Name Glengour

GLENGOUR was Clyde built in 1934 by James Adam & Sons of Gourock, Renfrewshire, and designed by William G McBryde, MINA, Glasgow. GLENGOUR’s distinctive design combines grace and practicality to provide comfort and style in equal measure. McBryde described her as a Twin-screw Fifty-Fifty Cruiser performing well under sail alone, and likewise steaming along under twin screws at close to 8 knots. GLENGOUR is a fine classic example of a 1930’s Gentleman’s Cruising Yacht by this well-known Scottish designer. 

She was originally fitted with two petrol-paraffin Gleniffer marine engines and was named GLENIFFER for two years, after the engine builder. Whilst these were her original engines, GLENGOUR spent most of her cruising life powered by diesel, and she is currently fitted with two 23.5 hp Yanmar marine diesel engines.

In June 1934, the Gourock Times reported the launch of GLENIFFER from their Cove Yard. She had previously appeared in a little blue hardback book Forty Designs of Motor and Sailing Yachts, published by the designer as a brochure for his work.

The vessel’s second owner, C Grasemann, invited the celebrated and successful naval architect and yacht designer Uffa Fox on a cruise. In 1937, Uffa featured GLENGOUR as Chapter 22 of his prestigious 4th volume - Racing Cruising & Design. 

The third owner was John Aherne-Heron, an Aeronautical Engineer who worked with Frank Whittle on the revolutionary jet engine with a production process for turbine blades. After his death, the Royal Cruising Club Journal of 2002 (Roving Commissions 43) reported one of his proud assertions that GLENGOUR was the first British yacht to visit Honfleur in Normandy after the war. Heron was known to have wintered GLENGOUR in the French Canals and may have been responsible for installing a hinging mechanism for both masts above deck level. 

Later, the Cowan family owned GLENGOUR for 35 years from 1958 and in the 1960’s B Cowan had three cruising Articles published in Yachting Monthly Magazine. In 1992, GLENGOUR was featured in the book Thirty Classic Boat Designs - The Best of the Good Boats by the American author Roger C Taylor. 

In 2001, GLENGOUR was bought by her current owners - a shipwright and a keen painter/varnisher. She was looking sad in an Ipswich Marina and was brought back home to Scotland, this time for a long-running renovation project in good hands. While under restoration it was important to keep GLENGOUR functioning as a yacht, enjoying summers in her favourite salt water. Renovations and repair work were done in harmony with the character of boat throughout. With sound pitch-pine hull planking and a traditional teak laid deck with a step/break amidships, repairs to the hull and deck structure could be done in stages during the winter. Where new deck beams were required under the aft deck the original teak deck planking was re-laid. Likewise, where repairs were needed to carlins and beams below deck hatches, the original teak hatches were fully restored and put back on sound wood. Great care was taken to preserve the 1930's ambiance of the saloon and where mahogany panelling required removal, it was all restored and put back to maintain the quality of the brightwork. 

In 2010, GLENGOUR made it onto the front cover of the November issue of the prestigious Classic Boat Magazine. The five-page article headed “The Famous Glengour” provides a flavour of both owning and restoring a much-admired vessel. She holds her place well in the 21st Century and can sail gracefully into the future despite her 90 years.