THIRD PILOT CUTTER TOM CUNLIFFE ON NIGHT TWO NEW-BUILDS PERRYMAN ON PILOT TILMAN’S APPROACH TO CLASS NOTES: PILOT REVIEW PAGE 22 SAILING PAGE 27 PAGE 28 CUTTERS PAGE 34 SAIL HANDLING PAGE 38 SCILLONIANS PAGE 93 Old meets new Barry pilot Tallulah from ‘Company car’ The legendary A different, CUTTER in cut and thrust returns to the Gweek; Pegasus of an elite explorer’s own and short-lived, SPECIAL off St Mawes Bristol Channel from Bristol professional methods breed of boats A new twin for Peggy A labour of love for builder Dave Cockwell has produced a The new: Dave Cockwell’s Polly Agatha Left: The original – Peggy, the 1904 luxurious charter boat – and there’s even hanging room for a Rowles-built pilot cutter from which Polly Agatha’s lines were taken ball-gown, reports Martin Smith. Photographs by Ray Little ave Cockwell has traditional values; her owner, Kim Hartley but, really, she is 2002 Dave decided that to free up enough you can just tell when you start Dave’s project. Her hull is an exact copy of time to pursue his project he would up- Dtalking to him. Immediately our Peggy, the 1904, Rowles of Pill-built pilot sticks and move the family to Falmouth, conversation began, words evoking good cutter that is today owned and sailed by where they had kept various boats – includ- historic working practices, such as appren- Diccon and Jan Pridie, based out of Bristol. ing a Quay Punt – to take on small projects ticeships, engineering, seasoned timber, Over the years Peggy (CB39) has been and begin building the pilot cutter. bespoke service and hard work, began to something of a muse for Bristol-born Dave What he hadn’t accounted for was that crop up. And it certainly helped the image Cockwell. “I set up a workshop at the once again business would become so brisk that we were sat aboard Polly Agatha, the Underfalls yard in Bristol in 1996 and at that the project would again repeatedly be new pilot cutter that Dave’s Falmouth- the time I had done some sailing on Peggy postponed. Before long he realised that based fi rm of boatbuilders had recently with Diccon and Jan. By 1999 I’d decided time-wise he was no better off than when handed over to her new owner. that I wanted to build a replica of her for he was in Bristol. “I was that busy with Polly Agatha is about to embark on a myself, so I took her lines in 2000.” But ferries and motor yachts that I thought, if career as a sea-school and charter boat on the large amount of work he had on at I don’t crack on and build this pilot cutter, the south coast of England in the hands of Underfalls began to get in the way and in I’m going to end up as a motorboat builder. DAN HOUSTON DAN 14 CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2008 CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2008 15 POLLY AGATHA POLLY AGATHA The extensive cockpit electronics can be Brightwork is fi nished hidden behind panels with fl exible Coelan At around a third larger than Peggy would have worked with, Polly Agatha’s rig gives an abundance of power Plenty of jobs to keep a sea-school crew occupied , So I turned down some work and made a However, her fate was still not settled as, sailing characteristics of pilot cutters in the in January 2008 it had taken 15,000 – but She’s built of 15⁄8in (41mm) larch on further aloft – up her substantial Douglas-fi r start.” Even so, by 2005 the plan had with a further twist, this buyer later pulled pages of Classic Boat, he thought he’d fi nd he now owns an exact replica of a classic 18in (460mm) centred, 6 x 3in (150 x mast – and out along the hefty boom that changed again. Now with four young out following a change in business circum- out what all of the fuss was about. As a wooden craft into which a highly skilled 75mm) oak frames with an opepe cen- extends just beyond her elegant counter, children, Dave realised that owning a large stances. Polly Agatha, by now planked and result his path crossed with that of Dave boatbuilder has put his heart and soul for treline. She goes like a train, thanks largely imagining the array of canvas we were sailing boat was not a viable option; though with deck beams fi tted, was once again Cockwell, and Dave was keen to show him many years. And she’s a superb training to her rig being, at 1,232sqft (114.5m2), about to spread. Winds were forecast to be she was still only in frame, Polly Agatha looking for an owner. the part-fi nished Polly Agatha. Kim was and entertaining vessel. around a third larger than would have been 16mph southwesterlies