An old friend of mine, John Strutt, is a very clever
craftsman, who is able to build things from fibreglass, wood and metal. He has
built several yachts; including a modified fibreglass Vertue similar to the original wooden yacht designed by Laurent Giles and a 28’
Venus cutter designed by Paul Johnson, but the boat he built shown in the
photos above is a Nick Skeates Wylo. John is an amateur radio ham and perhaps that’s
why he named his yacht, ‘Sparky’.
I have sailed on her and I know how stable she is. Because
of her stability and spacious decks she is very easy to manage. Her helm is
light and she holds her course under sail. She also handles well in restricted
waters. She has an unusual hinged pulpit that acts as a lever to which the
forestay is attached for raising and lowering the mast which articulates on a
bolt that passes through a tabernacle. There is no need to remove the sail and
spars before lowering the mast, because there is room under it for the rig. The
boom is attached to the tabernacle by a gooseneck fitting and the yard hinges
on a crutch.
The designer of ‘Sparky’, Nick Skeates, has sailed his own
Wylo ll around the world, and by doing so he has proven that she is suitable for
serous offshore sailing.
When I recently went to Walton-on- the- Naze I noticed
‘Sparky’ on the hard not far from the Yacht Club. I introduced myself to the owner,
and he was delighted to show me what he has done with a view to bringing her
back to her original glory. He has finished everything aft of the companionway,
and he has stripped away linings and fittings from both cabins so that he can treat
the interior surfaces. He has
set himself the target of finishing the boat for launching by June of next year.
Links
Why Wylo?
Voyaging Yachts
Wylo 32.5
Building a Wylo – Practical Boat Owner Magazine
Vertue Yachts
Venus Cutter
The Laurent Giles Archive
Paul Johnson
Wylo Yard – Building a Wylo
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