Classic Sailor No16 June–July 2017

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Boats on a budget

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THAMES TRADITIONAL

HENLEY-ON-THAMES

2017

Friday to Saturday 14,15,16th July Fawley Meadows

Now in its 38th year, the Festival returns with another impressive collection of vintage and classic boats, cars and aeroplanes!

Highlights include: The exclusive Bluebird K3 • WWII Dunkirk Little Ships• WWII fast patrol boats • WWI dog fights Amphibious vehicles • Military vehicles • Over 180 traditional boats, all of which help make this the largest event of its type in Europe plus all the quintessentially English eccentricity that makes it so utterly unique!

BECOME A MEMBER !

Enjoy exclusive facilities and play your part in the future o f the 'Trad'. See details on line, or phone: 01491 571 373

www. tradboatfestival .corn

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SHAN LY -GROUP-

PHYLLIS COURT I

FREE PARKING • FREE FERRY FROM HENLEY

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Contents

Wishing Neil Payter and other sailors fair winds in the OSTAR

Editorial

5

Keeping The Matthew of Bristol afloat

56

Signals

6

Sailing the Post Boat on Ullswater

58

Around the yards

10

Falmouth’s fine artists

62

This cruising life: Casting off

64

Alfred Centennial Johnson

68

Watch keeping

72

Des Pawson

76

Anchoring under sail

78

Joints

80

On Watch

86

Workmates

86

Off Watch

90

Artist of the Month

92

The Big Blue Zoo

93

Calendar and Next Issue

97

The last word: The retirement dinghy

98

Losing our chairman and our story so far Golden Globes goes for Plymouth; Pin Mill celebrates Ransome Maiden returns; Dunkirk film; Antigua anniversary More work on Havengore; Loftus heads north; Lynher relaunched Sussex Beach Boats; Powell’s Pellew; 3D printer

Association news

Barges to return to London; Gaffers and Luggers and more

The Post

Crewless ships – your views, Coble or Cooble? Folkboat wins

Classic Coast and Smylie’s Boats Seven Sisters and Beer Luggers

Andrew Bray Parking

Nardi’s nods

Dufour-designed Arpège

Instructor’s tales Missing the point

Change of heart

Swapping ‘permanent restoration’ for a GRP Heard 28

Ben Ainslie

Gael Pawson profiles Britain’s America’s Cup contender

Spirit of Bermuda

The island’s own unique sail-trainer

SCOD’s law

After restoration, Phil Russell takes her sailing

Boats on a budget

Buy a boat for £4,000 or less, and run it for under £1,000 a year – can it be done? We do the sums and provide some examples

Drascombes at 50

Half a century of the legendary lugger – and news of a party

12 14 17 19 21 23 24 30 36 40 46

The financial fortunes and misfortunes of the famous replica And how to get the best out of this displacement dinghy Henry Scott Tuke and Charles Napier Hemy together in one gallery Breaking free from the boatyard... Paris here we come!

Who was he, how did he get from America to Wales, and why?

Four hours too long? Try this new pattern Whipping, tallow and heaving lines Or rather, un-anchoring

Making a single-lipped scarph Kit for crew and ship On Watch extra compares different models Gin, books, and places to go Anthony Osler, East Coast watercolourist The caterpillar that eats plastic Forthcoming events, and what’s coming up in the next Classic Sailor

50

Sam Llewellyn on Sir Nicholas Serota’s parting gift CLASSIC SAILOR

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EAST COAST FESTIVAL

Griff Rhys Jones gets serious

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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF GRP AT SEA

Frigate for the future

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120-YEAR-OLD FALMOUTH WORKBOAT SCOTTISH CRUISE DISCOVER GALICIA RIGGING: USING DYNEEMA A NEW TRAILER SAILER

WHY WHOOPER KEEPS WINNING JOHN RHYS DAVIES FOLKBOAT TO FRANCE START RESTORING A MIRROR SAILORS AS SPIES

SURVEY TIPS: CLASSIC GRP FUNDING YOUR PROJECT HOME ON A BARGE SHIPPING FORECAST DECODED

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restored to go anywhere

... that I took to Cape Horn

DIY BOAT DESIGN NIGEL IRENS AND ANNIE COWES CLASSICS CLASSES THE CRUISING LIFE SEAGULLS: A STARTER’S GUIDE POLISH UP YOUR HULL

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Bargain boats

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 £3.95

mission to get us sailing

And why now is the best time to buy

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Getting into sailing

Man on a

THE CASE FOR LONG KEELS S&S GRP CLASSICS HOW TO RUN A SMACK QUEEN’S BARGE BUILDER

JAMES DODDS – ARTIST VOYAGE OF THE SNARK

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JULY 2016 £3.95

Trailer sailers An all you need to know guide 05

TALL SHIP TEENS ARE OLD WOODEN BOATS WORTH SAVING? THE SWEDISH FID COURSE TO STEER SAILING A LUGGER MADE EASY ANCHORING SOLUTIONS

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Getting stuck in!

Tow and go

Rival at 40

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 £3.95

FEBRUARY 2016 £3.95

HIGH SEAS HOLIDAYS

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CRUISE TO BEMBRIDGE BOATSHOW PREVIEW

Tranquil times on the Thames

Our family boat

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LEARNING FROM THE PAST

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21 GREAT BRITISH DESIGNERS ★ FIRST FASTNET ROCK STARS ★ TAMING THE JIB DINGHY CRUISING IN FRANCE ★ EAST COAST HERITAGE

FIFE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC DUTCH WELCOME 91 YEAR OLD BOATBUILDER PAINTING! EPOXY PLY PITFALLS FITTING QUADRANT STEERING

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The next classics

Celebrating the joys of the local regatta

MARCH 2016 £3.95

JANUARY 2016 £3.95

10 TOP PRODUCTION BOATS

Maldon magic

A comedian in a yacht race?

But this is the Fastnet

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Cruise wild shores Restore your own boat Learn your island heritage Acquire forgotten skills ...all in this issue

Festivals fun and cross country cruising

The world comes to Brest

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2000 boats gather in maritime celebration

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GOING TIDAL 26FT DOUBLED ENDED LEGEND 1ST WOOD 12-M IN 50 YEARS CROSSING ENGLAND BY YACHT BOATHANDLING LIVING IN A DINGHY

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RACING PILOT CUTTERS TO SEA WITH L PLATES SWALLOWS & AMAZONS FILM SAILING TO BRITTANY

SUFFOLK CLASSICS ART OF PILOTAGE

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Eco trading under sail How a new lugger delivers the goods

YEARS OF THE

Folkboat

The Brits at Brest Our village at world’s best maritime festival

The most popular and versatile pocket cruiser ever – still going strong

THE £1500 SCOD SCHOONER CREW THE NEW SWALLOWS & AMAZONS FILM TRAILERS FOR YOUR BOAT CRUISING AN ENTERPRISE NELSON’S PICKLE

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HOW TO ANCHOR THE CLASSIC BROKER’S BOAT OYSTERS UNDER SAIL VALUATION SURVEY LIFEBOATS OF THE SURF TRAILOR MAINTENANCE

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ACHILLES 24 CRUISE DUNKIRK LIFEBOAT RESTORED EAST COAST RIVERS BOOKS! ROBIN KNOX - JOHNSTON ON BILL TILMAN FOLDING KNIVES

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AZORES SHIPWRECK SEA THERAPY FOR WOUNDED VETS SAILING THE SWALE NELSON’S SEAMANSHIP CORINTHIAN CLASSICS WYLLIE’S ART AND BOATS

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VIKING SHIP CROSSES ATLANTIC ANCHORING UNDER SAIL LEATHERING OARS AEROPLANE-INSPIRED BOAT WHALE DIVING ON A TALL SHIP FESTIVAL OF OZ

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Time to join our crew?

After just two years in print we are proud to be able to say our growing readership is steadily steering us to becoming the UK’s best selling traditional sailing title.

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Interested? Contact us now for a full prospectus, discover how our plans are rolling out and enjoy being part of an independent magazine that is for sailors by sailors.

Tel: 01273 420730, email admin@classicsailor.com or write to Classic Sailor, Maritime House, Basin Road North, Hove, East Sussex. BN41 1WR

Ben Ainslie: Can he win the cup?

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Editorial Dan Houston

Off to Beale, losing our chairman and showing how boating can have a wider appeal

A

s this issue reaches the newsagents I’ll be pitching our tent at Mediterranean and Caribbean. And it was soon obvious that he shared Beale Park ready for the Boat Show. It has started to feel like an many views of the traditional sailor so after the second or third time we annual ritual and any readers who visit and camp during the asked if he wanted to be “our lord on the board”. show will know what I mean. You go to Kipperland for your And although he wasn’t a real titled lord he had the natural easy breakfast; marvel at the high degree of workmanship on the demeanour, unflagging generosity and leadership of blue-blooded nobility, gathered array of wooden boats; maybe take in the classic cars as well; hunt and we’ve been very lucky that he said yes. for a bargain at some of the bijou chandlery Before he passed David was working stands which are there; have a chat with on our second share issue... Although the dinghy cruisers; have a chat with some technically speaking it’s still part of the engagingly nutty types to be honest and then first and so we are rolling that out to the enjoy a Berkshire beer in the beer tent. I like wider world. I love the fact that we have Beale. It has a sense of unreality to it, like shareholders – it brings a sense of a wider a little living version of a weekend spent in family to things, which feels good when you the Wind in the Willows, amply recreated are an independent title. by being on a superbly verdant section of We’re even luckier to have built up a the River Thames, with all that history of old strong and loyal readership and that is England, as it rolls on down to Runnymede clearly on the strength of our stories and our before it meets its salt. stance on boating which is broadly inclusive Last year was our first year at Beale as to counter the idea that yachts are only for Classic Sailor and our chairman David the super-rich.

Walker arrived with some Kentish beer from This month I asked the writer William the Old Dairy brewery, another business he Loram to see if he could find boats on the was involved with. With his sudden loss in market for less than £4,000, that could then May (see p9) I feel slightly bereft, not only be run for less than £1,000. It’s based on because he was a superb gentleman to have a what two people sharing a boat could afford beer with but also, obviously for his business for cash, say. We called it the shoestring nous. I feel a bit disrespectful to be thinking sailor and I am quite happy to identify in terms of his replacement, but I know it myself as one of those, albeit the boat is still will have to happen. out of the water at the moment!

So how do you find a new chairman? Do Sailing and boating are great activities you just advertise? I met David through and we know people who are going on into a mutual friend as a business advisor on their eighties happily still sailing. But I think how investors to our business could take there is more worry about young people advantage of a generous government tax being able to get afloat in a small cabin boat. incentive scheme.

Certainly I hope our feature on page 46 Once the technical talk was over the chat disproves the adage that “yachting” is only would turn to sailing, the news and the for the well-heeled. views; he’d sailed the waters of Weymouth I also hope everyone is rooting for Ben. The romance of a small boat is that you can get away to peace and hush to West Mersea and then wider to the Go Ben! Bring that mug home!

It’s based on what two people sharing a boat could afford for cash, say.

We called it the shoestring sailor and I am quite happy to identify myself as one of those.

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24/05/17 12:31 AM

Signals Around the coast, to Pin Mill, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Cornwall and Shetland, with Arthur Ransome, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Tracy Edwards SUFFOLK

Pin Mill celebrates its Arthur Ransome link The Pin Mill Arthur Ransome Jamboree on 13 May kicked off a summer of events, and some more permanent innovations, celebrating the author and his links with the area. It marks 80 years since the publication of his book We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, set in Pin Mill, and the 50th anniversary of his death.

Events included a Ransome lookalike competition, a 20-minute performance of We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea by a local school, and a ‘Literary Lounge’ where

speakers included Ransome’s biographer Hugh Brogan.

Ransome’s boats Nancy Blackett and Peter Duck attended and try-a-boat dinghy sailing was on offer.

A new information board was unveiled, one of several in the area which is now dubbed Arthur Ransome’s East Coast, a Ransome footpath has been declared along the River Orwell and an exhibition of Ransome’s photos (see p8) was opened.

Future events include a flotilla on the Orwell.

The new guide to ‘Arthur Ransome’s East Coast’ at Pin Mill

HISTORIC HARBOUR

SHETLAND BOAT WEEK

Charlestown’s new ship

Live boatbuilding at festival

Charlestown, the historic port on Cornwalll’s south coast, has acquired a new tall ship.

Kaisamoor is a 33m Baltic trader, described as a Galeassrigged square topsail ketch.

Built in 1939 at the Aasheim og Valvatne Skibsbyggeri ship yard in Norway, her name comes from Norse mythology

and translates to ‘Mother of the Wind Troll’. For the past decade or so she has chartered out of Tallinn in Estonia.

In a ‘new chapter’ for the port which is now open to the public, people will be able to go aboard and explore below decks to learn what life was like in the age of sail.

Charlestown’s Galeass – welcome aboard!

Shetland Boat Week organisers are very excited to announce that a key activity at this year’s festival will centre on traditional boat building, thanks to Serco NorthLink Ferries, one of the event’s main sponsors.

The ferry operators have provided support for local boat builders, Jack Duncan and Robbie Tait, to build a brand new, traditional clinker-built boat. The expert duo will prepare the keel prior to the beginning of the week, then build the boards during the main event from 7 to 13 August so the public will see the boat take shape each day.

The Boat Shed at Shetland Museum and Archives will be open daily from 10.00am to 5.00pm for viewing, with local experts on hand to explain the processes Jack and Robbie will apply, and answer any questions.

Shetland Boat Week co-ordinator Emma Miller, said “This project will be at the heart of the event this

year, with the boat build progressing each day. It’s a perfect opportunity for the public to see traditional boat building skills first hand and to see the process from beginning to end. We had lots of requests after last year’s event to showcase more boat building, and I don’t think we could have done better than this fantastic project. We’re very grateful to NorthLink and their staff for helping to make this happen.”

Other events include large and small boat trips, art competitions, a shipwreck tour and s ship’s bridge simulator. Details at shetland museumsandarchives.org.uk.

Jane Leask from NorthLink’s Lerwick terminal stopped along the Boat Shed last week to hear about the plans for the boat from Jack Duncan (l) and Robbie Tait (r).

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On show alongside Suhaili will be Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, Sir Alec Rose’s Lively Lady and Bernard Moitessier’s Joshua ROUND-THE-WORLD ANNIVERSARY RACE

Golden Globe 2018 goes for Plymouth It’s official. The 2018 Golden Globe Race will start from Plymouth on Saturday June 30, 2018.

Falmouth, where Sir Robin Knox-Johnston started and finished in the original 1968/9 race, is organising a 50th anniversary Parade of Sail to salute Sir Robin and his yacht Suhaili on Thursday June 14, exactly 50 years after he set out to become the first man to sail solo non-stop around the Globe.

There will then be a yacht race to Plymouth, where the Race Village will open on 16 June. On show there alongside Suhaili will be Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, Sir Alec Rose’s Lively Lady, and Joshua, which Frenchman Bernard Moitessier sailed in

the original Sunday Times Race.

There will also be a replica of Sir Chay Blyth’s original Golden Globe race yacht Dytiscus III, a standard Kingfisher 30 bilge keeler which carried him as far as

Port Elizabeth. An identical production yacht has been located at Coquet Yacht Club at Amble, Northumberland which the organisers intend to turn into a community project and donate to the organisation after the Race start.

Don Garman, John Davison and Maddy Clark, are respectively vice-chair and chairman of the Falmouth Classics Association, and General Manager for UK and Europe of Tilley Endurables (the hat people) major sponsors of the 30th anniversary edition of the event, which is held over the weekend of 16-18 June Meanwhile the Falmouth Boat Co has just finished a new metallic gold paint job on Antoine Cousot’s restored Biscay 36 contender Goldstar

PORTSMOUTH

ICONIC WHITBREAD YACHT

Memorial Fleet funded

Maiden’s return

A new Memorial Fleet project at Portsmouth Dockyard has received £2.4m LIBOR funding. The project will create, by restoration or replica building, an operational Memorial Fleet of small craft which have played a significant role in the defence of the nation during the twentieth century.

The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust will work closely with the International Boatbuilding Training MGB 81 will receive new engines

College in Boathouse 4, as well as other bodies, and veterans.

A WWI Armed Steam Cutter, a WWII Motor Gunboat and a Falklands landing craft will be restored, and a replica of Coastal Motor Boat (CMB) 4 which sank the Bolshevik cruiser Oleg in 1919 is to be built.

LIBOR funding comes from fines levied on the banking industry for manipulating the LIBOR rate.

