Pied Piper of Burnham
Principal Particulars:
Type: Motor sailor/ auxiliary sloop
Class: King Cole (Sail No 1)
Design #: 1293
Drawn: 1959
Launched: 1961
Construction: Mahogany and teak on CRE
Builder: Kingcraft of Thundersley Ltd. latterly, I think, Kingcraft (Boatbuilders) Ltd; in 1963 LR of Yachts she is listed has been built by W.King Ltd although from 1964 onwards she is attributed to Kingcraft.
Where: Burnham on Crouch
Built for: Henry Town, Estate Agent in Burnham (his next boat was also a Priors built Buchanan).
LOA (fore part stem to after part of transom): 28.7’ (8.7m)
Beam: 9.5’ (2.9m)
Design Draft: 3.8’ (1.2m)
Design Displacement: 5.38 tonnes
Auxiliary: original Berguis Kelvin P4
Thames Measurement: 6 57/100
Official number in Lloyds Register of Yachts: 303601 (Registered in October 1961)
Port of Registry: Maldon
She has been in my family since 1976 on the south coast and I now sail her from the RNYC at Blyth in Northumberland.
She is plainly but strongly built. My father enquired at the time he bought her and was told Kingscraft were an off-shoot of William Kings (who interestingly she is attributed to in Lloyds when first registered) but we have never been able to confirm this.
In the 1964 Bristows Book of Yachting the design is listed as still being available to be built by Kingcraft. However Kingcraft do not appear in the list of builders in the back of LR of Yachts and I have never been able to find further mention of them anywhere in many years of trying. Similarly we have never come across a sail number 2 although in recent correspondence with Alan Buchanan he recalled both Kingcraft and that others of the class were built by Harry King at Pin Mill.
It would be nice to hear from anybody who remembered the boat being built or former owners (listed in the blue book); similarly it would be interesting to know of other boats of the class.
She has served us well and I have trodden her decks since I was eight years old. She has cruised the South coast with us and now, most recently, the North East coast and East coast of Scotland to which she is particularly well suited.
We have always been delighted with her, she is a dry boat, solid and dependable with better performance under sail than one might expect. I am pleased to say that we have tried to keep her up well over the years and that she still receives compliments on her appearance and condition.
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