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Sold – 26ft. LAURENT GILES VERTUE 11 – 1999 – GRP Construction – Good Example – Lying: Chichester Harbour

£19,500

SOLD

Boat Details

Overall Length: 25ft 8ins
Waterline: 21ft 6ins
Beam: 7ft 10ins
Draught: 4ft 5ins
Displacement: 9,200 lbs
Engine: 10hp Yanmar 1GM10
Berths: Four in two cabins
Sail: 464 sq.ft plain sail
Designer: Laurent Giles
Builder: Bossoms Boat Yard, Oxford
Year Built: 1999
Location: South Coast

HISTORY & DESCRIPTION:

In 1936 Laurent Giles designed a small yacht called ANDRILLOT. Built in Oregon Pine for £400 by Moodys of Southampton, she was gaff cutter rigged, with bowsprit and topsail, the designer describing her as having “the general outward character of a pilot fishing boat”. ANDRILLOT soon became noticed for the long passages she began to make, one cruise to Biscay took in the West of England and the Scilly Isles, and returned via the Channel Islands, winning her skipper the Royal Cruising Club’s Founders Cup. By 1939 ten sisters had been built, rigged as Bermudian sloops having double headsails. In 1939 one of these won the Little Ships Club’s Vertue Cup in 1939 for a 750-mile summer cruise, taking in 22 ports and taking only 19 days for the round trip – a remarkable achievement for a small yacht without an engine.
After winning the Vertue Cup, Laurent Giles named the class the Vertue, making minor modifications to the hull and coachroof design. These Vertues became the classic small boat of choice for the single-handed long-distance sailor. The owner of the original ANDRILLOT, in the post-war Vertue XXXV, took her transatlantic east-west, surviving a hurricane and a knockdown in the process. Many other Vertues made much longer voyages, including several circumnavigations.
There were various ‘tweaks’ to the Vertue lines over the years, including different coachroof designs and slight alterations to the sheer. In the late 1970s, the Vertue II was created for GRP production, these again had slight alterations to the original design, including a simpler sloop rig and about 4″ more beam than the original Vertues. They also have a slightly higher ballast ratio but retain the essential character of the original tough, all-weather little cruiser.

Based on the original 1936 design by Laurent Giles, the Vertue II is a later GRP version of this classic cruiser built by Bossoms Boat Yard, Oxford. By modern standards the Vertue is heavy displacement, however, this makes her a reassuringly solid and stable yacht. With quality detailing such as closed fairleads set into deep toe-rails, the Vertue II was always an expensive yacht for her size when built. Over 75 years since the design originated, the Vertue remains an excellent choice for safe short-handed cruising.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD, built in 1999 and launched in 2000 is hull number 43, and the last Vertue II to come out of Bossoms Boat Yard. With only two owners from new, THE GOOD SHEPHERD has been enjoyed on sailing trips around the Solent and to France. Maintained in good order with hull re-polished June 2019.

ENGINE:

10hp Yanmar 1GM10 diesel engine with shaft drive
72-litre stainless-steel fuel tank
3 Bladed bronze propeller – applied Velox last year
Approx. 700 hrs recorded

HULL & DECK:

British Racing Green finish
GPR moulded hull, deck and coachroof
Non-slip decking renewed June 2019
Hull and topsides polished June 2019
Long ballast keel – 4,400 lbs.
Tiller steering
2 Anchors and manual windlass
Guard-wires and stanchions
Boathook
Opening hatch forward
Cockpit lazarette aft
Warps and fenders
Coppercoat to underwater hull
Automatic and manual bilge pumps

ACCOMMODATION:

4 berths in 2 cabins (forward cabin and saloon)
Saloon table (removable)
Chart table
Green canvas upholstery
Varnished timber sole
Galley with Taylors 2 burner hob and sink
91 litres stainless steel water tank
Marine heads, fitted 2018, unused

NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT:

Depth sounder
VHF
Clock
Barometer
Compass
Navigation lights
Autopilot

SAILS & RIGGING:

Selden Alloy Mast
Original Mainsail
Original Headsail with new UV strip
Spinnaker pole
Gennaker – 12 years old, hardly used
Sail cover
Sprayhood frame available (no canvas)
Original standing rigging, last inspected 6-7 years ago
Original running rigging with parts replaced over the years
Backstay
Four Lewmar Winches

BROKERS NOTE:

A rare opportunity to purchase the last GRP Vertue 11 built in the UK. This legendary design needs no introduction as one of the top 100 yachts of the 20th Century. THE GOOD SHEPHERD has all the style, sailing ability and sea-worthiness of the wooden Vertue but with low maintenance GRP construction. Top-quality teak interior and well presented throughout. Excellent value.

GUIDE: SOLD – March 2020

LYING: South-Coast, UK

VIEWING: Through the brokers – 01905 356482