SUVRETTA is one of the fortunate survivors of the beautiful West Solent Restricted One Design Class included in a remarkable 1990s to mid-2000s revival that saw many restored and rebuilt. The West Solent was the sports boat of its day: probably the first in the UK to be series built; perhaps the most successful and elegant inshore waters racer/cruiser ever to grace UK waters.
SUVRETTA is one of the fortunate survivors of the beautiful West Solent Restricted One Design Class included in a remarkable 1990s to mid-2000s revival that saw many restored and rebuilt. The West Solent was the sports boat of its day: probably the first in the UK to be series built; perhaps the most successful and elegant inshore waters racer/cruiser ever to grace UK waters. Around 30 were built by Berthon Boat Company between 1923 and 1933, with fleets developing at Lymington on the Solent, and on the east coast, initially at Burnham-on-Crouch. SUVRETTA’s racing career began at Lymington and almost ended in the east but for intervention at the skilled and passionate hand of Adrian Riva at Maldon. In current ownership through her late 90s, she looks like new and has been continually and honourably upgraded to remain a thoroughly efficient, competitive, and head turning participant in both modern and classic regattas on the waters she was born for.
BROKER'S COMMENTS
SUVRETTA is one of the fortunate survivors of the beautiful West Solent Restricted One Design Class included in a remarkable 1990s to mid-2000s revival that saw many restored and rebuilt. The West Solent was the sports boat of its day: probably the first in the UK to be series built; perhaps the most successful and elegant inshore waters racer/cruiser ever to grace UK waters. Around 30 were built by Berthon Boat Company between 1923 and 1933, with fleets developing at Lymington on the Solent, and on the east coast, initially at Burnham-on-Crouch. SUVRETTA’s racing career began at Lymington and almost ended in the east but for intervention at the skilled and passionate hand of Adrian Riva at Maldon. In current ownership through her late 90s, she looks like new and has been continually and honourably upgraded to remain a thoroughly efficient, competitive, and head turning participant in both modern and classic regattas on the waters she was born for.
REBUILDER ADRIAN RIVA'S COMMENTS
We put maximum effort into all our restorations and projects, but squeezed even more into SUVRETTA [for] such a great customer and we have become firm friends… When he sold her and she left the yard we all had a tear in our eyes. She was rebuilt with love, care and attention to detail, and will last many years.
RESTORATION / REFIT
2022 - CLARE LALLOW, COWES
- Full exterior re-varnishing
- Area of weakness at top of aft end of boom identified and corrected
- Deck re-painted and genoa tracks moved forward
- Silicone anti-fouling touched up where necessary
2021 - CLARE LALLOW, COWES
- Full exterior re-varnishing
- New main halyard
- Backstay upgraded and replaced
- New jib and spinnaker halyards
2020 - CLARE LALLOW, COWES
- Full survey
- Hull repainted chalk white
- Two cracked ribs replaced and all items raised on survey addressed
- Diamonds replaced
- All standing rigging replaced
- Full exterior re-varnishing
- Underwater surfaces re-epoxied and then treated with Hempel silicone
2017/18
- Deck repainted with non-slip racing Awlcraft 200 (sand white)
- Hull below waterline re-faired
- Re-varnished mast and deck timber
- New backstay, running backstays and sheets
&ADRIAN RIVA, MALDON
Complete rebuild
- New planking from the keel upwards to the turn of the bilge – so c.30% of the whole
- Replacement of stem and stern post
- All new framing and intermediate steamed timbers
Also made new all according the original drawing were:
- Deck beams
- Lodging and hanging knees
- King plank and covering boards
- Complete cockpit built in teak
- Mast, boom and spinnaker pole in spruce
- All fittings in either stainless or bronze (originals missing or broken beyond recovery)
HISTORY
BERTHON BOAT COMPANY YARD NO. 198
SUVRETTA, (originally DINAH) was built by Berthon Boat company in 1924 to the design of Jacobs and May for 50-year-old stockbroker and future Royal Yacht Squadron member George S. Burge of London and The Drokes, Beaulieu, as the second of a restricted racer-cruiser class - definitely more racer than cruiser - of 35 ft overall. Thirty nine were built and around a third survive today.
She was raced on the Solent in the 1920s and 30s and is recorded as having placed second in class with £2 prize money in the 1937 Royal Southern Centenary Regatta under the ownership of James Sebag-Montefiori.
