A.K.Balfour
The designer of the Honey Bee was a Glasgow man who was apprenticed to Harland and Wolff at Sandbank. He later joined Alexander Robertson and Sons and worked with David Boyd, the designer of the Twelve Metre Sceptre. He returned to Harland and Wolff as Yard Manager and in 1947 went to the Berthon Boat Company at Lymington as Manager. There he designed the 20 ton Northele for the International 10 metre class. He drew the lines of Skirl, a five tonner built on the Clyde and joined Lloyds of London as a yacht surveyor. In the year of the £1000 yacht competition,1958, he was manager of J.Loynes and Son Ltd of Wroxham, Norfolk.
His design took the second prize in the competition. The judges considered the Buchanan boat and the Honey Bee to be the designs which most closely corresponded to the type of boat required by four people cruising the West of Scotland and the final decision between the two yachts was made on the question of probable costs.
Hi
I bought and restored Northele in 2002 and I always thought Berthon boat co designed her.
From your very interesting article it was A K Balfour. Would you have any more information on Northele?. I understand she spent some years in Scotland.
regards
John
Thank you for your comment about A K Balfour.
I have tracked very little information about Balfour and the information about Northele was from an article in theYachting Monthly bout the competition to design the £1000 yacht. I always intended to do some more work on his history but it means spending some time in scottish library archives for which I have not yet found the time.
I am glad to hear Northele has neen restored, Someone did mention that she had been in Scotland at some point but I do not have any details.
I will keep you posted if I come across further information.
Good Sailing,
Keith Clark