Amokura: a classic boat archive

John Leather (1928-2006)

webmstr — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 23:05:57 +0000

Naval architect, author, and passionate advocate for traditional boats John Leather was a respected British naval architect, yachting historian, and prolific maritime author whose lifelong passion for traditional sailing vessels helped preserve the heritage of classic yacht design. Born in Colchester in 1928, Leather trained as a naval architect and gained hands-on experience in boatbuilding before working at the Admiralty and later as a consultant. He wrote extensively for yachting magazines and authored over a dozen influential books on wooden boats, boatbuilding, and sailing history, including Clinker Boatbuilding, Gaff Rig, and The Gaff Rig Handbook, all of which remain reference works today. Leather had a particular love for gaff-rigged craft and East Coast working boats, and his knowledge was rooted not only in research but in practical experience. He was a champion of traditional boatbuilding skills and a key figure in the classic yacht revival of the 20th century. Amokura featured in his writing as an example of the finest work of Fred Shepherd and as a classic yacht of significant design pedigree. John Leather’s work helped bring wider recognition to yachts like Amokura, ensuring they were appreciated not only as seaworthy vessels but as important pieces of maritime heritage. John Leather died in 2006, but his legacy lives on in the many classic yachts still sailing today — and in the enduring influence of his writing.

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Uffa Fox (1898-1972)

webmstr — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 22:59:03 +0000

Uffa Fox was born in 1898 on the Isle of Wight and grew up on Cowes waterfront. When his school days were over he began an apprenticeship with SE Saunders, boatbuilders. Even then they were engaged with high sped craft like Maple LeafIV which was capable of over 50 knots. Uffa’s apprenticeship lasted seven years covering boatbuilding, shipbuilding and design. At the age of 21 he set up his own boat building business. As premises he acquired an aged ‘floating bridge’ which had linked Cowes to East Cowes. The central part was roofed over to provide a workshop. The prow at one end formed a gangway to the shore and the other became a slipway for launching boats into the river. The passenger accommodation was converted to a drawing office and living space. We would not like to give the impression that he was a model citizen. As an example he was made a Scout Master by the Sea Scout Committee. On one of his excursions as Scout Master and at a time when he was unemployed he dediced that it was time to “blood” the troup. He took “Valhalla’s” whaleboat with his Scouts to France-in the summer holidays. There was a total of 10 crew ages ranging from 14 to 18. Uffa swore them all to secrecy and told them to tell everyone that they would be camping in the Solent area. In fact they were trying to reach Paris via the Seine. On returning home they were “greeted “ by some very angry parents. The committee resigned en bloc and Uffa was charged with irresponsibility and placing young lives in jeopardy. He became a martyr to the scouts but the devil to the parents. It turned out that the “team” hadn’t quite made Paris but had turned back only 20 miles short. (Tony Dixon has a very amusing illustrated talk on the trip which is well worth booking for your yacht club). Uffa was the father of the planing dinghy. Having worked on high speed power craft, Uffa believed tha if a dinghy hull were made the right shape, and her crew held her upright, she could be made to plane over the surface. He was a little diffident about it but finally gave his theories full rein in the International Fourteen Footer Avenger. In 57 starts in 1928 she gained 52 first places, two seconds and three thirds including winning the coveted Prince of Wales Cup. A large order book was soon built up and for many years his were the most sought after designs. Following the success of the Fourteens he applied the concept to other classes. He designed and built two sailing canoes which Roger De Quincy and himself took across the Atlantic and brought back many trophies including the International Canoe Trophy. Uffa was forever coming up with new designs and was always ready to prove them with a practical demonstration. A typical example was Vigilant, a 22 Square Metre with such extreme light displacement that […]

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Captain Richard Carr MBE MC (c.1919 – 1977)

webmstr — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 16:39:17 +0000

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George Millar DSO MC (1910-2005)

webmstr — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 15:36:45 +0000

George Millar owned Amokura from 1954-60. He was well-known as an author particularly for Maquis which chronicled his exploits in WW2 behind enemy lines – he escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp and on return to London promptly enlisted with the Special Operations Executive, deployed in occupied France. His other books included Horned Pigeon, A White Boat from England, and Oyster River, which described a summer cruising the French Gulf of Morhiban with his wife Isabel aboard Amokura. Millar’s cruises aboard Amokura are described in the RCC journals of 1954 and 1956 and his life is described in colourful detail in wikipedia and obituaries in the The Daily Telegraph and The Independent. It is also worth reading George Millar’s letter to David Japp in January 1996, which describes his purchase of Amokura and refers to his friendship with later owner Richard Carr.

