Author Topic: Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"  (Read 2042 times)

Offline Mike Gunnill

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Re: Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2020, 08:05:51 PM »
The husband of my cousin was caught smuggling cannabis - while he was onboard Morning Cloud as crew member.  ;D




He used to visit Jersey, in the Channel Islands a lot,  in Morning Cloud.


Mike
Mike Gunnill

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Offline Smiffy

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Re: Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2020, 05:31:51 PM »
The husband of my cousin was caught smuggling cannabis - while he was onboard Morning Cloud as crew member.  ;D

KeithG

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Re: Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2020, 03:48:54 PM »
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Offline Lyn L

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Re: Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2020, 03:27:52 PM »
I was in the same class in Broadstairs with one of his crew. Rex Waldron ,  didn't like him at all he thought he was too posh for any of us mere peasants. But that was before he got entangled with Edward Heath. I wonder how long he did crew for ? It was a lovely yacht though.

KeithG

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Re: Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2020, 02:49:34 PM »
The buildings which are still there at Hoo Marina.

KeithG

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Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud"
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2020, 02:46:57 PM »
Having a somewhat inquisitive mind and already being a Carpenter & Joiner (the proper ones ?) I decided in 1968 to try Boatbuilding and started a job at Hoo Marina with Michael Winfields & Partners who had recently started a company at the Boatyard down Vicarage Lane.

Designers Sparkman & Stephens who were racing yacht designers in the USA had developed a new king of yacht with the reverse transom. So this was the result of them all getting together to build this yacht for Edward Heath the then Prime Minister.

In the pictures you can see the wooden mould upside down being prepared to coat with fibre glass to produce the female mould from which then the yachts hulls are made, in two halves. The halves are coated in a blue coloured releasing agent so that when the halves are made upright and bolted together via a 2" flange all the way around the hull, it is then joined in tapered layers of fibre glass, and when unbolted the mould will release from the produced hull.

The blue sided building in the pictures was our first premises and i was only the third person to be employed so i was at the very beginning of this venture.
After a few hulls were produced they needed fitting out so we moved just around the corner to this building with the very high front doors which was needed to get the yacht out the building fully masted. This building had electric heavy stone heater units to maintain a good temperature level.

Picture of me outside washing the release agent off the first hull and also a newspaper representatives photo they sent me polishing the hull, i am 20yrs here.

The launching of Edward Heaths yacht was at Upnor the pier near the Ordnance Jetty There is a movie on Pathe Films of the launch.