PSYCHE is a modern classic yawl with canoe stern of outstanding beauty designed by Ed Burnett and Nigel Irens to an exacting specification from the original owners who had sailed modern and classic boats for the previous 40 years. Their concept had been inspired by Albert Strange who, in the early 1900s designed very seaworthy, comfortable, fast and beautiful gentlemen’s yachts.
PSYCHE is a modern classic yawl with canoe stern of outstanding beauty designed by Ed Burnett and Nigel Irens to an exacting specification from the original owners who had sailed modern and classic boats for the previous 40 years. Their concept had been inspired by Albert Strange who, in the early 1900s designed very seaworthy, comfortable, fast and beautiful gentlemen’s yachts. Performance in stronger wind is a given but PSYCHE also performs surprisingly well in lighter airs thanks to modern design and construction, feathering propeller and shallower draft.
Brokers Comments
PSYCHE is a modern classic yawl with canoe stern of outstanding beauty designed by Ed Burnett and Nigel Irens to an exacting specification from the original owners who had sailed modern and classic boats for the previous 40 years. Their concept had been inspired by Albert Strange who, in the early 1900s designed very seaworthy, comfortable, fast and beautiful gentlemen’s yachts. Performance in stronger wind is a given but PSYCHE also performs surprisingly well in lighter airs thanks to modern design and construction, feathering propeller and shallower draft.
Notes
PSYCHE’s relatively shallow draft design by Ed Burnett / Nigel Irens in 1999 was influenced by those of Albert Strange and the original signed plans are available. The hull was built by Spirit Yachts, specialists in strip plank epoxy coated hulls for a private client. She was the subject of full article in Practical Boat Owner in March 2001 – and copy available from broker, or in colour on board.
In her current ownership since 2013, she enjoyed a major refit in 2015. While he does not race; the boat was noted for great speed during first ownership - as well as sea-kindliness. PSYCHE has cruised on occasion in France, where harbourmasters sometimes waive the berthing fees as they feel her presence enhances their port! Most recently attended Brest classic boat festival - To say she draws admiring looks doesn’t come close.
Generally PSYCHE is a relatively low maintenance boat; thanks to the 2 part epoxy paint hull, lots of unvarnished teak, Copper coat permanent antifouling, and winter cover. This only really leaves the spars and bulwark needing varnishing every few years.
A Day's Professional Tuition
Well known yacht master, journalist, author and broadcaster Tom Cunliffe has agreed to provide a day’s tuition for the purchaser at the current owner’s expense.
Construction and Finish
- Canadian yellow cedar strip planking epoxy coated on to mahogany ring frames
- Lead keel
- Topsides in two pack paint and Copper coat to hull
- Raw teak low maint joinery on deck
- Sheathed plywood decks faced with teak
- Interior fit out by original owner and time-served, shipwright
Deck Layout Equipment and Ground Tackle
- Boarding ladder
- Bronze fairleads each side
- Raw teak cap rail
- Sampson post
- Mainsheet Tufnol blocks
- Fisherman’s 25 lb Kedge anchor on 25m chain
- Bronze mushroom vebt
- Mizzen mast
- Bronze Highfield levers each side for mizzen
- Cockpit coaming sides to trunk cabin fwd
- Teak cockpit grating
- Autopilot on worm gear casing – accessible under seat aft
- Schooner style helm wheel
- Sestrel Brass steering compass removable
- Deep lockers each side and stowage under cockpit sole
- Waterproof cockpit seat cushions
- Removable table stores in forepeak
