Robert Clark 41 ft Bermudan Yawl 1963/2017 - Sold

PAS SEUL is a fine example of Robert Clark’s relationship through the 1950 and 60s with the renowned skills of Dutch yacht builders in steel, resulting in sleek and strong race winners that could be pushed hard. In original ownership a regular on the 1960s RORC offshore circuit, she completed the 1963 and 1965 Fastnet Races, then cruised extensively from her River Hamble mooring. Rescued by her present owner from a less happy period, an extensive restoration gives PAS SEUL a new lease of life: a delightfully practical and easily handled classic yacht with modern comforts, and a relatively low-maintenance possibility for reliving her racing days on the Mediterranean and other classic regatta circuits.

"When I found her she had fallen into disrepair and a previous falling out of owners left her without an engine or winches, her spars were broken, her interior in pieces, her deck rotten. She has such sweet lines; it was such a tragic waste that I set about restoring her and over some years she has been completely rebuilt to a high specification.

"You come to realise through investigating her history, and more recently sailing her about the south of the UK, that you are her custodian, more than her owner: there is barely a weekend goes by that someone doesn’t come up and say they know the boat, or sailed on her, or at least make admiring remarks as she’s tied up alongside.

"She has the sleekest and most classic lines and sails like a true classic yacht should. She’s now 58 years young, and I’d like to think the work we’ve done to her will keep her going well into her centenary. A new owner will have the benefit of enjoying this lovely yacht, which will offer years more pleasure."

From 2009 until 2017 PAS SEUL underwent a painstaking keel up restoration and rebuild. The hull, which was still completely intact, was shot blasted internally, painted and spray foam insulated, the deck was replaced, and coach roof restored, a new, more comfortable interior installed, new engine, new electronics, new spars, new sails, new deck hardware, new winches. The restoration process included finding the original drawings at the UK National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

PAS SEUL’s commissioning owners (a quartet of members of the Perkins builders merchants family when their part of the business now known as Travis Perkins was named Ingram Perkins) were replacing their C.A. Nicholson/ Clare Lallow 35 ft sloop SUNDEW. Perhaps their “Did Not Finish” in the stormy 1961 Fastnet Race persuaded them of the need for something longer – and faster.

The builder, Gebr. Van Dam & Zn of Alphen aan den Rijn, midway between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, was one of a select group of Dutch yachtbuilders who exclusively built the Robert Clark office’s steel designs at this time, almost as exclusively for English clients. One imagines the rapport between designer and builder was excellent, as were the resulting yachts.

Originally powered by an extensive Ratsey & Lapthorn sail wardrobe and a 2-cylinder Coventry Victor 14/16 hp petrol engine, PAS SEUL was River Hamble based at least for her first decade, a regular participant in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s offshore races, including two Fastnets, and a West Country cruiser out of St Mawes.

From 1971 ownership transferred to a trio of River Hamble yachtsmen, Messrs A.N. Penfold, C.G. Ford and P.K. Hopgood, later joined by N.L Williams. Under these and subsequent owners PAS SEUL is known to have cruised extensively including in the Baltic and the Mediterranean.

After a partial refit in the early 2000s she somehow became neglected and when rescued in present ownership required a major restoration of the steel hull and coach house, the complete rebuilding of the deck and interior, and all new systems. It's been a long labour of love.

©2023 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd.

- Rolled steel hull plating on stringers
- Tested to 6 mm all over
- 3.5 Tons of lead ingots set in pitch in the keel box
- Hull filled and faired with 2-pack paint finish externally
- Hull shot blasted to clean steel internally
- Painted and spray foam insulated to water line internally
- Mahogany ring beam and superstructure
- New Mahogany cockpit
- Marine ply decks with glass and epoxy coating

FROM AFT
- Epoxy glassed and painted plywood deck
- Raw iroko cap rail

AFT DECK
- Raw teak and chromed bronze mooring cleats port and starboard
- Associated chafe strips at rail
- Selden mizzen sheet blocks
- Selden mizzen runner tackle
- Mizzen mast position
- Tiller

COCKPIT
- Varnished mahogany coaming, rounded aft
- Varnished mahogany cockpit details
- Raw teak and varnished mahogany seats
- 2 x Lazarette hatches
- 2 x Cockpit seat lockers
- Starboard locker stows inflatable dinghy
- Port locker houses inverter and manual bilge pump
- Throttle control to starboard
- Instrument displays and fuel gauge at bridge deck bulkhead
- Selden mainsheet traveller at bridge deck
- Lewmar 45 self-tailing sheet winches port and starboard

