S Class sailing cruisers are synonymous with Bertie Slater, who designed them at his shipyard in Ballyholme on Belfast Lough in 1946. They were superb, affordable sailing yachts built traditionally by skilled craftsmen at the yard on the east side of Bangor at Ballyholme.
The S-class boats are sturdy cruisers, well-suited to Irish and Scottish waters. In 1958, Bruce Cowley, who had retired from HMRC, purchased the yard and continued S Class production, resulting in a total of 22 units built in Bangor between 1946 and 1964. The last one he built was Quinsibar, the only name which didn't begin with S.
Colla McParland with Sorona in his yard at Jerretspass
Many S-Class cruisers are still sailing today, and the owner of one of these, Colla McParland, has Sorona at a yard near Newry, where he is enthusiastically restoring it. The Sorona story is a tale of circumstance and good fortune.
Schejenka at Hilltown
She lay in a yard at Greenbank Industrial Estate in Newry run by Gerry Brennan's Silvery Light Sailing. Gerry Brennan had bought Sorona with the intention of turning her into a Sail Training vessel but that never happened. The yard stopped functioning, suffered a devastating fire, and closed. By good fortune, Sorona survived and was seen by Colla McParland of the family's demolition firm from Jerrettspass, who was doing the demolition work on the yard.
Sorona seemed to 25-year-old Colla a likely candidate for restoration, and so onto a low loader it went to be cosily tucked under cover at his yard, awaiting what has turned out to be a lot of work.
Sorona and Sequester
Colla is also planning a reunion next year, one hundred years after Bertie Slater took over McCormick's Shipyard in 1926. Colla is liaising with Ed Wheeler of Royal Ulster Yacht Club in Bangor and the reunion centres around muster of hopefully three S Class boats in Ballyholme Bay on 6th June next year (weather permitting) followed by a planned gathering at Royal Ulster that evening.
Sorona's new garboard strake is fitted
At Ballyholme Colla, they intend to have Sorona and Seaquester, previously owned by the Slater family, and if Paul Officer can bring Stealaway from the east coast of England, he will join them.
Details of the gathering, starting at Bangor Marina on June 5th, including a short cruise around the Copeland Islands on Sunday, will be shared later.
Colla says that the plans are subject to refinement, and I feel that they are ambitious yet feasible, and there are ways in which these ideas may vary".
Colla is very pleased to have bought Sorona "The story of finding the boat was a combination of a near miss, plenty of luck and unbelievable coincidences. I moved Sorona inside after purchase (and the boat will stay inside until restoration is finished),".
While working on Sorona, Colla has been gathering information about Sorona and attempting to locate other S-Class cruisers. The fleet is (courtesy Classic Yacht Info Bangor S-Class - Classic Yacht Info).
Shemdra (1962) S18 Cutter launch at Ballyholme
Bangor S-Class
- 1 Stealaway (1947) S1 Cutter
- 2 Saunterer (1947) S2 (K84T/1196C) Sloop L
- 3 Southward (1947) S3 (135C) Sloop
- 4 Sandera (1949) S4 Sloop
- 5 Seaquester (1949) S5 Sloop
- 6 Scarlet Pimpernel (1952) ?? Sloop
- 7 Saturnia (1950) S11 Sloop
- 8 Silhouette (1951) S8
- 9 Spelga (1951) S7 Sloop
- 10 Sarcelle (1955) ?? Sloop
- 11 Suantrai (1950) S10 (1068C) Sloop
- 12 Sonas (1951) S9 Sloop
- 13 Seatang (1955) 23C Sloop
- 14 Scallywag (1961) IRL14 Cutter (Sloop)
- 15 Seonaid (formerly Seaquin) (1962)
- 16 Segala (1962) Sloop Ireland
- 17 Salterello (1962) ?? Sloop
- 18 Shemdra (1962) S18 Cutter
- 19 Salna (1962) S19 Sloop
- 20 Sorona (1963) S20 Sloop
- 21 Shejenka (1963/4) ??
- 22 Quinsibar (1964) S22 Sloop
