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Entry from 1939 Issue of Lloyd's Registry of Yachts; Clover is #1279  Length overall: 59'3"
Length on the waterline: 48'0" Length on deck (I presume, not sure what "T.M." means): 52'6" Beam 14'5" Draft 9'0" The Document number which is under the entry number 1279; The Registration number appears to be 166902? "Oil Engine". The manufacturer is listed as National and when I looked them up I found they built diesel powered tractor engines and were based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, England. https://tractors.fandom.com/wiki/National_Gas_Engine_Co. We believe the original owner Eric Thompson wanted to name the boat Sea Lover but was overruled by Luke Bros! Her sonar gear is aboard and consists of two massive broze plates each about 2' x 4' affixed to each side of the hull; inside there is a transducer mounted inside the hull in way of each plate.. see the pictures of it in this link; https://www.vetsboats.org/clover.html We understand from the Royal Cruising Club that she and Thompson were members, and that Clover was sold circa 1960 to a British couple that took her to Jamaica and lived aboard with their young family. From there she passed into several charter owners and transited the Panama Canal in the 1970's, arriving in the Bay Area. She was donated to us in 2016 after laying dormant and uncared for for ten or more years; sinking, damaged and close to being destroyed. On June 6th, 2021 we celebrated the milestone of putting a new deck on her, and we are headed next toward stepping her mast and rig this summer. Helping our foundation understand this grand lady's history is a wonderfully kind gesture. We love her and and she is our obsession! And grateful for any information about her.
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 A dedicated group of volunteers and veterans have been working since last year to restore this 81 year old classic sailing yacht Clover back to life. Since her wartime service from Dunkirk to Brest as a minesweeper, then on to the Jamaica and the Caribbean, and now the Bay Area this grand little ship has had a colorful history.
On Veteran's Day we will re-christen her into the service of veterans and their families. The crew of volunteers has completed a ton of work in readiness:
What a Great Team!! The Re- Christening is going to be great! We hope you will join us at Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo CA this Veteran's Day to celebrate this important achievement in restoring this fine historic boat to the service of veterans. If you can't join us please consider donating - we really appreciate all the help! Wooden Boats for Veterans (EIN 46-4194065) a nonprofit private foundation, was founded by combat veterans and sailors dedicated to enriching veterans’ lives. We have served and we have a passion for restoring and sailing boats. Our long-term strategy to deliver a prolonged impact to veterans includes building community in the Bay and Delta regions through wooden boat restoration projects and sail training, ultimately leading to a capstone voyage to Hawaii. To find out how you can be involved, visit us at www.vetsboats.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vetsboats.org/ Clover was built in 1938 at A.r. Luke Bros. Yard in Hamble, Southampton England for Eric Thompson, a member of the Royal Cruising Club and a Royal Navy Reserve officer. During the war Eric was involved in developing rubber dive suits. After the war he owned Faith and Sante, a 30’ fiberglass motorboat, and in the 1960's a young teenager Michael Cohen sailed as crew for him.
Michael writes “I never saw Clover, only a couple of pictures that Eric Thompson had in his home. Regarding her rigging, I remember him describing her as a gaff-rigged, tops'l schooner. He once told me he closely supervised her construction, to the point of checking with a magnet for any ferrous fasteners, a big no-no. Eric was a member of the Royal Cruising Club in England. Perhaps they have some useful information about her. I would like to know about het wartime history. Eric was always evasive about his own contribution. I am fairly confident it involved the coastal waters of western France. That is where we sailed together and he clearly had a history with those parts. I remember another person who crewed for Eric before me, probably in the 1960s, was one Robert Fraise. “When I knew him, Eric was living alone in Poole, Dorset. I don't think he ever married or had children. He talked of a brother. He also told me, for what it's worth, of the time he had been involved in testing the earliest rubber diving suits. I think perhaps he was in the navy then, but I'm not sure. He proudly retold the story when he was sailing her in the English Channel and was hailed by a passing ship to convey their admiration of Clover. It turned out to be the royal yacht, Britannica, and the compliment was from Prince Philip. “Here's another little story Eric told me about Clover's build. He said he would go the the yard from time to time to check on their progress. He would take with him a small compass and check for any iron fasteners. He was surely not Luke Bros favorite customer when he made them replace any he found. “Eric used to tell me stories about him working with early seaplanes. In. particular, he told of the difficulty in mooring them due to their shallow draft and high windage. He also told me his working with the early rubber frogsuits. I don't know if these two yarns of his were related.” Coming soon - more yarns from Clover's former crew! Wooden Boats for Veterans (EIN 46-4194065) a nonprofit private foundation, was founded by combat veterans and sailors dedicated to enriching veterans’ lives. We have served and we have a passion for restoring and sailing boats. Our long-term strategy to deliver a prolonged impact to veterans includes building community in the Bay and Delta regions through wooden boat restoration projects and sail training, ultimately leading to a capstone voyage to Hawaii. To find out how you can be involved, visit us at www.vetsboats.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vetsboats.org/ |
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