QUAY PEOPLE

Back aboard Maiden after 27 years

Tracy Edwards and eight of her 11 female crew were on hand in Portsmouth to greet the return of their beloved boat Maiden which came second in the 1989-90 Whitbread round-the-world yacht race.

Maiden, after spending much of the past decade abandoned in the Seychelles, is to be restored at Hamble Yacht Services, and will then be unveiled at Cowes Week 2018 before joining in the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race which will bring together yachts and crew from previous editions of the Whitbread Round the World Race.

Neil Payter is sailing his 1981 Yamaha 33 Solent 1, designed

by Peter Norlin, in the 15th OSTAR (due to start on May 29) along with 15 other solo sailors. Neil is a Yachtmaster Instructor and has written this month’s “Tale” see p23. This year the Royal Western Yacht Club is running the OSTAR alongside the TWOSTAR with six two-team crews taking their boats to Rhode Island Len Ritche, left, volunteer on Tall Ship Spirit of Falmouth of the Turn to Starboard sailing charity (see CS14) has received the Marsh Trust Award for his conservation work with the ship. He’s show here with TTS CEO Shaun Pascoe who nominated him.

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Signals Historic event at the cinema, historic photos at Pin Mill, two anniversaries, a restored coble (cobble, cooble?) and a modern classic for charter BIG-SCREEN RELEASE

Dunkirk drama Christopher Nolan’s upcoming blockbuster film Dunkirk this July is a star-studded epic that tells the story of Operation Dynamo in May 1940 from the three perspectives of the land, sea and air.

Stars like Tom Hardy (a pilot), Cillian Murphy and Harry Styles (soldiers), Kenneth Branagh (Naval Commander) and Mark Rylance (skipper of Little Ship Moonstone) will enhance the story which Nolan says “shaped our world”.

The director is famous for eschewing computer graphics and so this film uses a French WWII T47 class destroyer; the Norwegian ship Rogaland, dressed as HM Hospital Ship Paris, bombed on June 2 1940, and which sank the next day; the sailing barge Xylonite and some of the Little Ships which were actually there: MTB102, Mimosa, Papillon, Hilfranor, RIIS I, Mary Jane and New Britannic.

Looks like a good one!

Dunkirk - in cinemas next month; Rylance, L, and Cillian Murphy

C ARTHUR RANSOME LITERARY ESTATE, REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, LEEDS UNIVERSITY LIBRARY “

PIN MILL

FALMOUTH

Rustler yacht charter

Ransome photos go on show Arthur Ransome’s own photos of the building of his yacht Selina King at Pin Mill, Suffolk, in 1938 have been put on display just yards from where they were taken thanks to a £8,300 award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to the Nancy Blackett Trust.

Selina King was built at Harry King’s yard at Pin Mill as the successor to Ransome’s Nancy Blackett.

The photos – around 70 of them – were originally taken by the author as part of a plan to write a book about building the boat. They were discovered in an album in the Ransome archive in the Brotherton Library Special Collection at Leeds University.

The black-and-white prints, smaller than cigarette cards, at less than 3x2 in (7.5x5cm) had to be processed by the Brotherton’s digitisation department as extra-highresolution 1200dpi tiff files,

Selina King’s launch showing how they did it, now on show in Pin Mill

before being sent to the NBT. Twenty-four of the images were selectd by NBT member and photographer Anthony Cullen, owner of the Pin Mill Studio, to enhance detail and remove dust particles, and enlarge them over 60 times to A2 sized exhibition prints.

He also selected two images to be blown up even further to 4ft wide AO size prints on transparent acrylic sheets to be mounted where they can be seen from the point of view of the photographer, with the present-day Pin Mill scene behind them. They will be displayed on special occasions such as the recent Jamboree

day. “It’s remarkable how little things have changed in the last 80 years,” he comments. “These photos really connect Pin Mill to its boatbuilding past.”

The Nancy Blackett Trust was originally set up 20 years ago to secure the preservation of Arthur Ransome’s yacht Nancy Blackett, which he featured (as the Goblin) in his classic children’s novel We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea. NBT president Peter Willis said, “We regard this project as an important extension of our work to preserve Ransome’s maritime heritage and celebrate his connection with the East Coast.”

At last year’s Southampton Boat Show, Rustler Yachts launched their new charter business, Rustler Yachts Charter, which offers sailors the perfect opportunity to experience sailing a hand built Rustler 42.

Since the early eighties, Rustler has been building beautiful sailing yachts renowned for their comfort and sea kindly motion. With the yachts built in relatively low volume with a high degree of customisation for each client, they are very bespoke and this will be an opportunity to charter a yacht that is completely different to what is available on the mass market.

The yacht will be based in Falmouth, which is an ideal location to explore the South Coast. However, by arrangement Rustler will deliver and collect the yacht to many other locations around the UK, offering the opportunity to explore different cruising areas for the maximum amount of time.

“We are very excited about this new business venture and hope it will enable more people to enjoy the beautiful yachts we build,“ said Rustler Yachts Managing Director, Nick Offord. The newly-built yacht has been available for charter from April.

Rent a Rustler 42

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23/05/17 6:43 PM

More news online: check out www.classicsailor.com for updates ANTIGUA CLASSICS

Classics Week at 30 Thirty years ago, the founders of the Antigua Classics planned a magnificent Regatta, including a boat show element with the addition of the Cannon Course. Twenty-four miles of reaching between two well-set marks allows vessels from every class to pass repeatedly, and often dramatically, close. Some consider it the easiest of the four races but this year weather and seas turned it into more of a high test challenge: steady winds of 20 knots from the

east agitated the water which flew anywhere and everywhere.

The Kenny Coombs Memorial Cannon Race was a lively salute to his genius.

Yachts came to Antigua with purpose. Rittler Sighe, owner of Tilly XV, gave up a quest to scale the seven summits of the world, replacing it with sailing

Night-time festivities at Antigua

his Sonderklasse Gaff Sloop at all seven Panerai Classic Regattas.

Class Lehmann and Sophie Heyer on Hera, their Abeking and Rasmussan yawl, sailed across the Atlantic in December with their 6-weekold daughter to take part.

Judging by the party near their boat each afternoon, it was well worth the effort.

Praise for this year’s ACYR is flowing like beer in the Presidente Garden. Michael Higgins of the gaff-rigged cutter Samara T said of this year’s event, “Fantastic.

Great to be here in Nelson’s Dockyard. So wonderfully unique. You’re not going to find a collection of boats like this anywhere else.”

BRIDLINGTON

Three Brothers coble

NEW FOREST

40th Beaulieu Boat jumble The Beaulieu estate, situated in the New Forest, which is perhaps more well known for its collection of cars this year hosted this year its 40th boat jumble.

It’s probably the most famous marine flea market in Europe where buyers and sellers come together for a day of nautical bargain hunting and this year although somewhat smaller than previous showed once again that this tranquil and picturesque location on the Hampshire/ Dorset border still draws in an eclectic European clientelle.

It is particularly good event for the classic boater and hunter of marine memorabilia due to the diverse range of stands. It is also a fun camping event where if you book a stand you are able to pitch tent or caravan in the scenic grounds overnight on the Saturday. RS

Built in 1912 by Baker and Percy Siddall in Bridlington Three Brothers (named after the original owner’s three sons; William, George Herbert, and Abraham Sanderson) is a coble which has enjoyed a very colourful life.

She was used from infancy in Bridlington until she moved to Whitby during the period running up to the Second World War, and then during it, because many boats from Whitby’s fishing fleet had

been requisitioned for other purposes.

Shortly after the war she is said to have been sold to a firm in Teesside who used her to ferry workmen from one side of the River to another. .

She returned to Yorkshire via Tyneside, and has now been fully restored to sail again from her home harbour of Bridlington.

She is seen here leaving the harbour on the first of her Saturday sailings. James Stoker

Coble Three Brothers sails again. Note July 1 for the Coble Festival: p97

QUAY PEOPLE

David Walker We say goodbye to our founding Chairman David Walker this month.

David suffered a cardiac arrest in May and died two days later having not regained consciousness. A keen sailor he was also a shrewd investor who had started several businesses.

Born in 1952, the son of a diplomat David went to Sherborne school and studied French Literature at Southampton University before doing an MBA at City. He started his own PR business after a spell at the Food Manufacturers’ Federation before selling it and becoming a businessman.

Having grown up as a keen dinghy sailor he graduated to cabin boats and sailed his yacht Baguette on the east coast. As a practical man he once fixed his own outboard after it fell in the sea off W Mersea. Later he bought a house on the Island and was looking forward to more sailing in the backwaters.

He kept a 58 foot Ted Hood designed Little Harbor called Kiuros in Greece, which he sailed widely, including across the Atlantic to the West Indies. But he was just as happy sailing with his friend Lance Poynter in his Contessa 26 (and sent us the above photo while on a recent cruise). David’s zest for life, and for its good things was matched by a deep commitment to those he worked with. He is survived by Laura, his wife and Sam and Zelie, his son and daughter.

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Signals: Around the yards Havengore more rot found, Lynher relaunches, Pellew’s keel laid, 3D printer, using tar, new Flying 10 wins prize and a Contessa 32 looks a steal IPSWICH

Havengore’s deck area refit extended Work on Havengore, the massive 85ft motor launch currently in Fox’s Ipswich yard, has proved more extensive than anticipated.

As we reported in CS14, the 1956 Toughs-built former hydrographic survey vessel is in the shed for work on her deck beams and beamshelf as part of an ongoing renovation project.

Now that the work is underway, it’s been revealed that 90 per cent of the beamshelf, the solid oak 2ft square timber that runs right round the edge of the deck, is in need of replacement.

This being the case, owner Chris Ryland has decided in consultation with Fox’s to take all her deck off, do a thorough inventory and

“replace anything rotten that we find”. At the same time the chance will be taken to renew the wiring. This will extend the timescale for the work, originally expected to be finished by May, to September.

The chance to view the structure of Havengore reveals what a well-built boat she is. “A wonderful piece of work,” comments Chris. Now registered as a passenger vessel for up to 40 passengers, she has also become well-known for her ceremonial roles, most notably carrying Churchill’s coffin up the Thames during his state funeral in 1965. Her next scheduled event is the centenary of the Armistice on November 11 2018.

Flying up to Ullapool Renowned boatbuilder of Bristol Tim Loftus has relocated to Ullapool where he has teamed up with Dan Johnson to establish a new boatyard in Scotland.

“Things are progressing with our new boatyard plans,” he writes. ‘‘While the digging is going on, Dan and I had

The Thames launch Havengore became famous when she carried Winston’s Churchill’s coffin

Lynher launches after years ashore

time to build this little Uffa Fox Flying 10 (a 1949 design) launched in March. We took it to the RYA dinghy show and scooped a prize when it won the concours d’elegance!”

The build details are on the Johnson and Loftus FB page https://www.facebook. com/Johnsonandloftus/

Tim and Dan’s Flying 10 wins concours at RYA Dinghy Show

The 1896 Tamar Barge Lynher has been restored a second time and relaunched at Mashfords Boatyard at Torpoint in Cornwall

by Dominic and Barbara Bridgman. The couple took on the project themselves after work on her restoration ceased a few years ago.

“She was very well restored and relaunched in 2000

by Charlie Force,” Barbara said. “But she needed more.” Now we want to run her commercially for day trips around the Plymouth waterways and ultimately for education and school trips for maritime heritage.”

The restored Lynher on her launch day

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The Pellew is based on one of Falmouth’s most famous and long-lived cutters, the Vincent which sailed from 1852 to 1922

CORNWALL

Powell’s Pellew’s keel

Luke Powell’s latest project, the 68ft (21m) Cornish Pilot Cutter Pellew, begins to take shape at his Truro facility with the laying of the keel timbers.

The Pellew is set up as a community interest project, with a three-year build plan to be used as a vocational training platform to develop

maritime skills. Apprentices will not only build the vessel but also maintain and sail her once she is launched.

The Pellew is based on one of Falmouth’s most famous and long-lived cutters, the Vincent built for the Vincent family of St Mawes, which sailed from 1852 until 1922.

SUSSEX BEACH BOATS

Updating a trad design

Meet Max Munck, GRP boatbuilder who has developed a range of designs based around the tradtional Sussex Beach Boat or Cobb.

Situated at the top of Truleigh Hill behind the old port of Shoreham in Sussex Max works out of an unusual barn – which is still used to store grain at certain times of the year.

His moulds are all taken from successful fishing boats such as the RX105, of Rye – wooden boats which have

evolved over the centuries to be the best suited hull form for the shingle, shelving beaches of Sussex.

So far he has moulds for 11ft, 13ft, two different designs at 16ft, 18ft, 23ft and 25ft 6in. All are moulded in glassfibre to require less maintenance than a wooden boat version and to be quicker and therefore cheaper to build. Most of his work is for the commercial fleet, especially the Rye beachlaunching fishing fleet.

WOODBRIDGE

Bronzework’s 3D Printer

The Sussex Cobbs evolved with a lug rig to sail and Max plans a 16ft version with a gaff rig setting a staysail and then a jib on a bowsprit.

“We can build cabins onto the larger versions and we can tailor the designs to suit a client’s needs,” he told CB. mrmunck@hotmail.com

to the foundry to mould the bronze item required.

Individual boat plaques or any number of variations are possible, as Moray designs the work on his computer and then simply presses the “Print” button.

Bronzework.co.uk

Contessa 32 £10K steal

We caught up with surveyor Aidan Tuckett at Sussex Yacht Club’s boatyard in late may where he was surveying a Contessa 32, Magic Dragon, built in 1974 by Jeremy Rogers and going for £10,950 (with a reconditioned Saab diesel).

Aidan was meticulously going through the vessel with the potential owner Neal Burton but was finding it hard to find

Max with his moulds taken from the best beach boats of Sussex

KEYHAVEN

Using tar to preserve a hull The 100-year-old larch planks on the gaffer Alnora (of unknown origin) are preserved in the traditional Breton

Dropping into Woodbridge recently we visited Bronzework where a very pleased Moray McPhail was showing off his new 3-D Printer. The Ultimaker 2+ costs a little over £2000, but Moray says it saves his team a lot of time making a plastic model of the bronzework that can then be taken

TURN OF THE BILGE

manner by owner Mark Farley, who heats her Stockholm tar paint and re-works it into her wood each season. BC

Aidan advises his client on the condition of the 43 year old boat

many faults. A slightly soft bulkhead was mentioned as well as the odd fault and the need for re-varnishing down below and some deep cleaning of the bilges and other spaces.

But it was easy to see that to find a legendary seaboat like this for such a price almost makes it a steal. Such is the state of the market that a vacuum is forming bringing boat prices tumbling down.

Some in the industry are wringing their hands at this but to the potential buyer and sailor this is good news. Just remember to get a survey!

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Signals: Association news Showcasing clubs and classes around the country – please send us your stories THAMES BARGE ROUND-UP

Medway Match The annual Medway Barge Sailing Match, to be held on Saturday 3 June this year, is one of the longest running sporting fixtures in the world. ‘Modern’ records begin in 1880, but the recent discovery of a long forgotten cup, awarded in 1878 at the ‘20th Annual Match’, indicates competition between bargemen was occurring on the river at least 20 years earlier.

This year, the 109th official edition, will see at least 12 barges taking part across three classes – the Coasting Class, for larger barges and those not necessarily built for speed, the magnificent Bowsprits, with their large spread of canvas and the Restricted Staysail Class, which has been extremely hotly contested between the leading barges in recent years.

With the welcome return of the famously rapid ‘Ironsides’

to the latter class, this year’s match is sure to see some very hard fought and exciting racing.

The start is the best place to see the barges, with the first gun off Gillingham Pier at 0920hrs. The race takes around 4-6 hours.

Cambria seeks crew

SB Cambria, the last British Cargo vessel to trade purely under sail has recently been rigged out ready for this year’s Thames Sailing Barge match on15 July. Meanwhile the trust which runs her is keen to hear from new people interested in joining them to help develop a more sustainable long term plan for her future.

“Our group of experienced barge sailors and traditional vessel operators is very keen

The Medway Barge Match, long-running sporting fixture

to create more awareness and inspire a lot more people to come sailing on this remarkable vessel,” says Rob Salvidge, a member of the support group who currently skippers sailing barge Thistle.

“Volunteering to help on a traditional sailing vessel, even if you’ve got no previous experience is fantastically rewarding. People with previous business and marketing experience can help by becoming trustees and part

of the team selling trips and promoting the barge.”

Rob, also a steam railway enthusiast, points to the recent surge of interest created by the return of the ‘Flying Scotsman’..

