Alfred Mylne Sloop ‘Trefoil of Kames’

Wooden Ships Comments on this Alfred Mylne Sloop ‘Trefoil of Kames’

Designed by Alfred Mylne and built Alfred Mylne & Co. in 1950.  She was design No.414 and is the last yacht designed and built by the late Alfred Mylne Snr.  Mylne once said this design was the best small cruising yacht he ever produced and her history would support that with her extensive voyages around the west coast of Scotland.

Mylne came up with the design in response to a great desire in post war Britain for affordable yet capable cruising boats at the start of what would become prolific years of wooden boat building in the UK.  The size of boat meant she was easy to handle yet capable of offshore sailing and large enough for 4 berths and a heads.

Built from stocks of high quality timber Mylne hid away from prying eyes before the War, the quality of the original build is clear, but her price tag of £2,500 was several times that of a regular cruising yacht at the time, indicating the quality of materials and time that had gone into her construction.  The book matched mahogany of the saloon doors is another small indicator of the quality of this yacht.

Commissioned by Mrs Jean Wilson, her voyages in this yacht Trefoil of Kames became legendary as she singlehandedly charted every corner of the west coast of Scotland, with her work used in the fledging Clyde Cruising Club Directions, a volume that would go on to become the bible for west coast cruising.

After first seeing Trefoil and falling for her charms as a 5 year old boy, the present owner was put through a rigorous ‘interview’ with an elderly Jean Wilson and was granted permission to become the custodian of Trefoil in 2004 with a few stipulations:

-She must always be called ‘Trefoil of Kames’

-She must always be blue

-She must always be sailed on the West Coast each year

-She must never be sold to England…

 

Over the next four winters, a major refit of the boat was carried out including major hull repairs, replacement of systems and a rebuild of the interior.  Nothing was done in haste and any changes to the original design were not acted upon without extensive sailing to ensure the changes were for the better.

A fascinating yacht with a wonderful history that has proved herself as one of Mylnes great designs despite being one of the smallest boats in his back catalogue.  Proven as deceptively fast and very seaworthy, she will take any weather thrown at her and is a delight to sail in any conditions.

June 2026 survey report available.

 

Length on Deck            28’3”

Length Waterline         22’10”

Beam                               8’1”

Draft                                4’8”

Sail Area                        367sqft

Thames Tonnage         7TM