Winner of Classic Boat Restoration of the Year 2020, Heron II is a beautiful 1936 Fred Shepherd design, now revived with a modern touch to meet the desires and capability of current times. She slices through the swell with a “..good turn of speed” – as reported by Uffa Fox in Racing, Cruising and Design and is roomy and bright inside, with a stylish and practical living space. Inside and out she is a thoughtfully evolved classic, finished to a high standard, in-keeping with her original build.

General Specification

Heron II is a 1936 Fred Shepherd design and built by Woodnutt & Co on the Isle of Wight for Stanley W Cooper, to Lloyds highest standard (100A1), she is a registered National Historic Vessel.

Construction

Deck Layout and Equipment

Minimalist clean deck with:

• Stainless Steel cleats and fair-leads
• Lewmar self tailing winches in the cockpit and original winches on the mast
• Stainless steel push and pull pit, stanchions and bronze Stanchion bases
• Chrome plated mushrooms, vents and port lights
• Stainless steel mast band and goose-neck
• Lofrans stainless steel X3.5 windless and 60m of 12mm chain
• 22kg CQR anchor
• Stainless steel crans-iron with 2 large mooring cleats incorporated
• 18 x portlights (newly chromed, new glass and seals)
• Deck shower aft deck

Accommodation and Equipment

• Deck house with fold out table
• 3 permanent single berths aft
• Drop down chart table opposite galley
• Bow cabin with double berth or converted to a V berth
• 2 further berths to convert in the saloon
• The saloon houses the original gimbal oak table

Galley

• Fully equipped galley
• Sink and a half with mixer tap
• 130 litre Isotherm fridge with 6 litre freezer compartment (Webasto Cruise Elegance CR130)
• Dometic moonlight 3, gimbal oven (3 burners, oven and grill with electric spark)
• 4 x 904 Camping Gaz bottles in gas locker

Heads

• Original Blake toilet
• Shower / Basin tap
• Large lazarette

Rigging, Sails and Covers

Rigging

• Standing rigging: 1×19 stainless wire with Sta-Lok fittings, 2020
• Running rigging: Marlow classic look, 2020
• Running back stays: In Dyneema
• Blocks of good quality and appropriate sizes
• Chain plates stainless, 2020
• Mast head stainless, 2020
• Goose-neck and mast band stainless, 2020
• Bowsprit crans-iron and heel, 2020

Sails

• Main sail: Crusader Sails, 2020, Dacron, white
• Stay Sail: Crusader Sails, 2020, Dacron, white
• Jib: Crusader Sails, 2020, Dacron, white
• Jib Top: Crusader Sails, 2020, Dacron, white
  (All with leather detailing)
• Mast Head Asymmetric Spinnaker: North Sails, 2016, with snuffer, blue and yellow
• Balloon Foresail: Ratsey and Lapthorne, year unknown, green
  (All with appropriate sail bags)

Covers

• Boom / Main Sail Cover: Crusader Sails, 2020, hemp colour
• Full length bow to stern sun awning, (split into 2 sections, forward and aft of mast) beige
• Fore hatch cover, beige
• Mid ships hatch cover, beige
• Life-raft cover, beige

