Helena - homemade dream boat

Every sailor has a dream - and Mike Ludgrove is no exception. Intersail will tell the interesting story of Mr. Ludgrove and his homemade yacht Helena.

It all starts with a dream of the sea

Mr Mike Ludgrove grew up in Bermondsey, London. He has been sailing since childhood. Ludgrove's first voyage was aboard a 24-metre ketch during a charity voyage for children. “Everything in my life since then has been about boats and sailing,” says Ludgrove.

Mike Ludgrove. Photo: Matt Austin

Many years later, he enrolled in a shipbuilding course. His first homemade boat was the Fireball, the hull of which was made of a foam “sandwich.” Mike recalls that this was the first step towards fulfilling his dream of owning his own yacht.

Design Helena

In 2006, Mike and his wife Elaine sought help from two wooden boat experts: Howard Swift and Ed Burnett. Swift developed the boat concept and assisted in the early stages of construction, while Burnett did the rigging and math. Swift and Burnett's contributions were invaluable. These two engineers helped create the basis for the boat that Mike later built.

Length	19 m
Width	3.7 m
Displacement	28 t
Sail area	160 m2

Technical characteristics of Helena

Ludgrove planned to complete the construction in four years, spending approximately £200,000 on the boat. Unlike many boats modeled after classic yachts, Helena was designed to be a boat with comfortable accommodations where his family and friends could sit comfortably without feeling cramped for space.

One of Ludgrove's successfully implemented ideas was the creation of a well-lit interior. To achieve this, we had to carefully consider the placement of skylights and interior decoration.

Start of construction of Helena

As originally planned, work on the boat was expected to take 3-4 years. With these thoughts in mind, Mike began working on the yacht. Gradually, step by step, the body began to take shape. First, the outlines of the skeleton became visible, then the bulkheads appeared, and soon the plating.

Helena skeleton. Source: Yachting World

One of the biggest financial hits was the teak deck. Ludgrove managed to source real teak wood and use it to make the entire deck and cockpit. During the work, the body had to be transported from place to place several times. One shed simply ran out of room for a boat, another had space for a hull but not enough room for carpentry work.

Almost everything on the boat was made by Mike, with the exception of the winches, sails, hatches, electronics and upholstery.

Financial difficulties and assembly difficulties

The fifth year of construction was coming to an end. Mike already realized then that the construction of Helena had taken too long, but it was too late to stop. At this point the boat was ready at 60%, but there was still a lot of work ahead.

Ludgrove recalls: “The assembly was a joy, but it was fraught with difficulties.” Each block and body part was perfectly adjusted to each other, which also took a lot of time. In addition, sometimes it was necessary to look for non-standard solutions. For example, the lead keel was made from the roof of the first barn where Helena was built.

Helena lead keel. Source: Yachting World

Mike and Elaine had to sell their business and home to finance the construction of the boat. These funds were enough to complete construction, but not to launch it.

The final work on the boat was carried out with the support of caring yachtsmen and users of crowdfunding platforms - that is, for donations. As Mike says: “It was hard asking people for money. But I didn't ask for a gift or gratuitous help. I offered people to help me in exchange for the opportunity to go on a yacht.”

The further fate of Helena

12 years after construction began, in 2018, Helena was finally launched. Instead of the planned 200,000 pounds sterling, more than 1 million was spent on construction.

Mike admits: “This is not exactly how I pictured the completion of construction.” However, when asked by journalists whether Mr. Ludgrove regrets the journey he has taken, the elderly yachtsman replies: “Not even once.”

Mike Ludgrove on board his boat. Source: Yachting World Photo: Ian Roman

Today Helena still plows the seas and oceans. The yacht is available for charter, and has probably already recouped its construction costs several times over. Mike says: “I want people to enjoy this yacht. It is very important for me".