Skellig is my current boat — a 1970s French-designed Écume de Mer by Jean-Marie Finot, built in fiberglass (GRP) by Mallard. It’s the later, more comfortable cabin / extended-coachroof version that started appearing around 1975–1976, when they softened the deck layout and made life below a bit nicer.
I wanted something I could actually sail and actually maintain — not just photograph. A small cruiser-racer that can live on a UK mooring, be worked on on weekends, and still make coastal hops without drama.
Boat data (1976 cabin / extended coachroof)
Specs adapted from sailboatdata and Groupe Finot archives for the Écume de Mer, matched to the mid-70s comfort / coachroof update. Figures may vary slightly by builder and year.
Designer
Jean-Marie Finot (Groupe Finot)
Builder
Chantier Mallard, La Rochelle (FR)
Year / style
≈ 1976 comfort / longer coachroof
Construction
GRP / fiberglass
LOA
7.92–8.00 m (≈ 26 ft)
LWL
5.85–5.93 m (≈ 19 ft 4–5 in)
Beam
2.70 m (wider comfort version)
Draft
1.50 m fin (some boats at 1.25 m)
Displacement
~1,900 kg
Ballast
~700 kg
Rig
Bermudan sloop / masthead
Sail area
~29–30 m² (≈ 312 sq ft)
That 1976 coachroof stretch is what gives it the “little cabin cruiser” look — more headroom forward, nicer handholds, and a cockpit that makes more sense for single-handing. Same hull, just nicer to live with.
What I’m doing to her
This isn’t a museum rebuild — it’s a rolling refit shaped around how I sail: UK coastal, mixed weather, often alone.
Keeping safety and comms current (VHF, GPS, MOB gear, lifesaving kit).
Leading more lines back to the cockpit to match the 70s comfort layout.
Interior refresh in passes — practical, wipe-clean, not “teak cathedral.”
Deck / hardware checks, because old quarter-tonners reward vigilance.
GoMad / GoLive, on water
This boat is the offline half of what I do. Some days I go live online. Other days I go live on the water, fixing the result of last month’s “improvement.” Both count.
Gallery (incoming)
I nuked the older WordPress page by accident, so I’m rebuilding the photo log here.