Description
Wellow Maid is an unusual Vertue because she was slowly built to an early set of drawings; either those of Andrillot, or more likely to those of Monie, as illustrated below. Her slow construction resulted from her being built, like a number of Vertues, by her first owner, Jim Burnett. Other ‘home-built’ boats include ‘Maid of Tesa‘, ‘Elusive Vertue‘, ‘Northam Vertue‘, ‘Kea‘, ‘Tui of Opua‘ and ‘Flying Fish‘.
She is a well-known boat on the Solent and has only had one previous owner, her builder.
I’m very grateful to Richard and Marion Heming for coming up with these stunning, recent photographs of their boat sailing in her home waters off the Isle of Wight.
Maid Marion has clearly been looked after for many years with liberal amounts of tlc. How many Vertues would envy this clean and tidy workshop for her maintenance!
She traversed the French canals many years ago, under her own power, and returned in one piece to tell the tale.
Specification
- Laurent Giles design No: 114
- Builder: A.S. 'Jim' Burnett, West Wellow,Romsey, Hampshire, England.
- Launch Date: 1950
- Hull Material: Oregon Pine
- Deck: Canvas over pine?
- Engine: Beta diesel
- Ballast keel material: Iron
- Doghouse: None
- Cockpit: Short standard.
- Berths: Two
- Rig: Masthead bermudan sloop.
- Mast: Wooden
- Heads'ls: Masthead genoa and stays'ls.
- Backstay arrangement: Single standing backstay to bumkin with runners.
- Home Port: Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.
- Current Owner: Richard & Marion Heming.
- Contact details:
- Email address:
- Other comments: Wellow Maid is an outstanding early Vertue having been built over several years, probably to the Monie drawings.