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A message from the Hillyard Owners Association…We wish all our Members and supporters a very Happy Christmas, a Peaceful New Year and hope everyone stays safe as we go into 2022. 
The reason I am emailing is because I want to find the boat I learnt to sail in. She is called Lalun, two bunks in the cabin but my father also made me a canvas bunk up forew'd between the mast and the chain locker. My Dad worked for Brooks and Gatehouse in Lymington and we lived in Captains Row. Lalun was moored by Lymington Town Quay and we used to use Bill Hunt's boatyard next to the Stone Cellar (the old Bonded Warehouse, sadly demolished.
Hi Hillyard owners
associates We hope you can join us.
Manda,
Dave, Lorenzo, and Artie
The Bear Family http://hillyardladybear.blogspot.com 'Didicoy'
This
picture
shows Didicoy in the late 1960s in Bembridge
harbour. At the time she was owned by my parents
and had a deepwater mooring at the top of
Chichester harbour. From there, she made
numerous journeys along the south coast, out to
the Isle of Wight or across the Channel. 'Puffin' The Two and A Half
Ton Dream Boat Neil
Richards Writes:
We purchased our 8
tonner, Gannet at the end of 1982 from a
wonderful ex naval officer, Johnnie Johnson.
He and his wife kept her at Ridge Wharf
and had sailed her extensively for many
years. Her topsides were painted
battleship grey and her old Perkins loved to
stop in all the most interesting places.
Ridge had been our home for long before that as
I earned a living teaching offshore sailing from
1972 to 74 in my Westerly Longbow, Crazy Lady so
was longing for a replacement! Over some
years, we carried out an extensive refit,
replacing all the mahogany, splicing in a new
mast section of some 15 feet’ (she had
rotted at the hounds band) and replacing the
engine with a 4108 which we marinised using
parts from an old taxi engine! Pressure of
work and a very young daughter led us to sell
her to Chris Ashdown in about 1998. He (
and his white German Shepherd called Rabbit)
stayed with us and helped until the refit was
complete including new decks with woven matt GRP
to finish that task.
Gannet - Where is
she now? Tarion - A Sad End Dave Rogers from Ambientmarin writes Evening,
I recall doing some work on this yacht
in 2002 in Liverpool........... is this the
'Tarion' built by Hillyards?
I understand that she ended her days
here, sadly indeed. Tarion was a beautiful
example of the Hillyard range,
If she is the same yacht then her story
goes something like, bought from Coburg
Yachtbrokers around 2001/2, the new owner left
port on a workup sail and never returned
leaving considerable debt, he was arrested in
Gibraltar and the yacht sold on there to the
owners who sadly lost her off
Tristan........
The story link is;
The story of
Laranda http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111012/local/none-the-worse-for-wear.388844 Remembering Michael & Nicky
Joyce. Michael Joyce was born in Strood, Kent in 1922. The family; Father, Sidney, an Engineer, Mother Vera , older sister Doreen, ‘Deen’ & younger brother Anthony, moved to Bedford in1927, then Little Aston, Staffordshire in 1929 on to Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire in 1936. Michael gained a scholarship to Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, leaving in 1939, he was Apprenticed to Bellis & Morcom an engineering company in Birmingham. A family move to Huddersfield Yorkshire resulted in Michael finishing his Apprenticeship there with Hopkinsons Ltd. Michael’s Dad gave him an Austin ‘Chummy ‘ baby car, cost £4.10 shillings to enable him to get to work. This being the start of WW2, Engineering was a reserved occupation giving exemption from call up into the armed services. In 1943 young Michael Joyce volunteered for the army and joined the newly formed Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, REME. He gained a Commission and began a courtship with Veronica (Nicky) Lansley. No doubt the Austin Chummy came in handy despite petrol being rationed. The couple were wed in 1944. So began a marriage of 66 years. Almost immediately Michael was posted to the Far East, for the next three years, serving in India & Burma, until the Japanese surrender, and finally Hong Kong, ending the war with the rank of Major. For a time he was CO of a TA unit at Folkstone. He also instructed Gravesend Sea Cadets. Half a century later his Indian Army Unit invited Michael to India where he was royally welcomed and entertained by their successors in arms. Resuming married life together, Michael & Nicky had one child, a daughter Susannah who tragically died at 21 years of age. Nicky was a linguist and later in her life became Secretary of the International Professional Business Women’s Association and travelled widely in the course of her work. They took up residence at Stowcroft, Chislehurst Kent, with Michael teaming