McGruer 47ft Yawl 1968 - Sold

RINAMARA (Gaelic: Queen of the Sea) represents the pinnacle of James McGruer’s ten years’ development of a succession of American influenced cruiser/ racer yawls – among the finest yachts built in Britain post war, and now much sought after. Built for perhaps the McGruer yard’s best customer, Dublin flour miller Peter Odlum, this striking yawl has led a charmed life of cruising and racing from beautiful home ports: on the west coast of Scotland, Ireland, the Balearics and the Channel Islands. Add a 1980s circumnavigation and a long list of successes on the 1990s and 2000s Mediterranean classic regatta circuit and you have the perfect classic family all-rounder. Her most recent owner graduated in McGruer yawls with ELONA, and grabbed the unique chance to move up in size when RINAMARA last became available. She’s a rare and beautiful thing, RINAMARA. Grab the chance!

By the late Roger Perrot, who fell in love with two McGruer yawls:

When I was an impoverished law clerk, [later] an impoverished retired Advocate, I had a mind's eye image of the sort of boat I wanted - a wooden yawl.

I was laughed at by my sailing chums, who seemed to know all about the pitfalls of owning anything with any maritime connection constructed in wood. Anyway, one day on a whim I followed up an advertisement and found myself just below Cowes looking at the exact factual representation of the image which I had had for years: that was ELONA, and my introduction to McGruers. I couldn't not buy her. I owned that lovely boat from 1987 to 2007, and my only reason for selling her was that RINAMARA had come along - her younger, and much more importantly, her longer sister.

ELONA had served me brilliantly well... RINAMARA shares all the McGruer characteristics - good looking, but tough as old boots… and glorious when the sea is running under her as it should. She was built for an Irish owner, but by the time I inspected her in Mallorca she was owned through a Gibraltarian company and racing on the Mediterranean circuit. She did well there under a professional crew, with a number of firsts and seconds.

RINAMARA was built under Lloyds' supervision to their top 100A1 classification, and kept in class and wintered with her original builders, also under under subsequent ownership until her early 1980s circumnavigation, when the classification lapsed.

Her first big refit was at Mashfords, Plymouth, England in the early 1980's when her interior was made more suitable for blue water sailing, and with additional comfort and privacy for long periods on board.

Under her 5th ownership she returned to McGruers in 1992 for a major refit, relaunched into the Gareloch in the summer of 1994 reinstated to Lloyd's 100A1, and remained in class well into the 2000s including a further major refit at Astilleros Palma in 2005.

Apart from the above Lloyd's history, a yacht like RINAMARA demands just desserts and has always received them, remaining to the manner born. In easily handed down memory she's been professionally maintained, and for much of the time skippered, since the early 1990s, at Palma de Mallorca and Antibes, and since 2007 at Guernsey.

McGruer yard no: 623

Peter Odlum (1915-1983) cut his teeth racing on Dublin Bay aboard his father’s Alfred Mylne designed Dublin Bay 21 INISFALLEN, and eventually with his own 21, MAUREEN from 1937, until 1955 when he began his relationship with James McGruer: first for the International 8-Metre Cruiser/ Racer NAMHARA, with INISMARA following in 1963, by which time the Clyde’s fleet of these sleek 42ft sports cars of the sea had become super competitive and INISMARA was among the best.

All yacht racing classes, especially development classes, have their moment. By the late 1960’s, growth in the "Cruiser Eights" class had become stagnant, and Peter Odlum may have tired of weekend commuting from Dublin to the Clyde. So he moved on and commissioned from his favourite designer/builder a larger, more voluminous yawl with the accent on cruising; but for such a committed racer, this would have had to be performance cruising – and James McGruer never designed a slow yacht. The result was RINAMARA: a larger development of the McGruer 43ft yawls, SULE SKERRY, WESTWARD OF CLYNDER, MARGUERITA HELENA III (later FRENESI) and COIGACH; a true fast cruiser; built under Lloyds supervision to their highest classification, 100A1.

With RINAMARA, Odlum was able to vastly extend his cruising range, including sailing to the Mediterranean in 1970 in company with Michael O'Flaherty's 55ft McGruer ketch CUILAUN OF KINSALE, launched that year and designed by James McGruer's son, George, who had taken over the design role after the launch of RINAMARA. Both yachts wintered at Palma de Mallorca 1970/71.

After six seasons with Odlum, in 1973 RINAMARA passed into the ownership of Northern Irish yachtsman Peter Clark, but remained moored on the Firth of Clyde at Clynder and Fairlie until 1977 when her cruising base moved to sheltered Ringhaddy in Strangford Lough, County Down. Under Clark’s ownership, the Lloyds 100A1 classification was renewed, but not kept up by next owner from 1980, Tony Palmer of Valencia, Spain (it would later be reinstated under different ownership.

