Harrison Butler Englyn Design

Wooden Ships Comments on this Harrison Butler Englyn Design

Harrison Butler Englyn design built by the KOK yard, Netherlands in 1934.  This boat is actually an extended Englyn design, slightly larger in all dimensions.

Almonde was commissioned, in 1934, as a present for the retiring Captain of the Dutch Royal Yacht, the Piet Hein. Her name has nothing to do with nuts; she’s actually named after the 17th century Dutch Admiral, Philips van Almonde. There’s a lavish memorial to him in Saint Catherine’s church in Brielle, Rotterdam. It is said that the children of the Dutch royal family learned to sail in her.

Almonde is a slightly enlarged interpretation of Harrison Butler’s Englyn design, built in Holland by the KOK yard who planked and decked her with best Moulmein teak.  She has 3 berths and a deep sail bin where there was once a 4^th berth. And, exceptionally for a yacht of her age, comfortable heads in their own heads compartment up forward. As a consequence of being built by barge builders, all her fittings and scantlings are rather more substantial than is really necessary, but it does make her exceptionally strong.

Inevitably, she has undergone restoration over the years; her deck is now teak laid on marine ply, while the cutter rig, although renewed, is very close to the original with the exception of rolling furling headsail fitted in 2018. Most important is the new lead keel, cast and fitted in 2017.  The original disappeared in the 1939/45 war only to be replaced with a steel box holding loose lead ingots. It left Almonde significantly under-ballasted. The new keel has brought her back close to the original displacement and ballast ratio.

Regular maintenance and upgrades in the present ownership, along with good use every summer, have this rather special yacht in very nice condition, turning many heads wherever she goes.

Length Overall                          33′ / 10.06m

Length on Deck                         26’7″ / 8.1 m

Length Waterline                      23’3″ / 7.1 m

Beam                                           8’9″ / 2.66 m

Draft                                            5’6″ / 1.67 m

Air Draft                                      42′ / 13.00 m

Sail area                                       558.91 sq ft / 51.925 sqm