Nigel Irens / Ed Burnett 40 ft Pilot Cutter 1997

The concept for WESTERNMAN was informed by her original owners Tom and Ros Cunliffe’s fifteen-years live-aboard voyaging experience with the 1911 Bristol Chanel Pilot Cutter HIRTA (now returned to her original name CORNUBIA), and a desire to sail in climates in which the old lady would have taken a beating from the heat. Experience was coupled with the lively mind of their old friend Nigel Irens - whose knack for old and new fusion in yacht design would be aided by new kid on the block Ed Burnett just before he branched out on his own career. That repeat boats were built says everything about the success of this think tank. Soon after WESTERNMAN's summer 1997 commissioning in Nova Scotia, the Cunliffes set sail south in a healthy breeze: “The boat just shoved her shoulder into the waves and hammered off to the southwest. We shortened down to spitfire, reefed staysail and double-reefed main, then lashed the tiller, and she steered herself the whole way. We slept dry in our bunks and marvelled as WESTERNMAN ate up the distance.” The Cunliffes enjoyed WESTERNMAN and sailed thousands of miles with her for thirteen years, then sold her to the present owner in 2010. Since then she has cruised mostly on the west coast of Scotland where she somehow fits right in with the rugged scenery. WESTERNMAN completed a 2023 thorough ‘25 year service’ refit in the capable hands of Ardfern Yacht Centre.

- New Bowsprit (Collars)
- New Boom (Collars)
- Various new running rigging (TT Rigging)
- Stem cheek pieces replaced around stem head
- Area of fir decking on coach roof replaced (on top of epoxied plywood)
- Knee of starboard bowsprit bitt replaced; decking replaced in surrounding area
- Over one third of Douglas fir bulwark planking replaced
- New outer taffrail stanchions
- New wood burning stove
- Interior timber repairs
- Water tank resealed
- Fuel tanks removed and cleaned
- All on-deck varnish work (cockpit/hatches etc) stripped off and re-varnished
- Mast and gaff stripped off and re-varnished

‘Westernmen’ was the nickname given to hands on the original Bristol Channel pilot cutters. They sailed the boats far to westward to board their pilots onto ships inbound for Bristol, Barry, Cardiff and other western UK ports - then kept to sea no matter what the weather, waiting for their pilots to return when bringing their next outbound ships down channel. WESTERNMAN seems to be an honourable and fitting name for a vessel that would surely have been appreciated by these unsung heroes.

- Columbian pine 1½ in / 38 mm strip planks
- Douglas fir backbone
- Laminated frames
- Stainless steel screw plank fastenings to frames
- Stainless steel edge nail fastenings between planks
- 2 x Layers 11 oz bi-axial E-glass epoxy
- Lead keel, stainless steel bolted
- Wood rudder
- Galvanised steel epoxy painted external chainplates
- Douglas fir laid deck on bi-axial E-glass epoxy sheathed plywood on t & g pine
- Hull to deck joint believed epoxy sheathed
- Similar trunk cabin top
- Varnished teak external hatches and trim
- Panelled timber interior in antique pitch pine and mahogany
- Oiled / varnished and painted
- Oiled Douglas fir cabin sole

GENERAL
- Pine straight laid deck as described in 'Construction'
- Douglas fir stanchioned bulwarks with gates port and starboard
- Raw teak capping rail
- Bronze sockets for guardrail stanchions

FROM AFT
- Stainless steel mainsheet horse
- Simpson Lawrence 1250 bronze electric capstan to port
- Capstan can also be used for mainsheet; switch port aft in cockpit
- Self draining steering flat/ gas locker hatch

COCKPIT
- Deep coamings
- External coaming painted as trunk cabin
- 2 x Bronze external sheet cleats port and starboard
- Internal coaming varnished teak vertically lined
- Varnished teak capping
- Laid teak on plywood benches port and starboard
- 3 x Lockers under
- Laid teak on plywood sole
- 2 x Bilge pump handle sockets
- Traditional vintage 'Hastie' ship's wheel aft
- Bronze Lewmar 30 self-tailing sheet winches port and starboard
- Port lights to quarter berths
- Engine throttle control
- Bulkhead steering compass forward to port

