Fred Shepherd Archives - Amokura: a classic boat archive

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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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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