up with an Old Boy from his Grammar School, publishing ‘Techinview” an Engineering digest moving on to develop a successful Advertising and Public Relations business; Michael Joyce (PR) Ltd in the City of London. One of his juniors was Nick Hewer who later partnered Alan Sugar. Lord Sugar, as he became, was a PR client of Michael’s firm. In his leisure time Michael showed an adventurous trait. Learning to fly, he won an aircraft in a raffle, and the couple flew to France for weekends and holidays where they had bought a Vineyard in the Garonne Lot district. This inspired Michael to form another Company, Southern Air Charter based at Biggin Hill to enable businessmen to attend meetings throughout the UK and near Continent. Around this time, in the early 60’s Michael took up Offshore Cruising under Sail, owning a number of Hillyard yachts, putting his navigational skills to good use. (LIST by reference to HOA Archive) One of these, burned to the waterline following a gas explosion off Keyhaven. In the year 1977, Michael attended a meeting at the Royal Lymington YC called by Hillyard sailors, Robert and Pamela Keen. It was there and then the Hillyard Owners Association was formed with Michael as its first Commodore. He served in this role, producing newsletters, enrolling Hillyarders, Charming everyone with his humour and sharing his infectious enthusiasm for our sea kindly yachts. He published an annual Members Handbook, keeping the accounts, organising dinners & rallies in London, Cowes and elsewhere for the next 21 years. These were memorable for being very convivial ‘dress up’ occasions. The gentlemen members in Blazers & Club ties and the ladies” as fashion and good taste dictate”. The venues rather grand. The Royal London YC on The Esplanade in Cowes, all polished brass & Race Trophies, and at London Boat Show time in January, at the Naval Club in Mayfair. The Association presented Michael with an inscribed silver salver as a mark of appreciation for his efforts. In the Hillyard 12 ton Lina Arni he attended the Brest Festival in 1988 or 92,following which, a very difficult return passage persuaded Michael to quit cruising. He was then 69 years of age. He had the 2.5ton KOALA restored in South Wales and brought her back to the Medway to potter about in. As a nostalgic reminder of their courtship in the 30’s Nicky bought Michael a 1928 Austin Chummy named “Forgetmenot” in which they would attend rallies of the Baby Austin Owners Club. In retirement the two enjoyed many cruises and were especially attracted to the Blue Funnel Line to African destinations. In 1998 Michael was looking for help and a successor to progress the HOA. He took me under his wing and I was proud to continue and try to follow his example of leadership for the Association he loved and nurtured. Nearing retirement, he bought The Mission House at `Gravesend, a former bible school founded by General Gordon of Khartoum on the River Thames opposite Tilbury Forts from where he watched the Thames barge races from the start line. Later moving to an apartment at Mayfield House in Sussex where he and Nicky were very content. This idyll was cut short when the owners sold the property after which the couple moved to Sunrise Living in Sidcup where they were comfortable up to their last days, Michael sadly suffering with Parkinsons. This did not prevent him bravely attending our Dinner at the Naval Club in January 2011 nor enjoying a glass of Champagne and remaining his usual cheery self. I am grateful to Anthony Joyce for a copy of notes spoken at Michael’s Cremation Service which sadly few Hillyarders were able to attend. For five years his carer was Claire Ferguson Webber to whom we are indebted for anecdotes included in this appreciation and obituary of our late much loved President . Michael died at Sunrise Home Sidcup on 2nd July 2010 and Nicky 17 days earlier on the 14th of June, having each experienced 85 years of very full lives. We of the HOA will always treasure their memory. Michael’s invariable parting to myself, and I am sure others was “ God Bless.” Michael Walden Vice President Hillyard Owners Association
I acquired Mistress
Anne Two years ago. I intended to try and save
her. Unfortunately Ill health struck, I am almost
fully recovered but as I was unable to work,
Financial Ill health has now struck. 07770274143
Cobweb I was chatting to an old friend last night
and we were talking of the old boats we’ve known
and sometimes owned! The talk turned to my
old Hillyard, Cobweb. I owned her back in
the early 70’s and sailed her out of Moody’s
Yard on the Hamble. Out of interest I went
looking for information on Hillyards on the
Internet and found your site. I notice
that you don’t have a 7-ton category in your
gallery of photos and wondered if you would like
the attached. Not a brilliant photograph,
(well, it’s 40 years old), but most of the
others I have don’t show her sailing.
