THE FLEET
Feeagh and the C1 Class
THEN AND NOW
Feeagh: then and now
As she is now
Where we want to take her
THE ORIGIN STORY
How the C1 class came to be
Rosella was a standard 19-foot local pulling and sailing yawl, built around 1905 at Thomas Miller’s yard at Port St Mary, where the Isle of Man Yacht Club now stands. These boats were working vessels, used for long-lining known as baulk yawls and would originally have carried a standing lug sail forward and a leg o’mutton mizzen off the transom, keeping as much room as possible for working gear and rowing. She was recovered from a field up towards St Marks around 1990.
John Qualtrough Senior used Rosella as a plug for a one-off foam sandwich build he called Wild Wave, registered in 1992. The process of preparing Rosella’s hull well enough for that build appears to have sparked the idea for a proper GRP mould. Through the 1990s, that idea took shape, largely thanks to Brian Forster, who along with John Qualtrough Senior developed the Castletown One Design arrangements for the decks, rig and centreboard. Five hulls were amateur moulded and finished from that mould in the 1990s: Benbow, Feeagh, Orion, Amy and Joan. Feeagh is believed to have been produced by Andrew Wilson in his garage, the second boat made after Benbow.
Six further hulls were professionally moulded at Ramsey by the late Chris Machin: Skylark, Brother Jack (sent to the UK in 2008), Rosie B, Cicely, Sonnys and a final boat for Mylrea Cubbon that was never finished. When John Qualtrough Senior later asked Machin for a price on more hulls, the quote came back too high. He told Machin to chop up the mould, as he would not be buying any more at that price. The mould was destroyed, and no further C1s were ever built. Eleven boats in total, built over roughly two decades, from one working boat found in a field.
The charity is the keeper of this history. Thanks to records generously shared by those closest to the class, such as Mick Kneale, we now hold a full register of every C1 ever built, and we are committed to keeping that record alive.
RESTORATION
The road ahead for Feeagh
Assessment
Our first task is a thorough assessment of Feeagh’s condition: hull, rig, fittings and structure. This will inform a full restoration plan developed with care and expertise. We are grateful to Qualtrough’s Timber Yard in Castletown, our founding partner, for generously providing the premises where this work is taking place.
Restoration
Working with our approved restoration team and specialist boatbuilders where required, we will restore Feeagh to sailing condition using traditional methods wherever possible, respecting the integrity of her original build.
Back on the water
The goal is to return Feeagh to sailing condition and preserve her as a living example of Manx sailing heritage. Once restored, future sailing or training activities will be developed separately and operated subject to appropriate safety, competence, insurance and operational requirements.
THE REGISTER
The C1 fleet: all eleven boats
From Rosella, the original 1905 Port St Mary boat, eleven Castletown One Designs were built. Here is the full record.
| Boat name | Sail no. | Registered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Wave | 4 | 08/05/1992 | First C1 built from the Rosella mould |
| Benbow | 30/04/1999 | ||
| Raven / Feeagh | 05/07/1999 | Now in the care of the C1 Sailing Heritage | |
| Motorboat / Orion | 07/08/2000 | ||
| Amy | 3 | 02/05/2001 | |
| Joan | 5 | 24/05/2001 | |
| Alice and Lily / Skylark | 7 | 11/03/2004 | |
| Brother Jack | 9 | 28/05/2004 | Sent to the UK in 2008 and on her way back. |
| Rosie B | 10 | 21/05/2007 | |
| Cicely | 19/05/2008 | ||
| Gilly / Sonnys | 8 | 25/01/2009 | |
| Steamboat | 10/06/2010 |
Do you know a C1?
Between seven and eleven C1 Designs were built from the original Castletown mould. Some may have left the Isle of Man. If you have information, photographs or memories of any C1 boat, we would love to hear from you.