William McBryde 56 ft Gaff Ketch 1952 - Sold

Designed by W.G McBryde, YVES CHRISTIAN is a proper little ship drawn at a time when this was appreciated – sea kindly and comfortable she has plenty of beam, which with her firm sections and snug ketch rig make her very stiff - and she was originally designed for long sea trips and Mediterranean cruising. The sail plan moreover is split into 5 parts and shortening sail is a simply matter of lowering sail and not reefing !

Her current owners have attended with great attention and dedication to the period and detail of the boat’s structure, meaning that her systems and interior are impressive. This is a vessel with little left to do but perhaps prepare a passage plan for somewhere you have always wanted to go to, very confident she will look after you.

YVES CHRISTIAN was designed by a Scotsman and built in France for a French owner - purportedly President de Gaulle\'s finance minister and named after his two sons, Yves & Christian – there are still gun racks to be found under the table! On a practical note she was commissioned for making long passages and Mediterranean cruising. Much more recently she has been domiciled in UK West Country waters as a family boat and beautifully cared for in the meantime.

- Carvel iroko planking silicon bronze coach bolt fastened to oak frames
- Cast iron ballast keel
- Composite deck with ply sub deck rebated into full depth covering boards
- Swept teak top deck planking

Generally the joinery below is of teak, superbly varnished except the forward cabin; mahogany
- Cockpit forward 2 steps down into pilot house
- Isolator panel and nav instruments fixed to bulkhead facing aft, cupboards below
- Leather upholstered sofa down port side drawer stowage under
- Folding table fixed to stbd side
- Full size chart table fwd to port with PC, waterproof keyboard and speakers in teak plinth
- Leather upholstered seat facing aft
- Access to engine by lifting pilot house sole

4 Companionway stairs down offset to stbd to main accommodation
- Owner’s cabin to port
- Double berth
- Copious shelves and stowage
- Opening port
- Large mirror
- Access to head compartment

Head with WC and shower to port with day head access and door to stbd guest cabin
- Techma auto electric WC
- Basin with hot and cold mixer
- Spacious shower
- Drying radiator
- Opening port
- Fine joinery and cupboards

Guest cabin to starboard
- Single berth and drawers under
- Large hanging locker
- Opening port

Corridor to full width bulkhead with door offset to stbd accesses saloon
- Beautiful teak joinery and many storage cupboards
- Settee to port with pilot berth above
- Settee to starboard converts to berth with storage behind
- Drop leaf dining table
- Butterfly hatch skylight over
- Alternative companionway access from the deck
- 2 x Opening ports
- 5 x Deck head lights
- Large reading light


Forward access by doorway in fwd bulkhead to galley
- Wallas diesel hob and Safeflame oven
- Beautifully carved plate and cup racks
- Substantial locker and cupboard stowage above and below
- Butterfly hatch skylight over
- 2 x Large top loading Fridgeboat fridge freezers
- Sink and mixer tap set in custom built work top
- Washing machine
- 2 x Opening ports

Forward accommodation cabin furnished in Honduras mahogany joinery
- 2 x single berths
- Locker and drawer space built in below berths
- 2 x Opening ports
- Hatch in deck head
- Head compartment with Techma auto WC and shower on centerline
- Access to chain locker

- Spruce main mast Noble Spars
- Original mizzen mast
- Staysail boom
- 7 x 7 Stainless steel standing rigging
- Mizzen rigging recently renewed
- Mainly Schaeffer blocks for main sheet and running rigging
- Polyester HD sails
- Gaff main sail reported reasonable condition
- Mizzen sail reported reasonable condition
- Old staysail
- Roller furling jib McKillop Sails reported GC
- Ghoster and snuffer McKillop Sails reported GC

- 2 x Large teak mooring posts aft deck
- Stainless steel stanchions with teakhandrail
- Bronze fairleads on taffrail
- Large main sheet horse for mizzen
- Large teak box surrounding steering gear abaft cockpit
- Ship’s bell
- Lazarette under cockpit accessed by hatch therein
- 2 x Gibb 52 winches outboard of cockpit coamings
- 4 x Chromed vents over doghouse
- Stainless steel gallows for main boom
- Large teak locker at fore end of doghouse
- 2 x hatches; one each side
- Large buffered horse for main
- Booby hatch access to saloon
- 2 x Gibb 60 winches either side of hatch
- Butterfly hatch
- Main mast; steel pin racks either side
- 2 x large teak chests fwd of mast either side for stowing sheets and warps
- Horse for stay sail
- Butterfly hatch over galley
- Foredeck hatch over fore cabin
- Large hydraulic anchor windlass
- CQR anchor stowed on deckhead
- 2nd anchor in bow
- Comprehensive framed winter cover

- Detroit Series 53 Diesel housed under Pilot house sole
- Morse engine controls
- Engine instruments on doghouse aft bulkhead
- Hydraulic steering gear
- Kohler 5.6 KVA generator
- 240 V Shore power
- Diesel heating boiler under cockpit for hot water and thermo controlled radiators
- 2 x Deck head lights
- Reading light
- 12 x Cell 24 V 480 Ah port side batteries
- 12 x Cell 385 Ah batteries starboard
- Aquafresh AF400 AC water maker
- Marine tank monitor
- 4 x Stainless steel fresh water tanks 1,500 litres total
- 2 x Stainless steel diesel tanks 1,000 litres total

- Sestrel steering compass
- Raymarine ST 60 Multi display Speed etc
- Raymarine RW 300 GPS
- B&G Network depth
- Furuno radar
- Icom ICM503 / DSC controller DS 100 VHF
- Icom ICM 700 SSB HF Transceiver

- 6 person Viking life raft
- Auto float switch bilge pump
- Electric gear pump
- Manual pump
- Manual stirrup pump
- 3 x 2 Kg powder extinguishers
- 1 x 2 Kg auto powder extinguisher in lazarette
- Fire alarm in galley
- 1 x 4 Kg Clean agent R236 Auto fire suppression unit for B&C class fires in engine room

Refitting has been meticulously carried out by the present owners since 2000 with no detail spared - it has been their objective to own a boat which was as good - if not better, than when she was new. Full details of the work carried out are available.