William Fife / OM Watts 39 ft Cutter 1936 - Sold

Among the designs of Fairlie built yachts by William Fife III himself, were a handful by some competing designers such as GL Watson, Alfred Mylne and OM Watts - the latter responsible for PEREGRINE. The virtues of his design – and the build are more than well expressed in the Yachting Monthly magazine review of 1937 from which we quote below. Suffice to say now that she has retained her original qualities in spades some 80 years on as a sea-kindly cruising yacht for the benefit and pleasure of any future owner.

PEREGRINE was bought by her current owner in 1998 - aware the previous owner had Nigel Irens examine her rig to reduce weather helm in strong winds. In view of this the boom was shortened by 18 inches and the bowsprit extended by the same length. She was then taken to the Caribbean for a season. Prior to that she had been owned by a Swiss national and domiciled in Greece for 4 years.

The current owner has cruised extensively in English Channel waters. In 2012 he sailed her to Gran Canaria - and then across to St Lucia in the 2012 ARC. The winter 2012- 13 was spent cruising in the Caribbean.

Lloyd's register identifies some previous owners as
1936 to 1938 H.F.B. Sharp
1939 to 1946 Captain P.N. Melitus
1947 to 1979 E.G. Hocquard
1980 G. Jelly

Copy exists of an article reviewing PEREGRINE in an issue of “Yachting World” from 1937, some of which bears reproducing here:

“When an experienced owner, who knows just what he wants can work in harmony with his naval architects and then take the resulting design to a firm of first class builders then the finished yacht is generally worth a close inspection – and PEREGRINE is by no means an exception.............. He stipulated she should be fit to face any weather which might be encountered during her wanderings, possess an easy motion in a seaway and capable of being handled by a crew of two. It was also specified that the construction and finish of the new yacht should be as near perfect as possible.

That the designers rose to the challenge has been very amply demonstrated in PEREGRINE’s performances, whilst in building at the Fairlie yard of William Fife & Son, they made sure she was “yacht built” in the truest sense”. The article goes on to relate not only some experiences destined to mark her out as a worthy voyager in all conditions but give a detailed resume of the materials employed in her construction and quality of her build.

- Teak planking
- Oak and elm frames
- Galvanised iron and some stainless steel floors
- Solid teak deck
- Varnished teak superstructure
- Austrian oak joinery below

From aft
- Teak deck
- Varnished teak cover boards
- Varnished teak cap rail
- Bronze fairleads each side
- Galvanised mooring cleats each side
- Galvanised steel tiller with varnished teak cap
- Galvanised steel stanchions
- Holt mainsheet blocks
- Main sheeted from outside cockpit to aft cockpit winch
- Tiller
- Raw teak and bronze cleats
- Giles running backstay levers each side
- Bronze mushroom vent
- Varnished teak cockpit coamings extend fwd to dog house
- Raw teak helmsman’s seat over large lazarette aft
- Raw teak cockpit seating each side with deep lockers under
- 2 x Lewmar 16 bronze ST main sheet winches on teak pedestals outboard
- 2 x Lewmar 30 bronze ST foresail sheet winches
- Vetus engine control
- Plastimo steering compass
- Lofrans windlass control
- Varnished teak doghouse
- Sliding hatch and double doors
- Varnished teak handrails on doghouse roof each side
- Varnished teak and galvanised steel pole boom gallows
- Reduced height trunk cabin fwd with port lights each side and fwd
- Lifting hatch on centreline
- Teak chocks for stowing life raft
- 4 x Lemon squeezer port lights in doghouse roof
- Bronze Genoa tracks on toe rail each side
- Bronze mushroom vent on coach roof
- Mast fwd of trunk cabin with galvanised pin rails each side at base
- Lewmar 16 bronze reefing winch
- 2 x Bronze halyard winches with fixed handles
- Bronze staysail horse
- Staysail boom
- Lofrans Kobra anchor windlass with gypsy and warping drum
- Raised varnished teak hatch offset to port with 2 x lemon squeezer lights
- Bronze mushroom vent
- 2 x Deck prism lights
- Large galvanised mooring cleat on centreline
- 2 x Small cleats each side
- Varnished spruce bowsprit
- Bronze fairleads on bow each side
- Bow rollers each side
- CQR anchor and 90 m chain + additional robe stowed under sole
- Forestay with roller furler to bowsprit fwd

- Sliding hatch and double doors to doghouse
- Teak seats each side
- Volvo engine controls
- Navigation instrument repeaters
- Down 2 steps over engine box
- Original teak interior
- White painted teak deck head
- Teak cabin sole

Galley to port
- Top loading fridge
- Stainless steel double sink
- Hot and cold mixer and salt water taps
- Stowage under and outboard
- Force 10 gimballed 2 burner hob and oven
- Plate and cup stowage outboard

Quarter berth to stbd
- Chart table folds up to bulkhead fwd
- Clock, barometer and thermometer above
- Electrics isolator panel
- Heater control
- Opening port
- Oil lamp
- 2 x Deck head lights
- Deck prism

Head compartment fwd
- Opening port
- Blakes manual WC
- Porcelain wash basin
- Hot and cold mixer and shower head
- Deck prism and deck head light
- Grated teak sole

Saloon
- 2 x Settees; one each side
- Backs fold down to create large single berths
- Drop leaf dining table on centreline
- 6 x Opening ports
- 4 x Lemon squeezer lights
- 2 x Deck head lights
- Drinks cabinet and stowage lockers to port
- Large hanging and stowage lockers to stbd

Fore cabin
- Double berth (Danforth anchor stowed under)
- Hanging locker to port
- Banquette to stbd
- Hatch in deck head
- Opening port
- 2 x Deck prisms
- Deck head light
- 2 x Reading lights

- Varnished spruce 2 spreader mast with diamonds
- Spruce spars
- Stainless steel standing rigging

Sails by McKillop, maintained and considered in GC
- Main
- Jib on roller furler
- Boomed staysail
- Storm jib
- Storm trysail
- Gennaker

- Volvo D2/55 Diesel engine
- Propeller shaft on centreline
- 3 bladed fixed bronze propellor
- Alternator on engine
- Calorifier
- 12V electrical system
- 240V shore power
- 3 x 110 Ah domestic batteries new 2015
- 1 x 110 Ah engine start battery new 2015
- Eberspacher cabin heater
- Steel c 25 gallon / 112 litre fuel tank
- Galvanised iron 55 gallon / 250 l water tank
- 22 Gallon / 100 l holding tank
- Gaz cooking gas bottles

- Furuno Navtex
- Raymarine C80 Chart plotter
- Raymarine auto pilot
- Raymarine wind
- Raymarine Tri data
- Raymarine RAY 54 E VHF
- Icom IC-M801E
- Sony radio and CD player

- Ocean Safety Ocean 4C ISO 9650 Solas B 4 person life raft specify
- Manual bilge pump – in stbd cockpit seat locker
- Gas alarm

2001- 02
- New forestay
- New solid teak deck laid

2007- 08
- New Volvo D2/55
- New Cutlass bearing
- New shaft and propeller
- Keel bolts checked
- Replaced any corroded iron floors with stainless
- Chart plotter installed
- New backstay
- All seacock bolts replaced

2015
- New bowsprit
- New boom
- Rigging bottles screws replaced