It is known that at some point in her life RINAMARA underwent a major refit at Mashfords of Cremyll, Plymouth; it most likely would have been under Palmer’s ownership in preparation for his nicely slow early 1980s circumnavigation in her. All we know about that for now is that she, of course, brought him safely round the globe and it ended at the Balearic island of Ibiza in 1983, which would become home port for the next ten years under a presently unknown owner. In 1992 she passed into the ownership of an American friend, who took her back to McGruers for a further refit prior to joining the then burgeoning Mediterranean classic regatta circuit with increasing success and overall wins in Trofeo Conde de Barcelona at Palma de Mallorca, and at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez - professionally crewed by young Bretans alongside friends of the owner.

In 2007 RINAMARA returned to northern waters under the ownership of the late Roger Perrot, whose story is above. She cruised and raced in the Channel Islands, and at the British Classic Yacht Club's Panerai Regatta at Cowes. Her return to the Gareloch in 2012 for The McGruer Regatta was excitedly anticipated there, and she was entered, but the event coincided with Roger's entry into Guernsey politics and the voyage never happened. Perhaps her next owner will return this fine and able yacht to home waters...

©2021 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd

- Mahogany carvel planking on laminated mahogany frames
- Solid raw teak laid deck and coachroof top on plywood substrate (2000)
- Varnished teak deck joinery

From aft
- Teak taffrail blending to full length uncapped toerail
- Teak king plank and covering boards
- Stainless steel pushpit with padeyes for spi sheet blocks
- Stainless steel stanchions
- Stainless steel puplit
- Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard
- Passarelle socket
- Ensign staff socket
- 1 x Chromed bronze and teak Clyde cleat
- Chromed bronze mushroom vent
- 2 x modern low level solar ventilators
- Adjustable main backstay fitting
- Single spreader & strut spruce mizzen mast with radome
- 1 x Cockpit light at spreader height
- Teak lazarette hatch offset to port

Sunk self-draining cockpit with raised uncapped teak coaming
- Mainsheet traveller track at aft coaming
- Ash blocks
- Cambered raw teak helm seat with 220V genset under
- Raw teak lid seat/ lockers port & starboard aft
- Morse type engine control at starboard aft locker
- Raw teak lid seat/ lockers port & starboard fwd
- Steering pedestal/ binnacle; grab bar mounted chart plotter
- McGruer pattern teak wheel with steering brake
- Raw teak topped bridge deck
- Double companionway doors
- Teak winch handle boxes port & starboard
- Traditional teak cleats outboard of coaming

Winches at cockpit coamings on teak plinths
- 2 x Harken 48 2-speed self-tailing chromed bronze winches
- 2 x Barlow 42 self-tailing chromed bronze winches

Lewmar toerail mounted headsail tracks port & starboard

Doghouse and coachroof
- Teak sides; plywood and raw laid teak roof
- Sliding teakcompanionway hatch
- 2 x Lewmar self-tailing winches at companionway
- 2 x Modern line jammers ahead of port winch
- Dorade vents with chromed cowls port & starboard
- McGruer pattern doghouse windows
- 2 x Non-opening ports in doghouse front
- 4 x Non-opening ports in coachroof port & starboard
- Liferaft mounting fwd of doghouse
- Saloon teak and smoked plexiglass hatch

Spruce single spreader main mast
- Dorade vents with chromed cowls port & starboard
- Grannie bars over
- Forecabin teak and smoked plexiglass hatch

Foredeck
- Large forepeak teak and smoked plexiglass hatch
- Interchangeable hinges
- Access also to freezer and chain locker
- Teak spinnaker pole chocks to port
- 2 x Chromed bronze and teak Clyde type mooring cleats
- Chromed bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard
- Chromed bronze mushroom vent
- Lewmar 12V electric anchor windlass vertical drum & chain gipsy
- c45lb Galvanised CQR bower anchor with 60 metres 11mm galvanised chain
- Teak sacrificial chain to deck protection
- Bow rollers either side of stemhead
- CQR kedge anchor
- Teak deck chocks for anchor

Sleeps six in three cabins
- Forward master cabin and aft cabin both feature double berths
- Main saloon converts to accommodate two singles.
- Extensively equipped galley

DOGHOUSE
- Down two steps to engine box and one step to doghouse sole
- Galley to starboard
- Aft cabin to port
- 2 x Open wet hanging lockers to port
- Batteries stowed under aft work surface
- Instrument repeaters to port of companionway
- Various controls under bridge deck incl:
- Aircon
- Bilge pumping
- Anchor windlass
- LJ Harri barometer:
- LJ Harri chime clock
- Weems & Plath ship's clock
- Shelves for misc nav and sailing equipment

