Fred Shepherd 80 ft Bermudan Ketch 1928

MILENA is everything one wants a classic yacht to be. She has presence and wonderful provenance; is fine, yet solid, and spacious of her type; everything is in proportion, clean on deck and comfortably elegant below; fast and seakindly. In fact, MILENA represents everything Fred Shepherd did so very well, and has been all of that for her present owner - a love affair for almost fifty years. At 80 ft/ 24 m on deck, MILENA sits in that sweet zone where a competent and fit couple could run without professional crew, or with minimum crew. And for regattas, her efficient bermudan ketch rig doesn’t require to be handled by a rugby team.

I have owned MILENA for 47 years; she is a most wonderful yacht for cruising. I have spent many summers in Turkey and Greece on her. In the right hands she can also convert to a fast racing yacht. It is with great reluctance that I have decided to sell her.

2012
New main mast

2007
Cantiere Navale dell'Argentario

2004
New teak laid deck on marine plywood
- Re-caulked 2020

2000
Electrical and plumbing

1980
New teak laid deck

1957
Chantier Picchiotto, Viareggio

MILENA was launched as PAMELA (the name can still be seen on her ship’s bell) into the Itchen River, Southampton, on Monday 7th May 1928 with her owner Sir Rhodes Cobb’s daughter Mrs Eileen Hollowey doing the honours. She was named after Cobbs’s grand-daughter, Pamela Game; daughter of his youngest daughter, Olive.

PAMELA had been built under Lloyd’s supervision and awarded their ✠18A1 Classification, then the highest available to a wood yacht. The original deck was of supremely durable kauri pine, her sails were by Ratsey & Lapthorn, and auxiliary power was supplied by a four-cylinder, 30 hp Kelvin petrol motor. The local newspaper was mighty impressed by her reversing propeller, and that she was equipped with electric lighting throughout.

Royal London Yacht Club member and Esher, Surrey resident Rhodes H. Cobb was from of one of London’s leading Garlick Hill fur broker houses (Anning, Chadwick and Kiver Ltd) whose wealth allowed his son, John, to lead an adventurous life ticking off superlatives on land and water. At Bonneville Speedway in Utah, John Cobb would eventually gain the World Land Speed Record three times, in 1938, 1939 and 1947. But his 1952 attempt on the World Water Speed record on Loch Ness, Scotland, ended in tragedy when his jet powered boat CRUSADER broke up at over 300 km/h.

Since 1923, Rhodes Cobb had owned the Fred Shepherd-designed ketch DIADEM built in 1907, also by White’s. Their substantial yard was on the opposite bank of the River Itchen from Camper & Nicholsons (the site now known as “Shamrock Quay”) and would later became better known in living memory as Willments Shipyard. Cobb had obviously been happy with DIADEM; PAMELA was clearly a stretched sister ship.

But Cobb did not keep PAMELA for long. In 1930 she was sold to someone who one can’t avoid thinking must have been a friend of John Cobb: the equally daring speedster Lt. Commander Glen Kidston, R.N. Rtd. He’d been a fearless naval officer during the First World War, once torpedoed twice in different vessels on the same morning; was once known as Britain's most eligible bachelor; had been one of the late 1920s ‘Bentley Boys’ who successfully raced Bentley sports cars in Europe – including winning the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1930 with Woolf Barnato. Kidston was also a record breaking aviator; only one year into his ownership of PAMELA he lost his life in a crash while piloting a de Havilland Puss Moth in South Africa.

PAMELA then settled into longer ownership at Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, by highly successful Dublin building contractor John Good whose previous yacht had been the Fife 12-Metre LADY EDITH, now based at Istanbul’s Rahmi M. Koç Museum. Good became Vice Commodore of the Royal Alfred Yacht Club in 1935 and was a member of the Royal Irish Yacht Club. Ireland remained neutral during the second world war with organised yachting resuming in 1942. It is not yet clear if she remained in commission at Dun Laoghaire, or whether her next owner had purchased her just before the outbreak of the Second World War. In late 1930's Fred Shepherd brokerage adverts the unnamed vessel in the following description just has to be her:

"60 TON AUX. KETCH - Handsome and able craft by eminent builders to 15A.1 Lloyd’s Class. Ratsey sails. Lead keel. Accommodation sleeps 4 in 3 cabins. Artistic saloon, galley, toilets, bathrooms etc. Also companion deckhouse. Good turn of speed. Easily handled and fine seaboat. Price only 3500 Guineas"

'Artistic saloon' - we like that.

