Fred Shepherd 50 ft Yawl 1939/2025

Few British pre-war cruiser-racers have had so much love and care lavished on them, but this striking 50 ft classic yawl - Fred Shepherd’s last design - thoroughly deserves it. AMOKURA's story is remarkable and her ability legendary. Almost as if she demanded it, her few owners over more than 80 years have always let her off the leash as a long-distance cruiser and passage racer; in present ownership she has completed the past two Fastnet Races and cruised extensively. Through the lessons learned during voyages that offer time to think, AMOKURA has been refined and improved to the extent that she is most probably a more able yacht than when launched by Moody's in 1939. Yet she is doing exactly what her designer and commissioning owner envisaged. Down below that is achieved with rather more comfort than the 1930s sailor accepted, but with no loss of charm and period feel. AMOKURA is very special, and, of course, she doesn't need to be sailed far away to be enjoyed and to give back.

- More specs and pics to be added in coming weeks

WINTERS 2020-2025 BUTLER & CO., PENPOL, CORNWALL
(mostly 2020-2022, with many summer miles sailed )
- Lead ballast keel lowered, fastenings checked, refastened
- Laminated mahogany frames and floors in mast area
- New iroko mast step
- Localised planking replacement in iroko as required
- Laminated timber frame and floor replacement in way of mast step
- Localised refastening
- Bronze chainplates
- Bronze internal longitudinal spreader plate port & starboard
- Associated bronze hanging knees
- Bronze diagonal straps port & starboard
- Marine plywood bulkheads
- Present accommodation

2016 THEO RYE/ BUTLER & CO.
- New sail plan designed by Theo Rye
- Following original, but allowing setting a genoa
- All new spars designed by Ashley Butler; built by Butler & Co.
- Hollow spruce main mast, mizzen and booms

2016 BUTLER & CO., PENPOL, CORNWALL
- Replacement iroko wood keel

2012 COCKWELLS, FALMOUTH
- New teak laid deck on marine plywood substrate

The last boat built before the Second World War from Freddy's board... AMOKURA is sometimes called Freddy's most beautiful cruiser and she inspired great admiration from her owners because she looked smaller than she was - always a sign of an elegant yacht. She was also easy to handle with a limited crew... One of the last things he did as a practising naval architect was to take me to Moody's yard on the Hamble when he was making a supervisory visit to check on Glaramara's progress [AMOKURA's post war sister]. One of the aspects of that visit which I enjoyed was the trust between the designer and builder. Freddy seemed to take the view that Moody's were so good at their job that his visit was almost a formality - no doubt they had similar feelings towards the quality of his workmanship - as a designer of boats of which they knew they would be proud.

[The Boatman magazine c.1997]

In the 24-ton yawl AMOKURA, bigger and better built than Serica and superior in every way to Truant, we at once made longer passages with fewer stops. We came to regard ports not as places of refuge but as places inferior to the ranges of the sea. We found that sea-keeping in AMOKURA refreshed us. A thousand miles in her would tire us less than a hundred in Truant.

AMOKURA's sheer, the curve of her deckline in elevation, is a joy. She has wide flush teak decks, a slightly snubbed-off bow copied, I suspect, from the Bluenose schooners, and a shortish, lifting counter. There was a time in England when most things used by gentlemen were about as perfect and as beautiful as men could make them. Bridges, houses, ceilings, beds, guns, walking sticks, furniture, carriages, books, spoons, boots, hats, were attempts at perfection, and were frequently near-misses. Such quality is rare indeed in today's world, though it is only fair to say that the man who insists on quality can still get it in Britain if he knows how and where, and is ready to pay for it.

In AMOKURA the heritage of quality is evident. I don't mean that she is archaic or inefficient. I mean that she has the past in her, as well as the present. She has the tall modern rig, yet she also has the character of a powerful sailing ship in miniature. Never a cupful of water came through her hull, and there was neither grunt nor groan in her, no matter how hard-driven. She had an easy stride, was fast on a reach, and able to windward. She was quick on her helm, and reliable in stays. We never once were pooped in her, although we ran her very hard, particularly on one trip from Constantinople to Rhodes with the Meltemi wind fairly flogging us on.