“Cambria is a bit like the Flying Scotsman of the barge world, or should be,” he says.

“It would be great if we can make her much more visible and tell the fascinating story of her survival as a sail trading ship under the legendary Bob Roberts.”

Thames barge London Parade returns this year The highly successful Thames Sailing Barge Parade which saw nine barges come through Tower Bridge into the Pool of London last September is to return this year, on Saturday 16 September, again with a pop-up museum in West India Dock on the Sunday.

It is run by the recentlyformed Thames Sailing Barge Foundation, a non-profit organisation whose aim is to raise funds to support surviving barges and maintain them is seaworthy condition and secure a legacy for the barges and the community.

Last September, 2016, the TSBF set out to achieve a very

ambitious venture to have Thames Sailing Barges sail into London’s river from all areas of the British isles where they berth, to reach the Pool of London and then motor on through the lifted bascules of Tower Bridge to their old home in the Upper Pool.

This was no easy feat as river bylaws and Port of London Authority regulations, mandates and stipulations had to be observed. Furthermore, the funds to do it had to be found. It was surprising how much it costs simply to sail into this area of the River Thames.

To the credit of TSBF team, they achieved all of this and

the Lord Mayor of London, as Admiral of The Port of London Authority saw him attended as a guest aboard Sailing Barge Lady Daphne.

The two-day event, held in conjunction with the Totally Thames Festival, will enable members of the public to go aboard all their barges at the pop-up museum, mingle with crew members and skippers and talk to historians from

established institutions like Thames barges form up under sail for the London Docklands Museum 2016 Parade and National Historic Ships.

They will also be able to watch model barges sailing in the dock and perhaps the kids might get a go on the controls, plus much more for a truly educational and fun day out with all of the family.

More details at www. thamessailingbargeparade.com/ wid-attractions.

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Sea Rangers enjoy the Thalatta experience.

The Sailing Barge Thalatta recently enabled Ilford Sea Rangers to put theory into practice. The East Coast is a wild and wonderful place for environmental studies.

The girls, aged 10-16, enjoyed turning the tides, sand banks and channels on

nautical charts, into practical knowledge. Learning life skills and working as a team equipped the girls with a basic understanding of sailing a vessel from a byygone age. A true fiveday adventure in a historic ship from a different world. www. thalatta.org.uk Julia Austin

Isabel, Heard 28 No 42 – see Aidan Tuckett’s article on p24

Gaffers and Luggers The Gaffers and Luggers Association was formed in 1996 by Roger Stephens, a traditional boat enthusiast who lives across the creek from the Mylor yard where the Heard 28 and other GRP derivatives of traditional working boats are built.

GALA exists now online only, see link to website below, and has photos, articles and information about the Heard family of boats.

The Traditional designs range from the 46ft St Malo Pilot Cutter to the 16ft Clovelly Picarooner, over 450 boats have been built.

The first Heard 28 was built

by Terry Heard and the business was continued by his

Ilford Sea Rangers enjoy nautical studies in the cosy hold of Thalatta

son Martin. Sadly Martin died aged 50 in 2009 but his son Sam is now running the yard – Waterings Boatyard, Mylor, Cornwall.

The boats have heavily laid up GRP hulls. For example the popular Falmouth Working Boat Heard 28 displaces 8.5 tons with 5 tons encapsulated lead or iron ballast. The decks are ply sheathed in GRP with the option of teak on top. They are fitted out in wood to the owner’s specifications. In effect it’s a bespoke boat.

If anyone requires information about Heard Boats then the GALA website is there to help. The aims of the Association are on the website: www.galawebsite.co.uk

You don’t have to be old...

I am frequently asked “Do you have to be ‘old’’ to be a member of in the OGA?” Before I can answer a helpful fellow crew will pipe up: “Its not the people who are old, it’s the boats….silly!”

Even that’s not quite true. Today many of our boats are made of modern materials and are neither old nor in all cases gaff rigged. The OGA is an inclusive club and welcome all comers.

Back in the 60s when the OGA first started , there were old wooden boats a plenty. Young skippers, with an eye for true beauty and shapely hull would jump at the many bargains left behind as modernity and plastic took hold. The time was ripe for the penniless romantic to net a beauty, wooden spars and all, grabbing the best of the gaff riggers modernity was casting aside. Gumption and elbow grease was all that you then needed. You learnt the restoration trade by watching the others!

It’s harder these days to find these conservation heroes but if you know where to look, there are still bargains to be had and work to be done. Try walking

your local coastal path or sailing quietly up a side creek, where others fail to go.

Look out for a lonely chocked up hull, mast down, streaky timbers and undercoated planking exposed. There’ll be some draping tarpaulins, a box or two of tools, sand paper and paint-pots strewn on the sagging ground beneath. Wait around a while and there’ll surely be a ‘Gaffer’ a lurking ready to share his tools and tales.

Teach you a trick of two if you’re that way inclined…

Down at my local boatyard the true old ‘Gaffers’ can still sometimes be found.

Escapees from the humdrum of modern life, quietly reworking the craftsmanship of a hundred years ago, filling old seams, reviving iron fittings, redressing old timbers, replacing keel bolts or patching the decks. Take a peak in the old boat shed where some real ‘young at hearts’ time rich but money poor, are taking on a reconstruction, whole hull planks removed, mast stripped down naked, full interior refits. A small army of good sorts preserving our maritime heritage one small boat at a time. Ben Collins, OGA Ben’s own boat, Betty II, undergoing her annual preservation

OGA

THE ASSOCIATION FOR GAFF RIG SAILING

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THE ASSOCIATIO

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OGA

THE ASSOCIATION FOR GAFF RIG SAILING

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The Post Email or post letters and replies to the editor – see opposite; we’ll make sure responses to queries are forwarded on.

Crewless Ships: Our sailors' reactions

Compliments

My compliments on your magazine. It is the finest periodical on sailing that I have come across.

I am a retired U.S. Coast Guard Officer My subscription was just submitted.

Looking forward to great reading.

Thank you.

Peter A. Jensen, Commander, Retired, USA

We asked experienced sailors how they felt about the idea of fully automated crewless ships, starting in 2020 according to Rolls Royce: See Signals CS15. And they replied: Chris Barkham, Professional Captain of 23m yacht Cambria: As a seafarer, the sound of making us redundant is obviously concerning from a professional point of view.

And as a sailor who loves being at sea it will not help me sleep off watch!

COLREGS, which is our means of avoiding collisions at sea, is very specific in how we react to all possible eventualities using all of our senses to interpret different scenarios.

Rule 5 is a basic rule and yet probably the greatest cause of marine incidents when it is not adhered to: Rule 5 Look-out “Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.”

I’m not sure these rules can be adhered to without crew on board. When (if!!) you front up in court you must be able to explain your actions and decisions, I’m not sure a machine can do that!"

James Wharram, catamaran designer, ocean sailor; guru of navigating the deep range: So they will be effectively floating islands or large steel reefs under remote control.

Is the profit system gone mad? Will they have visual observation? Or will they expect all yachts to have AIS or those yachts will just be invisible?

At the WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, CT this weekend I spent time in the research department and got printouts of two Rosenfeld pictures of Jolie Brise (above left).

We also found this picture (right) of Ilex in the book British Ocean Racing by Douglas Phillips-Birt published by Adlard Coles Ltd, Plate 3.

Speaking with a friend of mine about this he said he used to have a book by Uffa Fox of British racing yachts with a picture of Jolie Brise going full bore, but we could not find that in the Mystic Library.

Thad Danielson, USA

I cannot imagine such a ship being able to come to the assistance of other ships or yachts in distress.

Just read an article in Saturday’s Guardian about cyber crime on Superyachts, and how easy it is to hack into their electronic systems and take over the ship and its data. Such crewless cargo ships could be wide open to hijacking or other crime.

Tino Rawnsley boatbuilder, Tall Ship sailor, tree planter and yachtsman: Most big shipping is to all intents and purposes driverless as far as yachts go already as far as I can see. AIS is brilliant (if you have the kit). However several times in my experience ships have assisted yachts in trouble. Will these drones of the sea be able to offer such gallant service? I think not.

Andy Cully, Professional Captain SV Eilean: This is crazy, there is always room for error!! And think about the world we live in today with the endless possibilities of computer hacking and terrorism.

It is always important to remember that, especially

on a low freeboard classic, the distance to the horizon can be as little as 5 miles meaning that a ship going at 20 knots can be on top of you in 15 minutes.

So what are your thoughts?

Let us know!

The purest Contessa?

I’ve been working on Vim, my Contessa 26 that I bought from Downs Road yard. The whole boat is a throwback, never having been updated and I intend to keep her that way, at least visually (there might be some sexy new gear behind the scenes).

She was built, as Kaymer, in 1969 but, as I understand it she didn’t go in the water until the mid 1990s. She then only spent three seasons in the water before the owner’s wife became ill and the boat went ashore again. She stayed there until about 15 years ago, was sold and the new owner used her for two years on the Blackwater before she was put in storage under cover.

She’ll be sailing from the beginning of the season, with no engine and is probably the purest Contessa out there.

Roland Elworthy, Maldon

It's crazy! Think about the world we live in today with the endless possibilities of computer hacking and terrorism.

Folkboat RTI wins

Some time ago I did a quick analysis of Round the Island results over the past 12 years.

In a nutshell, £200,000 might get you a TP52 in IRC Division 0 with a 20% chance of overall victory, but less than £20,000 will get you a boat in Division 3D with a 66% chance of overall victory. And, within IRC Division 3D, the Nordic Folkboat stands out.

It benefits from tuning up with close one-design class racing in Solent waters, which helps it sail to its optimum in these conditions.

So, no wonder then that the Nordic Folkboat has won the RTI outright on four occasions in the last 10 years, and occupied 13 of the top 50 places in the same period.

I would be happy to hand over my analysis to one of your journalists, it would need a decent writeup to be of interest to the general readership.

Chris Baldwick, Lymington Yes PLEASE Chris!! Ed

Folkboat Memoirs

I was pleased to discover your magazine in Fareham Sailing Club next door. I have sailed for over 60 years, many of them in wooden boats, and have built about eight wooden dinghies for racing.

My sailing life started at the age of 13 by borrowing a Portchester Duck from Commander Bill Hammond the designer. That boat was No

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classicsailor.com

LETTER OF THE MONTH Coble or Cooble (!)

Last year I helped my mate deliver his yacht Tintin from the Hamble to Peterhead. We progressed rapidly along the south coast and across the Thames and left the boat in Lowestoft for a break. Then within two days we’d reached Hartlepool via Grimsby and Scarborough. We’d finally arrived at what I think of as ‘the Coble coast...'

The Coble, or as Yorkshire people (including my mum) would pronounce it, Cooble (!) is a distinctively shaped craft. This inshore fishing boat is still used on this coast, albeit nowadays as a motorized version. You can see them from roughly Flamborough Head in Yorkshire as far north as Northumberland. Many are fitted with a forward

removable cover to help protect the engine and electronics.

This NE part of the English coast can be difficult to work if you’re fishing. With few safe havens; much of the coast has high cliffs and rocks. Small villages with river gaps in the cliffs are often fishing centres.

It can be extremely cold here during the winter if easterly winds predominate.

Cobles were developed by the local fishermen to allow them to launch or land their craft under sail from exposed beaches. With prevailing winds from the west these boats needed to be able to beat home even in strong conditions. As mentioned before during the winter strong cold NE winds can be a feature here. Thus these boats had to deal with leaving

or returning with onshore winds in breaking waves.

The cobles' traditional hull shape gives them great North Sea keeping qualities.

Grace Darling (1815-42) and her lighthouse keeper father inspired Victorian Britain when they rowed their open coble out to rescue nine survivors from the wrecked paddlesteamer SS Forfarshire on Big Harcar Rock in the Farne islands during a storm.

When news of Grace’s deed spread her name would forever be associated with bravery, selflessness and our need to help others in distress.

Her example helped the RNLI to grow into a national organisation. It’s wonderful that many wooden versions of this iconic shaped boat are still used on this coast by local fisherman.

John Simpson, via email More to come in the next issue.

Write for some fizz

Cobles have a very distinct shape for beach launching on the NE coast

Each month our letter of the month will be sent a bottle of de Bleuchamp Champagne

34 from 1953 which I sailed in Portsmouth harbour (with no lifejacket!) for all of the six weeks school holidays. I now own No 35 here in Fareham.

Based in Singapore with the Royal Air Force from 1961 to 1963 I built a wooden Snipe.

The thing that caught my eye in your April/May magazine was the 75 years of the Folkboat. I had never sailed a Folkboat until in 1990 I was invited to skipper a team from Fareham Sailing and Motorboat Club (est 1905) to race at Howth Yacht

and to this day I still think the Folkboat and the Firefly are the nicest boats to steer. I still have the trophy that each of our team members was presented with, and I must say that Howth is a most welcoming yacht club.

More recently my wife and I have had a week’s holiday in Madeira where we had a magical three-hour sail on the reproduction ship of Columbus’s Santa Maria (built in 1998). It was an emotional experience.

David Hardy, Fareham

Club in Ireland. I joined the Folkboat Association on my way there, posting a cheque at the airport.

Team racing was second nature to me, having been in the RAF team and Combined Services team, and sailing a Folkboat for the first time I was so impressed by its nature and feedback of information from the helm. As good as a Firefly!

In the competition there were many teams from Europe, and a few countries entered two teams. Much to my surprise we won it outright,

✉

Maritime House,Basin Road North, Hove, East Sussex BN41 1WR admin@classicsailor.com Editor Dan Houston dan@classicsailor.com +44 (0)7747 612614 Art Editor Stephen Philp Sub Editor Peter Willis peter@classicsailor.com Contributing Editor Guy Venables guy@classicsailor.com Columnists Andrew Bray, Federico Nardi Clubs and events liaison Oliver Houston oliver@classicsailor.com Advertising Ann Ahmad +44 (0)1273 711555 Catherine Jackson catherine@classicsailor.com +44 (0)7495 404461 Admin Evie Farrelly evie@classicsailor.com Publishing Director John Clarke Founding Chairman David Walker Classic Sailor Ltd Published monthly-ish: ISSN 2059-0423 Subscriptions See our latest deal at classicsailor.com or call: + 44(0)1273 420730

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Classic Coast Classic Coast

Smylie’s boats Smylie’s boats

Seven Sisters and Beachy Head

Itchen Ferries Beer Luggers

I I

O

ften, ‘Classic Coast’ consists of the built environment – manmade harbours, houses By time youBut readoccasionally this, the very andthe hostelries. real possibility itself of thiscommands imposing the landscape structure into the seamore attention tumbling and nowhere is this may averted, least for true have than been the length of atSussex coast another winter.

Unusually severe known as the Seven Sisters, and south-easterly stormsHead. have pushed their cousin Beachy coastal on the Suffolk coast’s Theerosion undulating grass-capped Orford Ness(actually to withinthere a feware feeteight chalk cliffs of the lighthouse’ s foundations, sisters) are awe-inspiring whether and of theorOrfordness you members sail past them walk over Lighthouse have been working them. If theTrust latter, following the fl at outDowns to install ‘soft100 defences’ – South Way, miles from bags of shingle in sausages Winchester to wrapped Eastbourne, do it in of high-performance geo-textile that direction, west-east.

It just gets bonding – to keep Stunning the sea at bay (see better and better. views orfordnesslighthouse.co.uk). both ahead and behind.

Th e 98ft lighthouse was built The Sisters commence at in and decommissioned by the1792 Cuckmere valley, where the Trinity House in known 2013, inasview of river (also aptly ‘Snake the threat from encroaching River’) meanders placidly tosea. the It hasand already attempt sea, end atsurvived the lowan saddle of by the National Trust, which owns Birling Gap, with some rather the Ness, to impose a policy of ‘controlled ruination’ (ie let it fall down).

The Lighthouse Trust aims to keep it standing, and open to visitors, ‘for as long as possible’.

Visiting, on open days only, involves a short ferry trip and a 40-minute walk, each way, across the Ness.

Dates for 2016 are still to be announced, and are dependent on the continuing stability and safety of the structure and its surrounds.

dispiriting buildings, before three more ascents bring you to Beach Head. On the way, you’ll pass the BelleTout Lighthouse (the name is OrfordSaxon Ness itself a classic actually - Belisbeing a pagan example of Toot an ever-changing deity, and meaning lookout). coastline.