and as I checked would have to be sold. Enter current owner Kim Hartley. At smitten, and by January 2007 the plan to Now, ‘exact’ and ‘pilot cutter’ are words her normal working rig. Other than the the wind-indicators and burgees in the That year the Southampton Boat Show the time Kim was taking a step back from run a sea-school and charter business was that generally should not be written too bronze fastenings used throughout, and marina around us, I estimated it to be all of invited Dave to put together a classic boat his career in the property business, and formulated around getting Polly Agatha close together in this age of the design’s the deck (teak-covered plywood/epoxy that and some. So, as we were aiming to feature. Classic Boat magazine became the busying himself sailing and renovating fi nished and on the water. ‘modernisation’ but, right down to the composite) she was built the same way as carry full sail for photography purposes, it media sponsor and Dave took the bold step Cygnet of London, his 1906, Borgoigne’s of It looks like a savvy move on Kim’s part, empty wine bottles in her ends and the lead Peggy, more than 100 years ago. promised to be a Thesporty restoration sail. of the Lord of exhibiting the still in-frame Polly Agatha Kingston-upon-Thames-built 39ft 10in too. Not only did he end up getting some- pigs cemented beneath her fl oors, Polly’s As Dave, Kim and I with some eight or With Kim preparingNelsonNeat whatdrawer continues is – still,note slowly for in a bid to fi nd a buyer. Miraculously, this (12.1m) yacht – and a vessel with which he thing of a bargain – Dave accounted for the hull is as original as practically possible. so friends and ex-trainees gathered on the him, a fairly unfamiliarthe joinery boat,but – behind steadily I confess the at theto did the trick. A potential customer with the had thought he was very happy. However, remaining work taking 12,000 man-hours, There’s no strip planking, no minimising jetty to prepare for our review sail, I having a quiet scoff companionwaytoHälleviksstrands myself when step raising Varv, money to take the boat forward emerged. after repeatedly reading about the excellent when, in fact, by the time she was fi nished of wetted area and no external lead keel. couldn’t help letting my eyes wander ever- the topsail was mentionedOrust island, – maybe Bohuslän. the 16 CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2008 CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2008 17 POLLY AGATHA POLLY AGATHA wind would ease a little, I thought. you get that set to its optimum and then ‘man and boy’ that fable has it always sailed Everyone, however, eagerly accepted the set the main and jib to match it. When you pilot cutters had coped, but it’s another plans, explained at our pre-casting-off get it right, the boat suddenly starts to aspect that lends itself well to the briefing. Kim’s method for controlling the perform. You can feel it start to pick up.” sea-school scenario. We set about heading crew is with a light touch: he’s professional And, of course, he’s right. During one roughly towards Cowes in order to give and clear, yet not over-authoritative, and spell when I was alone at the tiller I was the crew time to become familiar with the it’s a friendly mix that should stand up well putting up with a small amount of lee- feel of the vessel, and Kim gave crewman in the charter and training game. helm. Lazily, I didn’t feel the need to re-set Gary Wakefield the job of reading the The plan for Bowsprit Sailing, as the sail as we were soon to turn about and head manuals in order to perform the initial set business is called, is that Kim, a commer- back towards the Hamble, but you could up on the electronics – “He’s a pilot, so he cially endorsed Yacht Master, will tell the boat was not happy. Everyone likes reading instructions,” was the host and skipper the corporate was contentedly chatting forward, explanation for the delegation. and family charter packages but Dave came aft and took it Soon, though, Dave and Kim were that will take Polly Agatha as a chance to point out how staring aloft, and they weren’t inspecting from her home port on the small are the adjustments the altostratus, conversation was turning River Hamble around or needed on a boat like this. to the yawning space above the gaff and across the Channel, west to Hauling in on the main- thoughts were congealing around the best Falmouth plus, of course, sheet, moving the huge boom way to deploy the topsail.