| History of Jenter
The contract for the construction of our
new yacht was placed on the 6th September 1993 and was signed by both Peter
and Jennifer Cosker, as joint owners, and by James Boulton for Victoria
Marine Limited. I note that a cheque for £11,972.66 changed
hands, being the first of three equal stage payments with a fourth payment,
of the balance, to be paid after acceptance trials were completed.
The contract number was F26 9445 and delivery was planned for January 1994
at Warsash, Southampton.
 Our
new boat was to be a Frances 26. I see that the first letter from
James Boulton was dated 5th September 1991, so we had been talking to Victoria
Marine for over two years before placing the order. We wanted a new
boat, to be used for extended cruising, that had to be strong and capable
of sailing in heavy weather, and it had to be a boat we could afford.
Changes were already afoot at Victoria
Marine, for they had merged with Westerly Yachts to become Westerly-Victoria.
Hull number 9445 became the first Frances to be built at Waterlooville.
During the autumn of 1993 we paid many visits to the old Westerly factory
to check on the progress being made.
This is one of the earlier pictures of
our new yacht. We are looking over the starboard bow towards the
area of the chart table and galley. The engine bed is just visible,
but the engine and gearbox are just hanging about, waiting to be fitted.
As the construction progressed, we came
under increasing pressure to think of a name for the new ship. James,
despairing of us ever making a decision, came up with the idea of "Jenter".
It is, of course, Jennifer and Peter but with bits left out.
When as much of the interior as possible
had been completed, the deck moulding was added and the boat was transported
by road to Warsash on the River Hamble for final fitting-out.
Joanne, of Stone Pier Yard, breaks a bottle
of champagne over the bow roller on the 3rd December prior to lowering
Jenter into the water for the first time. The launch had to be when
a high spring tide gave a sufficient depth of water during a normal working
day.
At this stage Jenter was far from finished.
The rapid progress made since September slowed to a crawl and stopped altogether
over first Christmas and then the New Year and the London Boat Show period.
The fact that we had now been parted from most of our money may also have
had something to do with it.
 The
acceptance sail took place on the 22nd January 1994 and that showed-up
some items requiring rectification (in fact, a very long list)! We
eventually sailed Jenter away on the 19th February but without the staysail
and with some work still unfinished.
On the sail to Brighton, the large nut
on the stern greaser came loose, filling the bilge with water. Safely
in harbour, we discovered that the locking nut was at the far end of the
thread and had never been tightened.
We also discovered that the engine cooling
water inlet cock was seized and could not be closed. When the boat
was lifted at Eastbourne to remedy this, at Westerly-Victoria's expense,
the anti-foul paint washed-off because the hull had not been properly prepared.
When the autohelm failed, we discovered that it had been fitted incorrectly
and so it went on with one thing after another causing problems.
To end this section on a happier note,
here is a picture of Peter sailing Jenter off Eastbourne (photograph by
Stanley Cosker taken from "Knight of Stromness"). The log shows that
this picture was taken on the 11th March 1994 when the log had only 127nm
from new!
What Type of Craft is She?
The Frances 26 was designed by Chuck Paine.
She is a double-ender, pointed at the bows
and at the stern as well. The truth is that many boats are, at least
below the waterline, even if they sport flat transoms above! But,
Jenter is a true double-ender and also sports a long keel, which is supposed
to be really good at sea. It does, of course, make her almost unmanageable
around marinas but that fact is rarely mentioned. The photograph
is of Jenter under main and staysail only in the Western Solent (courtesy
of John Tyer on "Annjohlyn").
 Jenter
is built of GRP (glass reinforced plastic), as most boats are these days.
It is supposed to be the easy option. Easier to maintain than wood,
or steel, or ferro-concrete. Some of the other options. Instead
of brilliant white, we opted for a cream-coloured gelcoat as our boat is
of a more traditional styling. The mast is keel-stepped. This
just means that it goes straight through the deck and down to the keel.
Other masts are deck-stepped and have a supporting pillar below.
I doubt there is any difference but keel-stepped is supposed to be stronger.
The rig is a bermudan cutter. We
have two fore sails and a main. They are all tan-coloured sails to
go with the cream hull. With this traditional design, the sails go
to the mast-head, no fractional rigs here! The forward sail is a
yankee with a high cut foot, which is on furling gear for ease of operation.
This is followed by the staysail on a self-tacking boom, but still loose-footed.
The slot between the yankee and staysail, when properly set, is supposed
to produce more power than the sum of the parts, so as to speak.
The main has a long foot, giving a large area, although the mast is not
particularly high.
To accommodate the rig, Jenter has a short
bowsprit and her rudder is hung externally on pintels. The auxiliary,
single-cylinder, diesel engine drives a two-bladed propeller in an aperture
between keel and rudder. This is a most inefficient arrangement.
Below Decks
The double-ender design seriously limits
the space below decks compared with more modern designs that have transoms
and such luxuries as a master cabins aft. We are told that our craft
should be able to sleep four but we find it a little cramped with just
the two of us. Probably, the best berth is the port side, aft, quarter
berth. It is both roomy and would keep one secure even when the boat
was well heeled. The starboard settee berth has a lee cloth for security
and whilst quite long is rather too narrow for comfort. In harbour,
or at anchor, we normally use the forward double berth although this has
limited, I should say very limited, headroom!
 The
design is open plan and that helps give an impression of space. White
'formica' type surfaces and light coloured wood are contrasted by dark
red upholstery and dark blue curtains.
The picture shows Jenny working at the
chart table, which is well constructed, holds a good number of charts,
and folds away neatly when not in use.
The galley sink and the oven are nicely
mounted in a galley unit. Only cold water is available from a foot-operated
pump. The oven has a two burner hob and a grill as well as the oven
itself and it is, of course, gimballed.
Steps lead up, over the engine compartment,
to the deck.
On the starboard side, the heads compartment
is really too small for comfortable use. Forward of that, the wet
locker is well-constructed and quite adequate. The cupboards have
shelves and are nicely finished with the forward one doubling as a library
and drinks' cupboard! Most important. There is no dining table.
With just two crew, the chart table serves that purpose well enough.
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