English
1991 Gaff Cutter, Minstrel, with BETA BV 1505 37.5hp diesel engine. ‘Minstrel’ is an elegant but strong ocean going cutter. Built as a ‘one off’ by Robin Feloy and Gubby Williams in Totnes, Devon, Minstrel was built for Mr & Mrs Williams for their dream trip of the North Atlantic circuit, visiting Spain, Portugal, the Canaries, the Bahamas, the Florida coast and up to New York between 1992 and 1995. The current owner purchase the boat from the first owners in 1999, and has enjoyed various sailing adventures including circumnavigations of the British Isles and trips across the Channel. The boat was coded between 2010-2020, which has now lapsed. Minstrel is a relatively young classic boat, and has been kept in beautiful condition by her attentive owners. She has a lot to offer an enthusiastic sailing family and is sure to impress upon viewing. Currently ashore and available to view by appointment at Birdham Pool Marina.
Construction
- ¾” Douglas fir on laminated Iroko ringframes. 2 diagonal layers of ¼” marine ply gives the hull immense stiffness and the exterior is sheathed with glass mat in epoxy.
- Deck is 1” tongue and grooved Douglas Fir under ½” marine ply with glass/epoxy sheathing.
- Keel and intermediate deck beams in Iroko.
- Toerails, coamings and superstructure in teak.
- Ballast keel is lead, approx.. 3 ½ tons, fastened with stainless steel bolts
Deck equipment and ground tackle
- 35lb CQR anchor with 25 fathoms of 5/16” chain.
- 30lb Fisherman’s Kedge anchor with 10m of 6mm chain and 20 fathoms of 14mm warp.
- Anchor buoy.
- Muir Atlantic VRC 1250 roundbase bronze 1000w electric windlass (2004).
- Stemhead pawl.
- Snubber line.
- 8 Bronze fairleads.
- 10 bronze through bolted deck cleats.
- Stainless steel through bolted Sampson post.
- Lashdown bars for liferaft.
- Lockable deck box for outboard and petrol.
- Stowage blocks for spinnaker pole.
- Fenders.
- Various mooring warps.
- Boathook.
- Motoring cone.
- Anchor ball.
Accommodation and domestic
- 7 berth in 2 cabins.
- Large quarter berth to aft of main cabin (large single or children’s double).
- Double berth to starboard of saloon, generous single to port and single bunk to starboard.
- V-shaped berth in forward cabin as two single berths or use infill to convert to a double.
- Approximately 6’ headroom.
- Blue upholstery.
- Teak flooring.
- Chart table to starboard suitable for half sized Admiralty charts, with chart drawer underneath and variable intensity red/white chart light.
- Galley with 2 burner Force 10 cooker with grill and oven, a large top opening refrigerator with water cooled coil, twin sink, generous worktop space, 2 large drawers, 5 stowage lockers and a pan stowage locker outboard of the cooker. Removable set of galley fiddles for offshore sailing.
- Gas alarm fitted
- Solid teak-topped, twin leaved saloon table, with space for 6 diners, containing bottle stowage and deep drawer.
- Saloon bench-backs hinge up to reveal a double berth to starboard and a very generous single to port. A pilot berth/bunk to starboard.
- Faversham solid fuel stove.
- Wine bottle locker and locker with tray for glasses.
- Lee cloths on the three main saloon berths.
- Stowage lockers beneath berths.
- Main fuel tank beneath starboard bunk.
- All bunks equipped with mattress savers and two fitted cotton sheets.
- Opening skylight in saloon.
- 2 melon prisms, 2 oil lamps and electric lighting in saloon.
- Heads compartment forward of saloon, doubling as dressing room for forecabin, and can be used as a shower, the bilge being separately pumped. Oil skin locker to port. Lavac toilet to starboard, and stainless steel handbasin. Three of the 4 lockers give access to the holding tank, the pumps and seacocks. Lit by rectangular prisms.
- Forecabin with V berths s two singles convertible to double berth with infill piece. 2 stowage lockers and 2 shelves. Chain locker below berths and windlass motor in locker above. Opening skylight.
- Doghouse and saloon heated by a Wallis Nautic twin outlet hot air diesel heater.
- Sony CD player and radio with 4 speakers and concealed subwoofer in saloon.
Rig, spars and sails
- Gaff cutter rigged
- Boom, gaff and bowsprit in Douglas Fir.
- Mast designed by Ed Burnett and built by Collars in 2006 in Douglas Fir. Solid from step to the gooseneck and in way of the spreaders but otherwise hollow. Cabling let through conduits and there is an internal aerial for the VHF radio.
- Spinnaker pole is hollow spruce by Dolphin Quay boat yard (2000).
- Standing rigging installed by Martins Rigging in 2006, is in unpolished stainless steel with splices on solid hearts above bronze rigging screws. Lower shrouds and forestay are 10mm and the topmast shrouds 8mm.
- Blocks are mainly 4” by Colin Frake with ask cheeks over bronze frames and sheaves.
- 4 x LVJ 31S 2 speed self tailing winches fitted on the mast pinrail.
- Mainsail – 390 sq ft James Lawrence (2011) with three sets of reef points.
- Topsail – 83 sq ft McKillop (1991/2006 (recut)).
- Staysail – 152 sq ft McKillop (2006).
- Working jib – 150 sq ft McKillop (2007).
- Light jib – 206 sq ft McKillop (2005).
