, especially when under way. They are hard to get at too, particularly the ones under the 'gift wrapped' internal ballast.

HULL - I there is anything seriously wrong, then I would expect her to leak badly all the time, although hulls do 'work' in a seaway and the garboard caulking would be the most likely culprit.

RIGGING - If this has been set to tightly, then i would be more inclined to expect to find coach roof leaks, as the mast is deck stepped, but the fore and backstay could just possibly open up the stop waters in the bow and stern posts. This is not at all likely though, as AUTUMN is so strongly built.

It would appear that, from all the above, it is amazing that yachts ever manage to stay afloat at all.

That is it then, forgive me if i have seemed to lecture, but my only motive is to be of help to both yourself and a much loved yacht, as well as the owners.

With my kindest regards, yours sincerely,

Peter J. Holder