Restored and refitted by the marina team at Mylor Yacht Harbour, the 1965 McGruer classic “Altricia” draws crowds at the London Boat Show
Boat Show
Amid all the glitz and glamour at the 2016 London Boat Show one vessel stood out for pure classical beauty and technical brilliance: the sleek McGruer 8m Cruiser-Racer Altricia, half a century old and fresh from full restoration by the master shipwrights of Mylor Yacht Harbour’s Marine Team.
As an invited guest and centrepiece attraction of the ten day Show at ExCeL London, Altricia drew thousands of visitors from across the world who queued from morning ‘til night for a guided tour of her classic lines, gleaming mahogany flanks, shining chrome and state-of-the-art technology.
“We had an amazing response from people from all walks of life because Altricia was unique among the 400 boats at the Show,” says Henry Goldsmith, Project Manager for Mylor Yacht Harbour’s Marine Team. “She was one of only two wooden-hulled boats at ExCeL and such an interesting contrast alongside some of the giant gin palaces. As an extra bonus we signed up more than £10,000 of work and there’s a lot more in the pipeline.”
Mylor’s Marine Team worked on Altricia for two years in close collaboration with her distinguished seafaring owner Peter Methven OBE. Gloucester-based Peter, himself a qualified yacht and boat-builder, declared at the Show that there are few yards in the world who can match the Mylor team’s skills. “I can’t speak highly enough of the work the Mylor team has put into this boat. It is first class – a world class achievement – and Altricia’s reception at the Boat Show just proved that there is so much more than the Solent for boats and boating and boatmanship.”
The 40 foot McGruer classic yacht – built of African Mahogany in 1965 to the 8 metre Cruiser-Racer formula – arrived at Mylor Yacht Harbour in 2013 to be placed in the seasoned hands of shipwrights Chris ‘Ollie’ Oliver and Reed Downing. Initially everything below her waterline was repaired before she underwent an intricate method of teak deck board and king plank fitting which involves no nailing or screwing, just gluing plank by plank – a process which maximises both the water-tight integrity and the smooth beauty of the deck.
The Marine Team’s skills were also put to redesigning her mahogany cockpit, replacing her windows and converting her to a wheel steering system. She has had a full electrical rewire, installation of new electronics and systems, deck fittings and fairleads, rigging, hatches and winches – and a new mast and set of sails which take her back to her original rig plan.
“Our sea trials off Falmouth were a tremendous success and we were thrilled to prove that under her lovely exterior Altricia is also a formidable sailing machine,” says Peter Methven. “I’ve worked in the marine industry all over the world and there are hardly any other yards, anywhere, with the wealth and range of skills to complete the work to this standard.”
For more information please visit the website: www.mylor.com or contact Mylor Yacht Harbour Tel: +44 1326 372 121