At the end of The Second World War SUVRETTA was based in Hamble, then moved to Absersoch, North Wales, in 1949. After a spell in Belfast she moved to Strangford Lough where she survived a fire before being driven ashore and abandoned. She was restored in the early 60s by the Nelson brothers and then in 1973 was sailed to the Caribbean on a honeymoon cruise by Sam Davis, who remarkably survived the 1979 "Fastnet Storm", including being washed overboard, when sailing her back single-handed from the Azores.
Over the periodSUVRETTA was fully rebuilt by Adrian Riva at Maldon. She has since competed regularly in UK classic events, winning class and the Concours d'Elegance at the British Classic Yacht Club in 2016. Since 2020 she has been based in Cowes, where she has been maintained by Lallows, and has continued her racing success in classic and IRC events. For the 2022 season she was optimised with a new sail wardrobe from Batt sails including smaller genoas and a masthead spinnaker.
SUVRETTA is registered on the National Historic Ships Register. The origin of her Swiss name, referring to a mountain pass near St. Moritz, remains a mystery.
CONSTRUCTION
- Carvel full length planking (no butts)
- Pitch pine below waterline; yellow pine above
- Laminated iroko frames with intermediate steamed timbers
- See also Restoration section above
- 39 cwt/ c.1.9 tonnes lead keel
DECK LAYOUT, EQUIPMENT AND GROUND TACKLE
FROM AFT
- White painted deck
- Varnished King planks and covering boards
- Low raw teak toerails
AFT DECK
- Bronze mooring fairleads port and starboard
- Bronze and raw teak mooring fairleads
- 3 x Harken mainsheet blocks
- 2 x Harken spinnaker blocks port and starboard
- Bronze rudder head
- Tiller
COCKPIT AREA
- Varnished teak coaming
- Varnished teak bench seats port and starboard
- Raw teak sole
- 2 x Andersen 28 jib winches port and starboard on teak blocks
- 2 x Harken cheek blocks port and starboard
- 2 x Andersen winches on teak blocks
- 6 x Banks of Harken cleats on teak bases inside coaming
- 3 x Banks of Harken cleats under side deck
- Harken genoa tracks port and starboard inside toerail
- Cars adjusted and led aft to underside of companionway
- 2 x Harken cleats port and starboard
- 2 x Spinlock jammers on teak blocks port and starboard
SIDE AND MID DECKS
- Harken jib tracks port and starboard
- Spinlock halyard jammer
- Andersen 16ST halyard snubbing winch aft of mast base
- Harken turning blocks at mast base at deck
FOREDECK
- Raised teak forehatch with port light
- Harken cheek block
- Raw teak spinnaker pole blocks
- 2 x Bronze mooring fairleads port and starboard
- Samson post on centreline
- Bow roller
GROUND TACKLE
- 25kg Delta anchor with rope rode
ACCOMMODATION
- Step down from cockpit sole
- Teak faced chart table to starboard
- Stowage under
- Teak table to port that could be converted to a galley
- Stowage under
- 2 x Saloon berths; blue cushions
- Wood pipe cots for forepeak with cushions; currently not fitted or rated
RIG AND SAILS
RIG
- Spruce mast, boom and spinnaker pole (2008)
- Hollow spinnaker pole; very light with carbon fibre finials
- Chain plates (2008)
- Standing rigging (2020)
- All running rigging in Dyneema with Vectran for the runners
- Spinnaker sheets fitted with Tylaska shackles
SAILS
Batt Sails (2022)
- Mainsail
- Blade Jib
- Light genoa 140%
- Heavy genoa 130%
- Masthead symmetric spinnaker
Parker &Kay/One Sails
- Mainsail
- Blade jib
- Genoa 150%
- Masthead asymmetric
- Fractional asymmetric
- Fractional symmetric.
IRC RATING
- Revalidated 2023 0.859 for 140% genoa and masthead symmetric spinnaker
NAVIGATION
- TakTik speed, depth, wind speed and direction
- 2 x Depth transponders can be manipulated by a B & G splitter manually or automatic
- 2 x Log fittings to ensure equal speed readings on tacks (fitted 2023)
OTHER EQUIPMENT
- 2 ½ HP Honda engine
- Removable stainless bracket for fitting to ship's side
- Battery for the instruments and mast head light
- All-over cover for storage ashore
- Cockpit cover
- Forehatch cover with solar panel
- Skylight cover
- Boom crutch
SAFETY
- Cable cutter
- Life buoy
Disclaimer
These particulars have been prepared from information provided by the vendors and are intended as general guide. The purchaser should confirm details of concern to them by survey or engineers inspection. The purchaser should also ensure that the purchase contract properly reflects their concerns and specifies details on which they wish to rely.
