Specification
B-Class
Sail Number: 31
Designed By: William (Foreman) Ferris
Built By: William (Foreman) Ferris
Hull material: Wood
Owner/Skipper/s: St Mawes Working Boat Syndicate – skipper Steve Miles
Former Owners: see history below
Former Names: none
Hull Colour/s: White
Topsail Colours; White/Red
Length (ft.):
Approx. Year of Build: 1894
William (Foreman) Ferris, (Andrew’s great grandfather) built Florence in 1895 at Ponsmain, Pill Creek and named her after his youngest daughter. He was 61, a shipbuilder of merchant schooners mainly at Yard in the Restronguet creek. Florence was built for Charles Ferris one of his sons but eventually owned by another son John Tensive Ferris (Tensy, who was Andrew’s grandfather) in about 1900. Florence was used for dredging oysters in the winter and fishing in the summer but Tensy was acquainted with racing at the highest level from his days on the King’s yacht Britannia, so she raced.
Florence’s design is unusual compared to other wooden oysters dredgers in the port. Shortly after Florence, Foreman finished Merlin (Lloyds A1,) a yacht designed by Harley Mead, a prize- winning naval architect. Photographs of Merlin have a striking resemblance to Florence and it is easy to speculate Florence was the prototype for Merlin. Right from the start Florence gained a formidable racing reputation and was the boat to beat in the port.
Tensy grew old but rather than give Florence over to any of his sons she slowly rotted. Barely in time to save her Florence was sold to a grandchild, Tom Burley in 1955. He engaged Bart Moore to carry out a major rebuild and in the 1950’s Florence re-emerged into the dredging fleet. John Sawle of Freshwater Boat yard St Mawes approached Tom Burley in 1965 and struck a deal: John Sawle would race Florence during the summer and Tom dredged in the winter. Her rig was completely restyled enabling her to carry a much large area of sail than many other working boat. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Florence reached a pinnacle of her racing form – her best season was 1970 when she took nine firsts, six seconds and three third prizes. Falmouth week 1969 she entered six races and took first place in every one – a feat that is unsurpassed today.
Tom Burley sold her to John Jackson who after just one year sold her to Alun Davies who commissioned Tony Murray for another major refit: iron floors were installed and the grown frames replaced by laminated iroko.
Andy Tyler had organised a Syndicate, in Roseland, to purchase Evelyn. Andy’s next organised a syndicate to purchase Florence. He wisely chose St Mawes as the base: St Mawes remembered, and she came back in 1997. In need of a lot of work, for many winters in Martin Heard’s yard, members gave their services improving her. Pat Crockford took a special interest and in 2002 began another major restoration including new beams and new decks. Racing in the modern era was a different proposition: glass fibre boats were in vogue. Most wooden boats adapted to meet the challenge; some changed the shape of their keels or attached lead to the keel; Florence remains true to her builder and class.
Mike Tutt helmed for several years until Gary Hitchings joined Florence in 2001 bringing much local knowledge. Florence’s reputation began to return. Steve Miles took over as senior skipper in 2005, then Bill Handley and his wife Lynda joined in 2006 and brought with them a vast experience of racing and rules. Florence demands much to get the best from her and slowly we learned; the vagaries of tide and wind in Carrick roads are still yielding, grudgingly. The backbone of Florence’s successes however is the membership of the Syndicate whose enthusiastic support over many years has resulted in her remarkably good condition: special mention to four founder members: Skipper: Steve Miles, Peter Bryant (Gaff), Malcolm Folley and Andrew Ferris.
