The Vertue Class of yacht is a 25'3" length[1] design by Laurent Giles dating from 1936, when Andrillot was launched.
[2] In 1939, the Epeneta had completed a cruise from The Solent to Belle Île in Southern Brittany and back in only 19 days.
[3] The design has an enviable reputation as a long-distance cruiser, with several remarkable cruises completed by boats of this class and close derivatives, in particular by Humphrey Barton, in Vertue XXXV and by Eric and Susan Hiscock.
[4] There have been minor variants of the design - most obviously in the shape of the coach-roof: the hull form has, apart from the size increase, remained consistent throughout.
[7] The Vertue II[8] design is slightly larger at 25’ 8” overall with a 7’ 10” beam (6” wider)[9] and approximately 30 have been produced in GRP since the 1970s by Westerly yachts and by Bossoms Boatyard in Oxford.