Laurent Giles – Vertue Class Sloop

The 25’ 4” Virtue Class Sloop designed by Laurent Giles is one of the most capable and well-loved small cruising yachts ever designed, and thus requires no further introduction.  However, stepping aboard FLYING FISH will shatter any pre-conceived notion you may have of what such a craft might look or feel like.    

You may be familiar with the 136’ ALEJANDRA, 155’ SCHEHERAZADE, or the 124’ ANTONISA – some of the most spectacular classic mega-sailing yachts ever built of cold-molded wood construction at the Legendary Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine. 

Now imagine one of Hodgdon’s finest craftsmen, quietly and diligently building a Virtue Class sloop in his home workshop during evenings and weekends over the course of eight years – utilizing the very same wood/epoxy composite construction, finest imaginable materials, and impeccable craftsmanship employed during his day job.   The resulting mini-yacht is FLYING FISH.  Launched in East Boothbay, Maine in 2010. 

Builder Jack Bassett didn’t stop there.  Within days of launching FLYING FISH in 2010, Jack and his wife Caroline embarked on a 14-month, 12,000-mile adventure across the Atlantic to the Azores, along the South coast of Portugal to the Spanish border and up the Rio Guadiana, to Porto Santo and Madeira, the Canary Islands, and down the West African coast to the Cape Verde Islands.   From there they sailed FLYING FISH back across the Atlantic to Grenada, up through the Caribbean and Eastern Seaboard returning to Maine.

An article (which can be emailed) was published in the January/February 2013 issue of WoodenBoat Magazine, documenting the construction of FLYING FISH and history of the Virtue design. 

Jack and Caroline continue to spend summer cruising aboard FLYING FISH – mostly in Maine, and remarkably, the boat looks as perfect or possibly even better today as she did when launched in 2010.  Her varnish is perfect inside and out, the Yanmar 2YM15 diesel was brand new in 2020 (only 30 hours!), and all of her electronics, safety equipment and other systems are fully up to date.

The next owner of FLYING FISH could pack some clothes, hit the grocery store, and set sail for the horizon – or perhaps be content admiring her stunning interior joinery with a cup of tea on the mooring between leisurely daysails.  Either way, I’ve never seen a more capable and amazingly perfect little yacht of this size. 

Specifications:

Year Built: finished and launched May 2010

Designer: J. Laurent (Jack) Giles, Lymington, UK

Builder: Jack Bassett, Boothbay, ME

Hull Material: cold-molded wood

LOD: 25.5 ft./ 7.8m

LOA: 27 ft./ 8.2m

LWL: 22 ft./ 6.7m

Beam: 7 ft. 3 in/ 2.2m

Draft: 5 ft./ 1.52m

Displacement: 4.2 tons/ 4.3 tonnes

Construction:

HULL: Cold-molded with West System epoxy to 1″ thickness 9/16″ tongue & groove Alaska Yellow Cedar edge glued and Bronze fastened. 2 layers of diagonal 1/8″ Western Red Cedar followed by a final diagonal layer of 1/8″ Spanish Cedar. 2 layers of biaxial fiberglass cloth sheathing

FRAMES & ENGINE BED: Mahogany

FLOORS & BACKBONE: Iroko.

DECK: 1/2″ x 2″ tongue & groove Alaska Yellow Cedar glued to 2 layers of 4 mm Sapele plywood, fiberglass sheathed.

CABINHOUSE/COCKPIT COAMING: comprised of 5 layers of Iroko, Cherry, and Yellow Cedar planking to 1-1/8″ thickness

TOE RAIL, CAP RAIL, GRAB RAIL, and HATCHES: Teak

List of equipment:

 Accommodation & Domestic Equipment:

• Cherry and Walnut paneled interior – custom built
• Swedish Origo double burner alcohol stove
• Blake marine head – made in Britain
• Port and starboard single berths with passage lee cloths
• Cushion and panel infill to bridge berths for double harbor/anchor sleeping
• premium Sunbrella upholstery
• Stowage below and outboard of berths with book shelves
• Freshwater and Fynspray saltwater pump in galley
• ample stowage in galley
• bronze mushroom vent over stove
• LED lighting below decks
• 3/8″ Lexan port lights with curtains
• hatch screens

Rig, Spars & Sails:

• Sitka spruce mast and boom
• double spreader rig with double and running backstays
• Slab reefing mainsail with custom cover, 2 reefs
• Sails by Nathaniel S. Wilson, Master sailmaker, East Boothbay, ME = main, genoa, working jib, stays’l, storm stays’l with reef points, trysail
• 316 Stainless rigging in 7/32″ and 9/32
• 7/16″ and 1/2″ Bronze turnbuckles and toggles
• Sta-loc fittings
• Sta-set x halyards
• Tuffnol blocks
• short and long spinnaker poles
• Wilcox Crittenden halyard winches
• LVJ Jachttecniek Bronze sheet winches – made in Holland
• custom boom crutch

Navigation & Electronics:

• Fleming stainless steel servo pendulum self-steering gear, customized
• Raymarine A70D chartplotter/depthfinder sounder with spare
• Raymarine AIS Transponder and Sitex splitter
• Furuno 1623 LCD Radar
• Ritchie cockpit compass
• Icom DSC capable VHF radio
• Weems & Plath barometer and clock
• LED decklight
• 2nd set of lights on cabin side
• 50-watt solar panel
• stereo system
• Garmin hand held GPS
• Uniden hand held VHS

Metal Works:

• 4000 lb. lead keel with 3/4″ Silicon Bronze keel bolts
• Bronze fastened throughout
• Silicon Bronze chain plates and port rings
• Silicon Bronze gudgeon, pintle & heel fittings on outboard rudder
• 316 Stainless Steel lifeline stanchions and bow pulpit

Mechanical, Electrical & Tankage:

• 2YM15 Yanmar diesel engine, brand new in 2020, 30 hours on meter
• 2 blade Bronze propeller
• Single lever Vetus engine control (new)
• Starting and deep cycle 12 Volt batteries
• 20-gallon aluminum diesel tank
• 20-gallon Stainless Steel water tank
• 20-gallon additional water stowage for offshore
• Racor fuel filter
• 2 part nesting dinghy, mountable on deck for offshore sailing (new)

Ground Tackle & Deck Equipment:

• Bronze ABI deck windlass
• 29 lb. plow type anchor
• 175 feet 5/16 BBB chain
• 12 lb. high tensile Danforth anchor
• 25 lb. Wilcox Crittenden navy type anchor
• 25 feet 5/16 chain
• 200 feet 1/2″ braided rode
• Various fenders, docklines, shackles, etc.

Safety:

• ACR Global Fix 406 GPS Satellite EPIRB, new
• Electric bilge pump
• Manual emergency bilge pump
• Ocean Brake series drogue with 108 cones & bridle
• 2 safety harnesses & 2 PFD’s with CO2 inflation
• Stainless lifelines and stanchions
• ATN mast climber
• bosun’s chair