Ron Mitchell made contact with Bill Matthew, the managing Partner when he was visiting Falmouth aboard the Australian yacht Calypso in August 1971. He wrote “I intend to do a lot of deep water cruising in all parts of the world” and “I have heard nothing but good reports about the Vertue’s seagoing capability”.
Having selected the design Ron was specific about the general arrangement that he desired – that of Stelda V 120 (design number 0465), and his preference was for the short boom slutter rig. But it was not until Ron had completed the cruise aboard Calypso in June 1973 that the plans were ordered and construction began.
Originally Ron asked for strip plank construction but at the time this was not available, however with the approval of the Partners Ron used 7/8” x 1 1/8” cedar planking with reduced timber (Queensland Maple) spacing. It was not until 1984 when Barry van Geffen drew the revisions for the first wooden Vertue Mk II (V 205 – design number 1106) that drawings for strip plank construction were offered as standard.
Building in his spare time it took Ron five years to complete V 160, she was launched in 1978 and in the following year Ron and his wife cruised many thousands of miles up and down the Australian east coast.
Having met Hum’ and Mary Barton aboard Rose Rambler Ron ‘took to liking’ their yacht. Indeed he liked it so much that he bought plans for a Rose Rambler (design number 0452) which had been designed for the Bartons sixteen years earlier.