I wonder if she’s still afloat? I don’t
know how to find out if the subsequent owners
managed to keep the old girl going. Not
the fastest boat on the Solent but probably the
most kindly one. She was well loved by the
harbour-master at Yarmouth I-O-W who would
always find a berth for us even at the height of
the summer!
I hope you find the picture
interesting. If you want more then I’m
sure that I can find more stuff in the
album.
Dawn
Lady & Vivona - St Mawes - Enough
said..........
I currently own the
1938 9t White Goose. I have been aiming
to restore her for some time, but with time
and work pressure against me, I've made little
progress.
The storage I have
will be unavailable from the end of March, and
sadly this means I will have to abandon the
project.
What I would like to
know is whether you know of anyone willing to
take on such a project. The yacht is
dry, and has been stored indoors for several
years. She is pitchpine on oak, with a
teak deck, and centre cockpit. She needs
serious work, as basically she is an empty
hull. I have various fittings that have
been removed from the boat.
I fear that if I am
unable to find someone to take the boat on
then I may well have to break her up, which I
would like to avoid.
I would be happy
for the boat to find a good home, a small
contribution to clearing the storage fees
would be very welcome, though I would
not be terribly worried about that.
Phone 07761192099,
or email gdbushell@btinternet.com
Many thanks,
Gordon Bushell
Lady
Sarnia 5 Ton
Lady Sarnia
I am a practicing
shipwright offering this sevice out of Newhaven,
East Sussex, where I have just recently restored a
timber vessel for one of my clients, I was indeed
apprenticed to a local yard in this part of Sussex
where at that time (1970's) they were still
building in timber. Christmas Quiz -
Who is this? Dear Sir,
The enclosed photo
of this lovely, single handed Hillyard sailing
towards the Raz de Sein, was taken in August
2009. We sailed past her but not close enough to
read her name. I wondered if by any chance you
could identify her so that the owner could have
a picture of his boat under sail.
Sincerely,
Nick trained at the
International Boatbuilding Training
College in Lowestoft, Suffolk, from
1986-7 before joining the renowned Combes
Boatyard in Bosham, West Sussex, in
1987. He remained with the yard until its
closure in 1999, latterly working as
slipway manager, and then set up Nick
Gates & Co (formerly Southbourne
Boatyard).
   For Services that can get you Hillyard looking like this please contact:- Nick Gates Nick Gates & Co Unit 3, Emsworth Shipyard, Emsworth, Hampshire. PO10 8BP Tel: 07957 422941; Email: nick@nickgates.co.uk www.nickgates.co.uk Singing Girl - Five Ton - In need of Help Information has come to the attention of some members in the West Country that 'Singing Girl' a five ton Hillyard, built in 1934 is being offered for free to one or those who are prepared to take her on. She is currently on the slipway below Brunel Bridge on the River Tamar with a sign saying 'Take for Free'. Now we all appreciate this is no way for a manageable yacht of this vintage to go so action is required. The association is aware that she was restored and sailed between 1988 and 1998 and last sold to a group of three Marine Science students from Plymouth University. The boat is
ashore on a public hard approx. 150 yards DOWN
river from the eastern support of the Tamar
railway bridge (Brunel Bridge). It is accessed
via Military Road which must be approached by
car from the St Budeaux district of Plymouth.
(Access from the Tamar road crossing is only
for buses from the nearby A38).
The boat is
located just behind a little cafe adjacent to
a pub (name not to hand) -on the hard between
cafe and river.