In the 1946 Supplement to the 1939 edition of Lloyd's Register of Yachts, PAMELA’s new owner was recorded as Lord Glentanar, aka Thomas Coats of the J & P Coats thread making family, famous as serial yacht owners from the profits of one of the world's largest companies through the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Under Glentanar's ownership she was most probably mainly Firth of Clyde-based. In 1947 she was fitted with a new Coventry four-cylinder diesel engine.

By the mid-1950s PAMELA had relocated to the Western Mediterranean and a series of Italian ownerships began, one rumoured to be a countess:

c1955-1959 Dr T. Verriotis, Milan
c1958: Lloyd's classification discontinued at owner's request
1959-1961 Anonymously listed
1961-1965 Comm. Alfredo Vergani, Genoa
1965-1969 Società de Navigazione “Milena” S.A., Pisa
1966: Name changed to MILENA
1966: Reclassed with Lloyd's ✠100A1
1969: General Motors six cylinder 185 hp diesel motor fitted

In 1969 MILENA's ownership transferred to Antibes-based professional yacht skipper Barry Piggin who berthed her at San Remo. Her Lloyd's Class was again discontinued at owner's request in 1970.

Remarkably, her present owner purchased MILENA from Barry Piggin in 1974 and it's been a romance ever since. Over the past almost 50 years MILENA has cruised, chartered, taken part in occasional classic regattas - and, of course, enchanted all who have sailed with her.

©2024 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd.

- Teak planking on oak frame
- Teak laid deck on marine plywood substrate (2004)
- Teak deck carpentry
- Mahogany interior carpentry

GENERAL
- Teak laid deck
- Stanchioned bulwarks; varnished capping rails
- Additional stainless steel bulwark stanchions
- Stainless steel guardrail stanchions

FROM AFT

AFT DECK
- Open stanchioned taffrail
- Mizzen backstay chainplate
- Teak grating
- Bronze fairleads port and starboard
- Stainless steel anti-chafe
- Bronze ensign staff socket
- Bronze mizzen sheet horse
- Padeyes port and starboard
- Bronze Panama fairleads port and starboard
- Flush lazarette access hatch

COCKPIT
- Well type with raised teak coamings
- Laid teak on marine ply sole
- Central steering gear box
- Forward traditional ship's wheel
- Bronze steering indicator
- Autopilot fairing aft to match steering gear box
- Instrumentation and throttle control forward
- Deck as cockpit seating port and starboard
- Stern nav light at aft coaming
- Chromed steering compass binnacle on deck immediately fwd

MIZZEN MAST POSITION

AFT MID DECK
- Modern deck hatch over engine room
- 8 x Bronze sheeting winches
- Mix of self/ non-tailing; electric/ manual
- Associated cleats
- 2 x Chromed vent cowls
- Butterfly skylight serving master cabin and engine room
- Double sun lounger over
- Mainsheet tackles, padeyes and cleats

DECKHOUSE COMPANIONWAY
- Nicely proportionate low level deckhouse
- Sliding hatch and 2 x door companionway
- Grabrails port and starboard
- Half skylights port and starboard to aft heads and guest cabin

FORWARD MID DECK
- Foldaway dining table with stowage box seats fore and aft
- Saloon butterfly skylight
- Galley butterfly skylight
- 24 V Drinks fridge
- Gas bottle locker

MAIN MAST POSITION

FOREDECK
- Modern forehatch to crew cabin
- 3000 W Hyland windlass
- Electric and manual
- 2 x Chain gipsies
- 2 x Warping drums
- Deckwash
- Danforth anchor stowage at bowsprit bits
- Fisherman anchor stowage port rail with anti-chafe
- Bollard at bowsprit bits
- Bronze Panama type leads to bow rollers port and starboard

GROUND TACKLE
- 2 x Danforth anchors
- 1 x 80 kg Fisherman anchor
- c. 120 m 14 mm Anchor chain
- c. 100 m 15 mm Anchor chain

GENERAL
- Berths for up to 6 in 3 x cabins
- Crew cabin with 3 x berths
- Air conditioning in 2 x cabins and saloon

ACCESS VIA DECKHOUSE COMPANIONWAY
- Banquettes port and starboard
- Shelves outboard
- Fold down chart table forward
- Navigation and communications equipment
- Elegant stair wheels to port
- Lobby

