Pacemaker 21 - Known History

I am still referring to the boat simply as Pacemaker 21 as I haven’t yet fully decided on a name, and the name it had when registered in Jersey (Mister Tom) doesn’t really do it for me, I’m afraid.  Besides, I’m making a bold claim that this one is the last survivor of its type,  and therefore Pacemaker 21 is, on the basis of that claim, a unique name ... at least for those afloat ... in the UK. 

 I have also used the word “known” in the title of this piece, suggesting there is also a portion of “unknown” history -  in this case it’s more than forty years.   There is more out there than I have successfully researched so far, but for now,  I can only write about these limited “known” facts.  It has become obvious since I first heard of Pacemakers back in January that there is remarkably scant information  about them: they do not have any serial numbers; there are not many 21s around (I’ve found none); and most of records of the design and build of these boats were lost in a fire at the Antigua home of the series’ designer, David Simmonds.  

The traceable story of Pacemaker 21 starts with an advert from Coburg Brokers dating from 2011. Further investigation with Mr Rosthorn of Coburg brokers who remembered this boat, revealed the wording in the advert that said specifically: “hull built on the Hamble” meant it was sold by Port Hamble as hull only.  A further phrase: “stored unfinished” actually meant: “never finished.”  He also recalled that the boat had been owned by a Mr Wilkinson.  I’m not sure how true the never finished claim is.

A thread dating from 2013 on the Boatmad forum shows the picture that I have used on the front page here and pastes a link to an advert.  The link no longer works but the poster appears to mix an advert for a Pacemaker for sale in Jersey but referring also to bits of the previous advert from Coburg.

The boat next pops being registered with Jersey Harbours to a Mr Gillette in March 2014, although the previous Boatmad post and picture indicates that the boat was previously (2013) registered in Jersey.  Mister Tom (really?) was sold by the same person to the Norfolk Yacht Agency a year later in 2015, I guess as a part exchange, when Mr Gillette retired to the UK.  The Agency finally sold it at the beginning of 2020 but the new owner had a change of mind and never took delivery : it was subsequently sold to me a few weeks ago, thus having spent 6 years with the NYA. 

I guess it is down to me now to uncover any other history, initially  to find out how long Mr Wilkinson stored it “unfinished”.  It would be almost incredible to think that it was sold as a bare hull and never finished, but nevertheless it would prove quite a find to stumble upon, indeed somewhat serendipitous.