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Imogen off Kauri point, New Zealand
Artist : Amber Emm
Small But Perfectly Formed
Imogen is a much travelled boat. In 1930 she was sailed from Limerick to Grand Canary, then returned to the UK as deck cargo. In 1999 she was restored with the help of wooden boat specialist Tim Gilmore, before being shipped as deck cargo to New Zealand where she's been a part of the Classic Yacht Regattas ever since. In trying to add to what is on the Albert Strange Association website about Imogen, I came across a marvelous recent painting of her by Amber Emm, plus a set of plans. These made me realise just how small she is, and appreciate all the more the daring 1930s voyage across the Bay of Biscay and then the open Atlantic to the Canary Islands. This epic adventure is the subject of the book Atlantic Affair by John Walker.
In his book, Cruising Hints, Francis B Cooke discusses Captain Otway Waller's Self-steering arrangement for hands free downwind sailing aboard Imogen on a voyage from Ireland to Las Palmas, Pages 414-416. This is possibly the first recorded use of self steering in a small yacht.
Imogen Statistics
Built : 1911 by Luke & Co, Hamble
LOA : 25' 8"
LWL : 22' 6"
Beam : 7' 10"
Draught : 4' 0"
Displacement : 6 tons TM
Lloyd's Register : N°160375
OGA Boat Number : 1066
Imogen Custodians & Home Ports
John Cooper (1997-2013-?) Auckland, New Zealand
John G Channer (1967-1980-?) Starcross
CJ Woide Godfrey (1957-1966) Torquay
Peter G Baker (?-1954-1956) Jersey
GF Coleman (?-1949-1952-?) London
Edgar W Dorey (1937-1947-?) London
C Geoffrey Vickers VC (1935-1936) London
Geoffrey Miller (1934-1935) Hamble
Capt Otway Waller (?-1934) London
G Seligman (?-1927-?) Fishbourne
Alfred W Smith (?-1923-1924-?) Fishbourne
George Garnett (1911-?) Brighton
Page last updated : October 2017
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