[From 'Oyster River' by George Millar, 1963, The Bodley Head - by kind permission of Venetia Ross Skinner/ the George Millar estate]

The epitome of Fred Shepherd's best designs, she had the grace to take her owners cruising in comfort and the speed to compete with contemporaries. She sailed well, being able to turn to windward under mizzen alone - an unusual accomplishment suggesting excellent sail balance.

[The Yachtsman magazine c.1992]

Amokura was built in 1939 for Major (later Sir Ernest) Harston, ADC to Lord Mountbatten. Renowned designer Fred Shepherd designed her and supervised the build which took place at the yard of A.H. Moody & Sons Ltd, Swanwick on the Hamble River, Hampshire, UK.

She was later owned by the author George Millar who wrote extensively about her in his book Oyster River, beautifully describing a summer spent cruising in the Gulf of Morbihan in the early 1960s with his wife, Isobel. She was easily hancled by just the two of them.

Richard Carr, of the Carr biscuit family, was AMOKURA's third owner. He re-rigged her then cruised extensively in the Mediterranean through most of the 1970s.

In 1980 she was returned to Moody’s and her interior was stripped out to enable the structural beams to be reinforced and refastened. A new interior was installed under the direction of designer John Mumford and following relaunch AMOKURA was sailed to the Caribbean and the US East Coast. She returned to the Mediterranean before being brought back in the late 1990s to the UK for a refit at the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) in Lowestoft. This included a light oak interior installed in keeping with her original construction.

AMOKURA spent the early 2000s cruising mainly in the UK before moving to the Mediterranean in 2007. In late 2012 she sailed to Cockwells yard, Falmouth, UK for refit work including replacement of the deck. She then moved to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, before returning to Falmouth in 2015 for further improvement works with Butler & Co at Penpol, Falmouth. This included replacement of her wood keel, and new wooden spars with a sail plan designed by the late Theo Rye.

In 2019 Amokura entered the two-handed class of the Rolex Fastnet Race, crewed by Paul Moxon and Steve Jones. Offshore racing proved a tough test for an 80 year old yacht. She completed the RORC Myth of Malham race and the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, but following equipment failure, had to retire from the Fastnet.

Following Amokura’s retirement from the Fastnet, owner Paul Moxon embarked on a major structural improvement programme to equip the yacht for future offshore racing. This involved stripping out the entire interior of the yacht, upgrading the mast step and frames, and installing bronze reinforcements to ensure that the rig loads were correctly spread when the yacht was sailed under pressure.

Amokura subsequently competed in the 2021 Fastnet, again two-handed, and in 2023 with a full crew.

- Pitch pine and iroko carvel planking
- Oak frames with 2 x steamed oak timbers between
- Laminated mahogany frames and floors in mast area (2021)
- Iroko wood keel (2016)
- Iroko mast step (2022)
- Bronze chainplates
- Bronze internal longitudinal spreader plate port & starboard (2022)
- Associated bronze hanging knees (2022)
- Bronze diagonal straps port & starboard (2022)
- Marine plywood bulkheads (2022)
- Teak laid deck on marine plywood substrate
- Teak superstructures

GENERAL
- Teak laid deck
- All superstructures varnished or raw teak
- Low bulwark w. capping
- Bronze guardrail stanchions
- 6 x Deck prisms

AFT DECK
- Bumpkin; bronze fittings; Tufnol blocks
- Bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard
- Associated bronze bollard mooring cleats port & starboard
- Raised teak laid hatch to lazarette