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Interview with George Millar

webmstr — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 12:55:11 +0000

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Major Sir Ernest Harston – Who’s Who Entry

webmstr — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:04:41 +0000

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Fred Shepherd (1869-1969)

webmstr — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 10:59:38 +0000

Frederick (or more often, Fred) Shepherd was best known as a designer of cruising yachts. He worked for Arthur E Payne and later Lory and Cornwallis in their London offices before setting up his own practice in 1899 in Norfolk Street off London’s Strand. In 1921 he moved to Swanwick on the River Hamble in Hampshire and in 1926 became a partner in Frederick Shepherd and Morgan Ltd which opened the Swanwick Shipyard to build yachts. This was short-lived and he soon returned to London re-establishing himself at 199 Piccadilly as a designer, broker and surveyor. In 1934 Shepherd took on Fred Parker as a pupil. Parker, in his early twenties at that point, had just completed his apprenticeship as a shipwright with Berthon Boat Company in Lymington. The pair worked closely together during the remainder of the 1930s and they collaborated particularly closely on the design of Amokura and Maybird. Indeed Maybird’s design drawings include pencil-note conversations between the two. After Shepherd’s retirement Fred Parker went on to design around 30 more yachts many of which were built at Moody’s yard at Swanwick. Fred Shepherd continued to be based in Piccadilly until September 1939. When war broke out he shut the London office and effectively retired to Kings Somborne in Hampshire. Click here for details of other Shepherd-designed yachts.

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Yachts designed by Fred Shepherd

webmstr — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:44:06 +0000

Fred Shepherd was a prolific designer completing the designs of over 80 yachts during his career. So the listing of his designs below is far from complete. If you have more information about any of these boats, or indeed any Fred Shepherd designs which are not mentioned – please do get in touch via the contact page.

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Fastnet 2023 videos

webmstr — Thu, 18 May 2023 12:11:35 +0000

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Fastnet 2021 videos

webmstr — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:53:07 +0000

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Beken photos

webmstr — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:22:30 +0000

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Letter from Uffa Fox to Fred Shepherd, October 1946

webmstr — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 23:30:10 +0000

Uffa Fox is a legendary boating character best known as a boat designer and builder. Websites uffafox.com and wikipedia provide good summaries of his life and achievements. An image of this letter is already included on this site. Unfortunately it is not the clearest of copies – so here is an easily-read plain text version, for easier digestion! Uffa Fox Yacht Designers & builders Medina Yard Cowes England Telephone: Cowes 555 Telegrams: “Uffa Fox, Cowes” 12th October, 1946 Fred Shepherd, Esq., M.I.N.A., Carn Brear, King’s Somborne, Hants. My dear Sir It was indeed a great pleasure to meet you again after all these years, and to see you looking so fit and well. I am under way with another book, and wonder what designs you have that you would like me to put in it. Could you turn this over in your mind, and then send them on to me? Prints will do us well, for, as you know, we trace all our plans up, to get a uniform style of plan throughout the book. A chapter I should very much like to write is: The Work of Fred Shepherd, through the past (say) 50 years, and wonder if you have a range of plans and thoughts that would paint this picture. The boat I have in mind to start the story is CORAL, which you designed and built in 1901, and I wonder if you have any of her plans about? It really does not matter if they are a bit tattered and torn, as we can stick them together and retrace them. Then, 40 years after, comes the AMOKURA, a most marvellous ocean racer; and I believe Moody’s are building one to your design this year. So in those three boats you spanned 45 years. Congratulations! I think this would make a marvellous chapter, and do hope and trust you can think this out; and possibly I could get in my car one fine day, drive up to see you, now you are so close, have a yarn, and look over your plans and thoughts, and return. Say Wednesday next, 16th? If I caught the 7.50 boat, I could be with you at 10 a.m., so we could have a couple of hours’ yarn, a bite of food, and I should return with a sheaf of plans immediately after lunch – or later, if you thought best. Hope this will fit with your ideas of things, and looking forward to meeting you again. Best wishes, Yours ever [Signed on behalf of] Uffa Fox P.S. I just have to dash off to London to a Y.R.A. meeting, we hope you will excuse my not signing this letter. A few suggestions:- CORAL 65 tons NEBULA 50 tons THANET 52 tons OTTER 19 tons (or SCOLOPAX 20 tons) AMOKURA and 1946 Moody boat &c., &c.,&c.