- Antique navy pattern cockpit light
- Stainless steel track fwd
- 2 x Andersen 28 2 speed ST staysail sheet winches on varnished teak blocks new 2014
- 2 x Andersen 40 2 speed ST yankee sheet winches on varnished teak blocks new 2014
- Nanni engine controls in fwd cockpit bulkhead
- Tacktick wind, depth and speed readouts
- Pinrails outboard each side
- Trunk cabin
- Raw teak handrails each side on coach roof
- Lemon squeezer light in side deck over chart table
- Butterfly skylight hatch
- Stowage for life raft
- Raw teak 2 bottle gas locker
- Main mast with pin rail
- 3 x Tufnol halyard winches
- Removable chimney for diesel cabin heater
- 3 x Deck prism lights
- Forehatch with varnished elevations and raw teak top
- Lofrans Royal manual anchor windlass with drum and capstan 2008
- Spinnaker pole
- Highfield tensioners for bronze whiskers
- Raw teak bowsprit bitts
- Sailspar staysail furler fitting
- Schaefer furler fitting
- Bow roller on stem
- Ash blocks for bobstay
- Bronze fairleads each side
- CQR anchor on 50 m chain
- New anchor blanket to protect hull
Accommodation and Domestic Equipment
From aft
- Sliding hatch in coach roof and washboard access below
- Companionway steps down
- Mahogany interior joinery and timber cabin sole
- Large quarter berth / banquette to port with inserts converts to double berth
- Large chart table to stbd
- Reading light and prism over in deckhead
- Garmin chartplotter on swivel mount
- Nav instruments and electric isolator panel etc
Head compartment stbd
- Jabsco manual WC new 2014
- Stainless steel wash basin with hot and cold mixer
- Opening port
Galley athwartships
- Taylor 2 hob, grill, hotplate and oven and storage to port
- Top loading locker stowage
- Provisions locker outboard
- Large stowage volume under sole
- Double stainless steel sink to stbd with hot and cold mixer and sea water pump
- More stowage, plate racks etc outboard
- Opening port
Saloon
- Settee berths with high backs and lee cloths each side
- Stowage outboard
- Drop leaf dining table with drawers under Paraffin lamp over
- Butterfly skylight hatch in deck head over
- Locker and rack forward to port for glasses and wine
- Locker fwd to stbd - bookshelves
- Semi bulkheads each side
- Taylor's Diesel heater to port
- Chain locker to stbd
- 2 x Opening ports
- 4 x Reading / bulkhead lights
Forecabin
- Large berth with an infill converts to a double
- Locker stowage under
- Sail bin under
- Shelf to port
- Hanging locker fwd to stbd
- 2 x Reading lights
- Hatch in deck head over
- Generous storage available throughout the boat; lockers still being discovered by the owner
Rig Spars Sails and Canvas
Gaff Yawl rig
- Columbian pine hollow mast
- Solid Columbian pine spars
- Bowsprit runs in easily and extends quickly using highfield levers to the whisker shrouds
- Carbon fibre light weight topsail yard for ease of hoisting
- Spinnaker pole on deck
- Stainless steel 9 mm standing rigging
- 1 x 19 8 mm Compac high tensile forestay wire
- Stainless steel rigging screws with leather gaiters over
- Sailspar continuous line staysail reefing / furling system new 2015
- Schaeffer Wykeham Martin furling gear
- Running rigging new or anyway good – incl racing Dyneema jib halyard for minimal stretch
Sails in cream – all serviceable, some new
- Mainsail new 2015; traditional narrow panels and slab reefing
- Staysail on Sailspar continuous line reefing/furling system new in 2015
- New mizzen staysail and riding sail 2016
- Jib and small jib
- Cruising chute in pale blue
- Topsail, mizzen
Canvas
- Spray hood
- Fitted cockpit tent / sun awning zips to spray hood
- Full winter cover
Mechanical Electrical and Tankage
- Nanni 4/38 Diesel engine new 2015
- New Featherstream feathering propeller 2015.