MIZZEN MAST POSITION

COCKPIT
- Teak capped coaming attractively radiused port & starboard
- Raw teak grating and raw laid teak sole
- After part is continuation of aft deck; lockers under
- Mainsheet tidy box
- Bronze mainsheet horse
- Antal mainsheet blocks, leather covered
- Traditional ship's wheel
- Remainder of cockpit is deep
- 4 x Barlow 32 bronze self-tailing sheet winches
- Teak laid fore and aft benches lower than deck level
- 45 degree after ends to give helm space; lockers under
- Varnished outer margin boards
- Kobelt bronze throttle
- Bilge pump handle socket

DOGHOUSE
- Bronze and teak main boom gallows stradles
- Sestrel-Moore steering compass
- Varnished handrails port & starboard
- 2 x Dorade boxes with bronze cowls
- Cushions create seat over lower forward short trunk cabin

SIDE DECKS
- Bronze genoa tracks port & starboard

MID DECK
- Raised and extended former forward companionway scuttle
- Now used for ventilation
- Leather padded stainless steel support for tender
- Butterfly skylight over saloon
- Open boxes for halyard tail stowage

MAIN MAST POSITION

FOREDECK
- Raised trunk cabin over fore cabin; laid teak roof
- Varnished hatch with 4 x external safety latch devices
- 3 x Prism lights
- Dorade box with bronze cowl to port
- 2 x Sampson posts
- Bronze mooring fairleads with rollers port & starboard
- Forward angled Panama fairleads in port & starboard knightsheads
- Anchor rollers port & starboard of stemhead
- Bronze rod guardrails between fwd two stanchions port & starboard
- and down to fwd anchor point - creating subtle open 'pulpit'

GROUND TACKLE
- 24 V Maxwell-Nilsson vertical windlass (runs from thruster battery pack)
- Warping drum and chain gipsy
- Galvanised Bruce 30 kg bower anchor with 250 ft / 76 m chain

GENERAL
- Chestnut sole

FROM AFT

DOGHOUSE
- Raw teak benches port & starboard; lockers under
- Navigation & comms displays; Beta Marine engine panel
- 3 x Opening ports

DOWN 2 x STEPS TO AFTER ACCOMMODATION
- Pilot berths port & starboard
- Systems management panel

GALLEY TO STARBOARD
- Stainless steel sink; mixer tap
- Qettle boiling water tap
- Force 10 cooker: oven; 3 x burner hob
- Nereus twin sensor gas alarm system with solenoid control
- Lockers and drawers

WC COMPARTMENT TO PORT
- Tecma electric toilet
- Marble counter
- Ceramic sink; mixer tap
- Lockers under
- Lockers with mirror doors outboard

LINK DOOR BETWEEN THE TWO WC COMPARTMENTS
- Radiator
- 3 x Bulkhead lights
- Deck prism in deckhead

WC & SHOWER COMPARTMENT TO PORT
- Teak grating sole
- Tecma electric toilet
- Shower
- Radiator
- Electric fan

SALOON
- Settee berths to port and starboard
- Lockers under and outboard
- Pilot berths outboard port & starboard
- Exposed bronze structures feature outboard in way of main mast
- Drop leaf table on centreline
- Butterfly skylight in deckhead
- 4 x Deckhead handrails with uplighters
- Deck prism

STEP UP TO FORWARD PASSAGE
- Sideboard to starboard with locker outboard
- Open hanging locker to port

MAST POSITION

FORE CABIN
- Double berth to port
- Lockers/ hanging lockers to starboard
- Banquette forward; lockers under
- Steps to hatch in raised trunk deckhead
- Exposed bronze structures feature outboard in way of main mast
- 4 x Opening ports
- 3 x Deck lights in raised trunk
- Deckhead handrails with uplighters

FO'C'SLE
- Chain locker
- Tool and boarding ladder stowage

RIG
Theo Rye/ Ashley Butler/ Butler & Co. (2016)
- New sail plan designed by Theo Rye
- Following original, but allowing setting a genoa
- Hollow spruce main mast
- Double spreader set
- Spruce main boom
- Walder Hyper Boombrake
- 4 x bronze winches
- Hollow spruce mizzen mast
- Single spreader set
- Spruce mizzen boom
Standing Rigging
- Stainless steel
- Reckmann headsail furler

