Friendship I - Pipadouro

Nautica Ondastar, located in the Douro Marina (Porto) commissioned us in 2021 to restore the Pipadouro company’s boat “Friendship I”.

This legendary 66-foot ship was built in the South of England in 1957 by the now defunct E.F. Elkins shipyard in Christchurch. She was originally commissioned by the Royal Navy together with her sister ship and designed for fast, safe navigation and also for long journeys without refuelling. Its mission was to transport the officers of the navy to their respective destinations.

The hull is made of Honduras mahogany wood with copper nails, one of the most reliable and valuable construction techniques. The valuable port wine decanter, which has been on board since the ship’s first mission, is one of the ship’s distinguishing features.

In the summer of 2021 she underwent a meticulous repair and refit in which NAUTEKA has played an important part. The replacement of the teak deck has been one of the important actions carried out maintaining both the configuration and the design and also respecting as much as possible the wooden construction techniques of this classic.

The result maintains the original identity of the boat, which has been one of the main concerns of both the owners and the nautical company and of course of Nauteka. 

A spectacular teak deck and gunwales that will make this benchmark for sailing on the Duero look splendid for many years to come.