Built to the order of one the Isle of Wight resort of Bembridge's socialite summer visitors, the delightful pocket gaffer WINDFLOWER has almost always been moored within the sheltered but often boisterous tidal Solent waters known intimately by her designer, Alfred Westmacott. His one-design classes such as the X-OD and Solent Sunbeam have for over a century proven very well suited to the Solent chop, so WINDFLOWER's ability can thus be taken for granted.Built to the order of one the Isle of Wight resort of Bembridge's socialite summer visitors, the delightful pocket gaffer WINDFLOWER has almost always been moored within the sheltered but often boisterous tidal Solent waters known intimately by her designer, Alfred Westmacott. His one-design classes such as the X-OD and Solent Sunbeam have for over a century proven very well suited to the Solent chop, so WINDFLOWER's ability can thus be taken for granted. A major 2005 refit ensured continuing happy life, and her efficient rig has helped gain many overall regatta wins. Under present ownership since 2008, WINDFLOWER has been kept ashore undercover by winter, with her sail inventory, standing and running rigging continually upgraded. WINDFLOWER is a sweetheart ready to sail away with you.
2022 REFIT Rig - Stripped and re varnished boom - Stripped and re varnished gaff - Stripped and re varnished bowsprit - New runners - New runner blocks - New main sheet - New main halyard - New gaff halyard and strop - New staysail halyard - New spinnaker halyard - New tack line - New staysail furling line - New mainsail lashings - New pole topping lift - New pole fore guy and cam cleat block - New jib sheets Engineering - New raw water hoses - New Whale Titan bilge pump - Propeller service - Serviced all deck winches Other Paint and varnish - Stripped and re varnished deck house - Stripped and re varnished all floor boards - Stripped and re varnished both hatches - Varnished rub rail and toe rail - Re-antifouled the bottom - Re-deck-gripped the deck and cabin top Canvaswork - New fore hatch cover - New mast boot cover - New runner block covers Misc. - New fender covers and fender lines - New mooring lines 2018 - Engine removed for cleaning and repainting 2018 - New stainless steel fuel tank 2005 Major refit - New engine - All new spars - All new rigging - All new sails
WINDFLOWER was born WEE MAC possibly after J.J. Bell's popular early 20th Century fictional character 'Wee MacGreegor'. She was the first of three WEE MACs ranging in length from 32 to 55 feet, all designed by Alfred Westmacott and built by his Woodnutt & Co. yard at St Helens, Isle of Wight, for Bembridge Sailing Club member and sporting accountant Adam T. Turquand-Young. His address, Sunningdale, Berkshire, heavily hints at his favourite sport - golf, a passion shared with Westmacott. His son David Turquand-Young was a typical of the times gentleman amateur all-rounder, representing Britain as a modern pentathlete at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics, and a member of England national rugby union team in 1928 and 1929. WEE MAC became WINDFLOWER when sold in 1934 to fellow Bembridge SC member Herbert Flower, descended from an old eastern merchant family with his home in London and summer home on the Isle of Wight. Flower would keep WINDFLOWER for the rest of his life. One curious August 1938 regatta report from Flower's time describes her coming second in a Bembridge SC round the cans race that entailed motoring for the first round and sailing for the second. Her first post-war owner - whose name could never be forgotten by subsequent owners as it appears on a brass plate on board - was career Corps of Signals soldier Major Thomas de Burgh Miller, MBE, who spent most of the Second World War with Military Intelligence on Malta. Joint owner with his wife Nina, the Millers seem to have divided their sailing base between Bembridge on the Isle of Wight and Hayling Island on the mainland, with Nina being mainly a Bembridge SC member and Thomas with Hayling Island SC. From the mid-1960s WINDFLOWER remained at Bembridge owned by Mr & Mrs Geoffrey Royle, then back to the mainland and Bosham and Hayling with Brian Woodward. Through the late-1970s into the mid 1980s she was moored on the Hamble River when owned by Charles Coxwell then S. Hetherington in the 1990s followed by John Ryan. WINDFLOWER moved briefly to North Wales in the early-2000s with S. Hetherington's brother John, before being purchased back to 'home waters' in the mid-2000s by Don Wood who gave her the major refit described above. So for the vast majority of her long life WINDFLOWER has been moored within the sheltered but often very choppy tidal Solent, since 2008 in the safe hands of a Lymington-based yachting industry professional. Her designer, Alfred Westmacott, knew these waters intimately, and designed classes of yachts proven for over a century to be very well suited to the Solent chop, such as the X-One Design, Solent Sunbeam and Victory classes all still going very strong. WINDFLOWER's ability can thus be taken for granted, and her charm is there for all to see. 2023 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd.