The long, shift ing spit so of Built in 1832, it was designed land separates River that that the light was the visible 20Ore miles from thesea, seabut is quite capable out to obscured by of the closing the ifriver’s mouth forcing cliff edge sailors got and too close atobreakthrough higher up,itwhere shore. Unfortunately was the river’s alternative namebyismists, the Alde. frequently obscured and It’s for connoisseurs ofcliff bleak, itsmecca effectiveness reduced by exposed WWIIoff in erosion seascapes and it was(and switched military detrituserosion on Havergate 190t. Further meant that it Island).

Access, byshifted boat, isback carefully had to be bodily 56ft restricted National Trust. from the by clifftheedge; it’s now a B&B. AThe goodreplacement everyday alternative on Beachy Head the nearby mainland thefew equally lighthouse is one of isthe it’s bleak stony known Shingle possible to beach look down on,asbeing Street. built just offshore at sea level.

Orford has Therevillage is a pub atthree Beachpubs, Head, including the once Jolly pleasantly Sailor down where I was by the harbour; an excellent fishthe wreathed in woodsmoke from restaurant, Butley Orford open fires, the though reviews rarely rate Oysterage, and the fine PumpPW Street the food better than ‘edible’. bakery. Peter Willis

PHOTOS.TOP DAN HOUSTON LOWER PETER WILLIS

Orfordness Lighthouse

Top: Seven Sisters from Seaford Head.

TheBottom: spiral staircase Beachy at Orfordness Lighthouse may still be climbed Head Lighthouse by visitors

owned an Itchen fond memories her beached met a person onceFerry who once reallyand didhave think Beer Luggersofwere ablealongside oldraced Supermarine Woolston, thetheir river bodied menthe who around shed withatbarrels of aleacross across of dItchen she was from Southampton. shoulders.

SeeminglyPal they’ watched too called many though worldlyshe TVwas no pal of the new bridge they men. were building at thethese time.people We – me my programmes about strong Believe me, do and exist.

Palthe thatscore is – were first fellow ones toiscrash into–one thesure support pillars.

To set rightthe if that reading I’mofnot he could is was mostlyisdown two lug facts:sails. thatFurthermore the sails didn’tthe really fit the read– aTh Beer Lugger a boattowith coastal and nestling the Stuart-Turner engine never throughout my time village boat of Beer, under Beer Head, hasstarted no name-associations with the was, though, a great learning onthrough ‘why notmouths to buy theboat. drinkIteven if copious amounts didexperience (does) pass aofboat’ . I often wonder what happened to her. yes, like most of the coast inhabitants and tourists alike. Smuggling, Wonder was,End in fact, ne Isle example of an Itchen Ferry. Built by the great between Lands anda fithe of Wight.

Contraband earned by the Wonder, has been lovingly restored and sails Dan Hatcher in 1860, dastardly deeds of these localsSU120, was hidden in caves dotted around from Faversham. a few years back during Swale their pebbly cove.I remember That mostseeing were fiher shermen is attested by thethe fact that Barge Daniel G Hatcher, known as King Dan his contemporaries, fi shingMatch. and lace-making were predominantly whattokept the Beer men was a very successfulthe builder yachts atthe hislace Belvedere between going.

Presumably wivesofworked whilst yard the men were1845 busy and 1880an andindustry thus his working boats were equally renowned for their speed. creating Wondermade was necessarily his fastest, but speedy she was.

Not that that eventually The roots (and Brixham, or so thename) of thesegoes, craft when came from saying Beer the small fishing men moved overvillage the of Itchen lyingwith on the bay to Ferry Brixham, river Itchen in eighteenth its trawlers, sothe that century.

Small the North Seasprit-rigged white clinker-boats worked off the fi shery emerged. beach, shingsailed out as far as Beerfimen the Isle of Wight. Their size their three-masted grew asamongst they trawled boats, the further awaytofrom their last do so on base.

Consequently they adopted the south coast. the gaff rigother as many working Whereas fellows The boats were fi shers did. abandoned three-quarter decked a their rig, the Beer men simply reduced the the middle mast andwith adapted smallofcuddy two berths, size their with boats.

One of the last of these was the Beatrice Annie, E80, athat cupboard and coal stove continued fishing uptoto 1918. But by then all the other boats had while away themiddle hours when dropped the mast to become the generic boat typical all along the not fishing.

-rigged south coast,Gaff with dipping lug mains and standing lug mizzens. with a long-boom thethey read those words. Beer luggers are different, Some will swearover when stern two shout headsails, angryand voices in unison. “We’ve the lazy sheet for tacking and the some were as long ”asI 30ft dipping bowsprit, was in once told. “Oh, and the long bumpkin,” they length. ofIthe catchconvinced. But for ease of peace, “yes, they are added, Much though wasn’t was shrimps and oysters and vessels however you view the nitty-gritty. entirely unique”.

And lovely they toshing land. communities who raced their boats in an annual Asraced with home most fi In 1872, according to thestarting fishing registers, were 570was second-class regatta, so did these boys, in 1915. there Competition fierce and boats the Solent Poolescrubbed where theand boatsracing were sails boats working were prepared for and the another occasion61byinbeing similar.

Thof e design widespread around Water and the taken out mustywas sheds.

These days the Southampton rules are pretty concise and Solent– some being referred to asfrom Hythethe fishing well-known boats must not be far removed ‘Beercutters.

Beach Other Boat’ design.

Of builders wereare Alfred Fay,over boththe of pebbles Northam, Lukes,timbers whose course they still Payne rolled and down onand greased to Hamble.

They yard about thethe same spot as I keptofPal and, was afterwards, minute details thebefore raceshe aremoved dissected by those were worked by fiHow shermen crewed for the yacht-racing both mostly afloat and ashore. akinwho these discussions are to those fraternity of the during the regatta season, the fishermen too raced their own craft fishermen in bygone daysand admitting the amount of aboard fish they caught, I’m . , CS110, Black Bessin , CS32, Ferries havethere’s been survivors: notItchen sure. But I guess the sameFreda mount of indiscretion both camps Nellie , SU71, butreality see www.itchenferry.org for more theyofadapted as to the actual of fact, slugged down withasbeer course.to engine power quite well and others lurk in way-out places. One day I’ll ask them if anyone knows whatever happened to my Pal of Itchen.

The rootsother (andfiname) of these craft came Whereas shers abandoned the middle fromand the adapted small village of Itchen lying mast their rig, the BeerFerry, men simply on the river Itchen in the eighteenth century. reduced the size of their boats CLASSIC SAILOR 17 CLASSIC

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23/05/17 6:45 PM

Andrew Bray How’s your parking? Handling a boat in tight quarters will never be easy as every situation will be different, is Andrew’s helpful advice

The long keel: alas this will apply to many CS readers. Experience is probably the only way.

Practise in open water before trying for real and, initially at least, at all costs avoid the one way street and the cross tide. The same goes for an offset prop.

The bow thruster: cheating. If any CS readers have them then the Editor should banish them to the outer reaches until they learn to handle their boats properly.

Is there an easy way? Handling a boat in tight quarters will never be easy as every situation will be different. Experience will help, as will confi-

The bow thruster: cheating.

If any CS readers have them, the Editor should banish them to the outer reaches

dence and there are one or two tricks that can make it all look easy.

On Maggie May I use what I call the blue spring. Blue, because that’s the colour of the line which runs from the cockpit, round a block just aft of amidships and back to the cockpit.

One end has a large loop with the line running through a piece of tubing to hold it open and which is placed on a pontoon cleat, the other leads back to a cockpit winch. When leaving this is pulled tight round the winch, I motor slowly ahead with the helm down, that is towards the pontoon, and she sits there quietly while I take off the warps and springs. Coming back and it’s the reverse: lasso the pontoon cleat, surge it round the winch, helm down and slow ahead while you make up the warps and springs.

Some years ago and on a different boat I decided that I should photograph this procedure from the masthead. All went well until the helmsman jumped ashore to fend off. He very nearly didn’t make it back. There I was, locked off at the masthead and the boat motoring astern below me. All I needed was a small cigar.

GUY VENABLES

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ome of the best entertainment afloat can be had watching other sailors attempting to berth their boats. It is made all the more so by the certain knowledge that if you have not already been in that situation yourself then you can be sure that one day you will; if not in the same situation then perhaps in one even more embarrassing. Such are the varieties of rig, hull and keel form, of tide and wind and of marina berths that it makes parking a car in an undersized space look like a walk in the park. Not only that, there are witnesses to see it all as well.

It’s hardly surprising. If your car parking space had a moving road surface, forces making the car swing one way or another, uncertain turning circles, different forward or in reverse, and a propulsion system that swings your car one way or another then there would be many more dented car doors at Sainsbury’s. At least you have fenders on boats.

Experience counts. If a man and a boy can bring a 90-foot long, 20-foot wide Thames barge alongside under sail then you should have no problem with your 30-foot gaff cutter with an engine. You will, of course, because she is likely to be underpowered, have an offset prop and a full-length keel that means steering astern is not an option. And given a stiff cross breeze and she’ll be happier going sideways than ahead.

You should, say the experts, use your disadvantages to your advantage. Find out which way prop wash pushes the stern, both ahead and astern, and then use that to make your turn easier. Unless, that is, you want to turn the other way. See how the wind affects your drift: will she be bows down, stern down or will she turn whichever way she wants. Spray hoods, masts and bulky rolled headsail all play their part. It is your job, as helmsman, to orchestrate all of these together so that you leave, or arrive at, your berth in as seemly and dignified a fashion as possible. Remember: you will be watched. Here are some of the common cock-ups.

The one-way street: this needs a good breeze blowing directly down between the pontoons.

You can witness the poor soul backing and filling to little effect as he or she merely gets closer and closer to the concrete wall at the end. It’s not my place here to suggest a solution except you should not have got there in the first place.

The cross tide: in most British marinas or harbours this is not a major problem. Go to somewhere like Treguier, Lezardrieux or Benodet and if you attempt to berth at any time except slack water then you are either a true hero or incredibly stupid. Anchor off or wait.

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Nardi’s Nods

by Federico Nardi of Cantiere Navale dell’Argentario

The Michel Dufour designed Arpege with contributions by Renzo Piano combines elegance, performance and seaworthiness

TRANSLATION BY JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR

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he Arpège was the first keelboat designed and built by Michel Dufour, with more than 1,500 built between 1969 and 1975. His first design was actually the Silphe (from his daughter’s name), a small 6.5m dinghy with a 2.3m beam, several hundred of which were built.

The first prototype of what was to become the Arpège was built of wood at the Mostes shipyard in Genoa. It was 1967 and a young Renzo Piano, the now world-famous architect, believed in Michel Dufour’s project and commissioned one, designing both her coachroof and interior.

Mostes built seven more and their boats reaped considerable success in that year’s racing. The GRP version, built and helmed by Dufour himself, was just as successful, winning the 12th edition of the Atlantic Cup in her class against a fleet from 16 countries. Marketed as the Arpège, Dufour’s Stratifiè Industriel shipyard in La Rochelle began production the following year.

The Arpège is a masthead-rigged sloop, with a keel-stepped mast of either 9 or 9.25m, depending on the version. The original sail plan called for a mainsail of about 20m2 and a 28m2 genoa. Later the genoa was increased to 31.5m2 and the mainsail reduced to 17m2. The spinnaker remained unchanged at about 66m2. Early versions had the upper shrouds leading to chainplates on the gunwale; in later versions they were moved inboard next to the coachroof with the lowers.

Early models had a perfectly vertical transom, inclined on later versions, while the hull shape and 3m maximum beam remained unvaried. With this substantial beam, the Arpège was very comfortable and roomy for the canons of the day. Displacing 3.3 tons, her 1.2 tons of ballast are concentrated in the relatively shallow cast iron fin keel and bulb, for a 1.35m draught. Performance versions were also offered, and featured an increased 1.62m draught with 1.5 tons of ballast, for a displacement of 3.6 tons. In all versions perfect control was assured by the deep rudder hung on a full length skeg, and thanks to rather pronounced overhangs (waterline length was only 6.7m), her movement through the waves was always sea-kindly.

On deck, the elegant stepped coachroof gives 1.8m headroom in the dinette. Belowdecks the Arpège has six berths: two quarter berths stretch under the cockpit and four are in the dinette; here the lower berths are quite wide and do double duty as settees, while the upper two are much narrower. Forward of the private head, the forepeak is empty, giving lots of space for sails.

In conclusion, the Arpège can still be considered one of the best 9m boats for those who appreciate seaworthiness and safety. Today’s market values run from €7,000 to €12,000.

A choice of versions, 6ft headroom, six berths – ‘comforable and roomy’ – with a deep rudder and bulb keel

ARPEGE LOA 30ft 4in (9.24m) LWL 22ft 0in (6.7m) Beam 9ft 11in (3m) Draught 4ft 5in/5ft 4in (1.35m/1.62m)

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Dragon Elska

S&S Sonny

S&S Dorade

S&S Skylark S&S Santana LMI cares for a special group of yachts from modern racing to classic 100 year old gaffers. In between these book ends lies our forté. The compiled team is currently in hull rebuild mode with a significant refit/restoration of our third S&S, namely Santana, the once darling of Bogie and Bacall, Skylark and Dorade are successfully “off and running”. Other gems from the boards of Herreshoff, Burgess, S&S, Crane, Fife, Luders, Anker, Alden and Lawley with 12m’s, 6m’s, P’s, Q’s and S’s make their home base at LMI. Please view our website galleries for snapshots of what and how we do it.

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8/10/16 10:05 PM

Instructor’s tale In which Neil Payter discovers that problems can arise when a student does not see the point of an instruction

There was clearly room for improvement in how I communicated the exercise and its parts and tasks

in the pub later. As is often the case, despite our briefing the night before and with everyone appearing to understand the situation there was clearly room for improvement in how I communicated the exercise and its various parts and tasks.

Luckily we were practising and could iron out any mistakes as we went.

CS wishes Neil success and fair winds in his OSTAR bid – see p7.

GUY VENABLES

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he keen student of sailing will often do exactly what is asked of them, whether they understand the reason behind the order or not.

So there we were, myself and the new crew sitting in the saloon over dinner, having a natter about what you do with a man overboard situation. I was explaining that I did not often practise them with the boat close hauled, as in my view, with the boat leaning over the crew were likely to be holding on for dear life.

It is my firm opinion that an MOB is most likely when you are broad reaching or on a run, with the boat flat and level, and a crew member standing up holding the backstay, when the wash from a passing ship sends its wake over the boat, toppling said person into the water, just as he or she lets go of the backstay to grab the proffered cup of tea…

The Day Skipper students and I had a chat about what they thought were the priorities for coping with an MOB. All the usual things were said: send a Mayday message; press the Mob button on the chartplotter; throw in a horseshoe; appoint someone to point; heave to; furl the jib; switch the engine on; etc. It was a useful discussion, and I explained that tomorrow we would try it and see what happened.

The next day we were sailing over Ryde Middle, well out of the shipping lane, on a dead run with the preventer rigged on the main, when I threw over the fender and warp, and shouted: “Man overboard!” James was skippering the yacht on this short passage from Cowes to Langstone Harbour, and he was very quick to react.

He took the wheel, at the same time shouting: “Dave, go down and pretend to send a Mayday message”; “Sarah, point”; “Mike, furl the jib”. In a very controlled manner he turned the boat into the wind, at the same time shouting: “Rachel, take off the preventer and sheet in the mainsail, tight.”

All the crew reacted quickly, and did exactly as they were told. The yacht came about and back towards the casualty, which was now close on the port bow, when I watched to see what the crew were doing. Dave had come back on deck, telling James that he was available if needed; Mike and Rachel did the same. I looked towards Sarah, who was pointing out over the starboard quarter.

“What are you doing Sarah?” I asked her.

“I’m pointing,” she replied.

“What are you pointing at?”

“I don’t know, I was just asked to point.”

Fortunately she had a good sense of humour, and coped very well with the guffaws of laughter which greeted this lack of insight as to what she should be pointing at, or even why she should be pointing at all… and with the micky-taking

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ISABEL

Change of heart How Aidan Tuckett learned to abandon the philosophy of permanent wooden boat restoration and instead fell in love with a practically perfect Falmouth workboat-lookalike Heard 28 in GRP which actually allows him to sail

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HEARD 28

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bout twenty years ago I had the idea that a wooden boat could be bought for relatively little, restored for even less and sold on for a profit, and that you could probably repeat this until you reached something about the size of a Baltic trading schooner. So I found a small, clinker-built, gaff cutter that looked sound apart from a few splits to the mast and agreed what seemed a good price. Apart from having to bind the splits and avoid a few soft spots on the deck, she more or less did the job. We got to sea on fine days, towing a small inflatable for security, and we became good at boat handling under sail as and when the engine didn’t start.