FROM AFT

MASTER CABIN AFT
- 1 x Double berth to starboard
- Lockers under
- 1 x Single berth to port
- Drawers/ stowage under
- Sideboard/ chest of drawers
- Hanging locker
- Access to engine room and lazarette
- 2 x Opening ports
- Bulkhead lamps
- Reading lamps

MASTER CABIN EN-SUITE BATHROOM
- Inset sink in marble top
- Lockers over, under, outboard
- Mirror
- Toilet
- Shower
- Towel rail and other holders
- Half skylight over
- Opening port
- Deckhead lights

PASSAGE FORWARD TO LOBBY
- Day head/ shower compartment to port
- Toilet and shower
- Deckhead light
- Companionway stair to starboard

GUEST CABIN TO STARBOARD
- 1 x Large berth
- Drawer stowage under
- Sideboard with locker under
- Hanging locker
- Half skylight over
- Opening port
- Bulkhead lamp
- Reading lamp

SALOON
- Settee to port; panelling outboard
- Sideboard fwd port locker under; glazed lockers and bookshelves over
- L-settee offset to starboard; panelling and glazed locker outboard
- Fold out dining table; seats 7
- Sideboard fwd starboard locker under; glazed lockers and bookshelves over
- Large butterfly skylight over
- 2 x Opening ports
- Bulkhead lamps

EN-SUITE GUEST CABIN TO STARBOARD FWD FROM SALOON
- Up and over bunks
- 'Wet room' bathroom forward
- Wash basin with hot and cold taps
- Shower with teak grating
- Toilet
- Mirror
- Lockers
- Deckhead light

FORWARD TO PORT TO GALLEY/ UTILITY AREA OFFSET TO PORT
- Electrical panel to port
- 2 x Bowl stainless steel sink and drainer to port
- Mixer tap
- Siemens electric oven to port
- Siemens gas hob to starboard
- Siemens varioPerfect washing machine
- Miele dishwasher
- 220V Fridge/ freezer
- Deckhead lights

FORWARD TO CREW CABIN
- 3 x Berths
- WC area forward
- Toilet to port
- Shower
- Inset sink to starboard
- 80 cm Modern forehatch over
- Deckhead lights

RIG
- Spruce mainmast (2012)
- Fabricated gooseneck/ spiderband pinrail
- 2 x Lewmar 54 Bronze self-tailing halyard winches
- 1 x Lewmar 46 Bronze self-tailing halyard winch
- 1 x Bronze non self-tailing halyard winch
- Main boom
- Fir mizzen mast
- Barbarossa 40 non self-tailing halyard winch
- Mizzen boom
- Bowsprit
- Stainless steel rigging (2012)

SAILS
- Mainsail
- Mizzen
- No. 1 Staysail
- No. 2 Staysail
- No. 3 Staysail
- No. 1 Jib
- No. 2 Jib
- Spinnaker
- Drifter
- Mizzen staysail

CANVASWORK
- Main boom awning
- Aft awning
- Forward awning
- All over winter awning
- Cockpit cushions
- Deck seat cushions
- Sunlounger cushions
- Over skylight cushions

MECHANCAL
- MAN Nanni 6660E 6 cyl 150 hp Diesel
- Engine hours: 8000
- In aperture Max-prop
- Kohler 13 kWA Generator

ELECTRICAL
- Victron 50 A battery charger
- Victron 3000 W Inverter
- 500 Ah Service batteries
- 150 Ah Engine start battery

TANKAGE
- 1 x 100 L Fuel day tank
- 1 x 600 L Fuel bunker tank
- 1 x 400 L Fuel bunker tank
- 2 x 1200 L Water tanks
- 1 x 80 L Grey water tank; Gianneshi 24 V pump
- 2 x 50 L Black water tank
- 1 x Electric hot water tank
- 1 x Gas hot water tank

OTHER
- 100 L / hour Watermaker
- Gianneshi 24 V chain wash pump

ANALOG NAV
- Danforth Constellation compass

ELECTRONIC NAV
- Raymarine system
- Echo sounder
- NECO Autopilot

COMMUNICATIONS
- VHF radio

- 10-Person Liferaft
- Lifejackets

- Passarelle
- Zodiac tender
- 2 x Outboard motors (1 x new 2020)

- Main: Thierry Seray/ Alamy
- Other sailing: James Robinson Taylor
- White's Yard: Britain from Above