Mechanical, Electrical and Tankage

• 65hp Ford FSD engine, with only 400 hours. 3lph at 2000rpm giving 6kn’s
• Jabsco cooling water pump
• 2 x fuel filters, Racor primary, micro secondary
• Vetus 330 water strainer
• Gearbox Newage PRM 150D (new with engine)
• 3 blade fixed prop
• 316 stainless prop shaft
• Edison patent oscillating steering gear
• The rudder is a single forward pivoted raked blade of Burma Teak, with through deck and hull stock in forged bronze with upper stuffing gland and lower bearing. Bottom pintle is located in the timber keel at base. The rudder has a part cut out to accommodate centre line propeller. Emergency tiller is to the top of rudder stock.
• Blake sea-cocks throughout
• Fully rewired with tinned marine cable
• Batteries: 5 x 95Ah, Exide, AGM, house (in galley island unit) and 1 x 95Ah, Exide, AGM engine (under sole boards)
• BEP battery distribution cluster
• 75Ah alternator
• Victron MultiPlus inverter / charger 1600VA
• Victron BMV-700 battery monitor / display
• 3 x double plug points with integrated USB points
• Marinco stainless 230v 16A shore power inlet socket (in cockpit)
• Calorifier Surecal 40 litre with 1kw immersion heater
• 2 x 5 litre expansion tanks
• Fresh water tanks: 2 x Vetus polyurethane (under saloon sole) 1 x flexi tank in bow, total 400 litres
• Fuel tank: stainless steel situated under cockpit sole, 100 litres
• All pipe work throughout Heron is new and of best quality

Navigation and Electronics

• Plotter: B&G Valcun 9 at helm, with European C-map chart
• Instruments: B&G Triton2 display in cockpit
• Wind: B&G wireless masthead wind sensor WS320
• Transducer: TriData DST800
• VHF & AIS: B&G V50 with DSC, Em-Trak B-100 with Splitter
• Compass in cockpit, Handheld VHF (ICOM M25)
• Stereo: Fusion BB100 Black Box (wireless and dual zone), 2 x speakers in cockpit, 2 x speakers in saloon
• Lighting: Masthead TriColour, Deck bow/stern, Spreader lights (Lopolight). Anchor light (LED), Steaming/deck light, Cockpit lights (LED). Interior lights (LED warm white/red, dimmable spotlights)
• Lofrans X3.5 Stainless Windlass
• Whale WaterMaster auto freshwater pump + Strainer
• Whale IC grey water pump, fully automatic, no holding tank required
• Bilge pumps: Rule Mate 2000 automatic, Manual Whale Gusher Urchin bilge pump (from cockpit)
• Alarms: Rule high water, Pilot gas alarm, Smoke, CO2
• Custom switch panel

Safety

• EPIRB Ocean Sig Rescue ME 406 Cat2 GPS
• Ocean Safety 8C charter ISO. 8 person ISO/ORC Life-raft (Next service due 31/07/22)
• Hammer hydrostatic release
• 9 x KRU sport 185 Auto Life-jackets with harnesses and Baltic elasticated safety lines
• Jonbuoy DanBuoy and Horseshoe
• Gas & Carbon monoxide alarms
• 1kg auto clean engine fire extinguisher, 2 x Gloria 1kg powder fire extinguisher, Fire blanket
• Fog horn and canister set
• Kim safety ladder
• Emergency radar reflector
• Grab Bag – Solas B
• Ikaros flares (6), parachute rockets (4), buoyant smoke (2)
• Water and food rations
• Thermal protective aid x10
• First Aid kit – category C and manual
• Emergency VHF antenna
• Anchor ball and motoring cone, Emergency Nav lights
• Softwood bungs, 18m floating line, Signalling flags
• Jackstays and D ring in cockpit
• Working boat code training manual

Miscellaneous

• Stainless 5 rung swim ladder
• Teak boat hook (7ft)
• 5 winch handles
• 6 fenders with socks (all blue)
• Mooring lines

Restoration

The restoration of Heron II has taken place over 4 years (2016/20) and has included a full restoration of the original teak deck to make her water tight once again, some minor structural work to the hull – to restore the damage caused by the previously open deck, a complete strip back to then be freshly painted and varnished (inside and out), plus a full interior overhaul. She has also been converted from a Ketch rig to a Bermudan Cutter – as she originally was; shown in Fred Shepherd’s designs in Racing, Cruising and Design and our archive of images.

