Ship profile for the sailing ship: "Our Boy"

Photos of the sailing ship:

Please click into a photo to see it in higher resolution.

Our Boy, Volker Gries, Brest/Douarnenez 2004 , 07/2004

Source, location, date:
Volker Gries,
Brest/Douarnenez 2004,
07/2004

Technical data of the sailing ship:

Name:Our Boy
Ex-names:Thankful, Regard
Registered port:Brixham
Nation:GBR
Type of rigging:KETSCH
Type of ship:Brixham Trawler Yacht, Gaffelketsch
Year built:1933
Yard:J.W. & A. Upham, Brixham, GBR
Overall length:21.30 m
Length (hull):16.40 m
Breadth:4.00 m
Draught:2.30 m
Sail area:186 m2
Ship's hull:Holz / Wood
Power:105 PS
Engine:Parsons Norseman

Portrait of the sailing ship:

Last update: 27 Mar 2021

  • built at the Upham's shipyard in Brixham as a trawler yacht in 1933, first name was "Our Boy" after the young Stewart Upham.
  • left Brixham in 1933 to South Africa reputedly engaged in the illicit diamond trade, returned to Brixham in 1935.
  • purchased by a local millionaire philanthropist who, in turn, sold her to Lord Stanley of Alderley in 1939, remained in Lord Stanley's ownership throughout WWII, cared for in Brixham by 'his man' Parsons, while Stanley was serving in the Royal Navy.
  • change of the owner in 1945, 1948 and 1949, renamed the "Thankful" in 1946 before reverting back to "Our Boy" in 1949.
  • in 1957 bought by Dick Young, renamed the "Regard" (in memory to a Brixham trawler "Regard" BM54 lost in Dunkirk 1917).
  • 1964 acquired by Michael Pearson, during whose ownership she was chartered to the Sail Training Association (STA) and skippered by Tom Cunliffe.
  • spent several sorry years in an Essex mud berth then.
  • rescued by the new owners Chris and Marie Bedford, returned to Brixham in December 1999 to join the growing fleet of heritage smacks in the town, extensive refit and refurnishment.
  • was available for daysailing, weekend cruises, corporate and social events and team building exercises then, based in Brixham she sailed the English Channel and along the English and French coastlines.
  • major refit after 2006 by Toby Slater, on near completion a fire caused to almost start again, 2009 renamed the "Our Boy" again, after 2014 relaunched at the Blackwater Marina, Maldon/Burnham on Crouch, UK.
  • "Regard" is listed in the National Register of Historic Vessels of the United Kingdom No 769.

Literature for further reading:

We recommend the following references for your further research of the ship. The references marked with have been included in the generation of the ship profile on this page.

Paul Brown
"Historic Sail. Britain's Surviving Working Craft"
The History Press 2013 ISBN: 978-0-7524-8581-2
(in Association with National Historic Ships UK)
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