Grove Pond Yachts Co. Ltd. Based in Hexham, Northumberland.

Makers since 1996 and the oldest surviving pond yacht manufacturers in England.

Cliff Grove’s fascination with pond yachts began when, as a boy, he was given a small Star Pond Yacht by his father which sowed the seed of a passion that stayed with him all his life. His summer holidays were spent running around the small boating lake at Aldborough in Suffolk where pond yachts still sail today. Sitting on a shelf in his workshop, Cliff still owns this precious little White yacht which has traveled the world with him..

Cliff first learnt the basics of sailing at school but following in his father’s footsteps he went on to study Gold and Silversmith design at Sir John Cass School of Art in London.  On leaving he started his own jewellery business specializing in tooling and Die sinking. By 26 he was a visiting lecture at the Royal College of Art teaching design and production processes to BA students.

At 27 his fascination with boats led him to buy a 1950s Broads Cruiser which was moored on Eel Pie Island on the Thames. After a year of complete restoration it became the first home with his wife Jacqui.  

In 1996, as a young family man his jewellery career took him to Bangkok, Thailand to install a stamping workshop and produce a commemorative Coin for the King of Thailand. The week before leaving England he walked past an Antique shop that had a large vintage model yacht in the window.

“I stood and stared at it for at least ten minutes, I was blown away! The shape of the hull, the craftsmanship and the combination of the colours, wood, brass and canvas created one of the most beautiful objects I had ever seen”

Knowing that it was too big to take to Thailand Cliff contacted Russell Potts (the then chairman and founder of the Vintage Model Yacht Group) and was invited over for afternoon tea.

“I remember him opening the front door and walking into his hall which was filled with hundreds of beautiful wooden yacht hulls, some as long as 6ft. The afternoon flew by as we sat and drank tea listening to him talking about vintage model yachts and yachting from bygone times. Understanding my dilemma about the boat I had seen, Russell disappeared off into another room and then reappeared with a large plan of “Pocahontas” a 1936 Marblehead class racing yacht designed by Bill Daniels.

“Here you go that should get you going” he said.  When that memorable afternoon came to an end, I walked off to the train station clutching my new prized possession – my first vintage model yacht plan” 

A 2 year contract in Bangkok turned into 4 years after which Cliff and his wife setup their own jewellery business in Thailand which quickly grew to having over 100 staff. Living in Thailand gave Cliff the opportunity to regularly crew on a 57ft racing yacht called El Coyote which was based at Ocean Yacht Marina in Jomtien, competing in club regattas and on the Asian race circuit such as the Kings Cup in Phuket, Top of the Gulf and the Samui Regatta.

“This is where I really learnt my sailing, the skipper and owner of El Coyote was an ex-Sydney to Hobart racer. We raced in all weathers, day and night, basically learning how to get yourself out of all the trouble you can get yourself into.

I remember one night during a race in the Gulf of Thailand there was absolutely no wind the sea was as flat as a mirror, so silent and pitch black with only the green lights of the Thai fishing boats illuminating the horizon. Slowly all the fisherman’s lights went out one by one. Our skipper said you better check your safety harnesses are all attached. Then the tropical storm started to come in… all hell let loose!”     

 As well as sailing full sized yachts in his spare time Cliff was building  model yachts. The vintage model “Pocahontas” began in 1996 when he first arrived in Thailand, and away from the hectic day to day work routine he found it was very therapeutic carving and shaping the lovey tactile shapes of  various types of vintage yacht hulls direct from wood.  Alongside his skills as a jeweller with processes such as casting and stamping easily at hand this allowed him to make fine intricate metal fittings. Everything you needed to make a set of cotton sails was available from the bustling China Town market based in the heart of Bangkok.

Pleased with his results Cliff searched the internet and started buying every old book on the subject he could find, building up what is now quite an extensive archive of plans and information. His early builds varied from the huge 6Mt model class yachts to 25in Half Marblehead’s, test-sailing them on a local lake in Bangkok from a canoe.

After a family tragedy Cliff returned to England and the family based themselves in Hexham, Northumberland. He rented a small workshop near his home and decided to build Vintage Pond Yachts full-time. Grove Pond Yachts was born. With more time to dedicate to his passion, Cliff started restoring vintage racing yachts by craftsmen of the past such as Bill Daniels and Alexanders of Preston which taught him a lot about the science of yacht design and how the old masters did things . He also gained the greatest respect for the makers of mass produced Pond yachts such as Star, Bowmans and Ailsa’s who made quality pond yachts in great quantities at an affordable price - allowing the masses to enjoy pond yacht sailing.

While Cliff is only able to restore a few vintage racing yachts each year, his main business is focused on producing  his range of Grove Pond Yachts which he sells online.