TRUNK CABIN
- Teak double doors and sliding companionway hatch
- Painted uprights with 10 x bronze opening ports
- Laid Douglas fir roof on epoxy sheathed plywood
- Varnished teak butterfly skylight over saloon
- 'Lemon squeezer' prism over navigation space
- Raw teak chocks for tender stowage

MAST POSITION
- 3 x sided varnished pin rail
- Stove pipe

SIDE DECKS
- Black locust belaying cavils fore and aft between stanchions
- Pins
- 'Lemon squeezer' prisms over saloon port and starboard
- WC Compartment port and starboard
- Forecabin port and starboard
- Black locust pin rails port and starboard st shrouds

MAST POSITION

FOREDECK
- Raised varnished teak forehatch offset to port
- Anchor windlass to starboard
- 'Lemon squeezer' prisms over:
- WC Compartment port and starboard
- forecabin port and starboard
- Copper capped black locust bowsprit bits
- Retractable bowsprit

GROUND TACKLE
- Simpson Lawrence Sprint 3000 bronze electric anchor windlass
- Vertical chain gipsy
- Vertical warping drum
- 1 x 44 lb / 20kg Rocna bower anchor in launcher to port of stem
- 1 x 85 lb / 39 kg Fisherman anchor stowed on deck
- 30 fathoms 7/16th in galvanised tested chain + appropriate kedge warp

GENERAL
- White painted and varnished finish
- Stained pine sole
- Varnished carlin grabrails
- All berths are long and headroom high (1st owner 6 ft 6 in/ 1.98 m)
- Berths for 7 as:
- Double and single aft
- 2 x Saloon settees
- Double forward

AFT LOBBY
- Down 5 x steps over engine box from companionway
- Handrail to port

SINGLE QUARTER BERTH TO STARBOARD
- Portlight to cockpit
- Hull ceiling
- Locker
- Shelves
- Bronze opening port

DOUBLE QUARTER CABIN TO PORT
- Hull ceiling
- Large hanging locker
- Shelves
- Bronze opening port

NAVIGATION STATION FORWARD TO PORT
- Forward facing chart table and bench
- Navigation & communication units
- Shelves and lockers
- Chart reading light
- Grab post
- Lemon squeezer prism in deckhead

GALLEY TO STARBOARD
- L-surfaces; lockers under
- Hinged garbage receptacle
- Stainless steel sink
- Pressure and manual faucets
- Pump out pump
- Lockers outboard
- Forward facing large capacity Mariner Sureflo cooker
- 4-Burner hob
- Oven and grill
- Cold box readily convertible to simple 12 V fridge
- Bronze opening port
- Gimballed brass oil lamp
- Grab post

SALOON
- 150-year-old reclaimed pitch pine panelling
- (From a Liverpool, UK, warehouse demolition)
- Settee berths port and starboard
- Form superb heavy weather sea berths
- Removable solid timber leeboards
- Commodious stowage and bookshelves
- Robust mahogany table with proper fiddles extends to seat 10
- Wine rack in locker with glass racks above
- Morsø 'Squirrel' wood burning stove and flue forward to starboard
- Teak skylight in deckhead
- 4 x Bronze opening ports
- Lemon squeezer prism in deckhead port and starboard
- 5 x Gimballed oil lamps

PASSAGE
- Athwartships WC/ Shower Compartment
- Inset wash basin to port
- Lockers under and outboard
- Lemon squeezer prism in deckhead
- Toilet/ shower compartment to starboard
- Slatted sole
- Groco manual sea toilet
- Shower

FORWARD/ OWNERS CABIN
- Very large double berth to starboard
- Varnished mahogany leeboards
- Hull ceiling
- Large hanging locker to port
- Built in armchair to port
- Chest of drawers and shelves forward to port
- 2 x Lemon squeezer prisms in deckhead
- Reading lamp
- Bulkhead steps to forehatch in deckhead

