Vertue (yacht)
The Vertue Class of yacht is a 25'3" length[1] design by Laurent Giles dating from 1936, when Andrillot was launched. The class was not named Vertue until after the war: it collected the name in the wake of the win by Epeneta -a boat built to the design- of the Little Ship Club's 'Vertue Cup'[2] in 1939 for a passage across the Bay of Biscay.[3] The design has an enviable reputation as a long-distance cruiser, with many notable cruises completed by boats of this class and close derivatives, in particular by Humphrey Barton, and by Eric and Susan Hiscock.
There have been minor variants of the design -most obviously in the shape of the coach-roof: the hull form has remained consistent throughout. Sail numbers ranging up to 230 are listed, suggesting that of the order of 200 have been built.[4]
The Vertue II[5] design (with 6" extra beam) has been produced in GRP since the 1970s by Bossoms Boatyard in Oxford.