Named after the eighteenth century limestone quarries on the Jurassic coast of Dorset, Tilly Whim was the first of two ‘Tillies’ commissioned by W. F. Cartwright between 1947-51, the second was Tilly Twin a more advanced, lighter racing yacht: see design number 0153.
This first Tilly was built at Newman’s alongside Giles’ renowned T.S.D.Y. Woodpecker of Poole, and was very similar to the marginally longer but narrower Marie Victoire of 1939, but Tilly was shallower of draft by 6” under that of Marie Victoire.
She was originally designed with a twin forestay bermudan cutter head, but during construction this was modified to the masthead sloop dispensing with the (inner) forestay. The rigging however remained as a double spreader for lightness of construction.
Sadly unlike Woodpecker, Tilly twin suffered a heartbreaking and terminal demise, and in 2005 Barry van Geffen, then M.D. of Laurent Giles Naval Architects Ltd., received the following communication from Laura Fortune who owned and lived aboard Tilly from 1982-1984.
‘It is with sadness that I inform you that the sloop “Tilly Whim” has been destroyed here in Stockton, California, USA. We owned it and lived aboard from 1982-1984 approximately. The last owner apparently did not have the knowledge or fortitude necessary to keep her afloat and he finally cut her up and tossed the pieces into the trash bin. She was such a joy to sail – WET, but a joy! We often sailed her up and down the San Joaquin Delta from our home here in Stockton to the San Francisco Bay. We could ghost along the levees on almost windless days just using the warm air rising from the soil. She always drew admiring looks and lots of questions”.