Letters
Armorel’s sad subsequent history LETTER OF THE MONTH SUPPORTED BY OLD PULTENEY WHISKY
Jonathan Rigden asked (CB 283) for news of Armorel’s later history. In 1963 I lived for some time in Lerryn, up the River Fowey, where Armorel was moored against an old bit of quay and was home to Judy and Jeremy Snook and their two small children, Bella and Richard. The boat was a regular refuge after Constable Davey made sure that everyone left the Ship Inn at closing time.
It was probably in 1964 that Jeremy got a job in, I think, Newport or Chepstow, so with the help of a friend they sailed round into the Bristol Channel. On the way, they anchored somewhere off the Welsh coast. The two men went to go ashore in the dinghy – they were never seen again.
Moving forward through the years, friends from Dartmouth, Geoff and Annie Worsfold, sailed in Armorel to the West Indies
Wrecked in the Caribbean In response to Jonathan Rigden’s query in CB283, I met Armorel in 1978 at the Drake 400 Rally in Plymouth. The vessel was in fi ne condition and fully equipped for blue water cruising. Armorel sailed to the Caribbean and was left in the care of a ship- keeper whilst the owner briefl y returned home. Running for safety in advance of a hurricane she grounded and could not be refl oated in time. The hurricane damaged her beyond repair and the wreck was very quickly stripped bare.
with her last owner Kier Simms. I don’t know which year this crossing took place. I have been told the story of her wreck, but I don’t know much detail. However, a copy of Jonathan Rigden’s letter has gone to Kier Simms who now lives abroad. Hopefully he will be able to complete the story of the boat’s fi nal years. Charles Jackson, London.
Armorel, wrecked in the West Indies
Two valuable letters; one bottle of whisky – we may have to toss a coin
I understand that she was not insured and a local lawyer was hired to recover as much value as was possible. It is said that he absconded and everything was lost. I have lost contact with the owner; maybe another reader can fi ll in the gaps. A sad end for a fi ne vessel. John
Lewis’s book Vintage Boats has a lot of detail and is readily available. Dick Dawson, Yarmouth, IoW
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I am a sailor by trade and in work I’m able to access the huge variety of tools and engineers that keep a busy boat running. But in my personal life I own and run (with three partners) a small Morecambe Bay Prawner. As a relatively new wooden boat owner, the costs are no higher than those incurred in any new project – but the true obstacle lies in the fact that the tools are specialist, the skilled users older, and both can be hard to fi nd. I wonder if there would be some scope in exploring a way of skills/ tool sharing amongst your Forum users or in the magazine. We were tremendously fortunate to meet a wonderful man in our chosen yard who spent a great deal of his time explaining and teaching
skills he’d gained over a
lifetime, but how many new wooden boat owners can claim that? How open to newcomers shy on experience are we really? Perhaps a small section dedicated to sharing our skills would be greatly appreciated by new and old alike. James Boyce, by email
Boatbuilder’s Notes is partly for this purpose – we welcome questions as well as hints and tips, and will try to fi nd the answers. The Forum on the CB website (
classicboat.co.uk) can be quicker if you’re really stuck. Sharing tools is a different matter altogether of course. They don’t travel well by email alas! – Ed
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