Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/5703/-1/140/
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A Grand Day Out by Penny Legg
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“Some people boast that they have had nine boats. I have had one and this is the boat,” says Richard West of Charm III, a fifty feet long Alden Schooner, originally built in 1925 in Sweden. She is a graceful, beautiful and impressive old lady. Richard, and his wife Maryse, clearly love her dearly.
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Charm III
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The schooner is currently sailing along the north coast of Anguilla on Saturdays and guests are welcome to join her. Indeed, the Wests are actively encouraging passengers to join in the excitement of speeding along at full sail, tacking with the wind and enjoying all that this grand dame of the seas offers.
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Onashie, Kenny and Noah on board Charm III
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Purchased in 1980 in Plymouth, England, the West’s bought Charm III in what Richard describes with disarming candour as, “a moment of stupidity.” After sailing her as a charter boat for two years, the Wests realised there was something wrong and took her out of the water to find that her timbers had rotted at the bolts to the iron frames, which had also rusted. She needed major work which led to a sixteen year rebuilding programme. This saw her being almost completely remade. The work was done on the beach at Sandy Ground. Only the keel, the coach roof sitting on deck and the 1928 pitch pine masts have stood the test of time.
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Butchie sorting ropes on the Charm III
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The Wests took the opportunity to redesign the interior into an open plan area at the same time. “I started off with a load of cardboard and built the inside to make sure there was enough space for people to lie down and store things and whatever, and then I just started work,” says Richard modestly, who has had no formal carpentry training.
The hull was built in West African Iroko wood because it is toxic to the marine boring worms that proliferate in the local waters. “Their favourite is oak, “grins Richard. The decks are made of teak as is the cabin. The rest of the interior is a beautiful polished mahogany.
Today the craft is a gleaming credit to all those involved in her restoration.
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Starlin at work on the Charm III
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The Saturday sailing cruises are running for twelve weeks and youngsters from the Anguilla Youth Sailing Club, which the Wests co-founded, crew Charm III. Anguilla has not travelled internationally to compete in sailing. In June the 2008 Scotiabank International Caribbean Optimist Regatta takes place in St Thomas. It is hoped to send six young sailors to compete. Maryse takes up the story: “It was my idea to run the cruises as we needed some money and need to have the kids around the boat. This boat has been rebuilt here on Sandy Ground, it needs to give back. For me it is nice to have them sharing it, and we can help build a vocation. We recently took three of the boys to St Martin for a Regatta, Noah, Kenny and Starlin, and they did very well.”
On the first voyage, on Saturday 1 March, there were five young sailors crewing. Twelve year old Onashie was on his second outing with Charm III, “The Captain is good,” he says. The others, all thirteen, had slightly more experience. Asked what he thought of sailing on the vessel, Starlin said, “It is a great experience. You learn different things. It’s fun.” Noah commented, “[It is] really interesting and a lot different than the smaller boats, not as fast. A little bit more difficult because of the winches and the size of the sails; it makes it harder to fold them and get everything fixed and proper.” Kenny started sailing three years ago after Noah asked him to try it. Now he has crewed Charm III five times. Romero, otherwise known as Butchie, made the point that, “[The] captain teaches you all things, like how to use the winches and the jib. We all act as a team and practise.” There is a real sense of team work and pride in their abilities. Noah wanted to explain that at the St Thomas Regatta there would be “the best sailors in the world and as we are from a small island, it will be good for us to be exposed to them.”
The guests on the first sail all joined in the spirit of the occasion, including Philip Starck, a visitor from Boston, who drove the boat back into Sandy Ground at the end of a fun and laughter filled day which included a delicious buffet lunch and a swim at Little Bay. Each guest had paid US$125 for the trip. All proceeds went directly towards sending the young sailors to compete in St Thomas.
To sail on Charm III call Anne on 235 8200 or Gabi on 584 3826. Minimum 6 and maximum 14 passengers.