REFERENCES

A selection of the beautiful ships
that have trusted us with our
blocks and hardware

Helena

Helena is a traditional Dutch Stevenaak, built in 1875 and one of the oldest iron barges from the Netherlands still sailing today. She has had a long working life before being carefully restored and preserved as a sailing monument.

We supplied the full set of wooden blocks, made from elm and executed in traditional external binding, as originally used on this type of vessel. Each block was made from a single piece of elm, following a traditional method that is rarely used today.

A sailing ship with multiple sails on the water, flying a flag with horizontal red, white, and blue stripes.
Close-up of a wooden and metal ship’s pulley system with ropes and pulleys against a cloudy sky.
Close-up of a metal pulley with a black hook and rope, mounted on a boat or ship, with a cloudy sky in the background.

Cariad

Cariad is a classic gaff ketch, built in 1896 by Summers & Payne and designed by Arthur Payne. She was built for Arthur Payne himself and later owned by the Earl of Dunraven. In her early years she sailed in the Solent and took part in racing, before being altered and later used more widely, including longer voyages and charter use.

After many years of changing ownership and use, she eventually fell into poor condition and underwent a full restoration in 2023/2024, bringing her back into sailing condition. We made the full set of wooden blocks, all executed in teak.

A wooden sailing yacht named 'CARIAD' with multiple sails, anchored in calm waters near rocky islands.
View of a sailboat's deck with ropes, pulleys, and wooden fittings, overlooking a coastline with rocky islands and blue sky.
Close-up of a nautical decoration on the deck of a boat, featuring a brown leather strap with white cross-stitching, ropes, and a metal rail.

Stad Amsterdam

The Stad Amsterdam, built in 1997, is an impressive 76 meters long clipper. The ship features authentic square rigging, a sharp clipper bow, and is equipped with 31 sails with a total surface area of 2,200 square meters, all hoisted and operated using our blocks.

At the time, the Stad Amsterdam was the largest rigging project we had undertaken. She required more than 750 blocks to hoist and operate all sails. Since the ship falls under Lloyd’s Register classification, the blocks were tested on a tensile test bench to ensure safety. Nearly all blocks were made from elm wood, all dipped in Ording Block Oil for proper impregnation, with 316 stainless steel fittings.

We are proud to continue to serve this magnificent clipper with our maintenance and replacement services, with any new blocks made using sustainable acacia wood.

A large traditional tall sailing ship with multiple sails, sailing on the ocean during the daytime, with a clear sky.

Willow Wren

Willow Wren was built in 1886 by Summers & Payne, a respected British yard known for building strong and well-crafted working and sailing vessels. She has seen a long and varied life before being carefully restored in recent years and now sails as a gaff-rigged yacht.

We were involved in a large part of the deck hardware. We supplied the aluminum-bronze winches, the full set of wooden blocks, and produced all bronze fittings on board including the fairleads and the boom buffer. We also made wooden hoops, which were later covered in leather by Paola Cinquanta.

A white sailboat with a wooden mast docked by a stone building with large windows and a sign reading 'de scheepvaartmuseum MARINE' in the background.
A view of the sea from a ship's deck showing a brass compass and a brass belaying pin on a wooden surface.
Close-up of a gold-colored valve and handle on a shiny metallic surface, with the words 'WILLOW WREN' engraved on the handle.
Deck on a ship with brass cleats, coiled ropes, and a winch, with shadows cast on the wooden surface.

Alva

The Alva is a Paul Gartside designed 30 ft Gaff rigged cutter yacht, her lines inspired by the quay punts of Falmouth.

She is fast, seaworthy and immensely strong. All blocks we supplied for Alva are made of black locust with stainless steel bindings and nicely oiled. We also supplied cover plates on both sides.

Photography © Ben Harris

A white sailboat with a single mast floating on calm water with a wooded shoreline and a building in the background, under a cloudy sky.

Rita IV

Rita IV was designed in 1925 by William Fife III and built by the Thornycroft Scandinavia yard in Copenhagen. She is the last Ten Metre Class yacht designed by Fife and was originally built for King Christian X of Denmark. Like many yachts of this class, she was designed for both performance and elegance on the water.

We supplied the full set of wooden blocks, made in teak and fitted with engraved plates. The blocks were later finished in leather by Paola Cinquanta.

Close-up of a wooden yacht bow with brass cleat, part of the deck, and water in the background.
Close-up of a yacht's deck hardware, showing metal fittings, ropes, and leather-coated turnbuckles on a wooden surface.
Close-up of a leather paddling ball with a brass emblem, attached to rope and a braided black cord, with a clear sky background.

Blitzen 1938

Blitzen is a 55’ Bermudan sloop, constructed in 1938 by the Henry Nevins yard in New York. The yacht was built as a an ocean racing yacht and was very successful wining in her division in the Newport Bermudan Race. After her refit in 2016 is she faster than she has ever been before, a first class racing yacht built for speed.

We were fortunate to be a part of this project and supplied her with all the blocks. Half of the blocks are made from teak with high polished aluminum - bronze bindings, beautifully covered in leather by Paola Cinquanta, protecting them against damage. The other half of the blocks are made off first class ash with high polished aluminum- bronze fittings. All blocks are supplied with ball bearing sheaves.

A sailing boat with multiple crew members working on adjusting sails during a race on choppy waters.

The Atlantic

The Atlantic is designed by William Gardner, one of America’s foremost designers of large yachts. It is an incredible three mast schooner with a remarkable 56 meters in length. Her graceful sheerline and long overhangs accentuate her grace while her waterline length of 42 meters and narrow beam are a promise of unmatched speed under sail.

Her spars tower some 45 meters above the waterline and support a staggering area of 1750m² of sail. Many of the sails are hoisted and operated with our blocks. Of the many single and double sheave blocks, there are also custom made blocks to ensure a good fit on the mainsheet buffer.

A large sailing ship with white sails glides past a coastal town with buildings and a tower in the background.

Bark Europa

Bark EUROPA was built in 1911 to serve as a lightship on the Elbe River in Germany. In 1986, the ship was brought to the Netherlands by Harry Smit. Over the course of eight years, it was completely rebuilt: the hold was comfortably outfitted, and the ship was rigged as a barque — a three-masted ship with square sails on the foremast and mainmast.

By 1994, the ship was fully restored, and since then it has roamed the world’s oceans. George Ording not only made all the blocks for the Bark but also worked on the ship for six years. He worked on much of the steelwork and structural work for the rigging, as well as all the spars and the complete rig. This makes the Bark Europa very special to us. Since its restoration, we have remained closely involved and have had the pleasure of experiencing many wonderful moments aboard the Bark Europa.

View from a sailing ship's bow looking towards the deck with sailors, rigging, and sails in open ocean under cloudy sky.
A tall sailing ship with white sails navigating through icy waters with snow-covered mountains in the background.