Sula is a stunning wooden yacht from Hillyards of Littlehampton. David Hillyard was the most productive yacht builder in UK boating history. His success was based on providing the market what it wanted – not a sleek, wet racing yacht, however beautiful, but a solid family yacht capable of steady, safe cruising. Their maxim seemed to be don’t scare the wife, don’t wake the children, and don’t spill the gin!She's a very well-mannered and weatherly boat under sail, and regularly sailed in and out of tight harbours single-handed by the current owner.

Recent workOwned and restored by a professional boatbuilder for the last 10 years, works include;• Complete new self-draining cockpit with new seacocks. Built with Douglas fir and ply-epoxy.• New tiller in oak• Extensive re-framing with oak laminates, copper fastened.• New hatches in mahogany, cedar and ply.• New aft deck, beams and section of cockpit coaming.• Lifting and re-fastening of all deck hardware.• New stemhead, breasthook and knees• New spars and rig (see below)• All interior ballast removed in 2025, scrubbed and painted.

HistorySula used to be called Barnacle Goose and before that Mistrale. The dog house was removed before the current ownership, possibly in the 1980's. Rig used to be Bermudan cutter, and the current owner converted her to gaff and added the mizzen to reduce strain on the hull and make her easier to sail.In 1951, Arthur Ransome (author of the Swallows and Amazons books, and a lifelong sailing enthusiast) hired Barnacle Goose, and the experience inspired him to commission Hillyards to build his next two yachts.