I surveyed this lovely yacht in 2016 and was asked to manage a major refit. I then worked for the client maintaning and repairing his yacht until, very sadly he passed away in late 2022. After marina delays in lifting her ashore in the Summer of 2023, the family then asked me to market her for them and she sold in January 2024.
Overview
The Victoria 34 was designed by Chuck Paine, a naval architect with a worldwide reputation for very seaworthy yachts. Victoria 34s were built and fitted out to a very high standard at Northshore Yachts in Chichester harbour from 1988 until 2000.
The design is almost classic in appearance and the sailing performance is excellent: well balanced, good at all points of sailing, though her heavy displacement means she is not a racing boat.
They were built with both cutter and sloop rigs and all had a long fin keel and skeg hung rudder. While the deck has a balsa core, the hull is solid with no core material.
Cornemuse II’s overall condition is excellent. She has been ashore every winter since 2016 (since the start of the current ownership). She has been updated and maintained under the supervision of a yacht surveyor with almost no expense spared by the owner, now sadly deceased.
In early 2017, she underwent a refit which included approximately £26,000 worth of work. Since then, each winter she has been updated as can be seen from the inventory below.
Cornemuse’s sails are in good condition, her rigging is recent and she sails beautifully pointing well to windward while maintaining her pace. Off the wind her cruising chute (with top-down furler) is a powerful and easily handled sail (with two people) up to about 17knots of wind, working as something between a spinnaker and a large genoa up to about 60° true.
She is easy to handle with her self-tacking staysail, six cockpit winches and all but one line running aft to the cockpit.
Standing and running rigging, genoa furler, staysail and electronics were replaced in 2018 and the plotter replaced again in 2022.
Below deck she is also in great shape with many replacements and updates including the cooker and calorifier (2018), recent upholstery (2019) and recent diesel heating (2022). Her layout is not the most common with a practical heads compartment immediately to starboard of the companionway, chart table immediately forward of that and large forward cabin with cupboard storage on both sides and plenty of space to stand with the door closed.
This is a private sale that I am faciliating on behalf of the family. The contract will be with the late owner's family.
Dimensions
Length Over All (LOA) - 34’3” (10.44m)
Length on Waterline (LWL) - 28’4” (8.64m)
Beam - 10’7” (3.23m)
Draft - 4’10” (1.47m)
Displacement - 12,719 lbs (5,769kg)
Ballast -5,525 lbs (2,506kg)
Sails and rig
Aluminium spars including mast, boom, spinnaker pole and a short removable Selden GX75 bowsprit for the cruising chute.
All standing rigging replaced in 2018. Shroud chain plates re-sealed 2018.
The 100% yankee is high cut and reaches the cap shroud, with sheets new in 2018. Yankee sheet tracks re-sealed 2018. Harken Unit 1 furler new 2018.
The staysail (Crusader Sails, Vektron, 2018) is self tacking and maintains a an excellent blade shape with sheet new in 2018. Furlex furler bearings serviced/replaced 2018.
Off the wind the cruising chute (Batt Sails 2018) has the colours of the Jamaican flag and has a top-down Selden GX10 furler (2018), with a continuous furling line.
Winches - professionally serviced 2019
The mainsail is full battened, with a good shape and, with lazy-jacks fitted, is stored in the stack pack. The main sheet was new in 2018, in boom reefing hardware serviced/replaced 2021 and the main sheet car was replaced in 2022.
All sails and covers checked and valeted annually.
This configuration is easy to handle even in strong winds as no one sail is enormous and so she is suited to single or short handed cruising.
Electronics
At the helm:
Plotter - Raymarine 9” - 2022
Raymarine radar - displayed on plotter - Quantum 18” scanner on mast 2018.
Raymarine AIS transponder - vessel info displayed on plotter.
