“I’ve been a secret Old Gaffer all this time”

After a succession of GRP and ferrocement boats, Max Liberson finally fell in love with a wooden 1930s gaff cutter, writes Ali Wood

I don’t own Wendy May, she owns me. I’m just the custodian. She was built for an army officer in 1936 by Williams & Parkinson in North Wales. Their brief was to ‘build a boat that can sail around Brittany and dry out on legs’. She has a frame or rib every 6in and is fantastically strong – so she easily meets that brief. It’s the most magical thing you can do, sailing an old classic boat – but I’ve owned many boats beforehand. Back in 2010 I was offered work in Gallions Point Marina in London. I needed somewhere to stay and so bought a broken-down ferrocement schooner for £1,500. The boat, called Gloria, was in a terrible condition. In the sunlight you could see right through the coachroof.…

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Practical Boat Owner (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2020

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