A few years on, the deck became weaker. The condition of the automatic bilge pump became critical and the boat was moved to a drying berth near the top of the tide’s range.

Then one spring day the mast broke, hitting the car which was parked alongside on the hard. Undaunted, we pushed the roof out, claimed on the broken windscreen and scarphed in a new section. But then a few weeks later, the engine started adding seawater to its oil.

Next a seeping keel bolt broke off when tested.

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ALL PHOTOS BY GUB GUB AN TING (UNLESS CREDITED)

ISABEL

Isabel’s cabin, providing the perfect setting for the prepurchased paraffin lamp

So the boat came ashore and a major project began. Optimistic spreadsheets showed we would be done in a few months.

But instead, piles of wood and gear beneath the boat mounted along with yard storage fees. The hull seemed to deteriorate faster ashore than it ever had afloat.Tarpaulins were set up on semi-permanent frames.

An attempt to repair the engine ended badly when it was started on the test bench and ran on its own oil, accelerating to supersonic speeds despite rags stuffed into the air intake, until a terminal death rattle ensued. But we persisted for several more years, even buying a new paraffin lamp for the day the cabin would be used again.

The problems and the bills continued and the boat became an item on satellite imagery. We dreamt of the days we used to go to sea, except for the kids who couldn’t remember that far back. So eventually I hired a skip and paid the boatyard to wield a chainsaw when I wasn’t looking. The iron keel turned out to be worth less than the cost of moving it. Only a beheaded bow

section remained, upended as a garden seat and reminder to the folly of nostalgia.

There was an element of infidelity in all this because, at about the same time as the boat’s fate was signed, I found a GRP-hulled Falmouth workboat for sale. I took the oldest boy to have a look, he told his Mum and for a time it looked like more than one relationship would end.

Optimistic spreadsheets showed we would be done in a few months. But instead piles of wood and gear beneath the boat mounted, along with yard storage fees

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LEFT AND LEFT ABOVE: AIDAN TUCKETT

HEARD 28

But things came good and a few months later the new boat arrived in Shoreham after a three-day passage from Lowestoft. She was a Heard 28, built in 1984 by Gaffers and Luggers from a mould taken off the wooden Falmouth workboat Meloris.

These workboats came in many different designs, but all had the same purpose which was to dredge for oysters under sail in the Carrick Roads. Banning engines helped protect the stocks from overfishing although even then, parasitic attacks on the oysters led to the fishery being closed for periods.

The GRP version came into being partly to replace the older wooden ones and partly to meet demand from the growing racing

fleet. Those not owned by fishermen were supposed to tow a token dredge or two in order to be considered proper work boats and now probably more are used for racing than dredging. All started out as open boats with deep cockpits; many had cabins subsequently added which is how the new boat was when I first came to own her.

She has a traditional gaff-cutter rig with around ten halyards and downhauls at the mast, another two at the shrouds and, at the last count, a further eight ropes leading to the cockpit. It is just possible to manage single-handed but a tiller pilot helps and I’m not sure I’d risk setting the topsail without a crew. The decks are epoxy-sheathed marine

plywood, all replaced by a previous owner from the original polyester covered exterior ply that can be a weak point on these boats.

There are four tonnes of lead ballast in the keel, all encapsulated within a massively thick GRP moulding. This balances some 70m2 of sail, enough to raise a sizeable hull wave in any wind beyond a force three.

For windless days or occasions when the bowsprit is too much of a liability, there is a Perkins Perama diesel that starts on the button. There was a night off Harwich when diesel bugs blocked the suction pipe in protest at being disturbed by the weather but it wouldn’t be reasonable to blame that on the engine.

Top: Aidan and son Zak put the chart table to good use Above: the forepeak sleeping space with its perfectly positioned portholes

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ISABEL

Clockwise from top left: navigation with son Joe, then a symphony of as many strings to pull as you could wish

Down below, the cabin is the chief glory and justification for the boat with enough space to count as an extra bedroom when too many people are at home, or as an office and apartment when I’m working away. There is full headroom, a proper chart table to port and good sized galley to starboard, then two settee berths and a stove at the forward bulkhead. I made a table from a huge slab of mahogany my grandfather pinched from the wardroom of a battleship when he was a dockyard matey at Devonport, and which passed through several family garages waiting for a purpose. Forward of the saloon is a heads compartment, with cold water from a hand

pump, and further forward of that, a good size sleeping space with portholes at just the right height to watch the ducks in the mornings or the underwater of the lee bow wave in a good breeze. There are ample bookshelves, glass-fronted lockers for the medical supplies and even space for a windup gramophone.

I sometimes miss engines that need constant work, but the cooking stove and cabin heater more than make up for this. The stove uses brass, enamelled iron and pressure tanks to produce heat from vaporised paraffin. This depends on maintaining a delicate assembly of finely machined brass valves and ‘prickers’ in

perfect condition. It’s said to be safer than gas, although when we bought the boat there were two new fire extinguishers carefully arranged either side of it. With care, it will boil a kettle or bake a small loaf but without care it spits smoke and flames like a malevolent jinn.

The heater is another piece of Victorian engineering. Like the cooker, it relies on being preheated with industrial alcohol, although drinking the stuff would be safer and have much the same effect. After a few fuel-air explosions, it usually produces a good heat and burns fiercely on no more than a steady drip of diesel. As if that weren’t enough, there are also paraffin lamps, one

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HEARD 28

being the fine piece of spun brass and glass funnel that finally found a home after years on the shelf. All this keeps the boat snug, even when the decks are covered in snow, although it creates a certain ambience that can reduce the oxygen to mind-numbing levels unless the portholes are open.

Best of all, the boat doesn’t leak a drop.

She’s fast and I don’t care what anyone

says, she is probably the best looking vessel between Portsmouth and Dover. But the main point of all this is that, once we broke free of trying to maintain an old wooden boat against the odds and bought one that we could reasonably look after, we probably spent less money overall and we now have a vessel that can go anywhere from Brest to the Elbe at the drop of a hat and which we

It’s said to be safer than gas, although when we bought the boat there were two new fire extinguishers carefully arranged either side of it

can eventually sell on. Maintaining a classic boat is always going to be a balance between its size and condition on one hand and time and money on the other. If you bring family and friends into the equation, the time and money side begins to seriously matter. There is satisfaction to be had from restoration projects but only provided the end stays in sight. So if you allow that a GRP hull can be as much a classic as a wooden one, you are in with a better chance of getting afloat.

Aidan Tuckett carries out surveys on yachts and commercial fishing vessels at Brighton Marine Surveys. He also runs Marine Survey Training which trains industry professionals in surveying.

Above: ‘probably the best looking vessel between Portsmouth and Dover’ says Aidan

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AMERICA’S CUP FOCUS

Cometh the hour As Britain’s America’s Cup team gears up to do battle in Bermuda Gael Pawson profiles its inspirational leader Sir Ben Ainsley, principal and skipper of Land Rover BAR

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f there was one name that might have the opposition quaking in their boots, one talent that might have the ability to inspire a whole crew to victory, one sailor you would never want as a rival, it would undoubtedly be Sir Ben Ainslie. One of the biggest sailing talents the world has ever seen, and the one man capable of leading a British team to victory in the America’s Cup. That determined kid, who started off sailing Oppies in Falmouth, rose to become the world’s most successful Olympic sailor… we look at the key moments that have shaped him.

‘Bang!’ There it was, once again the Union Jack-clad Laser tacked straight on its rival. It was like a cat mercilessly playing with a mouse, continually shutting the door, holding the increasingly frustrated Brazilian sailor back as the rest of the fleet raced away in the distance. Fortunately the TV cameras realised where the story was and focussed on the relentless

duel. Britain’s 23-year-old Ben Ainslie was in the driving seat, while Brazil’s Robert Scheidt was desperately trying to wriggle himself free without infringing the Brit. But there was no way Ainslie was going to let the gold medal slip out of his grasp. Not this time…

Ashore Ben comes across as your typical polite Englishman. The years in the professional spotlight have made him more at ease with the media attention, but he retains some of the introverted, unassuming manner of his early career.

Unsurprisingly he’s a very private person, as you would be if the world’s media had its eyes on you the whole time. He might be a superstar sailor, he might even be used to being in the limelight these days and hob-nobbing with royalty, but at the end of the day he’s a sailor, he’s there to sail, to do a job and that’s where his passion lies. He’s much more comfortable on a boat than in front of the camera ashore.

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BEN AINSLEY

‘This is a man who dominated Olympic sailing, who changed the tide of the last America’s Cup, who doesn’t have the word ‘lose’ in his vocabulary’

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AMERICA’S CUP FOCUS

The ‘boat’: R1, a foiling catamaran, 15m long, 8.48m wide capable of 60mph, and called Rita

On the racecourse, he’s a completely different beast. Unrelenting, unforgiving and relentless in his pursuit of victory. He has the iron will that top athletes need to crush their opponents, and he’s not afraid to use it. Add fierce determination, commitment and a chunk of natural sailing talent and you have some of the clues as to why Ainslie is such a force. Sometimes winning is not just about sailing as fast as you can in a straight line, sometimes you need to be really sure of victory, and on occasion that means using the rules and your superior knowledge of them to disadvantage your rival.

Ben learnt this lesson well, when, at the age of 19 he was denied gold in the 1996

Ben Ainslie

5 February 1977 Born into a sailing family in Macclesfield.

Father Roddy supports his sailing

1981 begins on family boat Sule Skerry, 43ft 1958 James McGruer yawl (left)

1985.

Starts dinghy sailing in Cornwall 1989 Optimist Worlds Japan (comes 73rd)

He seems to have a switch. Ashore he’s ‘Mr nice guy’. Afloat he shows no mercy Atlanta Games by Robert Scheidt. He was forced to settle for silver not because of straight-line speed, but because he was out-manoeuvred in the final race. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, once again Robert Schiedt was the only sailor with a chance of denying Ainslie gold. But this time, going 1992 Wins Optimist Worlds aged 15 1993 Wins the Laser Radial worlds in NZ

1995 Wins gold at the Youth Worlds in Bermuda

1996 Wins an Olympic Silver medal in the Laser class at Atlanta games

into the final race, the tables were turned, and it was Ainslie who focussed on ensuring his opponent had a poor race, the most certain way of ensuring victory.

As the five-minute warning signal for the start sounded, Ainslie started to hunt his prey.

“About 20 seconds before the start Robert went into a gap to line up and there was room for me to come into leeward so I could luff Robert up head to wind. I really parked him up so when the gun went he was really in a bad situation - slow and no speed. We ended up having contact - which was his foul - and he ended up having to take a 720 penalty.”

2000 Wins first Olympic Gold medal in the Laser class in Sydney

2001 Awarded an MBE

2004 Wins second Olympic Gold medal in the Finn class in Athens

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BEN AINSLEY On their bikes: The Land Rover BAR swap sail for pedal power.

Below: Ben and Giles Scott talk tactics while training in Bermuda

racing skills are outstanding; if he wants to put you the wrong side of the line before the start he will. When needs must his iron will rises to rule the fleet.

Ainslie went on to post a straight run of Olympic victories. Four golds, three in the Finn, and one in the Laser, five Olympic medals in total, making him the world’s most successful Olympic sailor… ever.

However, Ainslie’s hunt didn’t stop there: “With a sailor the calibre of Robert Scheidt, you just can’t afford to leave it with him having a bad start, because most probably he’s going to catch up through the fleet. So I had to stop and wait for him.” The amazing cat-and-mouse duel ensued, with Ainslie eventually sailing away to secure the gold medal on the water, his rival almost broken by his relentless dominance. Schiedt was subsequently disqualified from the race for a foul, but the episode proved Ainslie had found his killer instinct. A legend was born.

This is where Ben Ainslie excels. He seems to have a switch. Ashore he’s ‘Mr nice guy.’ Afloat he shows no mercy. His match 2005 Joins Team New Zealand as they prepare for the America’s Cup. Awarded the OBE

2008 Wins third Olympic Gold medal in the Finn class at Beijing.

2009 Awarded a CBE

The America’s Cup dream

Growing up with a rich sailing heritage around him – his father skippered a yacht in the first Whitbread (now Volvo) Round the World Race – it was hardly surprising that the America’s Cup was a dream as a boy. The 2012 Wins fourth Olympic Gold medal in the Finn class, at London

2013 Joins Oracle Team USA as tactician for the 2013 America’s Cup. Knighted for his services to sailing

2014 Launches his own America’s Cup team, Ben Ainslie Racing

famous duel in Sydney showed the world his match racing promise, and he was quickly snapped up by the American OneWorld America’s Cup syndicate. Over the subsequent years, between Olympic campaigns, he sailed with various America’s Cup teams, but never got the chance to compete in the final Cup race.

By 2012 it was clear that Ainslie’s Olympic career was at an end. Years of racing in the physically demanding Finn dinghy had taken its toll. Had the Star keelboat stayed in for the 2016 games, things may have been different but that door was shut. But Ainslie’s next steps were clear, he knew where his sights lay.

2014 Marries Georgie Thompson

2016 (July) Daughter Bellatrix born

2016 Land Rover BAR wins the America’s Cup World Series...

2017 June 17–18 / 24-27 America’s Cup Bermuda

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AMERICA’S CUP FOCUS

Ben’s ‘other boat’ is a Hoek Truly Classic 65 named, Rita (all his boats are called that) She is currently for sale priced £1m. Sir Ben began sailing on his father Roddy’s 1958 McGruer yawl Sule Skerry In 1973, when Ben was born, his father was a skipper in the first Whitbread round the world race

Even before the 2012 Olympics it was announced that Ben would be part of the American defence of the America’s Cup. While Ben was clear about his longer term aspirations for a British team in the event, for 2013 he was content to be part of Oracle’s team.

Oracle had some mighty talent on their boat, and it looked unlikely that Ainslie would get to race himself – his role yet again looked to be in helping the ‘A’ boat team in training. But while it was packed with individual legends, the Oracle crew seemed to lack something, and as the 34th America’s Cup progressed and Team New Zealand stretched out a seemingly unassailable lead, Oracle found themselves lying 8-1 down, with the Kiwis on match point. The result seemed inevitable.

With nothing to lose, the Americans brought in Ben Ainslie as their tactician, and there followed one of the most dramatic sporting comebacks ever. “Ben Ainslie wins the America’s Cup” the British headlines read. Not really, but there was no doubt that his addition to the team was a turning point. Now Ben was undoubtedly a talented helmsman, but he was used to performing in singlehanded dinghies. The way he slotted into the Oracle team demonstrated his growth as a sailor, the way he lifted their spirits by his sheer presence, while also proving to be a key cog in the team mechan-

He was no longer ‘just’ a helmsman but a team player... he led a ruthless destruction of the Kiwis

ics showed the world he was no longer ‘just’ a helmsman, but a team player. He brought his talent, his killer instinct, and led a ruthless destruction of the Kiwis.

You could see the increased cohesion, the determination, the belief as the following races progressed. Team New Zealand didn’t win another race. They were beaten both mentally and physically.

Ainslie, the man today A few America’s Cup facts The America’s Cup was founded in 1851, when the New York Yacht Club’s schooner yacht America won the race for the ‘100 Guineas Cup’ around the Isle of Wight. It is the world’s oldest international sporting trophy. Britain has never won the Cup, indeed for most of its history the ‘Auld Mug’ has been held

by America. Australia was the first nation to wrest the cup away from its New York home in 1993. In 1995 New Zealand won the cup, and went on to become the first non-American nation to defend it when they won again in 2000. The Cup’s next home was Switzerland, before it returned to the USA in 2010. The Cup has been sailed in various boats over its history; the 2017 event will be held in 50ft foiling catamarans.

A lot has changed since that race. Ben Ainslie is no longer that lone sailor in a singlehanded dinghy, albeit with a strong team and close family behind him. He is the head of his own British America’s Cup challenge, Land Rover BAR, which employs some 140 people. He is a husband, he is a father, But that fierce will to win is as much a part of him as it ever was. The man who dominated Olympic sailing for some 16 years, who ruthlessly punished his rivals, who changed the tide of the last America’s Cup. It is hard to think of a major goal that he has failed to deliver since that silver in 1996.

This is a man who doesn’t have the world ‘lose’ in his vocabulary. His broader perspective on life, and the team behind him simply make him an even more potent weapon.

Whether he can win the America’s Cup for Britain is a whole bigger question, but if anyone can deliver such a huge prize, it’s Ben.