• Structural work: Bow king plank and capping rail replaced with teak. Breast hook also replaced. 2 frame tops replaced in bow and 2 frame bottoms replaced aft, all oak. Deck re-splined.
• Keel: Naval brass keel bolts removed and polished, some washers replaced where necessary. Garboards re-corked.
• Hull: Topsides stripped and painted, finished with International Mediterranean White.
• Skin fittings: All removed and restored or replaced where necessary.
• Topside Deck: Toe rail refastened. New teak capping rail and king plank. New laminated breast hook.
• Deck: Refastened, splined and re-corked. New teak cockpit sole. New winch bases. Re-bedded all deck prisms.
• Deck house: New toughened glass windows. New gas locker (in-line valve and pressure tester and Pilot alarm) under table with drain leading to open deck. Engine ignition and control panel moved to deck house.
• Helm: Restored steering system.
• Hardware: Cleats and fair-leads reorganised and replaced with stainless steel. All chrome work re-chromed. Pull and push pit and stanchions removed, polished and re-bedded on new deck plates.
• Windlass & Anchor: Replaced with Lofrans X3.5 windlass and 60m 12mm chain running into new chain locker in forward cabin and 22kg CQR anchor.
• Spars: Mast stripped, bronze mast track refastened, new stainless steel mast head and mast band/gooseneck. New bowsprit crans-iron and heel. New boom (acquired from the mast of David Dimbleby’s yacht ‘Rocket’), fitted with 3 reef points, new bronze track. Original engraved ‘Heron II 1936’ boom end cap maintained.
• Rig: Mizzen Mast removed and rig returned to original layout. All new stainless steel 1×19 standing rigging with Sta-Lok bottle screws and fittings throughout and new chain plates. All new classic look running rigging and new blocks.
• Interior: Every square inch of interior taken back to bare wood, including bilge. Then painted/varnished in best quality product. Bilge re-pitched. Interior varnish satin finish. Changed interior layout by opening up the space (better manoeuvrability and light) and moving the galley aft. New galley with full size Isotherm fridge and new island unit. New heads but maintaining original Blake head. New double bow cabin construction. All original oak interior panel boards restored. New mattresses and upholstery. All sole boards, excluding saloon, replaced.
• Electrics: All wiring stripped out and replaced with modern marine tinned cable and all new equipment.
• Engine: Engine and gear box have only 400 hours. During restoration the engine was removed and had all new: cam-belt, starter motor, alternator, water pump, oils and filters, pipe work, chlorofier with electric immersion. Prop and prop shaft removed, cleaned and refitted.

History

She is a well respected vessel, now with registered National Historic Vessel status. She was built in 1936 to the highest standard, Lloyds 100A1, for Stanley W Cooper. Upon launch Uffa Fox dedicated a full chapter to her in his 1937 book ‘Racing, Cruising and Design’.

Present owner, Aaron, was first introduced to classic sailing yachts at the age of 7 on-board this very vessel! Then lying on the Isle of Wight, owned by a family friend, Michael Clark, a radio engineer. Michael and Heron II featured in Yachting Monthly 1984.

It is believed that Heron II once broke the record for the Isle of Wight to Scilly Isles race.

Enthusiasts who have enjoyed sailing on her in the past have contacted us since her revival to fill in some gaps. Michael purchased Heron in 1984 from a Christopher Smith. And before that, in the early sixties to mid seventies she was owned by John Morris, who owned Gosport shipyard John Morris & Co, which built minesweepers during the war. At some point Heron was converted to a Ketch with mizzen mast.

Aaron forged a career as a Yacht Skipper before then taking on the restoration of Heron II in 2016, taking her from the IOW to Dartmouth. He then won the Restoration of the Year Award 2020 for his work bringing her back to life and after featuring in an extensive article in Classic Boat magazine in March 2020.

While based in Devon Heron was used for a photo-shoot/video for an Adidas and Palace clothing commercial. Heron II was then moved from British waters down to Cannes in Southern France, ready for chartering.

Survey

2019 marine survey available to view by seriously interested parties.

Brand

Comes with a modern brand image ready for chartering, a website, t-shirt design and plates and personalised flag and a promotional postcard/flyer design.