Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2017 | Page 37

Interview
“We kept saying ‘oh
it will take about
two years’, but the
trouble was, we said
that at the end of
every two years!”
A detail of the work that had to be put in to align the new ring-frames ‘spot-on’
project, and that was when member Mike
Randall along with Bob Somers stepped
forward and decided to head over to the
mainland for a look.
“We crawled under the boat with a
camera and screwdriver and established
that the basic hull was in surprisingly
sound condition” said Mike, a retired
engineer.
There was no deck or rig, and it was
clear that at some stage the boat had
been converted to a cruiser, with a
coach roof, engine, bunk and stove. It
transpired that in the 1970s, it had
been covered in some good glass fibre
sheathing, which was probably what
protected the original hull so well.
On the strength of their viewing, Mike
and Bob, who had previous experience
as a boat-builder, promptly decided
they wanted to rescue the Mermaid, and
teamed up with two other club members
- retired RAF officer John Turner and
ex-advertising executive, Jamie Nimmo,
now Secretary at Sea View Yacht Club
– to form a syndicate and purchase and
restore the boat.
Having agreed a price, the men hired
Island company Bartletts in January 2009
to crane lift and transport the Mermaid
back ‘home’ for the painstaking process of
restoration.
Not that anyone expected it to take
eight years, as Mike jokes: “We kept
saying ‘oh it will take about two years’,
but the trouble was, we said that at the
end of every two years!”
The men had rented a barn at Little
Upton Farm in Ashey, owned by
occasional Mermaid sailors Alison and
Howard Johnson, and it was there that
they spent hundreds of hours on the boat,
undertaking what Mike describes as ‘very
laborious’ work.
That labour of love included
stripping out any of the old timber that
wasn’t original, removing the glass
fibre sheathing, straightening and
strengthening the damaged frame,
sanding off all the old paint and varnish,
and creating new timber knees, floors and
beams, all to original designs.
“All these things take longer than you
“What makes the
Mermaid so attractive
is that it is a classic
boat, and the forbear
of a very successful
fleet.”
expect, and we haven’t actually calculated
the number of hours we put in at the
barn” said Mike.
“It’s just as well that we all have very
understanding partners and families –
and we were always cheered on by Alison,
who kept us constantly supplied with
coffee and biscuits!”
Towards re-launch
As work progressed, the syndicate
approached Totnes-based yacht designer
Ed Burnett to design a suitable rig – in a
classic style but using modern materials.
Ed – who sadly died before he could see
Cynthia re-launched – also recommended
and sent them to the craftsman mast-
makers Collars near Oxford, who hand-
made the boat’s new mast and boom
from Douglas Fir.
By late last year, with most of the major
works done, Cynthia’s owners decided to
put her into the boatyard of A.A. Coombes
at Bembridge for the specialist finishing
works, which included the re-sheathing of
the hull and fitting of the deck.
The boatyard’s owner Bill Mitchell
worked with his craftsman Andy Bartlett,
and Chris Earley did the painting.
“She’s been finished to a fantastic
condition, all in beautiful, craftsman-like
style – and we couldn’t have been more
delighted” said Mike.
The dedicated foursome were able to
share their delight with around 40 other
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