34 CLASSIC SAILOR

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AMERICA’S CUP BACKDROP

Spirit of Bermuda Bermudan by location, bermudan by rig, and built as a sail-trainer for the kids of Bermuda, ‘Spirit’ is something special, as Guy Venables discovered

I

had a day off and was swinging my feet in Bermuda. Once I’d scaled the obligatory Gibbs Hill Lighthouse I looked out over the commanding view of the entire island and noticed a Tall Ship sailing out of Hamilton harbour. Although her fine lines were of traditional curves and her masts were raked back, there was something unusual about her. She was a traditional tall ship with a low slung freeboard yet her masts were totally bereft of square sail.

This was the Spirit of Bermuda, the island’s sail training ship. Due to relentless lurking and the kindness of strangers at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club I managed to be invited for a sail on board her. On close inspection I saw why I couldn’t place her in my thin volume of previous experience.

Her design was utterly unique to my eyes.

She was inspired by a simple painting of the Royal Navy’s The Shamrock. (The painting now hangs in Greenwich.) She was a very early three masted Bermudan sloop-of-war

Spirit of Bermuda's sail plan is modelled on a painting of the Royal Navy's Shamrock.

Below: the view from Gibbs Hill

(the name sloop here is from the early Naval meaning, denoting the relatively small size of her as a Navy ship and the fact that she was unrated, meaning a low ranking officer could command her). She’s also known as a Ballyhoo schooner, a fast dispatch patrol vessel that sailed the north Atlantic triangle from the Royal Naval Dockyard northwest to Halifax and southwest to Jamaica to contain the rebel colonies.

The front two huge triangular bermudan sails are loose-footed and the mizzen holds the boom. This enables these boats to go upwind well; they could be crewed short handed and the long decks meant they could carry a lot of firepower, making them highly prized for piracy as well as the Navy.

Spirit of Bermuda has copied these lines, sail plan and loose rigging using only five 36 CLASSIC SAILOR

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BERMUDA

huge carbon fibre spars for the three masts, bowsprit and boom.

It all started when a group of local enthusiasts decided it was time to build a sail training vessel for the kids of Bermuda.

The Bermuda Sloop Foundation was duly founded in 1996 by Malcolm Kirkland, Alan Burland and Jay Kempe. The plan was to build a replica of the Shamrock as she was a local design.

It took eight years to fund raise the money but eventually the design idea was given to Bill Langan who had only a painting and no original lines to go on. The initial design stages must have been constant steps into the dark. Rockport Marine, in Rockport Maine, got started on building the ship in 2004 and she was completed in August 2006. Once the varnish and antifoul had

dried she was sailed to her spiritual home of Bermuda in October that year.

The hull of Spirit of Bermuda is made entirely of seven layers of cold-moulded laminate composite and as the skipper was

This was one of the first sympathetic combinations of traditional and modern designs I had witnessed. And it works explaining it’s incredibly strong. “She has ribs but doesn’t really need them!”

This was one of the first sympathetic combinations of traditional and modern design I had witnessed. And it really works,

not just aesthetically but also practically.

Because she is a sail training vessel and every kid on the island is entitled to have a go, any ratlines and yards would be an added hazard to inexperienced crew and indeed the strict coding also demanded that there were sealable bulkhead doors throughout.

Once on board with all the other dignitaries, including the Mayor and local folk we set off from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club under engine. The crew amassed on deck and started hauling up the sails. I joined in at the end of a line and looking up saw the azure sky against billowing white sails. I briefly felt like I was in an advert. The wind was warm and it whispered to the sails and she quietly made her way. The drinks were duly poured and I started talking to a local lad who’d been aboard almost a year. After a CLASSIC SAILOR

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AMERICA’S CUP BACKDROP

Top: stern view; above, from left: defaced ensign; on deck; built for the youth of Bermuda; below decks

little nudging he made a startlingly eloquent statement. He said: “If I had not joined Spirit of Bermuda it would have been bad for me. Now I have sailed to the Azores and back. Who has done that? I have made new friends and seen many things. I have met good people. The friends I left behind are all in gangs. I have left them behind. I have left them behind in so many ways.”

Then the engine was turned off, and I could feel that there was no loss of headway even though we were almost close hauled into a light breeze. I could see why these boats were so prized by pirates. It would mean you could escape a lot faster, handle

better and be sailed by fewer crew than any of the clunky square riggers and brigs of the time. (Her record for speed is just over ten knots.) The first time a seafarer spotted one of these he must have wondered what on earth it was. In fact, thinking of the history of naval ships I’m surprised that this design

“The friends I left behind are all in gangs. I have left them behind. I have left them behind in so many ways”

wasn’t taken on sooner. Then I remembered the bureaucracy and bloody mindedness of the Admiralty of that time and let it go. We sailed past the “beware of the turtles” sign and into the Great Sound.

Jay Kempe was also on board and he was keen to point out the advantages of this kind of sailing school.

“It’s just a great thing to watch, the leveling of a classroom. It’s not just the coming together of the black and white kids. Often the big jock boys who were so confident and brash on land were right out of their comfort zone, frightened and inept at sea. It was the small quiet kids, the ones who normally

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Round the Island Seagull race The rumour goes that in 1969 two locals, “Ghost” and “Skeets” were arguing over who had the fastest dinghy. To settle it they decided on a race around the island using Seagull engines and a tradition was born.

Although the entire race is run with impeccable sportsmanship and humour there are contestants who take it very seriously and through the years the optimum hull shape has evolved, into these cigarette boats, below.

Many of the the Seagull engines themselves were left behind when the Royal Navy left the dockyard and an entire island community of fanatics has emerged (including

one man who’s had the British Seagull 'sailor' logo tattooed onto his leg!)

The race itself has several categories depending on size of boat, whether they are traditional or new, old or new engines and size of engine, including some of Seagull’s sports models as well as ones that have been souped up.

This year the racing takes place on 3 June.

Interestingly they’ll be sharing some of the racing with the America’s Cup AC 45s so keep your eyes peeled on the TV coverage for the real racing going on that day... on somewhat smaller boats.

Clockwise from top: race boats at the ready; Seagull logo tatoo; souped-up engine

got picked on, the ones who stayed at the back, they were the ones often really got it, darting about like ferrets.”

One of the crew wryly pointed out there was no need to look up at a wind indicator around here as all you need to do is look at the direction of smoke coming out of the Belco power plant that sits up behind Hamilton.

As the sun lowered and the light pinkened we sailed one last gentle circuit of the Sound, past The Royal Naval Dockyard, past Spanish point through the spatterings of tiny islands and back into Hamilton, docking in the dark. No wonder they love this schooner; she is their spirit. ★ CLASSIC SAILOR

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SOUTH COAST ONE DESIGN

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£1500 SCOD

Call it SCOD’s law

After the restoration, the return to the water. And for Phil Russell putting Aurigny through her paces also meant refreshing his own sailing skills

A

urigny is a South Coast One Design we purchased from a yard in Cornwall for £1500 almost a year ago. She was looking shabby and neglected and I had some concerns as to her condition but having the advice of a wooden boat builder friend who gave her a good report we finalised the deal. The yard owner said that he would have burned her as he needed to clear the yard, though I am not sure he would have but she was now safe and during the summer months last year my wife and I managed to get her exterior looking amazing, as I described in an article in Classic Sailor last August.

We had been at Plymouth Yacht Haven for a couple of weeks and were attracting quite a lot of comments as Aurigny stood out amongst all the dominating white fiberglass yachts and I of course could sit on her all day and listen to all the nice compliments.

There had not been much in the way of wind for a while, so I was getting frustrated

and felt the need to get her out for a good shakedown. Everyone had said SCODs sail really well and I was eager to see just what she was like, so one day in early October we slipped her moorings and headed out, passing various curious onlookers who were giving us the thumbs up.

I could not help feeling a sense of pride as we motored out into the Cattewater and on putting up the sails we could feel her responding, eager to show us her pedigree and she did not disappoint. I was delighted and had a grin from ear to ear as we heeled over and made for the breakwater and Cawsand Bay. For an old boat her performance was very pleasing and she was clearly not an old tub by any means.

Designed as a cruiser racer in the fifties

by Camper and Nicholson she clearly still has it in her and she will be able to give some of her modern counterparts a run for their money. She carries her way well, making short work of choppy seas though she does like to be reefed early or things can get a little difficult on the helm.

We found our way into the River Yealm – with the wind in the East the approach was fair but as the harbourmaster came alongside for the night’s mooring fee he advised us of a strong wind forecast for the following day. We took his advice and caught a visitor’s buoy where we stayed the night intending to leave early the next day.

The morning arrived in bright sunlight, a fresh south-easterly wind whipping up the waves in the estuary so we decided to leave at the first available opportunity along with the Sunday racing crews, so clearly things were not that bad.

We had prepared down below ready for a rough trip and headed out into the mouth of the river but once we were out there we found that there was no going back. I looked at the heaving breaking seas off to port and the waves breaking on the Mewstone to starboard. It was not a pretty sight, the race had begun, the yachts were all jostling for position and we were heading straight out under the iron topsail but once we rounded the Mewstone we could run into Plymouth

The South Coast One Design Aurigny, restored, relaunched and back with Phil and his wife in her natural element in Plymouth Sound

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A glass of wine, a magazine... domestic bliss down below

Sound. The sea state was confused and quite rough to say the very least, but Aurigny did not slam. She buried her nose a couple of times and threw the spray back over the deck, clearly enjoying herself while we hung on as if on a rodeo ride.

We rounded the Mewstone while under some pressure from a race yacht to move over, just where they expected us to go was unclear at the time, however we avoided trouble, put the jib up and were making a good six knots as it came within touching distance.

Having now rounded the Mewstone things eased off and our white-knuckle ride was over with Aurigny showing us she

could take that and more, it’s the crew who would give up first.

We learned a lot from that weekend.

We had gained confidence in Aurigny and despite the fact that we had not been sailing for nearly 15 years it jolted us back into being properly prepared and to expect the unexpected.

Despite the fact that we had not been sailing for nearly 15 years it jolted us back into being properly prepared

This year Aurigny has had two important duties to perform. The first was to take some of the family out into Plymouth Sound to perform a scattering of the ashes of two of my wife’s elderly cousins, a husband and wife who had passed away about a year apart but wanted to be laid to rest together. This we did on a cold and dreary day in January and felt very privileged to be able to be part of their final wishes.

Then I had a phone call late one evening from a lady enquiring if we owned Aurigny and my heart sank, a million thoughts raced through my head as a similar thing had happened when we were in the throes of buying a previous boat and the call

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£1500 SCOD

was from the ex-wife of the person from whom we were buying it saying that she wasn’t going to sell. That purchase eventually ended well but even so, I was very cagey about what I said next.

It turned out that she used to live on Aurigny in Falmouth with her then husband John. Somehow she had tracked me down to ask a big favour. Sadly John was seriously ill and would we let him come and see the boat once more? Of course how could I refuse, so one fine day in February we arranged the surprise with his daughter. We met them in the marina and he was able to spend the day aboard her albeit under power as there was no

wind. The change in John was instant as he told us about how he brought her from the Solent to Plymouth and then on to Falmouth, and about the times he had spent aboard with his wife. He didn’t stop smiling the whole time and it was a real joy to us to see him so animated.

She tracked me down to ask a big favour. John was seriously ill and would we let him come and see the boat once more?

Another venture followed, this time again sailing into the Yealm with our daughter and her two young children. I am of course, a huge advocate of getting children on the water as early as possible to start learning the ways of the sea and sailing.

My wife and I waited eagerly for their arrival and stocked up with provisions, we soon became aware of their presence as they arrived clutching toys of all shapes and sizes, books, pencils and nappies for the youngest, one they filed aboard wearing life jackets as big as they are.

We put them inside, stowed as much as we could, cast off and made our way out of the marina. Explaining to a three

Setting up the double bunk. Keeping things looking original is the order of the day

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SOUTH COAST ONE DESIGN

Aurigny, ‘clearly enjoying herself’

and four year old why they could not run around on the deck without their life jackets on takes some doing and fighting for control of the helm can only be stopped with distraction techniques, but soon Olivia won the day whilst her older sister Georgia was quite happy to go below to play with her toys.

We arrived in the Yealm at the beginning of the flood and eased Aurigny up to the pontoon where we were assisted by some very nice peoplewho invited us to go alongside their yacht. We settled down for tea and were pleased to get the children to bed after which we looked forward to enjoying a glass of the red stuff.

Well at least that was the plan! I am not entirely sure what started it but Georgia decided to have the mother of all tantrums and there was no stopping her.

No, we were not murdering her, I said to someone further up the pontoon as the people alongside of us evacuated their boat to go and went off to visit friends further along the pontoon, away from the din. But things then started to calm down and about an hour later after some well-deserved wine a peaceful night’s sleep ensued. We later concluded that Georgia was wary of sleeping on the boat and was also missing Daddy who was away that week-end.

All was well until about 3am when I became aware of the bilge pump working overtime. Now I don’t recommend stripping down a bilge pump at 3am for whatever reason so, after checking that we were in no danger of sinking, I turned over and went back to sleep.

Needless to say, when we came to leave in the morning there was barely enough power in the battery to turn the

So it is now time to step back and ask if it has been worth it, and I suppose it depends on how you look at it engine over but with some assistance on the starting handle we got her going and motored across the Sound to Cawsand where we had lunch. It turned out that the battery was shot and therefore would not take any charge. It just got hotter and hotter though we were not aware of this until we got back to the marina having sailed back from Cawsand after the engine refused to start for the second time that day. How close it had been to blowing up I don’t know but some three hours later at the marina the battery was still hot!

We have now started work on the interior and every time we go to the marina it’s a toss-up between sailing or refurbishing. However we enjoy making improvements to Aurigny but keeping things looking original is the order of the day – with one or two additional mod cons.

So it is now the time to step back and ask if it has been worth it. Someone recently asked me if I thought I would get my money back and I suppose it depends on how you look at it. In tangible asset terms, given her low purchase price together with the cost of materials, i.e. paint, tools, wood, screws, new fittings etc, but excluding marina fees and a couple of lifts in and out, I would say most definitely.

On the other hand, if you cost in the time spent together with marina fees etc, it would be doubtful. You then have to ask yourself, how do you value the pleasure of restoring and sailing a classic and being the custodians of a bit of maritime history? That for me is priceless.

Aurigny is beautiful, a Camper and Nicholson minor masterpiece, she is a delight to sail, fast, seaworthy and carries her way well. If you keep on top of the maintenance of such a craft she will always look impressive and continue to turn heads wherever she goes.

Phil’s story on restoring Aurigny was in CS11.

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P

eople’s perceptions are powerful. And sailing as a perceived by the man stuck in his car in traffic gridlock is that of a wet activity glued together by a collection of snotty clubs, whose members walk around sounding like seagulls in peaked hats and white ducks, and throw the price of a street of terraced houses in an ex-mining town at their ‘yachts’.

Cycling does not have that image perception. ‘On yer bike’ gets you on a cycletrack to Bodmin as well as a velodrome in Manchester.

However the RYA is keen to emphasise the accessibility of sailing as an inexpensive hobby: “Small boat cruising is a relatively easy, low cost and simple way to enjoy being out on the water and experiencing a form of relaxing adventure which is relatively hard to come by in today’s modern, busy world.” Any person can experience it, at any age and, with a wide variety of prior sailing experience.

From those who have recently completed an introduction course as much as to those who are more experienced requiring a welcome respite from more competitive sailing or racing.

Owning and cruising a small cabin cruiser has been compared to a camper van on the water, or camping but with more comfort. The analogy

is especially relevant to those cruisers with boom tents to give them more accommodation at night. And given the amount of money people throw at trying to find peace, tranquillity, and salving their soul – after the battering of being 24/7 wired and connected for a working and leisure life – being anchored up a creek, with the lap of water against the hull, and the long, low call of the wading birds providing the lift-music can be a highly cost-effective way of escaping from Twitter, texts, Instagram and Snapchat.

With the latest RYA Participation Survey showing participation in “any boating activity” amongst those over 55 has been steadily increasing since 2011, it is time for these people to forget their retirement world cruise, and find a much deeper enjoyment and sense of achievement with small cabin cruiser sailing.

If you want inspiration, visit the website of Charles Stocks and his engineless 16ft gaff cabin cruiser Shoal Waters, see shoal-waters.moonfruit. com where he – and sometimes his wife and grandchildren – covered some 70,000 nautical miles from the 1960s to his death five years ago.

Cabin cruisers come in all shapes and sizes, but the good thing about them is that you can pick them up very cheaply, especially if they are wood or early GRP. The boat size we are talking about is really from 17ft to 27ft,

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BOATS ON A BUDGET

Shoestring sailing The boating on a budget challenge: buy a small cruising yacht for around £4,000 or less and run it for under £1,000 a year. Can it be done?

