On August 5, 1987, Steve Willingham, 39, of Juneau, Alaska, watches anxiously as his ocean-going boat is loaded onto a lorry at Bossom’s Boatyard in Binsey, Oxford. – Vintage Photograph

On August 5, 1987, Steve Willingham, a 39-year-old schoolteacher from Juneau, Alaska, watched anxiously as his ocean-going boat was loaded onto a lorry at Bossom’s Boatyard in Binsey, Oxford. Mr. Willingham had purchased a 20,000 Vertue Two boat, designed by the boatyard 50 years ago and made out of fibreglass. The craft has a tremendous pedigree and track record for long-distance voyages, making it an ideal choice for Mr. Willingham’s planned journey across the Atlantic back to Alaska. He plans to sail around Britain this year and around Europe before setting off on his journey next autumn.On August 5, 1987, Steve Willingham, a 39-year-old schoolteacher from Juneau, Alaska, watched anxiously as his ocean-going boat was loaded onto a lorry at Bossom’s Boatyard in Binsey, Oxford. Mr. Willingham had purchased a 20,000 Vertue Two boat, designed by the boatyard 50 years ago and made out of fibreglass. The craft has a tremendous pedigree and track record for long-distance voyages, making it an ideal choice for Mr. Willingham’s planned journey across the Atlantic back to Alaska. He plans to sail around Britain this year and around Europe before setting off on his journey next autumn.

Dimensions: 16.9 x 25.6 cm

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OCR computer generated text:

5 AUG 1987 BOAT Page No AN AMERICAN schoolteacher is hoping that an Oxford firm’s unique make of boat will carry him thousands of miles of ocean. across Steve Willingham, 39, of Juneau, Alaska, has bought a 20,000 boat made ex- clusively at Bossom’s Boatyard in Binsey, Oxford. Next year, Steve plans to sail the 26ft vessel from the Azores or Gibraltar across the Atlantic back to Alaska. Bossom’s is the only boatyard in the world mak- ing this particular kind of craft, known as a Vertue Two. Steve Willingham, right, watches anxiously as his ocean-going boat is lowered on to a lorry at Bossom’s Boatyard Pedigree Mr Tom Ballance, sales manager at Bossom’s, said: “The boat was originally designed 50 years ago and we now make them out of fibreglass. Steve’s boat is the second we’ve made and we currently have orders for a few more. Cols Depth 6 “The Vertue has a tre- mendous pedigree and track record for long-distance voyages.” 12 NT It was that pedigree which attracted Steve over to Oxford and Bossom’s. Steve, who is calling his boat Exody, said: “I’ve done some sailing before but this is my biggest venture and I know the Vertue was of the best boats for a long voyage. I then found that the only boatyard mak- ing them was Bossoms.” 99 Steve plans to sail around Britain later this year. Next year, he plans to sail around Europe before setting off back across the Atlantic to Alaska in Exody next autumn. Cupria x 3 Rom i tab gh