Auto pilot - Autohelm ST4000 (unknown date)
Compass - Plastimo Olympic 135 (unknown date)
VHF - Remote mic for nav station HVHF - Standard Horizon CMP 25B
- Handheld VHF - Standard Horizon HX 870 2019
(plus bow thruster, remote windlass and engine controls)
Companionway garage
Depth - Raymarine i50- 2018
Log - Raymarine i50- 2018
Wind Raymarine i60- 2018
Navigation station
VHF - (DSC) Standard Horizon GX1500E
Instrument - Raymarine i70 multi function display
Battery monitor - Sterling
Covers
Spray hood - 2022 Covercare
Stackpack - unknown date
Stackpack bonnet - 2018
Liferaft cover - 2019
Winch covers - unknown date
Machinery
Engine - Yanmar 3GM 1998 (28hp max rpm) - serviced annually (due now), new fuel lift pump - 2021, flexible fuel lines and flexible engine mounts - 2017. Engine control panel at helm. Total engine hours not known. Hours counter installed 2018. Engine raw water through hull valves, fittings and strainer replace with bronze 2022.
Reduction box - Kanzaki (Yanmar) new 2018
Shaft drive
Stern gland - Bronze greased packing gland and greaser, all new in 2018. The gland does not drip when greased and used and unlike most types of stern glands, this one will not fail without considerable notice and will not need more than repacking for many decades.
Cutlass bearing - replaced 2021 and engine alignment checked and altered.
Propeller - Three fixed-blade 14”
Exhaust - temperature alarm (2021).
Tanks
Fuel - c100ltrs in 2 stainless steel tanks in starboard cockpit locker - ‘Tank Tender’ gauge at Navigation station. Tanks flushed clean 2018.
Water - 220 ltrs in one stainless steel tank under forepeak bunk - gauge at navigation station
Holding tank - 67ltrs TekTank HDPE tank (2020) aft of WC. To shore and sea with macerator.
Steering
Wheel steering - Whitlock rod steering system.
Emergency tiller - re-engineered 2018
Bow thruster - Vetus 60kg - 2019, with controls at helm plus wireless fob
Ground tackle
Anchor - Delta
Chain - 60m x 8mm 40 grade DIN 766 calibrated - 2018
Windlass - Maxwell 1000w vertical axis - 2021.
Anchor ball
Bilge pumps and through-hull fittings
Bilge pumps - 2 x manual and 1 x electric with manual and auto function
Batteries and charging
Service - 2 x Leoch 12v 130Ah AGM under main cabin double 2023
Engine - 1 x Optima Bluetop AGM 12V 75Ah - dedicated charger under main cabin double
Windlass and bow thruster - Vetus 85Ah, 12V acid filled - under forepeak bunk
Battery charger - Victron 30A Blue Smart charger (1 output). Will charge AGM and acid filled.
- C Tek marine charger for engine start and bow thruster/windlass.
Safety and life saving equipment
Liferaft - Seago - RAFT - GX4 due a service or replace
Fog horn - pressurised air - rechargeable with a bicycle pump - corroded.
Radar reflector - Firdell Blipper on mast.
Fire extinguishers - Automatic clean-agent in engine compartment, 2x 2kg main cabin - in date
Accommodation
Woodwork - cherry
Upholstery - replaced 2019. Protected with Scotchguard.
Hatches -All crazed hatch and port light acrylic replaced 2018 - no water ingress.
Cooker - Neptune 4500 two hob burners, grill and oven - new 2018.
Fridge - 12V air cooled compressor
Cutlery and crockery -
Heads - Aft of nav station, by companionway. Jabsco manual twist and lock, pump 2021
Calorifier - new 2018. There is an isolator switch when not being used to lengthen the life of the element.
Heating - Eberspacher D4 blown air 2020. Serviced 2022.
FM radio - Sony MEX M72BT - 2020
Gas system - 2 x 2.75kg Camping Gas bottles, Pilot gas alarm with two sensors, flexible hoses new 2022, gas safe certificate 2022.
Cockpit table - 2021, hand crafted in cherry.
Through hull fittings - galley and heads sink through hull valves, fittings and strainer replaced with bronze 2018 and 2022. WC intake and outlet replaced with DZR, bronze or Marelon - 2022. Cockpit drains (x3) bronze 2018.
230V consumer unit with RCD and 3 MCB. Electricity usage meter. 16A shore power cable.
Head room - Main cabin at companionway 6’3”, - Main cabin at table - 6’2” - Fwd cabin - 6’
Bunk lengths - Stab main cabin single - 6’ - Port main cabin double - 6’6” - Forward cabin - 6’8”