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Aline IV – 1919 Fred Shepherd yacht

webmstr — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 14:12:41 +0000

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Yachting World (October 2019)

webmstr — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 17:01:39 +0000

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Fastnet 2019 videos

webmstr — Sat, 24 Aug 2019 16:02:37 +0000

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Follow Amokura

webmstr — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 15:47:47 +0000

Amokura left Palma heading for the UK. Follow progress on Twitter @amokura1939 and via www.marinetraffic.com using MMSI 235037846

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Desire – 1912 Fred Shepherd sloop

webmstr — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 15:31:24 +0000

Built by Stow & Son yachts of Shoreham in 1912, Desire was 25′ LOA, 24’6″ LWL and 8’3″ beam with a 5′ draught and 360 sq ft of sail area. David Mills recalls: “Desire was my father’s boat, bought just after the Second World War. She lived in Salcombe during my childhood. He converted her from gaff to bermudian, and added the little doghouse. “We lived in Ashburton, on the south of Dartmoor. So, for the winter, she was brought around to Teignmouth, had the mast craned out at Morgan Giles’ yard. She was then motored under Shaldon bridge up the river Teign estuary – motive power was a small and very unreliable Watermota engine – to a mud-berth on a bend in the river right by Newton Abbot race-course, at the top of the tide. “The engine (which was, I think, fitted by my father) was very much ‘auxilliary’. She still had rowlock holes on the cockpit combing to enable her, pre-engine, to be rowed with one or two long sweeps. “In the left hand photograph below, the helmsman is my father Ruskin Mills with Bolt Head in the background – with me and the dog Puffin helping with the steering. “The diver on the right-hand photograph is also my father, with mother Sue. In the background is Desire at anchor off Galmon Head, just west of Prawle Point. “One of the photos I which I am yet to find is of Desire in Dartmouth, with a Barrel of Burgundy wine lashed to the base of the mast at deck-level. They brought this back from Treguier, all pre-planned with the Dartmouth Customs-man. He had to ‘dip’ it – I suppose to check that it was wine not brandy – before it was taken home to Ashburton to be bottled.” With thanks to David Mills for getting in contact, and providing these photographs and background information

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1980s? Monfalcone, Italy

webmstr — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 06:00:24 +0000

This photograph is believed to have been taken at Monfalcone in Northern Italy. Amokura has a white hull which marks a change from the black she is believed to have had during the ownership of Ernest Harston and George Millar, and the dark blue seen during the Carr’s tenure. The photograph is undated but perhaps dates from the early 1980s before the Pulver brothers embarked on their extensive renovation? The yacht ahead of Amokura looks quite modern so perhaps this does fit in with the photo being taken in the 1980s…

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1970s? Flying the White Ensign

webmstr — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 06:00:34 +0000

This picture shows Amokura at anchor flying the prestigious white ensign. The white ensign is the preserve of Royal Navy ships, Trinity House vessels escorting the reigning monarch, and (in Amokura‘s case) members of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Two of her previous owners, George Millar (who owned Amokura from 1954-60) and Richard Carr (from 1969-79), had this distinction. This picture shows Amokura with the aluminium masts fitted shortly after Carr purchased her in 1969 so it likely dates from the 1970s.

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1969: Pictures taken whilst the Carr family owned Amokura

webmstr — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 06:00:35 +0000

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