McGruer 44 ft Bermudan Yawl 1961

FRENESI’s pedigree from the board and yard of McGruers of Clynder, Scotland, is without question: together with her three sisterships; American-influenced bigger cousins to the 8-Metre Cruiser-Racers that were making James McGruer's name at the same time. Her unmistakable lines delight discerning sailors and spectators in any marina or anchorage. Our particular enthusiasm for FRENESI is based on two facts. She has always enjoyed owners who have left no stone unturned with respect to her maintenance and upgrades, resulting in a yacht that is admired for her finish and fine condition - hard to fault. Secondly she is a true sailing yacht: qualified and competitive under any rating rule; equally a worthy performer at any of the blossoming classic yacht regattas - and, of course, as a supremely comfortable, fast, safe and elegant cruising yacht.

This is a provisional set of details; new photos and specs to be added in the coming weeks

FRENESI is a very fine, powerful classic yacht from the drawing-board of James McGruer, one of the UK’s most iconic yacht designers. His boatyard at Clynder on the Clyde certainly knew how to build a good looking and immensely strong yacht and FRENESI is no exception. She is well proportioned with a very sweet sheer and a beautifully profiled, low coachroof and Pilot-House. Structurally, the yacht has been returned to an extremely sound condition and certainly the repairs and cosmetic refit have been carried out to the very highest standards by Tim Gilmore Ltd.

2020 - by Tim Gilmore, Birdham Pool
- Replacement underbody planking forward
- Lead ballast keel dropped
- All bronze keelbolts replaced
- All wrought iron strap floors and steel plate floors removed
- All floors repaired where necessary and re-galvanised
- All floors refastened with galvanised fastenings
- Local frame repairs
2013
- New engine installation (photographic record available)
- Floor bolts under engine renewed at same time
2007
- New mizzen mast
2006
- Teak laid deck re-caulked
2001
- New main mast chainplates
2003
- New mizzen mast chainplates
2000
Main mast step redesigned in by fabricating a stainless steel matrix, fastened to the stem and the mainframes, to spread the compression loads over a wide area.

MCGRUER YARD NO. 597
FRENESI, originally MARGUERITA HELENA III, is the third of a series of four legendary yawls of similar dimensions designed by James McGruer through the late 1950s and early 1960s. She was launched in time for the 1961 London Boat Show, and awarded “Best in Show”, and first sailed from the Solent under various owners.

Then, in 1970, the Scottish racing driver Ninian Sanderson bought her and took her back to the Clyde, renaming her FRENESI OF CLYNDER in admiration of Artie Shaw’s jazz saxophone track of that name. From 1973 to 1997 she was owned by Peter Gray who raced her in the Irish Sea and cruised the west coast of Scotland. From 1997 David Hart kept her at Poole primarily for racing, and she won her class in the Warsash 2002 and 2003 Spring Series. In 2005 she also won her class at the Nord / LB classic yacht event at Sandhamn, Sweden, celebrating the 175 years of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) and 100 years of the Swedish Sailing Federation (SSF). Since 2006 FRENESI has enjoyed a quieter and comparatively relaxed life in the hands of Thomas Board her current owner, cruising to the south coast of Portugal and Spain, and nearer home the coastal waters of the North Sea and English Channel.

- Originally built to Lloyd's ✠100A1
- Mahogany 15/16 in / 24 mm topsides planking
- Teak 15/16 / 24 mm in underbody planking
- Laminated mahogany frames
- Steamed Canadian rock elm intermediate timbers
- Bronze screw and copper rivet fastened
- Elm wood keel and sternpost
- Laminated mahogany stem
- Conventional moderate long keel displacement hull form
- Lead ballast keel, bronze bolt fastened (new bolts 2020)
- The rudder is hung the full depth of the vessel.
- Galvanized steel angle plate floors (re-galvanised 2020)
- Galvanized wrought iron strap floors (re-galvanised 2020)
- Copper and gunmetal fastenings
- Yacht laid teak deck (re-caulked in 2006) over ply sub deck and oak deck beams
- King plank, cover boards and toe rail in teak.
- Doghouse, cockpit and coach roof also in teak.
- 1 ¼ inch thick mahogany coamings
- Oak cabin sole

