Personalities Archives - 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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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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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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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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Milena – 1929 Fred Shepherd ketch

webmstr — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:44:53 +0000

An 89′ ketch built by White Bros. For many years she has been based in Cannes having been run as a charter boat and more recently raced extensively on the Mediterranean circuit. Milena is owned by Jacques Anderruthy who acts as skipper when she is racing. In September 2012 Milena suffered a broken mast during the Cannes Regates Royales-Trophee after losing her backstay during a squall.

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Letter from John Leather to David Japp, July 1996

webmstr — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:38:50 +0000

Dear David Yacht AMOKURA Many thanks for your letter and renewed invitation to see the AMOKURA again when she arrives at Lowestoft. I look forward to this after so many years and expect to bring with me an old friend you may know; Bernard Hayman, late editor for many years of the Yachting World magazine and someone who also knows the AMOKURA from her racing days. I think Bernard sailed against her in some races long ago. Regarding the photo of her on the slip at the Lower Yard of The Rowhedge Ironworks Co.about 1950. It was one of several taken at the time by the late F.J. Armes, a very good marine photographer from Brightlingsea. His widow still lives there, over eighty and I believe rather crotchety as I tried hard last year to see the vast number of negatives and prints she still has at her home, kept in suitcases, but without success. I fear the lot will one day be thrown out and burned, as so often happens. I will try to get the whole lot taken in to The Nottage Institute at Wivenhoe, which besides its educational maritime functions has a large collection of local maritime items gathered over many years. As I am to become one of its Trustees in autumn, having first been a pupil at its naval architecture evening classes in 1943, I may be able to influence this. If I think of other things regarding the AMOKURA before we see her, I will let you know. Do tell me when it is suitable to visit. Best wishes John Leather

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Owl – 1909 Fred Shepherd gaff ketch

webmstr — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:41:50 +0000

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Beeleigh – 1913 Fred Shepherd gaffer

webmstr — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:56:43 +0000

Beeleigh, a Fred Shepherd-designed gaffer, was built in 1913 for a Bernard Durkin who apparently kept the boat for many years. She then passed through many hands before she was acquired by a Geoffrey Pannell of Huddersfield, Yorkshire sometime in the 1980s or 90s in a rather sorry state. She was extensively restored at Staniland Marina, in Yorkshire during which the coach roof was modified and and a Bermudian rig was put in. The boat was acquired by a Michael Hedger of Christchuch in 2001 when she was changed back to a gaffer. Possibly due to ill health the boat was only sailed a few times after the rig changed until it was acquired by a group from Lymington in 2011. Some work was necessary to get the boat back in full working order, with some new sails and fitting of rigging to take a large topsail. Beeleigh took part in a number events in 2012 and is expecting to have a full season in 2013 for her centenary . Beeleigh is 36ft 4in on the deck with a 10ft bowsprit and is 47 ft from the deck to the topsail. The photograph above is being used on the cover of a book being published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Old Gaffers Association. With thanks to Tim Redburn, one of the current owners, who got in touch via the contact page and provided this information and photograph.

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Glaramara, Amokura’s sister ship

webmstr — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:59:12 +0000

Glaramara was built in 1947, by Moody’s, to the same hull design as Amokura. This photo was taken at Sete in the 1990s. Glaramara is owned and raced by Stratis Andreadis having been owned by the Andreadis family for the last two generations. She is heavily featured in a recent documentary on Classic Boat TV about the 2013 Spetses Classic Yacht Race.

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The Moody family – still involved with Amokura

webmstr — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:17:47 +0000

This photo shows a member of the Moody family at Moody’s offices around 2000. There is a Beken picture of Amokura on the wall behind. By coincidence Moody Decking have produced the new deck for Amokura as part of the 2012-13 Cockwells refit.

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