William Oram scans the brokerage sites and does the maths...

depending on your cat-swinging preferences. In the 20ft bracket there are plenty of trailer sailers, which are a category in themselves, but generally a 25ft cabin cruiser will give you up to 4 berths, a small galley, functioning heads, and the ability to sneak into small anchorages along the coast.

The important thing to remember is the mindset: Keep it simple; reduce clutter; keep to your budget.

So here is the challenge: Buy a suitable cabin cruiser for under £4,000, and moor and maintain her (excluding major gear replacement) for less than £1,000 a year.

Insurance

Buying the boat

Mooring

On the day of writing a quick flick of the main websites to look for boats of a certain age and manageable size produced a haul of a wooden 27ft 1949 Fred Parker Tumlare for £3,995; a 25ft 1961 two-berth Folkboat ready to cruise for £2,000, and a 25ft GRP Westerly Windrush for £2,950.

Apollo Duck, www.apolloduck.co.uk had 10 appropriate boats; Boatshed www.boatshed.com listed 29 boats between 20-30ft; Boatsandoutboards www.boatsandoutboards.com listed 11; and eBay www.ebay.co.uk listed 14 appropriate GRP and wooden cruisers on their current auctions.

Dave Selby sailing his Sailfish 18 from Maldon to the Solent last year (CS 12).

Boats like this cost less than £2,000 and many are in great condition

Don’t forget that on top of the purchase price you’ll need to factor in the transport cost of getting it to you, and so set your search area accordingly.

And then start totting up the running costs.

Insurance is advisable for the damage that you might inadvertently cause to other boats etc, rather than looking at your own vessel. The cheapest online quote for third party cover was £59.23 for an old Folkboat, with the rest coming in at just under £100.

Where you keep your boat is not only important to your budget, but important for the sense of adventure. And some of the best adventures come in small packages. The problem with a marina berth for the shoestring sailor is that it offers all the home comforts, just a step away from the sidedeck. And that costs. Another fact is that your cabin cruiser needs to come ashore for antifouling and drying out if GRP, and antifouling and painting topsides for wooden boats. Some moorings will be from April to the end of November, in which case you need to find boat storage.

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SHOESTRING SAILING Some examples of great cabin boats

Ranger 29: Designed by Philp Rhodes these were built from 1960. They have that wooden boat look but have great space below and good sea-keeping. Expect to pay £5,000+

Elizabethan 29: One of the first British glassfibre yachts designed by Kim Holman in 1960. Several hundred were built and many are on the market now for less than £3,500. A long keeler like this with a superb sea-keeping reputation is a good investment and worth restoring sympathetically. Check stuff like chainplates and the hull-deck joint.

Halcyon 27: Designed by Alan Buchanan this is a long keeled design that is going to be 50 next year. Easy to sail solo and will look after you in all conditions. From £4,000+

Hurley 22: Designed by Ian Anderson and built from 1966 with either a fin or a bilge keel these are great family cruising boats and have been raced as well. From £2,500

Deben Cherub: wooden cabin cruisers like this – Blackwater sloops, Folkboats et al are often on ebay for under £4,000 (or much less). But do a survey first!

Westerly 22: Twin keel design from GRP pioneer Denys Rayner in 1963 – the original small family yacht. Towable but they have crossed the Atlantic! From £2,000 (or less!)

Commercial marinas are universally too expensive for this budget, so try yacht and sailing clubs. There are a lot of clubs that are full of old salts, rather than crusties from The Squadron. Depending on where you live, and how far you are prepared to travel to get to your cabin cruiser, and if you are prepared to put in communal time for the club, there are some great little clubs tucked away. The Chepstow and District Yacht Club, does without a clubhouse, but costs £28 annually for membership, and then £25 + £2 per foot for mooring, but you have to put in a minimum of 10 hours on work parties or other club duties. So it’s £103 for the year for a 25-footer and the whole of the Severn Estuary to explore...

Swinging/drying moorings: a quick scan of moorings on Boatsandoutboards.com comes up with a wall mooring at Porthmadog North Wales for £500; Chichester Harbour in West Sussex can offer a £300 mooring from 1 April – 1 November on a drying mooring; there are a couple of swinging

moorings for £400 in Argyll, Scotland; River Exe in Devon for £500 up to 25ft; or Portsmouth Harbour at £500 up to 28ft.

Boat storage: If you have to bring your boat out of the water, then the question is boat storage. Most people don’t have farmers with spare barns as friends, so you will have to find an alternative – usually the best rates are with boatyards. Treluggan Boatyard on the Lynher, Cornwall, charges 86p per foot per week, £494.50 for a 25-footer for the winter.

Trailer sailer: This is obviously the cheapest option if you have room for an addition to your drive or back garden. Older GRP yachts and the likes of Drascombe Longboats can be picked up at less than £4,000.

Maintenance

Painting should not be considered a chore, but an enjoyable experience, where you are able to get satisfaction of getting as good a finish as you can

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BOATS ON A BUDGET Some tips on keeping a boat on a budget The mud berth is a less expensive option than a marina and boats are well protected by the mud itself. The disadvantage is that they are so tidal, so you have to plan around your sailing time (unless you dig a trench!). Some places have been removing mud berths but there are still plenty around and they are a great way to keep a wooden boat through winter.

Keeping a wooden cabin boat is an option if you are prepared to spend time on upkeep. Consider a tent, like this (£400) for longer term work to keep her protected.

Ask your friends for help! Swap sailing time for time in the yard especially if you know a cartoonist like Guy Venables (above) who also does sign writing. Or pay them in beer.

Boating on a budget means doing a lot of the work yourself.

But this can be a very rewarding pastime. Leave a long week – nine days for getting a wooden boat ready for the season.

Family boats can be kept up by the whole family. So consider an easter break where mum, dad and the kids all muck in together. (And wear masks unless the wind is behind you!)

get for the conditions. If you insist on making it a chore, use the roller. For other parts of the annual maintenance, we are lucky we live in the age of YouTube for DIY engine servicing, rigging, and even sail repair advice.

Painting – Premier Marine Paints, which claims to be 50% cheaper than other marine paints, would require three tins of antifoul for a full-keeled boat like a Folkboat, or two for a fin keel, at £35 a throw. Topsides would be a 3-litre tin at £41, and then any varnish, undercoats etc – let’s say another £30 of paint to round off at approximately £160.

Engine/outboard service – if you are unsure, even after watching the relevant YouTube videos, what you should be doing, find someone who is a mechanic and get them to show you. New filters and oil changes, and check the spark plugs if appropriate should be doable on a budget of £100.

Rigging & sails – rigging again can be done by asking people and YouTube. For sails, when it comes to replacing, there are a couple of companies

The swinging mooring. There are places where you can still sink your own, but these are the best way to keep a boat’s budget down. You’ll need a good tender though.

that do second hand sails including Saturn Sails www.secondhandsails.co.uk and Yacht Exchange Sails www.exchangesails.co.uk. Otherwise consider buying a sailmaker’s palm and needles, and stitch on repair patches.

Challenge conclusion

So can it be done? Yes it looks like it: Boat purchase: lots of good options for under £4,000 Insurance: £59.23 Moorings: £103 (at Chepstow and District Yacht Club) Winter storage: from zero to c£500 Paints: £160 on antifouling for GRP Engine maintenance: £100 Sail repair kit: £35 TOTAL: £457.23–£957.23 CLASSIC SAILOR

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DRASCOMBE AT 50

Drascombes celebrate fifty years The original Drascombe Lugger was launched 50 years ago. Named after its owner’s wife, the Katharine Mary is now restored, and a Golden Jubilee rally takes place this summer. In the years between, over 6,000 Drascombes have been built

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he late John Watkinson was certainly onto a winner when he designed the Drascombe Lugger. When his wife Kate said she wanted “a day boat so I can go home to my own bed, a loose-footed sail with no boom which I wouldn’t clout my head on, and the engine to be as far away from me as possible to avoid the fumes,” he conceived Katharine Mary and designed and built her over the winter of 1965/66 at Drascombe Barton in Devon. She was launched at the nearby Bradmere Pool in the middle of Dartmoor to ensure she sat on the water properly, which she did. And there began the story of the ‘venerable’ Drascombe Lugger.

The original Luggers were built of wood under licence by Kelly and Hall at Newton Ferrers, then after they ceased

trading, by John and Douglas Elliott under the name of John Elliott Boatbuilder. As the popularity of these boats grew, John Watkinson gave Honnor Marine Totnes the licence to build them in GRP. From there the range of Drascombe boats built in GRP grew to include the Dabber, Longboat, Longboat Cruiser, Scaffie, Skiff, Drifter and Gig. Later the Longboat Cruiser was replaced by the Coaster. The range of wooden Drascombe boats includes the Lugger, Longboat, Longboat Cruiser, Skiff, Scaith, Mule, Peterboat 4.5m, 5m and 6m; also a couple of one-offs by Watkinson himself – the original 19ft Peterboat and Tumult.

Many long distance voyages have been undertaken in a Drascombe. David Pyle sailed his wooden Kelly and Hall built Lugger Hermes from England to Australia in 1969-70. In 1973 Geoff Stewart crossed the Atlantic in a GRP Longboat while

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DRASCOMBE AT 50 Main photo: John Watkinson abuilding the first Drascombe, Katharine Mary, seen afloat on her maiden voyage at Bradmere, this page, far left.

Left and left below: plans and structural details. Far left below: John with HM the Queen in his Navy days.

Bottom: sails and rigging plan

later between 1978 and 1984 Webb Chiles sailed around most of the world in his two GRP Drascombe Luggers.

The licence for the Drascombe boats has been held by Kelly and Hall and John Elliott, (both licenced for wood build only), Honnor Marine Totnes, McNulty and since 2002 by Churchouse Boats Ltd, where the Drifter 22 was brought into production.

Stewart Brown (owner of CBL at the time) wanted a trailer sailer which he could trail, rig, launch, sail and recover all on his own, and with the Drifter 22 he achieved this.

The Drascombes provide safe, simple, sailing to all who decide to buy one. The Dabber is ideal for small creeks and rivers, where the Lugger suits families and mooring up on the beach for a picnic.

The Longboat is popular with larger families, or even Scout groups, Outdoor Education Centres and Sailability Groups.

It can be adapted to meet certain needs for disabled people – something of which CBL are very proud. The Coaster is ideal for cruising around for either a short weekend, or even longer for the more adventurous.

The Gig is a good training boat – in the early days they were used by the Navy for this purpose, and two Gigs owned

by London Nautical School were in the

“I like to think John Watkinson would be proud of what has been achieved over 50 years” Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Finally, the Drifter 22 is the ideal version for those who want a bit more room inside, along with an ability to go cruising further afield.

There are over 6,000 Drascombes around the world.

In 2013 Stewart Brown retired and passed on the business to Sharon and Simon Harwood, who this year celebrated the brand’s 50th anniversary with the restoration of the original Katharine Mary, which they showed at the 2017 London Boat Show.

Also marking the 50th anniversary is the aforementioned Drascombe Golden Jubilee event, over a long weekend from July 6-9 at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Organised by Sharon Geary-Harwood and Dick Pizey this follows on from last year’s successful Drascamp last year, when over 100 people and 32 boats (nine different Drascombes) met for a week’s sailing and camping.

Says Sharon: “I like to think John Watkinson would have been proud of what has been achieved over the 50 years of Drascombe production and history, and here’s to the next 50 years.”

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THE MATTHEW OF BRISTOL

Matthew:

navigating choppy financial waters As Bristol’s historic replica celebrates her 20th anniversary, William Oram reports on the management changes that have helped her survive

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he world is full of good intentions, and that includes all the good intentions about preserving for posterity historic ships that are intrinsic to the history and heritage of our island nation. But good intentions are never enough, and what is often needed is a blueprint of how to go about something properly. And often the best way to learn what you can do is look at what successful operations have done, and adapt it to your own circumstances.

On 2 May this year The Matthew of Bristol , the only sailing replica of a Tudor caravel, celebrated the 20th anniversary of her re-enactment of John Cabot’s voyage across the Atlantic to discover and lay claim to Newfoundland for King Henry VII. Bristol’s Lord Mayor arrived to join the trustees and volunteers who have helped to keep the Matthew afloat and sailing over the years. The Lord Mayor’s Chaplain blessed the ship and all who sail in her, so that she can continue to be a key attraction to the Floating Harbour, and an icon and

ambassador for the city, before captain Rick Wakeham took her on a tour of the harbour, and back to her docking pontoon for a celebratory glass of fizz.

However, it could have all been very different, had it not been for the determination, energy and enthusiasm of proud Bristolian and former Lord Mayor Royston Griffey.

The 2nd of May is a significant date for Royston. It’s the date he joined the Matthew Society in 1997, as well as his son’s birthday and the date he bought his Queen Anne house on the fringes of Bristol after 17 years as a Crown Counsel in Hong Kong. And this year, using a stump of the old mast from the Matthew he launched a new fund-raising scheme of nailing ‘colours’ to the mast – the colours being the colour of money exchanged for a washer to be signed and hammered home.

When the Matthew was first launched during the first International Festival of the Sea in 1996, she caused such a buzz of excitement that the Harbour Master had

The Matthew of Bristol, launched 1996 – she was dedicated at Bristol’s International Festival of the Sea, in time to recreate Cabot’s 1497 voyage of discovery

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THE MATTHEW OF BRISTOL

There was concern about the long-term future of the ship, and proposals to turn her into a static exhibition on the quay wall were even being considered

to force a passage for the ship amongst the spectator boats that thronged around her when she toured the harbour. After the successful re-enactment voyage, tour of the US eastern seaboard, and over-winter in Toronto, the Tudor caravel replica became an incongruous bolt-on to the SS Great Britain, Brunel’s great steam and sail beast, part of the same trust and docked close by.

Before 2008 traditional sail festivals paid good attendance money, but as the banking collapse bit into the economies at large, these reduced and so did the Matthew’s excursions outside the Floating Harbour and the Avon.

By this time the SS Great Britain Trust had leased out the Matthew to be run by a private operator, but there was concern about the long term future of the ship, and proposals to turn her into a static exhibition against the quay wall were even being considered.

Royston, who had enthusiastically joined the Matthew Society as the ship left Bristol and continued his support by volunteering to sail and maintain her, working his way up “from teaboy to chairman”, was not going to let this happen. It became apparent to him that a separate trust for the Matthew was needed to ensure it a healthy future, and so recruiting as many Lord Mayors of Bristol he could lay his hands on, he formed The Matthew of Bristol Trust in 2010. By 2011 a business plan and structure were in place, ready for the gifting of the ship from the SS Great Britain Trust to The Matthew of Bristol Trust on 29 February 2012.

However, the gift was not all nicely wrapped and packaged. When Rick Wakeham, as new captain of the Matthew, took command on 1 January 2013 of running the ship for the trust, full MCA and structural surveys were carried out.

“The full structural report found five rotten planks in the stern,” he says. “We found corroded fuel lines and worn-out bearings, and the electrical system needed replacing. And the bilge pumps were not working, Also, someone had thought they were saving money by dousing the whole boat with raw linseed oil, which never went off, so had a sticky texture that just attracted dirt, and everything was black.”

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THE MATTHEW OF BRISTOL

Twenty years on and the Matthew sails under the flag of The Matthew of Bristol Trust

This had not been expected, but luckily Royston had been active in selling life memberships of The Matthew of Bristol Trust, and so there was money in the kitty.

The extent of the neglect had been so extensive that the Trust took the previous operator to court, and was awarded damages of over £25,000 – the cost of getting the ship seaworthy – by the court.

And is still waiting to receive this sum.

From this unpromising start the Trust has progressed to delivering a £110,000 turnover in 2013, and £115,000 in 2014 and a consistent revenue at that level.

“What was obvious to me is that it was all very well going out blue-water sailing, which was good fun, but it was not paying the bills,” says Rick.

The days of big attendance fees for classic craft festivals had got lost in the mud of austerity. Out went the expensive

professionals, and the running of the ship is now dependent on the team of some 30 volunteers who delight in showing visitors how the Tudor sailors would have sailed their ship across the Atlantic.

Operations for the Matthew became based in the Floating Harbour, where educational trips for schools, and fish & chip tours, as well as motors down the Avon to the Bristol Channel have become the standard fare, that pay the bills, engage the people of Bristol, and ensure that this icon of the city stays afloat, both on the water and financially.

