Seafly 650 – Sonic the SeaSlug

Seafly 650 was built in 1988 by C.M.Marine. Originally called E.a.T.nita she was owned by Eric Sales, originally at Highcliffe Sailing Club, who later became Seafly fleet captain at Seasalter Sailing Club. The photos by Graham Uren show her sailing in the 1989 Nationals at Worthing. In 1994 she was bought by Roy Johnston of Christchurch Sailing Club and renamed “Sonic the SeaSlug”. In 2006 Peter Taylor bought her from Gary Robb (son of Anne Robb who sailed Seafly 188 at Newcastle YC, N.I.) who had ben sailing her at Netley Sailing Club. Some mementos of the boats history can be viewed here. In 2009 she was part exchanged for a new Seafly (built by Tony Longworth and Peter Lawson – sail number 2003), and seafly 650 is now understood to be sailing in Scotland.

Peter Taylor’s comments:

When Gary Robb advertised this Seafly on the social email at the National Oceanography Centre where we both worked I couldn’t resist buying her. At that time, 2006, she needed some restoration (see the “mementos”). Rigged for serious racing, there were far more controls than I was used to from when I was racing C59 in the 1960’s so I simplified them to something I could understand! I had fun sailing her single handed on the River Itchen where I live, but the maintenance of the wooden decks was time consuming (I had her moored to a jetty), so at the end of 2009 I part exchanged her for a new Seafly… sail number 2003, “Seafly Memories”.