GALLEY
- Marble surfaces
- Alpes 3 x bowl stainless steel sink
- Stainless steel dish drainer
- Pressure water mixer tap, rinse head, manual seawater pump
- Alpes stainless steel gas oven with four ring stove and rotisserie
- Franke/ Prodigy Milano built-in deep fryer
- Custom made top opening fridge/freezer
- Ample stowage in lockers and drawers
- Incl plate and cup racks
- Downlighters under side deck

AFT CABIN
- Access via sliding door to port fwd of companionway steps
- Fold down vanity unit fwd
- Very large hanging locker under side deck
- Double bunk
- Upholstered berth cushions (2019)
- Shelves over; stowage under
- Ventilation aft by lifting port fwd cockpit seat
- Opening port aft
- Access to steering gear and aft of engine
- Bulkhead light

FORWARD TO SALOON AND NAV AREA
- "U" sofa to port
- Converts to double bunk
- Stowage under and outboard in lockers
- Book shelves
- Incl dedicated glass and drinks lockers
- Barograph
- Extending saloon table with internal stowage
- Allows nav seat to stbd to become dining seat
- 2 x Deckhead lights

NAV AREA STARBOARD FWD SALOON
- Forward facing chart table with lift lid stowage under
- Drawers under
- Flexible chart reading lamp
- Ships electrical panel to starboard
- Electronic nav instruments and communications equipment fwd
- Downlighters under side deck

FORWARD TO PASSAGE TO FORECABIN
Heads compartment to starboard
- Baby Blake toilet (refurbished by Stirling & Son 2019)
- Shower and washbasin
- Lockers under side deck and under basin
- 2 x Deckhead lights

FORWARD TO DOUBLE FORECABIN
- Dresser with 3 x mirrors and drawers under
- Double berth to port; stowage under
- Upholstered berth cushions (2019)
- Sideboard to port forward; stowage outboard and under
- Large full beam hanging locker forward
- Access to forepeak, freezer and chain locker
- 2 x reading lights
- Deckhead light

FORWARD TO FOREPEAK
- Grunert top opening 200L freezer
- Sail stowage over
- Forward to chain locker

RIG
- Original spruce main and mizzen masts
- Spruce booms
- Loose-footed main and mizzen
- Original roller furling boom system converted to slab
- Anderson stainless steel self-tailing winch under boom
- 2 x Older Lewmar halyard winches at main mast
- 1 x Older Lewmar halyard winch at mizzen mast
- Furlex 300S headsail furler

SAILS
- Mainsail,
- Furling genoa No.2, Ratsey & Lapthorn (2018)
- Genoa No.3
- Mizzen
- Mizzen Staysail
- Spinnaker
- Gennaker
- 10 x older sails

MECHANICAL
- Volvo Penta Volvo D2-55F 55hp Diesel (2011)
- Maxprop three-bladed feathering propeller in aperture
- HFL 220V Genset (under helm seat)

ELECTRICAL
- 12V DC Electrical system
- 220V Shore power/ genset AC system
- Domestic batteries: 2 x 110 amp lead acid
- Engine start battery: Varta lead acid
- Battery charger Victron Centaur 12 volt 60 amp

TANKAGE/ WATER SYSTEMS
- Watermaker 45l/hr (not functioning)
- Pressure water system
- Hot water from calorifier and 220V electric immerser
- Fresh water tank 100L
- Fuel tank 350L

AIR-CONDITIONING
- Grunert airconditioning 220V

- Raymarine GPS
- Raymarine RD418 digital radome radar (2015)
- Raymarine touch screen plotter at helm
- Raymarine touch screen plotter at nav station
- Raymarine instruments; 2 x C95 linked displays, at helm and chart table
- Raymarine Evolution autopilot with mechanical chain drive
- Sirs Navigation "Major" binnacle mounted steering compass
- Simrad RS86 VHF radio
- GSM telephone system: Nokia (believed obsolete)
- Satellite boat phone: Immarsat (functionality not known)
- Thermometer, Barigo

- Seago 8-person canister liferaft (Service due July 2020)
- Provision for emergency steering at cockpit sole
- 4 x Fire extinguishers (2019)
- 1 x Fire blanket (2019)
- Lifebuoy
- Lifejackets: 2 x (2019); 2 x reconditioned
- Flares: offshore pack (2019)

- Teak custom boarding ladder in canvas stowage cover
- Passarelle (in need of repair)
- Stainless steel BBQ
- Cockpit table in canvas stowage cover
- Seagull outboard motor personalised with yacht name

Photos of 1968 launch and sea trials: thanks to Alan Armstrong