Garleffan

Zyklon (Z4 N°--) Design : Published 1937 

This photograph of Garleffan was taken in August 1939.
It show her in the entrance to Girvan harbour, Scotland,
where she had to be left by her custodians during the second World War.

Piecing together Garleffan's History
Jerry Cartwright has been in contact (August 2017) with some historical information about Garleffan. He writes; “Garleffan was owned by my father Harry Cartwright of Wolverhampton and two friends from approximately 1958 to 1976. We bought her in Stranraer and sailed her down to Pwllheli, North Wales, which became her home port. She had a Feltham 5 hp single petrol engine which my father converted to points ignition and kerosine. She was fitted with dynostart, a dynamo now widely regarded as inferior to an alternator. The toilet was a Simpson-Lawrence, now out of production although spares are still available. She had raised top sides, like Cobber, Trieze and Zest, where the coach roof is extended fo'r'd to the stem and out to the hull sides. Planking joints were splined. He changed the bowsprit to a flat mahogany type and replaced the running back stays with an arrangement to span and jockey instead of having tackle or levers. She was a lovely boat in which to learn to sail, though a trifle slow. The race officer (OOD) had often gone home by the time we crossed the finish line !
You may like to note that one of Garleffan's first custodians, Bernard Fergusson, became a battle promoted Brigadier in the Chindits. He got up what would now be regarded as "dodgy stuff" in Palestine but for which he was later was Knighted. In fact, he then went on to become the last British Governor General of New Zealand. An illustrious career”.

Bernard Fergusson's account of his time as an officer in Burma.
Later Knighted, he was one of Garleffan's first owners.

That Scoundrel, Captain Watts
John Fergusson has been in touch with the news that Garleffan's original owners were Simon and Bernard Fergusson. John's father, Simon, was a soldier in the Sudan, whilst his Uncle Bernard was at Sandburst as Garleffan was being built in 1938. John has recently been passed a file of letters between the two men discussing how she should be finished and fitted out. They exchange thoughts about Captain Watts, the man responsible for setting up the 'production line' that saw around fifty of these Z4's built in the run up to the second world war. As time passes, they come to regard him as a scoundrel, and eventually liaise directly with the boatyard.
From the correspondence it is clear that they collected Garleffan from the boatyard, sailed her north to Scotland, arriving as war was declared. It was the last they saw of her for five years. Their circumstances changed over the war years and, sadly, they never sailed her again, selling her as the war ended in 1945.
John was also able to tell the Association that Eddie Dorrian is the present custodian of Garleffan. Eddie has owned her for many years, slowly returning her to something like her original form. Eddie bought her in a sorry state without deck or fittings.

Garleffan Statistics
Built : 1939 by Alfred Lockhart Marine Ltd, Brentford. Essex
LOA : 21' 9"
Beam : 7' 2"
Draught : 4' 4"
Displacement : 4 tons TM
Lloyd's Register : N° 167187

Garleffan Custodians & Home Ports
Edward Dorrian (?-2015-2017...) Liverpool, England
Tony Clare (?-1989-1990-?)
Harry Cartwright (& two friends) (1958-1976) Pwllheli, Wales
Simon & Bernard Fergusson (1939-1945) Girvan, Scotland

Garleffan Links
• Sir Bernard Fergusson on Wikipedia

Page last updated : October 2017

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