Amongst the paperwork that came with Lady Christina was the following piece, written by her 4th owner, Ian Peak. For most of her life she was a northern girl. Now she is in Friesland, where (thanks to Brexit import rules after 2021) she is likely to stay. Lady Christina was originally registered on the MCA Registry part I, and her original number (390343) and Thames tonnage (3.94) are inscribed on her forward hatch coaming. The last transfer in the part I registry took place in 2009 and this has since lapsed; she is now registered under part III (the name having been used by another vessel in the meantime). There is a lovely plaque onboard- we don’t know who installed it- which has the legend ‘Pari Passu’; this can be translated as ranking equally, hand-in-hand or moving together, a sentiment that Mary and I take very much to heart. We converted her to a gaff rig in 2012.
In dry storage at the yard of De Blieken Wester, Grou, Friesland
Lady Christina- A Story of a Finesse (by Ian Peak)
“It all began some years ago at a visit to Hull Marina. We saw a Finesse 24’0” for real, the boat fresh from a recent refit at Mr Platt’s yard in Essex- we were hooked.
I had previously read an interesting article from an early edition of ‘Classic Boat’ featuring a Finesse but to see the real thing was something special.
I learned later that there was another 24’0″ in Grimsby and saw Lady Christina there one Saturday afternoon. The Hull boat was a sloop but Lady Christina was cutter rigged and she looked very good. A few years passed and as a 24’0″ was beyond our reach, we found Misty (a 21’0″ Finesse) and had her moved into the Lake District where we enjoyed her refitting and a good deal of gentle sailing amongst the very best scenery.
It was on a weekend when our daughter came home from university that we decided to have a day out in Grimsby! Sure enough, Lady Christina was still there but this time a card in the notice board announced that she was for sale! Although enquiries were made and the boat was seen, business commitments got in the way of her purchase. However, after several months we returned to Grimsby to find she had gone from her berth but stored ashore looking rather forlorn. The mast was lowered, boom and roller reefing foil laid about but after a successful survey we managed to buy her from whom we discovered was her third owner.
Mr Platt had built Lady Christina in 1980 (sail no. 52) for Richard, a Grimsby tug boat owner and captain. He named her after his wife and had two long cruises to Europe. In 1982 a trip to Holland and Germany along the Rhine) and in 1983 a holiday to France, each cruise taking between 7 and 9 weeks.
In Arnhem, 2019, looking south-east towards the Andrej Sacharov bridge. The Rhine has already spawned the rivers Waal and Ijssel and what remains is the Neder Rijn, meaning the lower Rhine, flowing under the bridge and then to the right. In the foreground is part of the marina ‘R&ZV Jason’, just off the river.
Many ports were visited on the East Coast including Brightlingsea, Woodbridge, Lowestoft, Conyer Quay and Gillingham on her numerous trips out. Before the winter of 1982 Lady Christina was sailed to Mr Platt’s yard where the original 8hp engine was replaced with a new 22hp unit order to stem the local tides. This little boat had experienced many miles in her short career.
This Yanmar 3GMD replaced the original single cylinder in 1982. Access under this unit is close to impossible. The exhaust mixing elbow was replaced in 2017.
In 1985, Lady Christina was sold to another Grimsby inhabitant, Bob Barton and his pal George. They collected the boat from its tidal berth at Barrow Haven close to the Humber Bridge one snowy morning.
Barrow Haven, on the south bank of the Humber near the bridge. Small, picturesque and remote. The Humber keel ‘Phyllis’ is tied up in this shot. (Credit: David Wright, commons.wikimedia.org)
Bob’s log and photographs record the trip down the River Humber as being very cold although the helmsman and crew made good use of the warming coal heater down below. For some while Lady Christina was kept near Cleethorpes, her owners enjoying the racing and usual activities of a local yacht club with occasional trips to Norfolk.
Humber Mouth Yacht Club near Cleethorpes (probably the club referred to). Lady Christina’s bilge keels would have been in good company here.
There were times when not all went to plan, as once more recorded in Bob’s log. Moored as usual, one stormy evening she was swept away but found later standing upright in the marshes some distance away. Seventeen club members spent a day digging a long trench out to the estuary to allow her to float off.
Her third owner, Hugh, did much work in her ownership besides the regular maintenance: fitting a new pump, refitting the electrics, new instruments, VHF and GPS and slab reefing, and sailing locally for some years until we came across her.
After our purchase, survey and continuing her Part I registration, we sheeted over the boat for the winter months. Although we hadn’t done a lot of work we had the original fuel tank reinstated along with new fuel pipes, maintained the engine, replaced the sea cocks, fitted new standing rigging and new sails, rebedded the stanchion bases, painted and varnished inside and out, renewed the centre pivot bolt and checked the centre board lifting wire as well as many minor jobs. This year (2001), besides the normal maintenance, we hope to rearrange the electrical switch gear and provide a new cooker as originally fitted.
The boat was relaunched after 2 years ashore in Spring 2000 and waited for the water to come in. Thankfully I had taken Mr Platt’s advice and kept rock salted water in the bilges whilst ashore and I am sure that this helped to reduce the ingress of water to the minimum.
During last summer (2000) we had several trips into the Humber and a voyage all the way to Hull one weekend. This year seems a little more undecided as we’ve our daughter’s wedding to organise but hopefully we shall be back at the Fish Dock as soon as circumstances allow.
The ‘Pari Passu’ plaque, still on board.
Lady Christina is not very old in wooden boat terms but it’s very satisfying to able to meet all her previous owners and see them recall the enjoyment and satisfaction they have received over the years using this little vessel.
My sincere thank to Richard and Bob for their help in the preparation of this article.”
I H Peak
March 2001
‘Lady Christina’ was the first F24 that we went to see when looking to buy one in 2008. She was lying at Pwllheli and was in William Partington’s yard. She appeared to have been reasonably well cared-for during her time there, her owner entrusting maintenance to the boat yard.