Vega of Garth

I was delighted to read your recent article on Vega and your trip to Scotland [May]. It brought back many memories from the time when I owned your lovely vessel. I bought Vega in 1995/6 when I found her virtually abandoned in a Dover lorry park. Her hull was sound but rainwater ingress over many years had ruined her deck and coachroofs and her wheelhouse had disintegrated. She was not fit for a sea journey to Milford Haven where we were to keep her, so she went by lorry.

On arrival she was put into the caring hands of master shipwright Bob Palmer who was then working out of Lawrenny on the Cleddau Estuary, where at that time we had a house. Bob did a huge amount of work on the boat, including a re-engine, new systems, new deck, coachroofs and more. Bob refused to let me paint her in her original dark blue

(all the seams will open up, he said) and I painted her a pale blue. The attached photo from 2001 shows her in her prime, on completion of the work. (I painted her dark blue a few years later when the seams had settled down).

From 1998 to 2003 we sailed, motored and motor-sailed Vega all over the Irish Sea to Ireland, north Wales and England. She proved to be a wonderful sea boat able to cope with the worst of what the Irish Sea could throw at you and comfortable progress could be made in heavy weather with the engine ticking over and a reduced rig to steady her.

In 2003 we took Vega south and east to Dover where we left for a few years cruising the French Inland Waterways, something for which Vega was ideal, if a little deepdraughted at times.

We sold her reluctantly in 2007 as by then I had bought into my next restoration project – the restoration of the 1937 Berthon built Gauntlet, Mitten, whch was lying abandoned in Dover Marina very close to where Vega was moored.

I am delighted that Vega has found her way into your capable hands and from the wonderful photographs in the article she looks very much as she was when we parted with her. I hope you will enjoy your time with this fine vessel which we remember fondly and it is gratifying to see how well she has been looked after since we parted with her. Please keep in touch and l look forward to reading of your further adventures.

Nicholas Gray, Sandwich, Kent