The Vertue 25 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The history of the Vertue 25 sailboat is quite fascinating. It dates back to 1936, when the first boat of this design, named ANDRILLOT, was launched by Jack Laurent Giles for Humphrey Barton. The design was not named Vertue until after the war, when another boat of this design, named EPENETA, won the Little Ship Club's Vertue Cup in 1939 for a passage across the Bay of Biscay. The Vertue Cup is given for the best log of a cruise longer than a week by a member of the club.

The Vertue 25 sailboat gained an enviable reputation as a long-distance cruiser, with several remarkable voyages completed by boats of this class and close derivatives, such as Vertue XXXV, which sailed from England to New York in 1950. The design has also been praised by famous sailors such as Eric and Susan Hiscock.

There have been minor variants of the design, most notably in the shape of the coach-roof and the hull material. The original design had a length overall of 25'3" (7.7m), a beam of 7'2" (2.2m) and a draft of 4'6" (1.4m). The extended cruising version of the design was known as the Vertue Ocean and incorporated modifications suggested by Barton. The Vertue II design is slightly larger at 25'8" (7.8m) overall with a 7'10" (2.4m) beam and has been produced in GRP since the 1970s by Bossoms Boatyard in Oxford.

Some of the famous voyages completed by Vertue 25 sailboats are:

• In 1950, Humphrey Barton sailed from England to New York in Vertue XXXV, a 25'3" wooden sloop, in 40 days. This was the first transatlantic crossing by a small yacht and inspired many other sailors to follow his example.

• In 1952, Eric and Susan Hiscock sailed around the world in Wanderer III, a 30' wooden sloop based on the Vertue design. They covered 30,000 miles in three years and wrote several books about their adventure.

• In 1966, David Lewis sailed from England to New Zealand in Rehu Moana, a 25'8" GRP sloop of the Vertue II design. He then continued to sail around the Pacific islands and Antarctica for several years.

• In 1979, John Guzzwell sailed around the world in Trekka, a 20'9" wooden sloop derived from the Vertue design. He covered 28,000 miles in four years and became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed at the time.

• In 1990, ELLENOR JOSEPHINE, a 25'8" GRP sloop of the Vertue Ocean design, was launched by IBTC Lowestoft for Ian Wright, who wanted to sail long distances. She has since been sold to different owners and has cruised around the UK and Europe.

Some of the modifications that have been made to the Vertue 25 sailboat over time are:

• After winning the Vertue Cup in 1939, Laurent Giles named the class the Vertue and made minor modifications to the hull and coachroof design. These Vertues became the classic small boat of choice for the single-handed long distance sailor.

• The extended cruising version of the design was known as the Vertue Ocean and incorporated modifications suggested by Humphrey Barton, such as additional freeboard, a slightly different sheer, a longer bowsprit, a larger cockpit and a self-draining well.

• The Vertue II design is slightly larger at 25'8" (7.8m) overall with a 7'10" (2.4m) beam and has been produced in GRP since the 1970s by Bossoms Boatyard in Oxford. It also has a different coachroof shape, a longer waterline length, a shorter boom and a higher aspect ratio rig.

• Some individual owners have also made their own modifications to their Vertues, such as changing the engine, adding or removing equipment, altering the interior layout, or repainting the hull.