Second Spring - Safari Mk1J Renovation - An article created and submitted by Anita and Paul
Dry Dock > Safari Projects > Second Spring Refit
Part 1: Wind Gives Way to Power...
It’s been a strange few years for all of us. We have always been dinghy sailors and always raced then in 2010 we decided to buy a 24ft Chumley & Hawkes traditional broads sailing/racing yacht called “Samphire”.
Samphire was built in the 1930s and we decided we would cruise and race her. We moored her at Horning Hall, which was an excellent location for day trips, weekends away and a once a year we would have a longer trip to Geldeston or Norwich.
Back in 2006, the one time I persuaded Paul to buy a motorboat, it was a Shetland,...and we both hated it….
Every year, Paul does all the wooden work on Samphire, he was fortunate to grow up and live on a hired boat boatyard, where his dad worked as a boat builder and gained valuable practical skills and loved working with wood.
Part 2: Finding Our Safari
Paul said he had always liked Hamptons as they can go under the broads bridges and not enormous. I also always enjoyed cruising to all the places under the bridges like Horsey, Coltishall, West Somerton etc mooring up for the night just on our own, so I could see his point.
The first Hampton Safari we viewed, I didn’t like, and it was quite expensive. I also had my eye on something bigger that would be our second home. We looked at some awful boats, that looked great on the internet but close up... ("omg")!
We eventually came across a "too good to be true" priced Hampton Safari (Mk1J) We were waiting outside the agents at the Waveney Centre before they were even open....we were that keen!
This particular Hampton model has a unique internal layout. The kitchen/galley is also at the rear where there's usually a bedroom, and there is a mid section bedroom/saloon with a full size 4ft 6" converted double and a full size 3ft single bed.