This is an opportunity to claim a piece of maritime history and keep it on the map for you and others to enjoy. Photos of Singing Girl below      Guy Smith - 27th October 2010 Please contact paulholmes1956@hotmail.co.uk or hillyardyachts@ntlworld.com Where is Beltane - 1937 - 14 ton Hillyard Anthony Burdon writes:- I wonder if the owners of Beltane, a 1937, 14 ton, (now) cutter rigged Hillyard are members. My late grandfather owned her in the late 1940s and possibly from new. His daughters, my mother, is still alive and living in Devon. She remembers the boat fondly and we live almost overlooking where Beltane was moored in the river Dart just after the war. It would be marvelous if we could see an up to date picture of her as we only have one old black and white shot of her under sail. Any news of her whereabouts, history, photographs please contact anthony.burdon@virgin.net Hythe Event September 2010 Dear all. Just to let you know that a Hillyard gathering is planned at Hythe Marina (Southampton Water)on the weekend of 11th-12th September. Hythe Marina is my 'home marina' and for those who don't know it, Hythe is situated on the Western side of Southampton Water, approximately five and a half miles upstream from Calshot. The marina is accessed via a lock. The plan is to raft some of our boats in a designated area, and depending upon numbers, other berths will be available as close to the main group as possible. A special berthing discount has been arranged, with 20% off the standard rate of £3.25 per metre (up to 12.5m). Although no 'formal' evening meal on the Saturday is planned as such, it is likely that a good few of us will eat in the Italian Restaurant (La Vista) which is located on the marina itself. Booking is advisable, and this should be done direct with the restaurant (02380 207730). Alternatively, Hythe village (4 or 5 minutes walk from the marina entrance) has a choice of 'eateries', such as pizza parlours, pubs, an Indian restaurant/takeaway, a Thai restaurant and a Chinese takeaway. Our H.O.A. Commodore (Steve Tiffin) and his wife Liz will be hosting a pontoon drinks party from their 13 tonner, Ianthe, on the Saturday evening. Timings and other details will be confirmed nearer the time, or as people arrive (I will be about, to assist wherever possible). The Southampton Boat Show starts that weekend, and Hythe is well placed for this, as the nearby Hythe Ferry goes to Town Quay in Southampton, which is next door to the show entrance. For those perhaps wishing to take in a visit to the show, or just wanting to make more of a weekend of it, berths will be available from the Friday (10th). All are welcome (whether by road or sea) and it would be great to see you all! I would ask in particular, that anyone coming by boat to please let me know, either by letting me know via this site, by personal messaging(in the HOA Handbook), or replying directly to this post (In Yahoo Group) , or by phoning me on 07790 655774, as I would need to have an idea of numbers, for arranging berths. I will also provide you with any further information that you may require. Finally, I would ask you all to please make any other Hillyarder friends you may happen to know, aware of this event, as there will be no mailouts for it. Any further information required, please don't hesitate to give me a shout. It would be great to see you all! Best Regards, Doug Where is She Now - ILLAWARRA Richard Blomfield Writes I don`t know
whether Illawarra is still afloat. I certainly
hope so She is not listed in my last edition
of Lloyds (1979).
My father,Capt N
C Blomfield owned her for a number of
years in Jersey during the fifties having
bought her from Lt.Col.Stevenson,of Gorey.She
was built by Hillyards in 1929.
 Illawarra - Gorey Harbour I enclose two
photos one of her at anchor in Grouville
Bay taken from the pierhead and Gorey Harbour
and the other of her after she had been
brought home By Capy.Bolitho`s motorboat
"Onward" after having hit the Flat Rock a few
hundred yards off Gorey Harbour entrance. A
willing party of helpers came to assist,as you
can see. My father is the shirtless one in the
cockpit. He should have known the exact
position of the Flat Rock as he had been
sailing out of Gorey for ten years at that
time. The fact that he had the particularly
attractive wife of a colleague on board at the
time may have meant that his attention had
been diverted for a moment!!
 Illawarra - Grouville Bay Jersey I would be
interested to hear any news of the old
girl.She sailed well,particularly well as I
remember when her jackyard tops`l went up in
the right breeze.
I hope these
snaps may be of interest to some of your
members.
Regards
QUAESITOR NO. 166161 I have joined your yahoo group in order to
trace the whereabouts of a boat which was made by
Hillyards for a relative of mine, AA Rowse, and
registered at Littlehampton July 16th 1938. The
boat was then called VALMARA, and her registration
was 166161. My relative died in 1959 and VALMARA
was sold on.
She was classified as a Bermudan Cutter, a
single masted wood pleasure yacht, gross tonnage
28.13, with 6 bulkheads, and sometime between
1966 - 1971 her name changed from VALMARA to
QUAESITOR.
The ledgers for the port of Littlehampton
record: 'Registry closed 26 April 1974 on sale of
vessel to foreigners (USA citizen). Certificate of
registry delivered up. Advice received from
Treasury Dept, Bureau and Customs, Miami,
Florida.' However a search in the US Coast Guard
database has failed to identify the vessel.
Can anyone help me find her?
