After writing of the designer, the development of the class, the voyages and the ships I felt it would be fitting the men who sail them.

Many skippers have made their contribution to the now legendary success of the Vertue’. Young and old, big and small, rich and poor, quiet and outspoken — this little ship has known and has been guided by them all. Their views and exploits would fill a complete volume. It would be comforting to think that, one day, such a book would be written.

In this modest chronicle it is impossible to give to all of them their just dues. The task of selection has had to be faced, and I am sure that some readers will disagree with my choice. But, having made it, I am sticking to it, being a firm believer in the theory that, anyway, it is impossible to please all of the people all of the time.

The ‘Vertue’ was Jack Giles’ brain child, but Humphrey Barton led her into the wide world. A partner to Jack for many years, (affectionally known as ‘Hum’), he spent most of his time with the practical side of the business, being mainly involved with survey and delivery work. He was closely associated with the ‘Vertue’ right from the start, sailing ‘Andrillot’ (No. 1) to Brittany in 1937 and, as already recorded, delivering "Monie" (No. 3) Lymington to Wales via the Caledonian Canal.

‘Hum’ can truly be described as a "character". He has strength formed from long experience, and voiced them. Tall and of frame, those who have sailed with him know him as a good companion who, even in the deepest crisis, never gets into a fuss first hit the headlines in 1950 when, having supervised the building of ‘Vertue XXXV, he and Kevin O’Riordan sailed her from Falmouth to New York — the first ocean crossing by a Vertue’. During the voyage, so ably described in his book "Vertue" they were knocked down by a freak wave. This incident led Jack Giles to re-design the structure of the dog and coach roof to provide additional stiffness.

Since then ‘Hum’ has sailed huge distances, and has crossed the Atlantic in yachts more times than anyone else in the world, latterly beloved "Rose Rambler". In 1954 he founded The Ocean sailng Club, the qualification for Membership being a voyage to ports of at least 1000 miles. He is Admiral of the Club, and 2 he completed his nineteenth crossing of the Atlantic ocean. his wife, accompanies him on most of the crossings and in the years to 1972 "Rose Rambler" had covered no less than 80,000 since she was built. "Rose" is, of course, a Laurent Giles design. 35 ft. overall, 27¹/2ft waterline with a beam of 9ft 6 inches

'hum’, I am sure, would not mind my saying that he is now  middle-age. But he sails on and is just as forthright as ever.

Clear the English channel.

Turn left.

When the butter melts —Turn right.

For those ‘Vertue’ owners unable to attempt the long ocean assages of their dreams he has these crumbs of comfort for ,ort-hoppers. "Is it not just heaven, having stowed the sails, to get lown below out of the wind and rain, change into warm dry clothes rnd then have a magnificent meal? One has brought one’s little ship afely into port and really feels one has earned the reward. How much more enjoyable that sort of cruising is than this ocean stuff —entering port is. I think, the cream of the sport".

Kainui and Russell Heath  See the extract from the VOA Newsletter of October 1994 by Mathew Power 

• David H. Lewis
  The name of Dr. David Lewis, will be linked for all time with "Carnal Vertue" despite his later globe-circling exploits with the Lran ‘Rehu Moana’. first got to know "Cardinal Vertue" by sailing her out of tm-on-Crouch on single-handed passages to Norway and ri 1959. As soon as the announcement of the first single Transatlantic race was made public David Lewis had interested, and early in 1959 had contacted "Blondie" to try to find details. His interest was much wider in scope st the challenge of racing across an ocean in a small boat. As cal practitioner such an experience, he felt, would enable him y human behavior and reactions during complete isolation ssibly, in the face of danger. Apart from being a doctor and sailor, David Lewis is a frank and honest man, and he admits e idea of doing such research on the voyage first occurred to an excuse for the necessary long absence from his work!

~ie Slocum Society, which along with Lt, Col. H. G. Hasler, d the first Transatlantic race, accepted his Norweigan s as his qualification to enter. From that moment on David ~‘as dedicated to the contest. He is a small man physically, like 3ther ‘Vertue’ skippers, but events were to prove his exceptourage and determination.

here were five entrants for that first race, the boats ranging in m ‘Gipsy Moth III’ 39’/2 ft. overall, ‘Cardinal Vertue’ 25¹/~ft., and ‘Eira’ 25ft., to ‘Cap Horn’ 2lVzft. They left Plymouth on me 1960.

few hours after the start the mast of ‘Cardinal Vertue dy broke 12ft. above the deck, the remaining twenty two feet ~g down into the sea. Poor David Lewis sat looking at the ige while ‘Blondie’ Hasler circled him asking if he required nce and the others sailed away Westwards. Disabled 3000 C,.c,m th~ fini~hina line what niher skinner wniild nnt have

mast repaired, and two days later set out again. It is not difficult to imagine his despair — it is all but impossible to grasp the extent of his determination with the four others way over the horizon.

Not only did David Lewis complete this tough race — he came in third behind Francis Chichester and ‘Blondie’ Hasler. During the rugged crossing by the Northern route he carried out his research as. planned, then sailed ‘Cardinal Vertue’ back single-handed to the Shetlands. His book "The Ship would not travel due West" reveals his depth of character and his modesty. The reader is left in no. doubt that here is an outstanding man.

• Bill Nance

Bill Nance was born in Wallaby Creek, near Melbourne, 4ustralia, and he determined to sail alone around the world. Having worked for a time in the copper-mines of Rhodesia to save enough ~noney to buy a boat, he then came to England to learn about sailing. Vie discovered that one East coast barge was still trading under sail, md decided that the best way for him to learn was to ship aboard ~ier. He met up with the ‘Cambria’ in Pin Mill. Essex, and his sincere mthusiasm so convinced Bob Roberts, her skipper, that he took Bill m as mate.

