|
Known History:
Built in 1914 by Morgan Giles & May shortly before the partnership broke up the same year.
Originally she was gaff slopp rigged as an Itchen Ferry type gentleman's fishing boat and fitted with a De Dion Bouton engine.
First appears in Lloyds as Redshank owned by a Mr. Ingham Reeves. In 1923 she was bought by William Dudley Ward, MP for Southampton and a bronze medallist sailing "Sorais" in the 8 metre class at the 1908 London Olympics. Ward's wife, Freda, a noted beauty of the time, had a well documented affair with the future Edward VIII.
In 1934, the new owner, James Hunt, was I believe, Company secretary of White's boatyard in Cowes, IOW, where he got hold of the 40ft rig of "Sarnia", a 6 metre racing yacht, which he put on the 23ft "Crimson Rambler"! The height of the mast required the hull to be extended by the addition of a canoe/counter stern in order to take the backstay.
In 1948 the 6 metre mast was cut down to 35ft by Hugo Duplessis when he found her too tender and when the mast became weak, Duplessis experimented by sheathing it in fibreglass. This appears in the first editions of his book "Fibreglass Boats". Accounts of his Royal Cruising Club award winning cruises to Ireland, Spain and Brittainy appear in the RCC journals of 1948, 49 and 51 respectively.
Irene B's current mast mast is a 35ft aluminium spar of an unknown date.
The De Dion engine was replaced with a single cylinder Stuart Turner by Hugo Deplessis and this in turn was later replaced by a twin cylinder Stuart Turner by Bill Downs in 1963. She now has a Volvo 2001 fitted by Terrance Penketh in 1997.
She was photographed by Beken of Cowes in 1933 and 1934 (before and after the stern was modified).
« Back
|