GENERAL
- Teak laid deck on plywood substrate
- Varnished teak covering boards
- Varnished teak uncapped toerail
- Stainless steel pushpit
- Stainless steel stanchions
- Stainless steel pulpit
- Outboard motor stowage
- Varnished teak pushpit seat with locker under
- Chromed ensign staff socket
- Chromed mooring fairleads port and starboard
- Chromed and teak ‘Clyde’ mooring cleats port and starboard
- Chromed low profile mushroom vent
- Cheeck blocks for downwind sails
- Padeye and stainless steel block for mizzen sheet
- Backstay chainplate
- Varnished teak raised lazarette hatch
- Mizzen mast position
- Seat at mizzenmast
- 2 x Raised chromed mushroom vents

COCKPITS
- Varnished teak uncapped coaming
- Raw teak gratings
Aft, steering cockpit
- Continuation of deck (varnished) as seating
- Laminated wheel
- Sestrel white painted binnacle
- Navigation screens and repeaters
- Lewmar mainsheet traveller
- Boom crutch
- Engine control
- External VHF speaker
Forward cockpit
- Varnished teak locker top seats port and starboard
- Stowage under
- Double companionway doors; hinge down washboard
- Sheet winches on coamings lean-to plinths
- 2x Lewmar 50s genoa sheet winches (2014)
- 2x Antal spinnaker winches

COACHROOF AND LOW DOGHOUSE
- Teak uprights; painted roof
- Sliding companionway hatch
- Varnished grab rails port and starboard
- Varnished liferaft stowage chocks
- Boathook stowage to stbd
- Chromed half cowls port and starboard
- 2 x Chromed doghouse windows port and starboard
- 2 x Chromed doghouse ports fwd
- 4 x Chromed coachroof side ports port and starboard;1 x port fwd
- Raised hatch over saloon
- Main mast position
- Chromed dorade-type vent cowls port and starboard
- Raised fore hatch over fore cabin
-

SIDE DECKS
- Lewmar rail-top headsail track and cards port and starboard
- Deck mounted smaller headsail tracks port and starboard
- Spinnaker pole stowage chocks port and starboard

FOREDECK
- 45 lb CQR anchor on foredeck chocks (1961)
- 20 lb CQR anchor (1961)
- 40 fathoms chain (1961)
- Bow rollers port and starboard of stemhead
- Francis 1500 chromed electric anchor windlass; 1000 kg pull (refurbished 2006)
- Chromed mooring fairleads port and starboard
- Chromed and teak ‘Clyde’ mooring cleats port and starboard

There are six berths in two cabins, the cabin joinery is of white painted teak faced ply main bulkheads, varnished teak joinery, scrubbed oak cabin sole and white painted deckhead; all providing both good light and ambience. Headroom exceeds six feet throughout.

Forward of the helm position and cockpit is the hatch and companionway access down to the main cabin. To port is a seat and galley with a 2000 gimballed Nelson Spinflow 2-burner stove, grill and oven, and built-in Coolmatic 12V compressor coolbox. Work surfaces are Corian and a stainless steel sink drains overboard, with a 2014 Seagull IV water purifier fitted under the sink. Pressurised ot water is provided to the galley and wc compartment from the engine calorifier tank (in the port cockpit locker), also fitted with an immersion heater.

- Crockery, cutlery, glassware etc for 8
- Cooking pots and utensils

Opposite is the chart table to starboard with ample drawer and locker provision, full modern instrument displays (new instruments 2013) and the switchboard.

In the spacious saloon cabin there are a port and starboard settee berths each with a pilot berth outboard. Between them is a drop-leaf table. Forward to port is the WC compartment with toilet and wash basin. Opposite is a sideboard with a locker above and below.