- Ghoster – 282 sq ft McKillip (2000) 1 ½ oz nylon.
- Long luff topsail – 100 sq ft James Lawrence (2014) sets over 1st reef.
- Storm jib – 65 sq ft McKillop (2001).
- No 2 jib – 140 sq ft McKillop (1991).
- Tow foresail – 184 sq ft McKillop (1991).
- Staysail (reefing) – 124 sq ft McKillop (1991)
- Mainsail – 390 sq ft McKillop (1991)
- Topsails have a combined tensioner for the tack downhaul and the dyneema leader.
- The jibs (with dyneema luff ropes) are set on a tensionable jibstay using the ‘Dyarchy’ system.
Canvas
- Cockpit tent in French blue acrylic (2003).
- Mainsail cover in French blue acrylic (2008).
- Staysail cover in French blue acrylic (2011).
- Liferaft cover in French blue acrylic (2010).
- Forward hatch cover in French blue acrylic (2018).
- 2 skylight and portlight covers.
Engine and electrical
- BETA BV 1505 freshwater cooled 37.5hp diesel engine (2007).
- Gearbox 2:1 driving 3 bladed RH 16 x 12 DF-80 Variprop (2001).
- Shaft 1” stainless steel and water lubricated gland (both 2015) and flexible thrust bearing.
- Halyard exhaust overheat alarm.
- Calorifier with engine coil and 230v immersion heater (2010).
- Alternator 100amp with Adverc battery management system.
- House battery bank – 2 x 100ah 12v sealed gel type.
- Engine start – 1 x 100ah 12v sealed gel type.
- Anchor windlass battery
- 12v distribution; 100a circuit breaker for house circuits, heavy duty on/off switch for engine start, emergency changeover switch for house bank to engine start.
- Sterling mains charger.
- Waeco Inveter 1000w.
- 230v and 12v sockets throughout.
- Diesel fuel stainless steel water tanks approx. 20 gal below cockpit with sight tube, remote gauge and drain sump. Reserve stainless tank with electric pump up and remote gauge, approx. 33 gal (below starboard saloon bunk).
- 2 x stainless steel water tanks approx. 70 gal with tank tender gauges.
- Pressurised hot and cold fresh water to galley sink and heads.
- Freshwater footpump to galley.
- Seawater footpump to galley.
- Blackwater tank with pump out deck fitting.
- Combined lopolight LED tricolour and anchor light.
- Aquasignal port, starboard, steaming and stern lights.
Navigation and electronics
- Raytheon ST 60 log, depth and multi instruments.
- Raymarine ST 60 wind.
- Raymarine fluxgate compass.
- Raymarine SPX 5 Tiller pilot.
- Garmin GPS map 750 chartplotter.
- Sestrel Moore steering compass with bearing sight and sun pin.
- Furuno DGPS GP36.
- Naxtex AIS radar receiver.
- Raymarine 240E DSC VHF.
Safety
- 2 Horseshoe buoys.
- Inflatable danbuoy.
- Whale gusher double acting bilge pump in main bilge.
- Rule 3600 gph electric bilge pump with float switch in main bilge.
- Cockpit mounted Henderson bilge pump to aft bridge.
- Henderson pump to forward bilge.
- Bilge level alarm.
- Forghorn.
- 2 x 1kg power fire extinguishers (2017).
- 1 x 4kg powder extinguisher (2017).
- 1 x 1kg automatic extinguisher in engine bay (2017).
- Firdell Blipper radar reflector.
History
Minstrel was conceived and built for a dream trip of a Norrth Atlantic circuit. Designed by Alan Pape, the hull and deck were built on St Peter’s Quay in Totnes by Robin Feloy and Gubby Williams with the fit out and rigging completed at Blagdon’s Yard in Plymouth. She was launched on 26th September 1991. After proving voyages between South West England and South West Ireland, she set out on the Atlantic circuit in August 1992 – across the Bay of Biscay, down the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and crossing to Bequia via the Canaries. After extensive Island Hopping via the Bahamas to the Florida coast, she followed the intra-coast waterway up the East coast of the USA, reaching Brooklin in Maine via New York in September 1993. She re-crossed the Atlantic in 1995 and after a period of chartering in Ireland in 1998, was sailing back to Devon for sale. The current owner purchased in 1999 and after cruising the English Channel and Brittany between 1999 and 2008, she underwent a major refit. In 2010 she completed a clockwise circuit of Great Britain via the Caledonian Canal. A further clockwise circuit was completed in 2013 visiting the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.
Major works have included a taller and stiffer mast with new standing rigging in 2006, the new BETA engine in 2007 and the creation of the quarter berth and enlarged galley in 2009 with complete rewiring and new cushions/mattresses. Her sail wardrobe ahs been regularly updated and expanded.
Minstrel was Category 2 MCS coded for 6, The coding was renewed in May 2017 but lapsed in August 2020.
Disclaimer
In this case we are acting as Brokers only. Whilst every care has been taken in their preparation, the correctness of these particulars is not guaranteed. The particulars are intended only as a guide and they do not constitute a term of any contract. A prospective Buyer is strongly advised to check the particulars and where appropriate at his own expense to employ a qualified Marine Surveyor to carry out a survey and/or to have an engine trial conducted which if conducted by us shall not imply any liability for such engine on our part. Life-saving appliances do not form part of the inventory and it is for the buyer to ensure they are in date and suitable for their purposes.