SIDE DECKS
- Selden fore and aft genoa tracks and cars
- Spinlock cleats for adjustment
- Raw teak and chromed bronze spring cleats port and starboard
- Associated alloy spring line fairleads
- Internal deck scuppers
- Stainless steel scupper grills

TRUNK CABIN
- Varnished mahogany uprights
- 5 x Chromed ports port and starboard
- Varnished teak grab rails port and starboard
- 2 x Bronze mushroom vents
- Raw iroko line stowage box at mast base
- Raised varnished and raw laid teak forehatch

FOREDECK
- Lofrans vertical electric windlass
- Chain gipsy and warping drum
- Raw teak and chromed bronze mooring cleats port and starboard
- Associated chafe strips at rail
- Stainless steel stemhead fitting
- 2 x anchor channels
- 2 x nylon rollers
- Furlex 304S headsail furler; line led aft to starboard
- Rocna anchor 25 kg
- 60 m Galvanised chain

3 x STEPS DOWN OVER ENGINE BOX
- White painted and varnished mahogany finish
- Varnished teak trunk cabin sides
- Mahogany full length carlin fairing/ grabrail
- Varnished pine cabin sole
- 4 x Widney MPH700 Electric plinth heaters

GALLEY TO STARBOARD
- Stainless inset steel sink bowl
- Mixer tap
- Origo 1500 gimballed 1 x burner spirit hob
- Sharp 220 V microwave oven
- Fridge
- Plate racks; stowage
- Strip light in side deck head

NAVIGATION AREA TO PORT
- Chart table
- Stowage under
- Ship's isolator panel
- USB socket
- Simrad VHF radio
- Beta Marine engine panel
- Heatmiser neoStat Smart Thermostat heating controller
- Strip light in side deck head

FORWARD TO SALOON
- Very wide settee berths Alcantara beige upholstered
- Stowage under
- Mahogany drop leaf saloon table
- Stowage under
- 4 x Danish style chromed reading lights
- Weems & Plath clock and barometer

FORWARD TO LOBBY
- Wet locker to starboard
- Teak grating sole
- WC/ SHOWER COMPARTMENT TO PORT
- Lavac electric/ manual toilet
- Lockers outboard
- Mirror
- Strip light

FORWARD TO FORWARD CABIN
- Large double berth
- Marine Bedding pocket sprung mattress
- Vast stowage under
- Including liferaft stowage
- Hanging lockers port and starboard
- 2 x Shoe lockers
- Raised forehatch in house deckhead
- 2 x Bulkhead lights
- Access panel fwd to chain locker

RIG
- Sail plan designed by Ed Burnett.
- Keel-stepped Sparcraft (by Sailspar) main mast (2017)
- 2 x Lewmar 16 halyard winches
- 6 x Spinlock jammers
- Selden main boom and vang
- Sparcraft (by Sailspar) mizzen mast (2017)
- 2 x Lewmar 8 halyard winches
- Selden mizzen boom; rope purchase vang
- Standing rigging new 2017 (Dynema runners for the mizzen)
- Furlex 304S foresail furler

SAILS
- DS Sails (2017)
- Mainsail; stackpack and lazy jacks
- Mizzen; stackpack and lazy jacks
- Furling foresail

CANVASWORK
- Main and mizzen boom stackpacks as above
- Under boom covers for house and cockpit with zipper between

MECHANICAL/ PROPULSION
- Beta Marine 50 hp Diesel (260 hrs approx)
- Beta Marine gearbox
- Traditional drive train to fixed, 3-bladed offset propeller
- Side-Power electric bow thruster; wireless remote control

ELECTRICAL
- 3 x 110 A Domestic batteries
- 1 x 110 A Bowthruster battery
- 1 x 110 A Engine starter battery
- Victron 1200w invertor/ charger
- Victron Split charger
- Victron Galvanic isolator
- Ultrasonic Antifoul system

TANKAGE
- 2 x 75 L Fuel tanks
- Racor fuel filter
- 1 x Beta electrical fuel pump
- 1 x 150 L Bladder water tank
- 1 x 50 L Holding tank

- Garmin GPS/ chart plotter
- Nexus depth sounder
- Nexus speed log
- Nexus wind speed and direction instrument
- Simrad VHF DSC radio
- Simrad AIS
- Nexus tiller pilot

- Fire extinguishers in each cabin
- Smoke Detector
- Carbon monoxide sensor
- Whale electric/ automatic bilge pump
- Whale manual pump
- 6-Person Ocean Safety valise life raft (not in service date)
- LED running lights, tricolour and anchor light

- 6 x Fenders
- Warps