- Spurs rope cutter
- Steering by worm gear for very light touch and light load for autopilot
- Alternator on engine
- Solar panel battery charger
- Wiring / electrics replaced in 2015
- Merlin Smartbank advanced battery management system 2015
- 2 x 115 Ah gel domestic batteries new 2014
- Dedicated engine start battery new 2015
- LED deck light new 2015
- Deck 12 V output plug amidships for extra anchor light, spotlight, dinghy inflator etc
- Modern shore power unit and battery charger new 2015
- 3 pin sockets in saloon and chart table
- Fast acting calorifier and immersion heater for hot water
- Pressurised hot and cold water system
- Warm LED lighting throughout
- Diesel 120 litres Tek tank 2011; drain at lowest point and fuel level sender
- Diesel 20 litre tank for cabin heater
- Water 436 litres Tek tanks under saloon berths
- Black water holding tank selector for sea or tank discharge
- 2 x Gas bottles in teak locker on deck
Navigation Communication and Electronics
- Garmin 600 AIS transponder
- Garmin chart plotter gpsmap 7410
- Garmin VHF 200i with remote cockpit handset
- Garmin 18 inch radar
- All above new 2015
- Interfacing; so e.g simple call-up AIS contacts over vhf by touching plotter screen
- Chart plotter is on swing-out unit visible from helm
- Tactick MR 100 wind instrument and depth readout
- Hull transducer currently non op so using GPS speed readout
- Nasa clipper Navtex
- Raymarine autopilot controlled from helm position
- LED tricolour navigation / anchor combo lights new 2015
- Steaming light
- Traditional sidelights on light boards and stern light
- Sea-Me active radar target enhancer 2007
- Kenwood CD / mp3 / radio entertainment system with saloon and cockpit speakers
- Clock and barometer
Safety
Rigging points are fitted for guard rails to be simply rigged on passage if desired. Although initially counterintuitive perhaps, the absence of fixed guard rails is considered by the present and former owners to be a positive safety feature. This is due to the absence of the trip hazard represented by fixed rails, the ease of MOB recovery as well as an increase in risk awareness. It is also hugely convenient in port. Safety equipment includes:
- Jack stays to port and starboard
- Dan buoy with MOB floating light and life ring aft
- Fire extinguishers and fire blanket
- Flares in date
- Seago 4-man valise life raft stowed abaft main mast; service due Jan 2017
- Sea-Me active radar target enhancer 2007
- Emergency tiller
- 2 x Fire extinguishers
- Fire blanket
- Manual and electric bilge pumps
Miscellaneous
- Crutch for main boom
- Boat hooks
- Fenders
- Warps
- The original design drawings, signed by Ed Burnett
Refit 2015
- Topsides painted with two pack epoxy
- Coppercoat applied to hull
- Deck re-payed with modern materials expected good for 20 plus years use
- All deck fittings re-seated
- New engine installed
- New Featherstream feathering 4 bladed propellor
- Electrical system replaced
- Forecabin re-configured to very large double berth
Former Owners Comments
I was bewitched by PSYCHE’s beauty the moment I saw her and bought her immediately. She has more than lived up to expectations, a fine sea-keeping boat with a good turn of speed; 7 knots in a F4 routinely. She is perfectly balanced and sails herself with the wind forward of the beam. We have regularly sailed to Normandy and Brittany for a summer cruise, often with only two on board, as well as shorter trips based on the Solent with up to 5 persons.
Her sail plan can be reduced massively in heavy weather and we finished one cruise very comfortably under just staysail and mizzen with a F7 on the quarter in a close Solent chop - still making 7 knots. Handling under power takes a little getting used to with the long keel but a scrap of headsail or mizzen can help pivot her round when turning in confined spaces.
I originally thought of adding stanchions and lifelines, but once I had sailed her I realised they were unnecessary - as well as non aesthetic. You simply do things the traditional way, only going forward on the weather side, leaning into the boat and using hand-holds (lifelines encourage you to lean the other way and hold onto them instead) and jackstays.
I have doubled the mizzen shrouds to accommodate the weight of the radar, and fitted Highfield levers to the whisker stays to make an easy job of running the bowsprit in and out.
The saloon is a wonderful warm rich cabin with supplementary oil lighting, comfortably seating 6 round the table. The cockpit table (teak grating) is best for 4 but you can squeeze 6 round it.
I have not sailed with children aboard, but would be quite happy provided they were using harness and safety lines when not in the cockpit.
This is a boat which turns heads wherever she goes. Offer a bet to any admirer that they cannot guess her age to within 30 years either side - and your winning beers are guaranteed. In Honfleur the harbour master decided she was so pretty that he berthed under the historic tower for the benefit of artists on the quay opposite and declined to charge any berthing fees for our 3 night stay.
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PSYCHE
