La Belle Dame, Owned for many years by Walter and Val Martin
Currently thought to be lying in the Mediterranean.

La Belle Dame was stolen from her moorings in 1969 but eventually recovered abandoned in the salt marshes in Essex. She was returned to Ramparts, where the engine hours indicated that the vessel was used on a voyage which could have taken it to Holland and back.
At the time, it was speculated that the vessel was used to take Ronnie Biggs (the Great Train robber) to Holland after his escape from Jail, the dates all matched. It was also speculated that the vessel was used for drug or gun running. We will never know for sure but the vessel was certainly not stolen for a weekend jaunt.

Walter, a WW11 glider pilot, and his wife Val, spent many happy years cruising in La Belle Dame and when she was eventually sold she went to Trieste, Italy.

La Belle Dame 1967, Build No: 672, Reg No: 333743
Twin Screw
Length: 48ft
Beam: 12ft
Draft: 4ft 1in
Hull: Mahogany on CRE Timbers
Decks: Teak