OPEN ACCESS FORWARD TO FULL HEIGHT FOREPEAK
- Shelving to starboard

RIG
- Gaff cutter rig
- Hollow spruce mast (Noble Masts 2007)
- 2 x Traditional manual topsail sheet / reef tackle winches
- Douglas fir boom (Collars 2022)
- 2 x Spinlock jammers at gooseneck for line control
- Spruce gaff (Covey Island 1997)
- Douglas fir retractable bowsprit (Collars 2022)
- Stainless steel standing rigging (TT Rigging 2016)
- Running rigging (TT Rigging 2012 & 2022)
- Bobstay tensioning tackle (8:1) Spectra
- Topmast forestay on turning block and 4:1 tackle
- Shrouds tensioned with dead-eyes
- Lanyards set up via throat halyard + jigger = 16:1
- Forestay passed through stemhead tensioned with galvanised bottle screw on deck
- Large diameter lightweight bamboo booming out pole
- Bamboo jackyards
- Working tops’l set without yards
- Mainsheet can lead to aft capstan in heavy conditions)

SAILS
- Tan Dacron by SKB, Falmouth 1997 unless otherwise noted
- Sail area c 1,450 sq ft / 135 sq m
- Mainsail (3 x reefs)
- No 1 Jib
- Staysail (1 x reef)
- No 3 Jib
- Working topsail
- Jackyard topsail
- Jib topsail
- No 2 Jib (Crusader Sails 2006)

CANVASWORK
- Terracotta mainsail boom cover (2022)
- Terracotta covers for hatches and skylight
- Terracotta cockpit cover (doubles as a properly supported cockpit sun awning)
- Terracotta smaller companionway and fwd cockpit cover used overnight

MECHANICAL
- Beta Marine B-60 HE 60 hp diesel (2010)
- 60 hp @ 2800 rpm
- < 600 Hours
- Consumption: 5 L / hour at 6 knots
- Range: 90 hours / 500 nautical miles
- Engine space air pump
- 3 x Fixed bladed bronze propeller
- Edson Rack & Pinion steering (2016)

ELECTRICAL
- 12 V 250 Ah domestic battery (2021)
- 12 V 60 Ah engine start battery (2021)
- 75 A Alternator
- Sterling battery charger

TANKAGE & ASSOCIATED
- 99 Gal / 660 L Fuel in 2 x stainless steel tanks
- Independently switched and filtered
- 145 Gal/ 1000 L Fresh water integral wood epoxy tank
- Located under saloon
- In-line filtered pump
- 35 Gal / 160 L stainless steel black water tank
- Pump out facility
- 12 V Pressure water system to galley
- Hand pump to galley and WC
- Calorifier – engine heated
- Gas bottle stowage at lazarette

NAVIGATION
- Silva cockpit bulkhead mounted steering compass
- Compass light
- Raymarine C-120 Plotter display at chart table (c.2003)
- Raymarine ST60 Tridata display at chart table (Speed / depth)
- Raymarine AIS 250 Receiver
- Raymarine radar
- Raymarine Evolution autopilot (2016)
- Barometer at chart table
- Chart reading light

COMMUNICATIONS
- ICOM VHF Radio IC-M330
- Raymarine Ray 10E hand held VHF
- Clipper Navtex display at chart table

- 2 x Rule 12 V electric bilge pumps
- 1 x Whale Gusher 30 manual bilge pump in lobby
- 1 x Whale Mk 5 type manual bilge pump at cockpit
- 1 x Whale manual bilge pump forward (also for shower tray)
- Pains Wessex Precision 406 EPIRB
- Original wrought iron tiller as emergency tiller
- 4-Person valise liferaft (service expired)
- Dan buoy with float and bag
- Horseshoe lifebuoy
- RORC-style flare pack
- 4 x Lifejackets
- 2 x Dry powder extinguishers (large)
- 1 x Fire blanket
- 1 x Engine space fire extinguisher

- Removable bronze stanchions
- Dyneema guardrails
- Tepco lightweight GRP stem dinghy
- Honda 4-stroke, 2.5hp outboard engine (2006)
- H D teak boathook
- Bronze Grabbit hook for retrieving fisherman anchor via staysail halyard
- Powerful oil-burning dioptric lens anchor light
- Bosun’s chair etc
- Rope bathing ladder
- Mosquito netting (companionway and portholes)
- Solid oak cockpit table for 4