Speedwell of Hong Kong

[Captain Smollett]

One of the boats that Hiscock mentions in Voyaging Under Sail is Speedwell of Hong Kong.

The boat is a Vertue class designed by Laurent Giles and built in 1952.  At 25 ft LOA, Speedwell is a true SailFar boat with MULTIPLE ocean crossings under belt.

She's still out there and still cruising.

As of 1998, Speedwell is owned by Shirley Carter, that rare female solo full time cruiser.

Since owning the boat, Shirley has given her fiberglass cladding over her wooden hull and converted her to a junk rig.

Shirley also has this to say:

After having seen many dreams to go cruising founder due to too much concern over achieving the ultimate in equipment and gadgetry, I prefer to keep things as simple as possible. Even so I spend a lot of time maintaining and repairing the equipment that I do have.

...

I have no refrigeration on board which has not really been a problem. It certainly heightens my appreciation of a really cold beer when I do manage to get one.

Sailfar boat with a TON of history and a true sailfar sailor....

[Jim_ME]

John, That is a great quote.

A friend of mine in Eastport, his wife and daughter cruised and lived aboard their Vertue for years, and had nothing but praise for the boat. They definitely had a similarly KISS philosophy. Less stuff, less to go wrong.

Although modest in length, they are heavy and have a very high comfort ratio. I was looking at these photos of one and noticing how full the bilges are. 27 feet LOA and 11,000 pounds displacement seems like it should be adequate.  ;)

Also found this video of one.