The Westerly shipyard was one of the leading shipyards in Great Britain. A look back at the history of these sailboats that still hold a devoted following on this side of the Channel.
Who hasn’t heard of the Westerly shipyard? Perhaps our friends in the Mediterranean. But on the Atlantic coast, and especially in the English Channel, there are many more sailors cruising these quintessentially English sailboats. They have their fans and those who don’t. Admittedly, they don’t have the same sleek lines as our 1980s sailboats. But these boats have many advantages, especially with their very popular twin-keel versions. Let’s take a look back at the history of this truly legendary shipyard.
The birth of the Westerly shipyard
The adventure began in 1963 for these sailboats, renowned in their twin-keel version. In England, the shipbuilding sector was booming, as it was in France. English sailboats have a good reputation and export well. At the start of this year, Hilary Scott, a well-established businessman, contacts a certain Commander Denys RaynerThe latter owns a shipyard and has been building wooden sailboats for several years. Hilary Scott wants to design a sailboat made of polyesterThe shipyard owner was captivated by the project, and Rayner designed “The Westerly.” This small 22-foot sailboat resembled a small wooden vessel he was already producing. The two men were convinced by their project. They created a new company, Westerly Marine Construction Ltd, and the boat was renamed “Westerly 22“.
At the Earl’s Court boat show, a few months before the company was founded, Lloyds had announced a new certification standard for the production of small polyester boats. Westerly immediately adopted this new standard. Production then began in a state-of-the-art factory located in Waterlooville, near Portsmouth.
Quite quickly, Westerly turned to exporting. In 1964, the company exported its boats to the United States.
The 60s and 70s were a successful period. Nearly 2500 copies of the Centaur will be produced. One of the the most built sailboats in the worldOther units will achieve success, such as the Longbow or the RenownWesterly would employ up to 700 people working in two factories, and building approximately 15 different Westerly models, as well as the J-24, built under licenseThis was the shipyard’s heyday, its golden age.
The difficulties of the 1980s
In the early 1980s, Westerly achieved a turnover of over £10 million per year, more than half of which came from exports. It was a major player in the European and global market. However, the 1980s were a turbulent time for many shipyards, in England as well as in France, as illustrated by the shipyard itself. Mallard Or Toy.
And it’s even harder for Westerly, because at the beginning of the decade, poor investment choices, rising oil prices and exchange rates changed the environment and directly impacted the export market. The production of new models, such as the Griffon and the Fulmar, will help to limit the damage, but production is declining.The situation makes it impossible to retain staff, and 250 people will be laid off. But this will not be enough, and in 1981, Barclays Bank demands repayment of the debt, and liquidators are appointed. The assets will then be transferred to a new company called “Sphinxstone Limited.”
For several years, the company was able to continue its operations, but without regaining its previous production levels. However, in 1991, faced with new difficulties, the bank regained control and the court-appointed administrators resumed their duties.
Several takeover attempts over 10 years
In 1991, managers bought back the shipyard for an amount of £2.2 million. The new company is called “Westerly Yacht Construction Limited”. However, the company is unable to generate the profits necessary to invest heavily in future models. The strategy is therefore to rework the interiors and layouts of existing models. The old Griffin was then reworked to become the Spirit.
In the middle of the year In 1993, following further difficulties, the company was acquired by Victoria Marine of Warsash, which manufactures commercial vessels such as pilot boats, patrol boats and rigid inflatable boats. It was at this time that, for reasons of economy, Westerly finally stopped selling boats with Lloyds certificates, although the quality was still there.
In 1996, the Westerly group regained its autonomyThe shipyard then announced the launch of new units. And, in 1997, the following were launched: Ocean 33 and Ocean 43The first entirely new models since the launch of the Typhoon in 1990. Westerly entered into a commercial agreement with the Trintella shipyard in the Netherlands and began molding the hulls of Westerly and Trintella boats in Waterlooville. It was then believed that the shipyard was finally back on track. In 1997, after a hiatus of about fifteen years, Westerly returned to the Annapolis Boat Show.
But, unfortunately, all these financial arrangements to save the construction site, and the various alliances, are not enough. In 1998, the parent company encountered difficulties And the Westerly shipyard will not find any buyers. The end of the story is approaching.
In April 2000, the adventure definitively came to an end, despite two attempts to revive the brand in 2001 and 2005.