Classic West Solent One Design 'ARROW' - W1

PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS

Designer: H. Jacobs & Harry G. May
Builder: Berthon Boat Company Ltd, Lymington
Year: 1924 (Major restoration 1999)

• LOA: 34 ft 6 in / 10.51 m

• LWL: 24 ft 0 in / 7.32 m

• Beam: 7 ft 6 in / 2.29 m

• Draft: 5 ft 3 in / 1.60 m

• Displacement: Approx. 4.25 tonnes

• Construction: Pine planking on oak frames

• Engine: None (as originally conceived)

RESTORATION (1998–1999)

A full, stem-to-stern rebuild was undertaken by Peter Brookes at Maldon, completed to concours standard. The work encompassed hull, deck, spars, interior, systems, and fittings. This was the final West Solent restored by Brookes before his relocation to New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of his finest achievements.

HISTORY

Yard Number: 199
Class Sail Number: W-1

Commissioned for Mrs Ida Potter of Lymington — an accomplished helmswoman and a woman notably ahead of her time — ARROW began life among a spirited family of racers. Her husband, Major Cyril Potter OBE, banker and Royal Yacht Squadron member, was instrumental in founding the club that would become the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. The Potters’ enthusiasm for small-boat competition helped bring the West Solent class into being, and ARROW was their flagship.

Her early career was marked by success, taking the overall class championship in her first season. Over the following decades she passed through distinguished hands, known variously as DART and later HUAHINE. Among her custodians were decorated naval officers, a celebrated motor-yacht owner, several committed amateur racers, and notably Frank G. G. Carr — former Director of the National Maritime Museum, intimately involved in the preservation of CUTTY SARK.

Throughout the 20th century she sailed extensively on the south coast, the Medway, Chichester and Brightlingsea waters, and the East Coast rivers. Returning to Maldon in 1998 for her major restoration, she regained her original name ARROW.

During the past 25 years she has been actively and successfully campaigned, winning admiration wherever she appears. At the 2025 Hamble Classics Regatta she received the Concours d’Elegance award — a fitting accolade for a yacht of such stature.

CONSTRUCTION

• Carvel pine planking over oak frames

• Timber floors (no metal floors fitted)

• Painted, sheathed marine ply deck

• Varnished teak covering boards, toerails, coamings, and deck structures

DECK LAYOUT & EQUIPMENT

Aft Deck

• Bronze fairleads port and starboard

• Backstay chainplate

• Teak and bronze centreline mooring cleat

• Bronze mainsheet horse

• Wooden blocks for mainsheet

• Running backstay hardware

• Rudder head with wooden tiller

Cockpit

• Low traditional coamings

• Slatted helm seats

• Raw teak grating sole

• 2 × Lewmar 24 self-tailing bronze winches (refurbished 2025)

• 2 × Lewmar 16 bronze runner winches (refurbished 2025)

• Winch handles

Side Decks & Foredeck

• 9 × Spinlock XC clutches (2025)

• Bronze headsail tracks

• Harken blocks (2025)

• Varnished forehatch

• Samson post

• Bronze fairleads

• Bronze anchor roller starboard of stem

Ground Tackle

• Anchor with warp

ACCOMMODATION

Simple, original, and entirely in keeping with a classic racer:

• Sliding coachroof hatch and skylight

• Varnished Douglas fir sole boards

• White deck head and bulkheads with contrasting varnished joinery

• Galley to port: small sink, lockers and shelves

• Chart table to starboard: lifting top with stowage, nav equipment

• Two settee berths with lee cloths and stowage below

• Blue berth cushions

RIG, SAILS & CANVAS

Rig

• Spruce mast with single spreader and jumper struts (A. Riva, 2016)

• New stainless masthead cap with LED nav light (2025)

• Spruce boom (Collars, 2016)

• Stainless mast collar to mast step

• Wooden spinnaker pole (Collars, 2024) for CIM

• Carbon spinnaker pole for IRC

Running Rigging (mostly renewed 2024–2025)

• Continuous mainsheet (2025)

• Spinnaker sheets, jib sheets (2025)

• Dyneema reefing lines

• Adjustable backstay

• Traveller system (2025)

• New halyards throughout: main, fractional and masthead spinnaker halyards, jib (2025)

• Topping lift, downhaul, tackline (2024), vang purchases (2025)

Sails

(A notably comprehensive wardrobe for both CIM and IRC)

• North Mainsail (as-new condition, commissioned 2024/25)

• North J1 (2024, unused)

• Dacron and Mylar headsails (J1, J3, J4)

• Storm jib

• Full suite of CIM spinnakers (A1.5, A5, S1.5, S2)

• IRC radial spinnakers (S2, S5)

• Additional North S2 sails (70 m² & 75 m²)

Covers & Canvaswork

• Full hull and deck cover (2025)

• Mainsail cover with ‘ARROW W-1’ lettering

• Hatch, skylight, forehatch and cockpit covers

• Boom-under cover

• Mast and boom storage covers

• Deck bags, padded washboard bag (2025)

• Cockpit cushions (blue)

• Protective bow fender

ELECTRICAL

• 12V sockets

• Fixed battery charger with shore lead

NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATIONS

Navigation

• Original steering compass

• Raymarine depth/speed (2016)

• TackTick 20/20 mast display (2025)

• TackTick Race Master

• GPS receiver & electronic compass

• Raymarine chartplotter (2016)

• TackTick wind instruments (2016)

• LED masthead navigation light

Communications

• ICOM DSC VHF with masthead aerial (2016)

• Fusion stereo with speakers

SAFETY

• Manual bilge pump with cockpit/cabin selector (seals renewed 2025)

• Horseshoe lifebuoy

• 6 × customised Spinlock PFDs (2025)

TRANSPORT TRUCK & CRADLE

A major and unusual asset:

• DAF 19-tonne flatbed

• Fully serviced and MOT’d

• Custom welded cradle

• UK & EU-legal Smart 2 tachograph (2025)

• Kenwood stereo (2025)

This combination enables ARROW to be transported safely between regattas and dry-stored indoors, preserving her hull to a degree rarely achievable for yachts of her age.

OTHER EQUIPMENT

• 6 × fenders with socks (2025)

• Mooring warps

• Wooden passerelle

• Spinlock tiller extension (wood-effect)

• Helmsman’s seats (2025)

• Full set of code flags

• Battle flag

Disclaimer

Nicolle Associates offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

• This vessel is VAT not applicable due to age.
• As always photographs do not do justice so a viewing is highly recommended.
• This boat is lying on its lorry in West Mersea, Colchester, England,.
• © 2025 Nicolle Associates