With many thanks,
Daniel Eugenio, association member and proud owner of Malina (6 Ton) has very kindly set up a yahoo group for Hillyards owners so that we can communicate and exchange valuable information between the owners and interested parties. To subscribe, just send a message to: hillyards-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
and follow the instructions This appears to be a great idea that will
compliment the existing website, to which I will
add an appropriate link. Give it a go. The more
that goes in to the group the more we can get out
of it. Lady C Pips
Valsheda for Line Honours - See Sailing Yarns
for photographic proof!! We never intended to enter
for the Antigua Classic race series but as we
were so close we decided to come and have a
look. Arriving in Falmouth harbour we dropped
the anchor and the next day we walked around to
The Antigua Yacht Club, in torrential
rain, to see what it was all about. We were
introduced to Kenny Coomes, the Regatta
Chairman, who spent a long time explaining how
the series worked and he assured us that we
would have a great time. We provisionally singed
up for all the races and the Concours De
Elegance and having done that we set about
making the old girl look respectable, which
after all her cruising wasn't easy especially in
the baking heat of the day. We also had to take
lots and lots of measurements as she had to be
rated to be able to compete. The entry was £125
and included free berthing in the marina at
English harbour so once we had scrubbed up we
went around to take up our position. We were to
moor stern to on the first pontoon out from the
club, a maneuver that is rather unpleasant in a
boat with an offset propeller, but with a long
line to the jetty we managed to drop the anchor
from the bow and winch ourselves into pride of
place right in front of the lawn of the yacht
club. We were in the front line and best
placed for all the activities, Panerai, the main
sponsors had their hospitality bar set up about
10 paces away from us and they provided an
incredible level of liquid and gastronomic
delight for the duration of the races,
including a breakfast bag and daily paper
delivered to the boat each morning. Gaynor
and I have never raced and we were a little
apprehensive about it although Kenny assured us
that we would be able to take on crew without
any problems. On the way back to the boat after
registering we stopped for a beer and looking
out of the bar I spotted Mike Frith, the artist
from Chichester who sails his boat, Blue Eagle
out of Itchenor where we keep Lady C. Mike was
out her with his girlfriend Sandy and they had
two more friends, Alan and Jenny arriving the
next day, suddenly we had a full crew and they
were absolutely fantastic. Walking around the
pontoons that night to look at all the other
boats was amazing and the beauty of the big
boats such as Velsheda, Ranger, Rebecca and
Windrose was awe inspiring. We wondered why we
had entered the Concours but when the judges
arrived the next morning they made very positive
noises and that night we were awarded 2nd place
in the privately maintained vintage boat
category. Friday dawned grey and cloudy
and my nerves were jangling as we lifted the
anchor and headed out to the start. We
were the second race to go off and thanks to
Mike's cool hand on the helm we made a good
start and headed for the first mark. It
wasn't long before we could see the bigger boats
charging up behind us and the two massive J's
came past, one on either side in a truly
magnificent display of speed and grace, their
huge quarter wakes almost swamping us with what
appeared to be two mini Tsunamis. After a
great race we finished in third place
and headed back to the wonderful party
atmosphere in Falmouth harbour. Day two saw
the start of The Butterfly race and there were
lots of squalls coming through with prolonged
periods of heavy rain, we were all totally
soaked, but very happy to secure 2nd
place. Sunday, day three of racing, was The Cannon, straight out and
back twice, a total of 24 miles on a broad
reach . We were reduced to only four crew as
Alan and Jenny, who had been a bit seasick on
the first day, decided to have a beach day but
we still managed a great days racing and came
second in class, just pipping Velsheda across
the finishing line. The guys on the
committee boat came around to see us and told us
that they have a fabulous picture of us taking
line honours from her, one for the album I'm
sure. The race ended and we headed round to
Falmouth Harbour for the parade of sail where we
received some very flattering comments from the
commentator. Day four was a real toughie
with an 8 mile slog to windward but by now the
skies had cleared and the sun was shining and
Lady C was obviously enjoying herself and
appeared to be better balanced than she had been
previously. We romped home in second place again
and an elated ship and crew headed round to
English Harbour to take up the offer of a
further two nights free berthing right beside
the prize giving arena. This has been a truly
amazing experience and we have had such a great
time racing with a fabulous crew and now
have over a hundred miles of racing
experience under our belts. Our final position
is second in class and we've just bought the T
Shirts with Lady Corinne listed as one of the
participating Yachts, we real do feel very proud
of her and this experience will be a memory
we shall cherish forever.
LadyC and her Prize Winning
Crew wish you all the very best from The Antigua
Classic Yacht Regatta 2010
Folly Inn May 2009          |
