on the water
Island Life - April/May 2010
IT TOOK A
YEAR TO
COMPLETE
BUT JEREMY
NOW HAS HIS
'HOPE' FOR
THE FUTURE!
Jeremy Gully describes himself as a
Helens he could not have imagined the
Sometimes it was a case of two planks
sculptor by training and a fisherman by
enormity of the task he was about to
each side per day – with 48 planks each
desire. And clearly his love of life on the
undertake.
side to complete.
sea knows no bounds.
His mission was to produce a replica
“The hull took around six weeks to
When Jeremy casually glanced at a
of the boat that was built around 1900
complete, and the deck a further month.
drawing of a Sandown Bay Cutter boat
by Taylor’s of Sandown. It was taken to
About four-and-a-half months into it, I
affectionately known as “Sheila” on the
Devon, but then returned and was used
realised my timescale was way out. I was
wall of Attrill and Sons’ boatyard in St
extensively as a working boat on the
working from line drawings, but was
Island between the 1920 and the late
doing a bit of tweaking here and there.
1950s. Sadly it was finally discarded and
“Basically it was a collection of small
ended up being burned on a beach in
processes, and the Attrills kept me on
1960.
the straight and narrow. They had always
“I had always played with the sea, and
had been making things for 25 years, so I
thought building ‘Hope’ would be a good
wanted one built, so this was very much
the proto-type.
It proved a labour of love, but as Jeremy
idea,” said Jeremy, who set himself six
points outs: "I never had any doubt I
months to complete his project.
would get there in the end.”
“Everyone said I was stupid to try to do
‘Hope’ is now safely tucked up waiting
it in six months, and they were proven
for a bit of summer sailing weather. So is
right. I have a high level of naivety. Even
it feet-up time for Jeremy? Not likely – his
with the help of Attrills' facilities it took
next project is to build a house boat!
me around 2,000 hours stretching over a
full year.”
At an overall cost of around £100,000
it is perhaps the ultimate boy’s toy –
but one that has given Jeremy immense
pleasure in building. Sometimes he
worked 10 hours a day, but the near-43ft
boat, with its 27ft 8in deck, is now his
pride and joy.
“I always felt I would complete it,
but it was a case of one day at a time.
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