Bob Roberts was an able and experienced seaman who had ived on, and with, small boats for most of his life. Prior to the war he iad made a very long passage in a sailing boat and was just the nentor for Bill Nance. For a year they sailed the ‘Cambria’ together n all weathers through the shallow and treacherous East coast reeks and estuaries. During his spells ashore Bill began to search or a boat suitable for his purpose and pocket.

He found David Lewis’s ‘Cardinal Vertue’ for sale in Burnham

n Crouch, fell in love with her, and bought her. The summer of

961 was spent working on her and preparing for the first leg of his

rojected voyage — England to his native Australia.

He sailed in the autumn of that year, met a channel gale, and

ber. Sixty one days later he was in San Fernando in the me. After checking over his boat he left for Capetown

g a South East gale on the way. But the toughest part of the

d passage was yet to come — the seventy six days from the

to Australia. ‘Cardinal Vertue’ was knocked down and

ed, the wind-vane being wrecked. After seemingly endless

g he again ran into trouble off St. Paul’s Island, meeting

onally steep seas which stood the boat on her nose then

I Bill overboard and broke off the mast at the lower crosstrees.

ately he was in safety-harness and although injured, managed

back aboard. Under jury-rig he sailed the remaining 2,000

~ Fremantle.

)w he set to work again to provide the finance for the second his circumnavigation, doing some sailing in ‘Cardinal Vertue’ the Australian coast, Tasmania and New Zealand. About to ~ie latter in November 1964, he damaged both his hands in a urning machine and to speed his departure had protective ips made to fit over the damaged fingers.

n 1st December he sailed for the Southern Ocean from md. Gales battered him as he approached the Horn, two larly bad ones at the end of December again damaging his ering gear. He rounded the Horn on 7th January 1965, and the event "It was as usual a day of alternating squalls and ~e, but a day to remember for me. I think most of all I was i to see it go astern". ‘Cardinal Vertue’ sailed into Buenos n 22nd January.

had already been proved typical of Bill Nance, there was no ty, no fanfare, although he had just joined that tiny and ye band of men who had single-handed round the dreaded ~nd he had done it in one of the smallest boats ever.

om Buenos Aires Bill sailed to the West Indies, from where :e to Bob Roberts in Essex that he would head for Nassau and All communications from him then ceased, and efforts to him failed for some years. It has not even been possible to

Eventually his whereabouts were traced through his brother. Bill did sail ‘Cardinal Vertue’ to the U.S.A., and there be sold her in Miami. But he has not finished with the sea — he and his wife have built a much larger yacht in steel, reported to be on the lines of Halvorsen’s ‘Freya’. They sailed her from Portland, Oregon, where she was built, up to British Columbia then across the Pacific to Honolulu. They hope to sail ‘Phaedra’ back to Australia in due ~ou rse.

This is but a brief record of a remarkable exploit by a remarkable man. An exploit which passed unhonoured and unsung. We who sail ‘Vertues’ on our humble voyages can appreciate better ~han most the enormity, the danger and the hardships which Bill Nance faced and overcame. And salute him.

• Ed Boden The last of my quartette is Ed Boden. Here is a man who had the courage to give up a promising career as an engineer to take toing the oceans of the world because it was something he wanted to do. I do not know how old Ed is, but have the feeling that y a good margin, the youngest of the selection left Hamble, England in 1962 in "Kittiwake" (Sail No. 50), had been built by Elkins in Christchurch ten years earlier. Single handed, Ed sailed her to the Mediterranean, then by the wind route to the West Indies, through the Panama then on to Galapagos, the Marquises, New Zealand and Australia, which hed in 1%8. Along the way he took jobs to finance his voyage, ice Australia he has cruised extensively in the South Pacific. Hope that one day I shall have the pleasure of meeting him. ily contact to date has been the written word. Ed’s letters to rtue Owners’ Association are long and fascinating, revealing a f exceptionally wide interests who uses his ‘Vertue’ not to from everything but rather to widen his contacts and ~dge. He has firm ideas about his boat and her equipment. "If s anything aboard which I find I am working for rather than it ig for me" he says "out it goes". This led him to pitch his overboard some years ago, since when he has never regretted n his acquisition of "Kittiwake" was unusual. An American, ked long hours for over a year in a team engaged in studying exploration in order to save the money for his boat, then i it all in and travelled to England to buy her. Amongst other things Ed is very interested in music and ig, and during his Pacific wanderings has recorded many by informal groups in the South Seas. The saving of weight i by dispensing with the engine enabled him to fit "Kittiwake" sophisticated stereo system (with 15 inch speakers, no less!) so e can enjoy his tapes and recordings. From this his interest is

+n th~ nr~vvihIiItv nf h~vinc~ a ‘ham’ radio transmitter

But despite his appreciation of the arts, he is essential’ practical, doing all his own repairs, maintenance and modifications He tackled the dinghy problem by designing and making his owi three-part nesting type to fit the boat. His view of life is also practical

— he is outspoken about the effects of the injection of North American ideas into the islands of the Pacific, and the resultant’ deterioration in the quality of life of their peoples. In this context i seems a symbolic gesture that he has recently thrown his ‘Baby Blake" loo overboard, using the simple bucket instead.

Over the last ten years Ed Boden and "Kittiwake" have covered some thirty thousand miles together. By modern design standards the ‘Vertue’ is considered by many to be rather staid. Ii this is so, then "Kittiwake’s" colorful skipper is the perfect foil foi her, and you can read some of his philosophy elsewhere on this site