Latest specification

  • Function: Leisure Craft, Yacht
  • Builder: Gibbs, H, Teddington (UK)
  • Built in: 1937
  • Hull material: Pitch pine on oak frames
  • Propulsion: Inboard diesel 90 HP, bow and stern thruster
  • Length overall: 12m, extended to 13m
  • Beam: 3m
  • Max. draft: 1m
  • Weight: 8,5t + Ballast = 10t

…and suddenly one finds oneself the owner of a ship with a historical background, requiring a complete renovation.
My name is Nicolaas F. Tjebbes, a Dutchman, born in 1938 in Amsterdam, „Intruda“ (RYEGATE II) was built in 1937 in Teddington (UK).

At the age of 8, I learned to sail and water sports became my passion. Due to my later admiration for classic yachts, I decided in 2016 to purchase the motor yacht RYEGATE II in Rochester (UK). Her history is closely intertwined with many of my childhood memories of the war years in Holland. On 8 May 1945, Canadian soldiers liberated the country from German occupation. Part of the troop was stationed in Naarden (NL), just 100 metres from our home. We children were constantly treated to chewing gum and other sweets. A street nearby was fitted with stands in 1946 to welcome a famous figure, strongly connected to the Dunkirk evacuation „Operation Dynamo“: Winston Churchill.
Despite the poor condition of RYEGATE II which had discouraged all previous potential buyers, it was the yacht’s history that ultimately convinced me to take on a complete renovation.

On the page titled Restoration, the enormous effort required to keep RYEGATE II afloat for another 88 years is shown. Once the work began, there was no turning back. Today, RYEGATE II is a gentleman’s yacht, equipped with every modern comfort and the safety standards of our time. Her story continues with participation in the Commemorative Return to Dunkirk 2025.

Mr Colin Dimbylow, owner of the Dunkirk Little Ship Aqabella, whose grandfather was the first owner of „Intruda“ (Ryegate II), kindly provided me with some historic films of the very earliest pleasure cruises made with the ship, which you can find here and here. Through my dedication to the Dunkirk Little Ship Ryegate II, I hope to inspire the preservation of more historic British yachts.