The 25’ 4” Vertue Class Sloop designed by Laurent Giles is one of the most capable and well-loved small cruising yachts ever designed, and thus requires no further introduction. However, stepping aboard FLYING FISH will shatter any pre-conceived notion you may have of what such a craft might look or feel like.
You may be familiar with the 136’ ALEJANDRA, 155’ SCHEHERAZADE, or the 124’ ANTONISA – some of the most spectacular classic mega-sailing yachts ever built of cold-molded wood construction at the Legendary Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine.
Now imagine one of Hodgdon’s finest craftsmen, quietly and diligently building a Vertue Class sloop in his home workshop during evenings and weekends over the course of eight years – utilizing the very same wood/epoxy composite construction, finest imaginable materials, and impeccable craftsmanship employed during his day job. The result: A tiny oceangoing classic yacht called FLYING FISH, launched in East Boothbay, Maine in 2010.
Builder Jack Bassett didn’t stop there. Within days of launching FLYING FISH in 2010, Jack and his wife Carolyn embarked on a 14-month, 12,000-mile adventure across the Atlantic to the Azores, along the South coast of Portugal to the Spanish border and up the Rio Guadiana to Porto Santo and Madeira, the Canary Islands, and down the West African coast to the Cape Verde Islands. From there they sailed FLYING FISH back across the Atlantic to Grenada, up through the Caribbean and Eastern Seaboard before returning to Maine.
An article (which can be emailed) was published in the January/February 2013 issue of WoodenBoat Magazine, documenting the construction of FLYING FISH and history of the Vertue design.
Jack and Carolyn continue to spend summers cruising aboard FLYING FISH – mostly in Maine, and remarkably, the boat looks as perfect (or possibly even better) today as she did when launched in 2010. Her varnish is impeccable inside and out, the Yanmar 2YM15 diesel was brand new in 2020, and all of her electronics, safety equipment and other systems are fully up to date.
The next owner of FLYING FISH could pack some clothes, hit the grocery store, and set sail for the horizon – or perhaps be content admiring her stunning interior joinery with a cup of tea on the mooring between leisurely daysails. Either way, I’ve never seen a more capable and amazingly perfect little yacht of this size.
Specifications:
Year Built: finished and launched May 2010
Designer: J. Laurent (Jack) Giles, Lymington, UK
Builder: Jack Bassett, Boothbay, ME
Hull Material: cold-molded wood
LOD: 25.5 ft./ 7.8m
LOA: 27 ft./ 8.2m
LWL: 22 ft./ 6.7m
Beam: 7 ft. 3 in/ 2.2m
Draft: 5 ft./ 1.52m
Displacement: 4.2 tons/ 4.3 tonnes
Construction:
HULL: Cold-molded with West System epoxy to 1″ thickness 9/16″ tongue & groove Alaska Yellow Cedar edge glued and Bronze fastened. 2 layers of diagonal 1/8″ Western Red Cedar followed by a final diagonal layer of 1/8″ Spanish Cedar. 2 layers of biaxial fiberglass cloth sheathing
FRAMES & ENGINE BED: Mahogany
FLOORS & BACKBONE: Iroko.
DECK: 1/2″ x 2″ tongue & groove Alaska Yellow Cedar glued to 2 layers of 4 mm Sapele plywood, fiberglass sheathed.
CABINHOUSE/COCKPIT COAMING: comprised of 5 layers of Iroko, Cherry, and Yellow Cedar planking to 1-1/8″ thickness
TOE RAIL, CAP RAIL, GRAB RAIL, and HATCHES: Teak
List of equipment:
Accommodation & Domestic Equipment:
Cherry and Walnut paneled interior – custom built
Swedish Origo double burner alcohol stove
Blake marine head – made in Britain
Port and starboard single berths with passage lee cloths
Cushion and panel infill to bridge berths for double harbor/anchor sleeping
premium Sunbrella upholstery
Stowage below and outboard of berths with book shelves
Freshwater and Fynspray saltwater pump in galley
ample stowage in galley
bronze mushroom vent over stove
LED lighting below decks
3/8″ Lexan port lights with curtains
hatch screens
Rig, Spars & Sails:
Sitka spruce mast and boom
double spreader rig with double and running backstays
Slab reefing mainsail with custom cover, 2 reefs
Sails by Nathaniel S. Wilson, Master sailmaker, East Boothbay, ME = main, genoa, working jib, stays’l, storm stays’l with reef points, trysail
316 Stainless rigging in 7/32″ and 9/32
7/16″ and 1/2″ Bronze turnbuckles and toggles
Sta-loc fittings
Sta-set x halyards
Tuffnol blocks
short and long spinnaker poles
Wilcox Crittenden halyard winches
LVJ Jachttecniek Bronze sheet winches – made in Holland
custom boom crutch
Navigation & Electronics:
Fleming stainless steel servo pendulum self-steering gear, customized
Raymarine A70D chartplotter/depthfinder sounder with spare
Raymarine AIS Transponder and Sitex splitter
Furuno 1623 LCD Radar
Ritchie cockpit compass
Icom DSC capable VHF radio
Weems & Plath barometer and clock
LED decklight
2nd set of lights on cabin side
50-watt solar panel
stereo system
Garmin hand held GPS
Uniden hand held VHS
Metal Works:
4000 lb. lead keel with 3/4″ Silicon Bronze keel bolts
Bronze fastened throughout
Silicon Bronze chain plates and port rings
Silicon Bronze gudgeon, pintle & heel fittings on outboard rudder
316 Stainless Steel lifeline stanchions and bow pulpit
Mechanical, Electrical & Tankage:
2YM15 Yanmar diesel engine, brand new in 2020, 30 hours on meter
2 blade Bronze propeller
Single lever Vetus engine control (new)
Starting and deep cycle 12 Volt batteries
20-gallon aluminum diesel tank
20-gallon Stainless Steel water tank
20-gallon additional water stowage for offshore
Racor fuel filter
2 part nesting dinghy, mountable on deck for offshore sailing (new)
Ground Tackle & Deck Equipment:
Bronze ABI deck windlass
29 lb. plow type anchor
175 feet 5/16 BBB chain
12 lb. high tensile Danforth anchor
25 lb. Wilcox Crittenden navy type anchor
25 feet 5/16 chain
200 feet 1/2″ braided rode
Various fenders, docklines, shackles, etc.
Safety:
ACR Global Fix 406 GPS Satellite EPIRB, new
Electric bilge pump
Manual emergency bilge pump
Ocean Brake series drogue with 108 cones & bridle
2 safety harnesses & 2 PFD’s with CO2 inflation
Stainless lifelines and stanchions
ATN mast climber
bosun’s chair
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