SAILS
- Mainsail, Vectran (Penrose 2021)
- Mizzen, Vectran (Sailtech 2016)
- Furling yankee, Vectran (Penrose 2019)
- Staysail, Vectran (Sailtech 2016)
- S2 Spinnaker with ATN snuffer, Airex 800N (Penrose 2019)
- S4 spinnaker with ATN snuffer, Fibremax 64 (Penrose 2021)
- Mizzen staysail, Nylite 90 (Penrose 2021)
- Storm jib and trysail (Penrose 2019)
- Code zero on furler (Penrose 2019)

CANVASWORK
- Full winter cover (SKB, 2013)
- Sunshade mast-to-mast with roll-down sides (2012)
- Mainsail and mizzen boom covers

MECHANICAL
- Beta Marine 60 hp diesel (2019)
- 660 Hours
- TMC30 Gearbox
- Tides Marine Series One Seal stern gland
- Bruntons A6 Autoprop self pitching feathering propeller in aperture
- Silicon marine exhaust temperature measurement, logger and alarm

MECHANICAL - ELECTRICAL
- Standard Beta 24 V primary alternator for engine bank
- Large case MasterVolt VP120 Alternator on a serpentine belt
- Alpha pro 3 regulator, to charge house bank

ELECTRICAL
All electrics and navigation equipment installed by a reputable professional
- House batteries 3 x Mastervolt 5.5k lithium 690aH at 24 V
- protected by 3x Blue Sea Systems ML-RBS automated solenoids
- Mastervolt charger inverter combi pro 24/3500 100 A 230 V
- Mastervolt Chargemaster 2412-3 12 A trickle charger
- Thruster and windlass batteries:
- 4 x Optima yellow tops high discharge spiral 12 V
- (24 V bank for windlass and thruster)
- Engine bank: 2 x 80 Ah Exide (creating 24 V bank)
- Modular Czone system throughout the boat
- consisting of COI and OI modules
- runs and monitors all the DC systems, running from separate control bus
- Expandable and configurable system to allow for future development -
- addition of new electrical items, displays and controls

TANKAGE AND ASSOCIATED
- Fresh water, 250 L
- Ecosistems Modular S-90 24V watermaker 90 litre per hour
- Jabsco Parmax fresh water pump with 8 L expansion tank
- Calorifier, 30 L, with AC immersion element
- Pressurised hot and cold water system
- Shower in heads and on deck (both with hot/cold pressurised supply)
- Pressurised fresh water cockpit tap
- Grey water 80 L; Gulper discharge pump
- Port wing fuel tank 150 L
- Starboard wing fuel tank 150 L
- Day fuel tank in bilge 100 L
- Black tank 25 L for both WCs
- discharge overboard through tank or collect & pump out

OTHER
- High capacity Eberspacher hot water heater
- Modular blower matrices
- Towel radiator and aft cabin fin radiator

NAVIGATION
Traditional
- Sestrel-Moore steering compass
Electronic
- H5000 B&G system
- Zeus3 12 in
- Triton2 MFD x 2
- B&G rotary drive autopilot 24 V
- B&G heel sensor and barometric sensor
- Airmar smart triducer
- Water speed measurement - separate port and starboard sensors
- B&G 702 BT wireless wind system
- AIS transceiver
- B&G electric compass with heel and pitch
- B&G radar 4G broadband (hardwired)
- Echomaster windows 10 galvanically isolated PC
- coupled to a beetronics touch screen PC monitor

COMMUNICATIONS
- B&G VHF with AIS receive
- Standard wired headset & V60 wireless headset
- 4G connect wifi with masthead antenna
- Masthead video camera

- Stainless steel and teak boarding ladder
- Warps and fenders
- Deck cradle for dinghy under boom
- Cradles originally designed for a wooden sailing dinghy/tender
- but equally practical for an inflatable up to c.3.5 m