- Panasonic radio/ CD player
- 3 x Oil lamps (2008)

In the forecabin are two fixed v-berths, with drawer under, full headroom, large hanging locker on each side, boot lockers and clothes lockers.

RIG
- Original hollow sitka spruce main mast
- 4 x Lewmar Halyard winches (2014)
- Mast step redesigned 2000 (see Refits)
- Chainplates repaced 2001
- Solid sitka spruce main boom
- Solid sitka spruce mizzen mast (2007)
- Chainplates repaced 2003
- Solid sitka spruce mizzen boom
- Furlex headsail furler
- Alloy spinnaker pole

SAILS
Classic Regatta Suit in Cream Dacron by Sanders Sails (2005)
- Mainsail
- Genoa
- Mizzen
Downwind sails by Sanders and Relling (1999 - 2003)
- 0.75 oz Nylon Spinnaker
- 1.5 oz Contender Maxlite Spinnaker
- 1.5 oz Nylon Asymmetric Spinnaker
- ATN sleeve/snuffer (2013)
- ATN tacker (2013)
- (for use with asymmetric spinnaker when short-handed
Cruising suit
- Mainsail (Richardson 1998)
- Lazy Jacks on Mainsail (added in 2013)
- Mizzen (Richardson 1998)
- Genoa (Saturn 1991)
- Storm trysail (1976)
- Storm jib (1976)

CANVASWORK
- Mainsail and mizzen boom covers
- Coachroof and doghouse varnish covers (2006)
- 2 x Section summer tent (2006)
- 4 x Section heavy duty winter tent by Sanders Sails (2013)

MECHANICAL
- Nanni 43HP inboard diesel (2013)
- (Photographic record of installation)
- (Floor bolts under engine renewed at same time)
- 3-Blade Maxprop feathering propeller (1998)
- TechnoDrive TMC 60 gearbox (2013)
- New engine instruments and cockpit box (2013)

ELECTRICAL
- Rewired throughout in 2002
- Main mast and mizzen wiring renewed 2007
- 1 x 12 V Engine start battery (2014)
- 2 x 12 V Domestic batteries (2014)

TANKAGE
- 2 x Galvanised water tanks, 60 Gal/ c227 L total
- (Under cabin sole)
- Fuel tank 30 Gal / c 114 L
- Stainless steel holding tank 12 Gal / c45 L (2006)
- Hot water calorifier, off engine with 6.6 Gal/ 30 L tank (2003)

- Sestrel binnacle compass (1961)
- Sestrel handheld compass (1961)
- Yeoman Pro chart plotter (2002)
- Raymarine C125 12” cockpit chart plotter with new control box, compass etc (2013)
- Tacktick wireless wind/depth/log instruments and control system, with new through-hull fittings and 3 cockpit displays (all 2013)
- McMurdo AIS receiver (2017)
- Simard HLD2000S hydraulic steering arm (attached directly to rudder mechanism) with Raymarine SPX30 corepack and rudder feedback, controlled by Raymarine pilot P70R (steers to wind or compass heading) (all 2013)

COMMUNICATIONS
- Icom M59 Euro VHF radio
- Icom VHF at chart table (2013)
- Furuno Navtex (2013)

- Plastimo Cruiser 8-person cannister, in-date liferaft (2000)
- Lifebuoys
- Dan Buoy (2017)
- Man overboard recovery sling & halyard tackle (2014)
- Offshore flares to RORC standard (2017)
- Guardrails (2003)
- 2 x Fire extinguishers (2017)
- 1 x Automatic engine bay fire extinguisher (2013)
- Fire blanket
- Jack stays (renewed 2013)
- Jabsco Bilgemaster electric bilge pump (2002)
- 2 x Hand-operated bilge pumps
- ASL 650 gas detector / bottle isolator (2003)

- Warps & fenders (very recent)
- Boarding ladders
- Cockpit cushions
- Cockpit table