- Pitch pine full length planking - Steamed believed rock elm timbers - Oak backbone - Pine deck and coachroof, canvas sheathed - Double riveted teak coachroof sides
FROM AFT - Teak varnished taffrail - Teak varnished low toerail port and starboard - Large bronze taffrail mooring fairleads port and starboard - Bronze bar mainsheet horse - Traveller adjuster lines to cockpit via cheek blocks and panama fairleads - Bronze Mooring cleats/ running backstay anchors port and starboard - Bronze rudder head. - Wood tiller with modern extension tiller - Bronze and leathered hinged boom crutch LARGE COCKPIT - Raised, capped teak cockpit coaming - 4 x Lewmar 16 bronze self tailing winches on plinths port and starboard - Slatted 'park bench' seats port and starboard - Engine throttle control under port bench - Mainsheet block and jam-cleat at cockpit sole - Lazarette access hatch aft - Engine panel and navigation instrument readouts to port bulkhead - Contest steering compass at starboard bulkhead COACHROOF - Teak sliding hatch at companionway - Teak double doors at companioway - Teak grabrails port and starboard SIDE DECKS - Bronze headsail tracks with bronze blocks port and starboard - Various padeyes port and starboard - Water filler to port; fuel filler to starboard FOREDECK - Various padeyes and fairleads - Mast position - Bronze bar pinrail fwd - Teak forehatch - Samson post - Bowsprit (can be shipped) - Bronze chainpipe to port - Bronze gammon iron with stemside bow rollers port and starboard GROUND TACKLE - 20kg Danforth anchor - 5m Galvanised chain; 20m rope rode
- Down step from companionway to cabin - Access panel to engine front under cockpit sole - 6 x Opening ports in coachroof sides - Galley/ chart table to port with basin outboard - Taylors 2 x burner paraffin hob (not presently used) - A.B. Sands & Sons Co., New York, bronze hand fresh water pump - Stowage at bulkheads and under - Berths port and starboard with stowage under - Painted slatted hull sides/ seat backs - Pitch pine cabin sole - Mast position - Tank for Taylors hob (not presently used) - Bulkhead to port - Fwd to forepeak - Forehatch in deck head - Stowage fwd of Samson post housed in stem
Under present ownership the sail inventory has been continually upgraded along with her running and standing rigging. Running rigging replaced 2022 (see "Refits" above) SPARS - Spruce mast (CollarsFir boom (believed original) - Fir gaff (believed original) - Aluminium spinnaker pole SAILS - All headsails roller furling - Mainsail - Staysail - Large Yankee - Medium Yankee - Small Yankee - Asymmetric spinnaker - Symmetric Spinnaker CANVASWORK - Full winter cover (recent) - Cockpit tent/ awning - Forehatch coverMainsail boom cover - Mast boot coverRunner block covers (2022)
MECHANICAL - Beta Marine 20hp DieselRaw water hoses replaced 2022 - Darglow 3 x blade feathering aperture propeller ELECTRICAL - Engine start 12 V battery in engine space TANKAGE - Stainless steel fuel tankStainless steel water tank (presently off boat)
- Brookes and Gatehouse instruments - Contest steering compass - Tacktick racing compass
- Whale Titan manual bilge pumpAuto electric bilge pump
- Galvanised steel cradle - Oak beaching legs - Boathook - Deck brush - Fenders - Fender coversMooring lines (2022)
Racing photos: William Payne
