P UBLISHED B Y P ETER G S TUBBINGS V OLUME 1 , I SSUE 2 , F E B 0 6 Hunter Liberty & Minstrel ALMOST 50 BOATS complete re-design and build of the boat. We also have items for sale of specific interest to LOCATED Liberty & Minstrel owners, including complete boats. During the first year of the Association In this second Newsletter we Finally, a big thank you to everyone who has we have located almost 50 of the 114 have a wealth of hints and tips donated to the Association. You will see Liberty and Minstrels which were built submitted by other Liberty and from the figures inside that we now have a between 1981 and 1992. This includes Minstrel owners, from leaks in healthy bank balance which will allow us to the very special junk rigged Liberty the hull to single line reefing, produce the next Newsletter, assuming the shown below, which was built by from minor modifications to a articles keep flowing in. Moodys of Swanwick for Hans Schaeuble. “Golden Wind” is now on a two year cruise with her proud owner. More about this unusual boat inside. First of all an apology. Yes, we did intend to issue this Newsletter in July, but happily I had so much work on (being self-employed this is important) that I was unable to even get started. Now, with the help of a new computer and scanner, we hope to get all of your wonderful contributions out early in the new year. A very special thanks to all those people who have contributed to this issue. We are now gathering a wealth of information about our boats and their owners. Thanks also to Mick and Dee Wells who organised the meeting on the Blackwater in August. Although sadly suffering from a bad back Lesley and I managed to motor Lydia over from Tollesbury, and joined seventeen others for an excellent meal in the Green Man. There was an opportunity to examine each others boats in Bradwell Marina, and a brave few even had an exciting sail down to Maldon for lunch. Hunter Liberty & Minstrel- Page 1 of 22 K EEPING Y OUR L IBERTY IN T H E U PRIGHT P O SITION Notes: Some Thoughts on Ballast Some pundits have suggested that every 1lb aloft needs 20lbs in the keel. by Peter Poland MD of Hunter Boats has David Parkinson said that if single-handing on a regular Yacht “Liberty” basis 200lbs ballast should he added down below I have owned LIBERTY (believed to were bought at a local DIY store and Mick Hughes who owns SHERBET be the very first boat) for the last six wrapped closely in strong rubbish has laid sheet lead in his lockers with years. We sail the South Coast and are sacks to keep any dampness from the very positive results. sometimes out when more sensible lockers. 1OO lbs went port and mortals are at home. I had been starboard in the aft lockers under the I have seen five Liberty mainmasts (all seriously considering selling the boat, forward berths, 501b in the starboard of Proctor manufacture) broken just as she has always been very tender. locker under the quarter berth, and the remaining 501b in the forward section above the coachroof. I believe later masts were more strongly constructed, I should explain that when she was of the cockpit locker. but have no data on this. purchased, her previous owner had fitted a massive double-sided Cobb This has seriously stiffened the boat, mainsail and homespun wishbone rig, and explains why Hunters increased Editors Note: together with a new mast. Needlespar the weight of the bilge runners on later of Warsash specialise in un-stayed boats. Note that if you trail regularly, LIBERTY MASTS masts, and this was of very heavy and are close to the towing vehicle’s section, resulting in an increase in maximum weight, ballast that can be I have been told that later masts were weight aloft. removed is important. internally sleeved, but do not have any information regarding exactly when On the delivery trip from Newton The second row of reefing points this was done. Creek we decided the lack of forward proved their worth over Easter. In vision made helming too difficult, so a order to have the best sail control Nigel Vear, owner of Bluebottle, has new track was fixed up the back of the possible from the safety of the cockpit, details for getting a mast re-sleeved. mast, and the original sail used once we double-reefed the main as the wind again. (I still have the new Cobb sail if strength increased; leaving the mizzen Reg Chapman had his mizzen mast anyone would like to make me an fully deployed. repaired and strengthened by Proctors. offer!) Although we still had to hold the We also recived the following article This year I decided to take some sheets in the hand to spill wind in the with one of the many letters sent in by positive action to reduce her tender most fierce gusts, she heeled more members. Unfortunately the name of qualities, and made some simple slowly, was more predictable and gave the contributor was not written on the modifications. First of all, both sails us increased confidence. piece. If the member responsible for were sent back to Hyde sailmakers this highly informative article would (who bought out Cranfields, the Our decision to double reef the main contact me I will make sure that full original makers) to have a second row was vindicated on meeting the severe credit is given in the next issue of the of reeling points provided. They had to chop off Cowes Roads, turning Newsletter. go back again, as the first job was of downwind - mizzen stowed and very poor quality. dealing with Force 7 squalls. (The wind speed was later confirmed by the Secondly some 300lbs of sand was crew of a Bowman 40). added in the lockers and directly over the bilge runners. Sand is a very We shot up the Medina River under inexpensive way of altering the ballast reeled mainsail alone, against the of a boat before playing with more two-knot tide, still making 4/5 knots expensive materials like lead, or nylon over the ground. A restorative visit to encapsulated steel. The bags of sand the Folly Inn was a necessity! Hunter Liberty & Minstrel- Page 2 of 22 TALE OF A LIBERTY MAST that I took the butt of the spar to a local the pieces to them at Southampton LIBERTY engineer where it was sawn through they would see if they could make a MAST either side of the collar. repair. The remains of the mast was now in As the top of my mast was very badly four pieces. Perhaps some foreboding bent and twisted I was very doubtful In March of ‘97 I broke the mainmast made me make a careful plan of the and anticipated a fruitless journey. of my Liberty 27 on an overhead whole spar before the surgery. telephone cable. The spar took a A friend suggested I contact Eurospars considerable permanent bend and After some weeks Proctors rang to say of Plymouth who readily agreed to snapped at the halyard exit slot. that they could not supply and would carry out the work. Fortunately my return my fittings. No, they could not drawing proved to be accurate and the I first contacted “Proctor Masts” and let me have a drawing from their new spar is excellent. Cost about they agreed to make a new one with records. Needle Spars had one and £1,000. the proviso that I supplied all the old would make the mast. Needle Spars fittings. When taking these off the were very sympathetic, but they didn’t Contact: Eurospars Ltd., Queen Annes mast I found I could not loosen the set have a drawing, had never had one and Works, Q.A. Battery, Plymouth. bolt that held in the hinge collar. couldn’t, and never had, made such a 269756 mast. I had this cut off and sent all the However they had repaired several fittings to Proctor. I should explain Liberty masts, and if I would take all LIBERTY TO CALAIS Duo Log and Echo-sounder. Liberation to The luff slides had also been a problem on the mainsail. They were such a thin section, and when close hauled in a blow they would snap. With the help of my cousin I made Calais seven stainless steel ones, and fitted these in strategic places by where the plastic ones had failed. The rudder downhaul was modified so that it cleated on the Bob Banks side of the tiller, and jackstays were fitted to each side of the coach roof. A piece of plywood was cut to take a folded Yacht Liberation admiralty Chart, and a Bretton Plotter completed the preparation. th (This is an edited version of Bob’s eight-page contribution Departure was set for midnight, Thursday 13 August. to the Newsletter) I first met Stan when he approached me for a lift to work. Travelling together, the conversation turned to sailing and I asked him if he would like to sail to Calais with me. He readily agreed, and after consulting the tide tables a week in August 1992 was chosen. I concentrated on preparing the boat. Anything I had the slightest doubt about had to be put right. The outboard, a 4hp Yamaha, had been given to me as part of a special deal from Hunters when I bought Liberation as a kit in 1982.