In the period 1980 to 1992 I owned a Phantom 35. That yacht was built in-house and was a comfortable, stable and seaworthy for that time. Comfortable in the sea, but not really fast. When I went looking for a sailing yacht again in 1999, I had listed a number of things in my schedule of requirements that the new yacht to be bought had to meet.
The yacht had to meet the following requirements;
- Classic look along the lines of IOR
- Seaworthy and comfortable
- Reasonable speed
- Easy to manpower by my wife and myself and sail solo if necessary
A number of yachts that met my requirements included Swan and Baltic. However, the supply in that period was not large and the prices were very high.
In August 1999 I saw a photo of a yacht on “De Nationale Botenbank” that was for sale. The type was a “RED ADMIRAL”. An English yacht built in 1979 by the famous English yacht designer “Holman and Pye”. Well-known designs by this yacht designer from that time include; UFO 31+34, Puma 24, Oyster 45, Hustler 35, Gladiateur 33 and many others. We made an appointment for a trial run and I was impressed with the sailing characteristics. A month later, I was the owner of the RED ADMIRAL. Later, the owner turned out to have tricked the place and there were a lot of hidden flaws that he had knowingly hidden.
The yacht was poorly maintained in an amateurish manner. Throughout the year 2000, the yacht was left ashore at the yard for major maintenance. Many changes, improvements and innovations have been made in the past 20 years.
Refits
Below are the main activities that have been carried out in recent years. Among others, the following items have been replaced, renewed and / or expanded.
2000
- The underwater ship was sanded completely bare due to osmosis and allowed to dry for 12 months.
- The entire With-Lock steering system has been renewed.
- Refit mast and renewal of standing wall.
- Paneling in the front and aft cabin and chart table
- Paintwork of the entire interior
2001
- Osmosis treatment with epox
- Revision sail drive, of which the propeller shaft has been renewed.
- All existing Autohelm instruments have been overhauled and further expanded with a number of new meters.
- New portholes in the aft cabin
2002
- New gas stove and countertop washbasins
- New mainsail Hagoort.
- Paneling in the front.
2003
- Renovation of the cage in the aft cabin, new electrical box 220 V and electrical system 12 V made.
- New cabling shore power 220 V.
- Replace saildrive cuff.
2004
- All scepter legs renewed. Replace drinking water pump and bilge pump. Eberspracher stove overhauled. Lowe SSB-ST150 radio installed.
- New Mastervolt battery charger, Alpha-Pro, new alternator, Masterlink BMT-1, new batteries installed.
- Gennaker purchased from De Vries Sailmakers
2005
- Cockpit seats and floor with teak paneling
2006
- Two new gas tanks with outboard drain installed, also an electromagnetic gas valve installed.
- New headsails HAJ, Gen. 1 and 2 and a new genoa furling system
2007
- Winches moved in the cockpit and two new Lewmar ST 44 installed.
- New cool box compressor installed.
- Refitted table top cabin.
- Mast base under floor cabin renewed.
- HAJ headsail replaced due to manufacturing defect and coated genoa.
- Put the entire bilge in the roll coating.
2008
- General engine overhaul, including new pistons, new cylinder buses. see note Boerman Motors
2009
- Service batteries and starter battery replaced. Gaskets hemegat box renewed.
2010
- Cabin windows starboard and port renewed. Now curved in shape, hard glass. Also the interior paneling around the windows renewed.
- Chest of drawers made in aft cabin.
- Hull intensively polished.
2011
- Computer / instrument box made at chart table and Laptop replaced by 12 V. on-board computer and an AIS GTRX installed. Also built an on-board network for Stentec WinGPS.
- Mastervolt battery charger replaced by Victron MultiPlus 12/50/1200
2012
- Major maintenance toilet / shower room. Dirty water tank built in and entire toilet area painted. Hot water boiler installed.
- New Bilge and drinking water pump installed, as well as new drinking water hoses for WW and KW. WW extended to toilet room so that you can also shower
- Mirror painted.
- Replace saildrive cuff
2013
- Eberspracher stove replaced by a larger capacity.
- Perspex deck hatches renewed.
2014
- Gennaker bowsprit placed.
- Microwave installed.
- Osmosis problem tackled. Entire underwater ship sanded to the laminate. Drying process will last until April 2015.
- Hennegat duct skin passage renewed and rudder blade reinforced with double layers of laminate.
2015
- New Underwater System from International under International Inspection carried out in a conditioned workshop.
- Vallieren moved to bridge deck on new consoles. . New handrests on cabin deck.
- Bridge deck painted.
- Volvo Penta cooling system completely cleaned and descaled.
2016
- New mainsail.
- Victron Battery charger / inverter replaced for a new Multi Plus 12/50/1200
- 3 new Victron service batteries installed.
- Lowe HF150 SSB Radio replaced by a Lowe HF 250 SSB receiver.
- All antenna cabling and connections renewed and equipped with switches.
- Entire navigation system adapted to new WinGPS 2016 requirements.
- Replace the Multiplexer with a WiFi Multiplexer and installed a new access point.
- Replace Wi-Fi amplifier / outdoor antenna and connect.
2017
- Forestay replaced and mast inspection.
- Neco Computer unit replaced and remote control for Neco Autopilot connected.
2018
- Renovation mast. New track installed on mast. Fixed blocks on the mast removed and existing holes and slots closed at deck height. Aluminum mold and cover plate with tie rod installed. Replace running wall with 10 mm Dyneema.
2019
- Old steering position bracket replaced for new bracket for RayMarine Plotter C90W.
- Radar antenna mast installed.
- Refit winter tent and made waterproof.
- Rudder of steering system replaced by stainless steel copy.
2020
- New cabinets made in aft cabin. Replace fall blocks and mainsheet blocks.
- Saildrive sanded and equipped with new epoxy system
- Saildrive sleeve replaced
- Hull polished and transom re-spotted
2021
- Replaced engine mounts
- Cabin deck painted
- 3 new Victron 165 Amp. AGTM Telecom batteries installed
2022
- Replaced automatic bilge pump and bilge pump switch
- Life raft approved
2023
- Outdoor WiFi and TV antennas renewed
- Keel removed and refitted
Previous owners
The final delivery of the Red Admiral took place in Southampton in May 1979. Between the first and the final delivery a number of additional additions were made. the navigation instruments and a windvane steering gear fitted.
After a number of sea voyages, the yacht came to the Netherlands in August 1979 where it was registered with the sail number H2713. Shortly after, the 1st owner sold the yacht. This 2nd owner has sailed many competitions with it and made many trips abroad. This owner maintained the yacht very well and was in top condition when he sold the yacht in 1985. The 3rd owner lived in the yacht until 1999, during which time the ship was poorly and inexpertly maintained.
I bought the Red Admiral because of its beautiful shape and good sailing characteristics. But after the purchase, the seller turned out to have covered up many flaws cleverly, sneakily and brutally. As can be read from the overview above, a yacht has undergone a total refit over the years.
My wife and I have not made long journeys with it. However, I have sometimes been able to successfully sail solo, sometimes with a boarding crew. I made logs of all the years. I estimate that I have sailed about 15,000 Nm in the past 20 years.