Sibbick 48 ft Yawl 1900 - Sold

A design by Charles Sibbick from 1900, SAUNTERER\'s understated beauty and simple elegance could easily hide the fact that she is an extremely seaworthy, fast and very English vintage yacht. SAUNTERER has benefited from substantial refits undertaken by people who know and understand this vessel; thus leaving her ready to be enjoyed by her next owner – her previous owners include Captain Oates of Antarctic fame.

- Access to engine by companionway steps
- Beta 50 HP diesel with V drive gearbox; 2008 under 200 hrs use
- Engine beds for this engine 2008
- Racor filter and bronze engine strainer fitted
- Stainless steel propeller shaft and cutless bearing; 2008
- Propellor new 2010
- Engine mounted alternator
- 3 x 110 AH batteries, sealed lead acid new 2010
- Shore power system for 240 V ring main and Sterling battery charger new 2010
- 12 Volt circuit wiring renewed throughout boat 2009 -10
- Circuit breaker panel for distribution
- Interior lighting. 12V and 24 V
- Hot water calorifier
- Plastic fuel tank and copper / BS7840 flexible Hoses; 2008
- Plastic water tank and hoses; 2008
- Fresh water Pump new
- Cockpit drains and hull valves; 2008
- Electric bilge pumps new 2010

- ICOM VHF, new 2010
- Garmin touch screen chart plotter, GPS, fish finder, Sonar new 2010
- Log and transducer new 2010
- Stereo, cockpit speakers new 2010

Works by current owner (professional shipwright) from April 2009
- Hull taken back, primed, painted and 2009 and 2010
- All deck seams raked out and re-caulked with deck Sikaflex
- Deck re-fastened with silicone bronze screws
- All unnecessary fittings removed and graving pieces inserted
- Dog house removed and new design teak main hatch fitted
- New teak skylight forward of main hatch
- Original skylight forward re-furbished and new laminated glass and bronze bars in both
- All brightwork stripped to bare wood and re-varnished
- Mushroom vents fitted for better ventilation
- New bronze porthole above heads
- All deck fittings, lights etc removed and re-bedded
- New hatch covers
- Antique compass fitted at cockpit
- Cockpit floor and engine access hatch rebuilt and epoxied 2011
- Teak gratings for seats and cockpit floor fitted

Spars rigging and canvas
- Main and mizzen masts removed and taken back to bare wood
- All mast fittings removed
- Both masts re-varnished
- Bowsprit and booms all taken back to bare wood and re-varnished
- All new galvanised standing rigging on both masts
- New bottle screws and hand sewn leather covers
- New wiring on both
- New steaming, tricolour and navigation lights (all LED bulbs)
- New running rigging throughout including blocks
- New bowsprit net tailor made
- New sail covers
- New Staysail



Interior
- Whole of the interior removed all taken back to bare wood, primed and painted
- Mostly recycled timbers from original interior
- All new water pipes (hot and cold)
- All seacocks serviced
- New cushions and upholstery
- All cabin sole floor boards taken back to bare wood and re-varnished
- All oak deck beams stripped bare
- Bilge painted

- Bermudan Rig
- All spars in varnished Douglas fir or similar
- New galvanised standing rigging
- New running rigging
- Dynema backstays
- Slab reefing mainsail; new 2007
- No 1 Jib 2008
- Staysail new 2011
- Mizzen sail new 1990s hardly used

- Lazarette storage
- Teak deck hatch aft of cockpit top
- Self draining cockpit with bench seating each side
- Tiller steering
- 2 x Lewmar 52 ST Jib sheet winches
- Teak main hatch new 2010
- Teak butterfly hatch over saloon (new 2010)
- Teak cleats for mooring and sheets
- Galvanised belaying pin at the mast with chromed bronze pins
- New chrome bronze belaying pin racks at mast and wooden cleats on mast for halyards
- Bronze hand capstan for anchor (circa 1900)
- Substantial steel mooring bollard forward
- 60 lb CQR anchor ½ inch chain approx 150 ft
- Varnished timber boarding steps
- Jabsco deck wash and piping new 2010

Accommodation is for 4; arranged from aft:
Down the companionway hatch is the galley to port with chart area starboard. Forward is the main saloon with 6 ft berth to port and a short seat to opposite with stove forward of that. Beyond the bulkhead forward through a doorway is a shower, heads and hanging locker to port. Opposite to starboard is a sea berth with drawers and stowage under. The fore cabin contains double berth forward and anchor locker beyond in the fore peak. There is stowage under all seats and berths and forward of the double berth. Features and equipment include:
- Traditional teak gimballed saloon dining table
- Antique log burning stove, chimney and bronze deck well
- Galley new 2 burner hob, grill and oven and new gas pipes
- Baby Belfast sink and antique style taps installed 2009
- Head with Baby Blake stripped and re-built with new seals. 2009
- Shower, taps and basin new 2009

- Teak planking over sawn oak frames with oak backbone
- Plank fastenings; bronze clenches, dumps and screws
- Iron floors forward and middle part of boat
- Wood floors aft
- Deck planking of yellow pine laid directly on beams
- Tiller Steering with tiller fitted directly to rudder head

The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries were surely vintage years for the building of some very fine yachts. There was an abundance of seasoned timber and the highly skilled craftsmen of the day were eager to give of their best. In 1900 Charles Sibbick of Cowes designed and built the 16 ton Yawl SAUNTERER for John Simpson of Hampton Wick, who apparently raced her but little else is known of her voyaging under his ownership.

Her strong hull, while of fairly heavy oak and teak timbers has sweet lines, enabling a good turn of speed. There was originally no engine, her motive force derived from 1600 sq ft. of sail gaff rigged including large gaff and jib topsails. Thus she was to remain, entirely unaltered for over 50 years.

In 1907 she was bought by Captain Lawrence Oates famously of the ill-fated Scott Antarctic Expedition. We know from Scott\'s Journal how he entertained the party during the long Antarctic nights with lantern lectures describing his experiences aboard SAUNTERER. The story is well known of the polar party\'s ordeal on their attempt to return to base and how \'the very gallant gentleman\', weak and exhausted, walked out into the blizzard to his death for the sake of his companions.

After the First World War SAUNTERER was bought by one Thomas Belt of Bigg Market, Newcastle-on-Tyne. He was the proprietor of a rope and canvas business. Blyth was her home port until 1945 where she established something of a tradition.

Sometime during the Second World War she was fitted with a Coventry Victor petrol motor. Post WWII she was owned apparently by 3 members of the same family: J. Pelham Kayll of Sunderland, Joseph R Kayll, D.S.O., O.B.E., D.F.C., of Co Durham and David P. Kayll, Bovington Camp, Wareham, Dorset. Among her passages then was a cruise to Norway, after which she took part in the Christiansand race from Blyth. Among the contenders for this arduous race was another Sibbick Yacht THALASSA, almost a sister-ship but converted to Bermudan rig. Shortly after her return SAUNTERER was also thus converted to carry 1,060 sq. ft. of canvas.

In 1969 SAUNTERER was acquired by the late Alexander Sutherland based on the Clyde. From here she has cruised in most of the waters around Western Europe and Scandinavia. By advantage of the yawl rig to balance her sail area she has often been sailed smoothly (and very fast) in force 8 or 9 winds without complaint from the crew. In 1977 her ownership passed to Donald A. Sutherland who was to care for her for over thirty years prior to her acquisition by the present owners, who have undertaken the significant recent refitting.