Edgar Cove Boat Builder: Rise and Fall of Family Business

THE YACHT "FREIGA"

In the mid 1920's Edgar Cove decided to build a cruising yacht as a speculative venture and after consultations with the well known designer Dr. Harrison Butler the keel was laid in about 1929 of a 24' yacht to Harrison Butler's design to be built 'on spec' for sale when finished.

She was never given a name until much later, being simply known as 'the yacht'. She was designed to take a twin cylinder Kelvin sleeve valve engine-a pretty massive piece of machinery for a small yacht's auxiliary by modern standards. It was to drive a 2 bladed Kelvin folding propeller which was offset onto the starboard quarter. My first memories of her were when she was about half planked up but work on her progressed rather slowly as firm orders for other boats naturally took priority and it was several years before she was planked and decked and ready for interior fitting-out. She had laid teak decks, teak cabin top, fore hatch, and cockpit seats. Down below she had two bunks in the main cabin and two pipe cots in the forward cabin, in which there was also a simple toilet arrangement of the 'bucket and chuckit' variety.

I spent many hours in her as a boy, imagining myself at sea.

From about 1935 or 1936 however the re-armament programme of the Government brought many orders for whalers and cutters from the Admiralty which occupied the whole workforce until the end of the war. No labour could therefore be spared for further work on the yacht, which remained on its stocks until the yard was largely destroyed by a bomb in 1943. The bomb fell during the lunch hour. Only two men were still there and luckily were unhurt, having taken cover under a bench. The steam engine which drove the machinery was totally destroyed and parts of it were found a hundred yards away.

The yacht was virtually untouched however and to facilitate rebuilding the yard she was unceremoniously launched as she was and remained in the private dock behind Island House until the end of the war. Meanwhile a squad of men arrived and rebuilt the yard as a matter of priority while boat construction continued at Shadycombe yard.

After the war the yacht was then sold as she lay. Meanwhile, the Kelvin engine had been used in a new motor launch. The yacht was taken to Brixham where Upham's yard finished her off. I remember being somewhat disappointed when I returned to Salcombe to find her gone as I had been hoping to get her finished off and sail her myself!

Now named 'Friega' she was still in commission in 2005.

John Cove
September 2009