Mengeham Rythe Sailing Club

"Florence" was built in the Winter of 1936/37 by G H Feltham of Portsmouth, and launched in the Spring 1937 . Designed as a Chichester Harbour mackerel fishing boat, Ernie and Charlie Cole, her first owners, found a better use for her as a pleasure sailing dinghy. Don Smith, Mengeham Life Member, said recently that she was built to compete in the fishermen's races at the time. Because of her light construction, she generally won these.

Eventually the Coles passed her on to Owen Wellbelove, founder member of the Club, when she was given sail number M (for Mengeham) 16, still faintly visible on her current main sail.

Owen passed her on to Roy Smith, our late Club President, who sailed her for a great number of years. As well as Rene Smith, a surprising number of Hayling people remember being taken for a sail on her by Roy, and still treasure it to this day. Then, in Summer 2004, Roy passed her on to Eddie Ault.

"Florence" has always been sailed from Coles Quay / Wall Corner.

She is built of elm (the four bottom planks on each side) and spruce planking, on oak ribs (from the New Forest). The original Gunter rig was changed to Bermudian with an especially made alloy mast for a while, later restored to Gunter by Roy. Her roller reefing on the jib, makes her a very easy boat to sail single handed.