If the daily operations of this success were the responsibility of the Matthew’s captain, it was the trust’s treasurer Richard Sandwell who laid down the foundations of the success of the operation.

“We were profitable and cash positive from year one. There’s not many businesses where you can say you are profitable from the start,” says the accountant and former partner of PwC Consulting who has had a big hand in making sure the Matthew did not sink beneath the waves.

Richard has developed a sophisticated tax-efficient blueprint for operating a

Educational trips and fish & chip tours pay the bills, engage the people of Bristol and ensure that this icon of the city stays afloat, both on the water and financially

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THE MATTHEW OF BRISTOL Cannon fire and authentic costumes for the volunteer crew

JOHN CABOT

historic vessel successfully, which he is more than happy to share: The Matthew of Bristol Trust is the core charitable organisation with the aims of preserving the Matthew. The financial structure involves splitting the organization into two parts: The Matthew of Bristol Trust itself, which ultimately owns the ship, and The Matthew (Ventures) Limited, which is its trading subsidiary.

This not only creates a legal firewall, which means that if the operating company is sued as the result, say, of an accident, the Trust itself is not at risk of losing the ship, but it also enables a beneficial tax regime.

Because the Matthew can be classed as a cruise ship, being over 15 tons and capable of carrying 13 or more passengers, and meeting various other criteria (under HMRC Notice 744C) it qualifies for zerorate VAT.

This means ticket prices don’t have to carry the burden of VAT – but only for events where the ship moves (static hire doesn’t count), and not for ancillary provisions such as food. “This can be crucial in setting prices that people will pay,” says Richard.

The Matthew (Ventures), as a limited company does not have to pay corporation tax on any part of its profits (in this case all of them) that it gives to a charity (in this case The Matthew of Bristol Trust). The Trust itself is not VAT-registered, its income being below the threshold, but the ship’s zero-rating enables it to instruct suppliers of maintenance materials or marine services to the ship itself not to charge VAT. Major costs – a new mast or engine for example – are handled by the Trust, which seeks donations. A new mast for the Matthew, already on the agenda, will cost

The voyage of John Cabot in 1497 in the Matthew from Bristol was of enormous significance to the fortunes of England. The voyage of adventure into the unknown over the Western horizon to discover a shorter route to China failed in this aim, but set up Henry VII and subsequent English monarchs with ‘finders keepers’ rights to the North American continent, and paved the way to the expansion of Empire through its colonies.

John Cabot was reputedly born in Genoa, before the family moved to Venice. He became a Venetian citizen and joined in its maritime trading tradition, in the search for securing cheaper exotic goods from China that did not have to come via the Silk Route. His trading ventures might not have been all that successful, as when escaping debtors in Spain he was inspired by that other famous Italian adventurer Christopher Columbus who had discovered the West Indies and claimed southern America for the Spanish crown.

Cabot came to Bristol, where Bristol merchants were in the habit of funding voyages of discovery into the Atlantic, and he gained a charter from Henry VII to discover and claim lands for England in a search for a Northwest Passage to China.

In 1497 he set out from Bristol on 2 May, and made landfall on 24 June on what became known as the New Founde Landes. On his swift return, he was rewarded by King Henry, who was quite happy to back a second, larger expedition.

In 1498 Cabot set sail with a fleet of five ships, and trinkets, and sailed off into the sunset, and was either never heard of again or just disappeared into obscurity.

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THE MATTHEW OF BRISTOL

THE MATTHEW OF BRISTOL

The the idea for a replica of John Cabot’s Tudor caravel the Matthew came from the late Martyn Heighton, who died last year, the passionate director of National Historic Ships UK, trustee of the SS Great Britain and organiser of the first International Festival of the Sea in Bristol in 1996.

Bristol losing out to Glasgow as European Capital of Culture for 1990 had piqued Martin into thinking of an icon for the city.

The idea led to building a replica to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Cabot’s North America discovery by re-enacting the original voyage, which had set out on 2 May 1497.

In 1994 work started building the new Matthew at Redcliffe Wharf in the Floating Harbour, after extensive research and a design drawn by renowned naval architect Colin Mudie.

The £2m ship was dedicated at the International Festival of the Sea in 1996 at a ceremony in the floating harbour. On 2 May 1997 the replica Matthew set off down the Avon to

Top: crew quarters; above left: the poop deck; right: nailing ‘colours’ to the mast to commemorate donations (£5 bronze, £10 silver, £20 gold)

£25,000, and the National Trust has already donated the tree it will made from.

Ventures meanwhile pays for all routine expenses, including engaging Wakeham Marine, the company set up by skipper Rick Wakeham to run and maintain the ship on a day-to-day basis, including provision of a qualified skipper. The crew is formed by unpaid volunteers.

The Matthew of Bristol Trust is a wholly not-for-profit charity – all money raised goes directly to maintaining the ship so that people can continue to visit her and learn about her rich history, old and new.

The Matthew is free to visit when she’s moored at the quayside next to the MShed in Bristol’s Floating Harbour, and her volunteer crew will happily talk about the ship and answer any questions. There is a collection box by the mast, or supporters can donate online via BTMydonate. Gift Aid

adds 25p in every pound from UK taxpayers and the Mydonate site also has fundraising suggestions. Or why not join the crew as a volunteer?

The ship also meets her educational objectives by providing for school trips, especially Key Stages 1 and 2 which link to the Tudor and Explorer themes in the national curriculum as well as local history for schools in the Bristol area.

Other options include Pirates! for reception and years 1 and 2, and ‘First Mate’, an hour-long hands-on harbour trip aimed at years 3 to 6.

Event hire, corporate team-building and film and TV work are other ways of enjoying the Matthew while contributing to her upkeep.

If you would like to find out more about sailing on or supporting the Matthew, please see matthew.co.uk or call 0117 9276868

sail across the Atlantic to Bonavista in Canada – Cabot’s reputed landfall – to be welcomed by the Queen.

The original Matthew was able to take 18 crew and 50 tuns (wine casks), and was probably built from oak, larch and pine, with a single oak keel.

The replica used an African opepe hardwood in the keel, as there were no longer any oaks big enough to copy the Tudor building methods.

The rest of the ship was built of oak, larch and Douglas fir.

The full-size replica is 78ft (24m) in length overall with a beam of 20ft 6in (6.25m) and draught of 7ft (2.1m) and 2,360sq ft (219m2) of sail.

After the successful recreation of the John Cabot voyage, the Matthew cruised the US Eastern Seaboard before returning home the next year.

The Matthew was then run by the SS Great Britain Trust, until 2012 when after finding difficulties in running a Victorian steamship and a Tudor caravel as one attraction, the SS Great Britain Trust leased her to an independent operator.

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Come Sail with Me Vigilance of Brixham

Vigilance was built in 1926, the last sailing trawler to be built at Uphams Yard, Brixham.

She is 78 foot long and weighs 95 tons.

Registered as a National Historic Ship, Vigilance is part of the UK Historic Fleet.

Vigilance is fully certified by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and has berths for 12 passengers.

We provide day sailings or longer Charters from Easter to October and attend rallies and festivals along the South Coast, the Channel Islands or France.

Sail with our experienced Skippers and Crew and try your hand at steering, hoisting the sails or just sit back and keep watch for dolphins!

Prices start from only £25 per adult (£12.50 for children) for 3 hours.

New crew members and helpers are always welcome - no previous experience required, training is provided!

We are all volunteers, dedicated to the preservation of Brixham’s sailing trawler heritage.

We are supported by “The Friends of The Vigilance” Reg. Charity number: 1168570

As seen on BBC TV’s “The Coroner”!

We are supported by “Friends of The Vigilance” Reg. Charity number: 1168570

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POST BOAT TRY OUT

Ullswater by Post Boat Sailing a Post Boat on Ullswater was a great way to experience in the Lake District in traditional style, says Dan Houston. With sailing notes by Adrian Deneye

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here is a part of Ullswater – one of the great Cumbrian lakes – that is supposed to have inspired Willliam Wordsworth’s most famous poem, Daffodils. Returning home to Grasmere after staying in Pooley Bridge in 1802 he and his wife Dorothy came across a swathe of the yellow flowers “as wide as a country turnpike road” dancing in the wind or “resting their heads upon the stones as on a pillow for weariness”, Dorothy wrote in her diary. It was in an area of woodland south west of Gowbarrow and Dorothy goes on to describe the sound of the waves as if they were the sea.

While the roar of disturbed water might be fuelled and amplified by the ring of mountains around this end of the lake it’s still one of the prettiest places to have a boating holiday. And you can tack up Wordsworth’s sometime daffodil shore or gaze up the majestic valleys of this Eden district from the better vantage point of being on the water. And what better way to

do it than with a seaworthy gaff rigged boat based on west highland workboat lines?

We borrowed a 14ft 6in (4.4m) Post Boat from Character Boats’ Martin Dooley who builds them in Lancashire. She’s an old workboat design; her moulds were taken from the Loch Broom Post Boat, which is now in the Scottish maritime museum at Irvine. We immediately liked the simple design with its deep chested lines which promised comfort aboard in a bit of weather. Martin showed us how to set up the rig and within a few minutes we were launched and away.

During the next few days we had several sails up and down the lake – sometimes with five people on board. There is no centreboard or keel on the Post Boat, but she is heavy enough to hold onto the wind and while we probably did not get the best out of her pointing ability we loved her surging movement once we came off a point of two. The lack of centreboard creates extra space and she has comfy side seats with plenty of room to lounge around.

Main photo: the Post Boat is comfy with several crew aboard. Inset top: She has plenty of room. Inset above: Martin Dooley of Character Boats.

Left: launching from Glenridding, note her flared entry sections and bilge “keels”

Coming about was always easy as her weight brings her through the wind; you’d seldom need to back the jib (see notes later), which, hanked onto a bowsprit has plenty of drive to lead her and you don’t get a sense of being thrown back by waves.

Her high peaked gaff – she’s practically gunter-rigged – also helps in low airs and you can be slipping along doing a knot or two in almost no wind. She’s also stable, with her 6ft 8in beam, and has a confident quiet feel to her. If the wind really does die, then you can destroy the peace with her little 2.5hp Yamaha in its inboard well. We did find this engine useful and almost like an inboard as you carry on steering with the superbly constructed curvy tiller. Like the other bits of wood on the boat, it gives

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A traditional displacement craft usually has a curved underwater hull form and cuts a hole for itself as it moves through the water

a sense of tradition without the work that sometimes goes with it. The whole boat is very low maintenance, and a few happily sit out under their covers all year round.

She’s small enough to beach easily where her bilge keels help in pulling her up; she weighs 450kg though, so you don’t lift her!

We had a great time with this boat and above all loved that she felt so safe.

For getting the best out of her though we turned to an expert: Adrian Deneye who used to run Character Boats. Here’s his advice on sailing her and craft like this.

Sailing tips from Adrian Deneye Nowadays most people learn to sail on courses in a class dinghy. They are lightweight craft usually with a flat bottom

section aft designed to plane over the water.

For stability they rely on the crew weight to balance the boat when sailing. With these craft it is a power to weight ratio game, so carrying large sail areas in higher winds can give high speeds when planing, providing you can keep it balanced, and not capsize. This is a very different sailing technique than is required for a traditional displacement craft such as the Post Boat.

A traditional displacement craft usually has a curved underwater hull form. It sits slightly deeper in the water and cuts a hole for itself as it moves forward through the water. It will never plane and maximum hull speed is governed by its wave making linked to its waterline length. The Post Boat is a 14ft 6in displacement craft with a top speed of 5

knots. It has a generous sail area of 135sqft for good light wind performance and is a seaworthy craft.

Carrying excess sail area in strong winds will not give more speed, as with a planing dinghy, but just cause more heeling and create bigger bow and stern waves, so it is equipped with reefing gear which must be used in wind force 4 and above. It takes less than two minutes to reef underway. When reefed it will maintain its speed of 5 knots but be heeled less and still be easy to sail.

In wind force 5 go to the second reef in the mainsail and take in a couple of turns on the jib furling gear.

In wind force 6, a competent sailor can still handle the Post Boat but most leisure sailors would not be thinking of going out.

Stability and a feeling of being secure are attributes of sailing the Post Boat which is based on the lines of a Scottish workboat (once used by the postman) of Loch Broom in Wester Ross

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POST BOAT TRY OUT

SUMMARY OF SAILING TIPS • Keep the tiller hard over until you have fully come about, do not straighten the tiller as you move across the cockpit.

• Release the jib sheet once the helm has gone over, and allow the jib to blow across and past the mast before pulling in the new jib sheet.- do not back the jib • Release the mainsheet when head to wind and allow it to pay out on the new tack, do not keep it pinned in as this will cause to mainsail to act like a weather vane and prevent the craft coming about.

• Correct shape and setting for jib – as much slack to jib sheet as possible without the sail flapping is the optimum setting.

• Do not overpower the craft as soon as it comes on a new tack, but bring in the mainsheet gradually to bring on more mainsail power as boat speed picks up, this will reduce excess heeling and leeway.

• Steering to windward: Go for optimised boat speed with a reasonable heading rather than trying to pinch up too high – you will reach your destination sooner.

• Reef to suit the wind strength and conditions – reefing does not slow a displacement craft, it just makes it easier to handle and shows good seamanship.

The Post Boat has a long, shallow fixed keel with internal ballast cast into it. It was originally developed over 200 years ago as a crofter’s boat for working off Scottish island beaches. It can be launched off a beach and sailed in knee-deep water, as the rudder is protected by the keel, without the need to get into deeper water before dropping a centre plate and lowering a rudder to make it sail properly, a huge advantage for sailing off beaches and in shallow tidal coastal waters.

Other displacement craft and some dayboats may have deep fin keel or metal centre plates and folding rudders but these require deeper water to sail in and are not as practical for launching in surf or in a tidal swell or for trailer sailing.

When sailing to windward it’s important to understand the difference between the course steered, the actual course sailed allowing for leeway and the course made good over the ground allowing for boat speed, leeway and tide.

There is little that you can do about the tide other than avoid the worst of it; time your sailing to suit your passage.

If sailing in an estuary, observe where the tide is running strongest – you can usually see this on the water’s surface. Avoid sailing across the full width of the estuary but keep

Above Alice Driscoll and Griff Rhys Jones sailing a Post Boat on Ullswater

POST BOAT Length rigged 18ft (5.49m) LOA 14ft 6in (4.4m) Beam 6ft 8in (2.05m) Draught 1ft 9in (0.53m) Sail Area 135 sqft (12.5m2) Weight 450kg £15,600

to one side where the tidal stream is less and do a series of shorter tacks keeping in shallower water. Avoid deep channels where the tide is likely to be strongest unless it is running in a favourable direction.

How close can your boat sail into the wind? A well-tuned bermudan-rig racing craft may steer 32 degrees off the wind plus leeway of approx 8 degrees, which gives a realistic figure of 40 degrees off the wind.

A traditional craft with gaff rig will not match the above racing craft. At best it may steer 40 degrees off the wind plus 8 degrees leeway giving a realistic 48 degrees.

However bearing off and steering at 45 degrees from the wind will usually see a dramatic increase in speed and allowing for 8 degrees leeway will give a realistic course made good of 53 degrees. The increase in speed by bearing away will more than pay for itself. Even though you will require more tacks the increased speed will get you to the windward destination quicker.

So the moral is always go for ‘optimised boat speed with reasonable pointing ability’.

The other major point that I notice is that some sailors have difficulty going about and getting settled under way on the new tack. Following this step by step sequence, will make life easier, it is well proven.

Procedure and sequence for tacking to windward

1. Before going about, check wind direction

using the masthead burgee.

2. Look backwards along the line of your

wake and pick off a suitable marker point on the shore line, slightly upwind of the reciprocal course, remember to aim for this when you have gone about.

3. If boat speed is low, bear away for a few seconds to pick up boat speed.

4. Check for other craft or hazards.

5. When you decide to go about, call Lee Oh! to warn the crew you are about to tack.

6. Assuming you are sitting to windward, push the tiller over, away from you, with a positive action and follow it moving across the cockpit, to sit down on the opposite side.

7. Important: Ensure you keep the tiller over, do not straighten it up as you move.

8. The craft should now be turning up into the wind; release the jib sheet or tell your crew to do it. You should now also release the mainsheet, giving it plenty of slack.

9. Note it is very important that the mainsail is released as if it is kept pinned in tight, the boat will not continue turning. The mainsail will act as a weather vane, and hold the craft head to wind preventing it paying off on the new tack, especially with a gaff mainsail.

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POST BOAT TRY OUT

10. Keeping the tiller over, as the bow crosses through the wind, the jib should blow through past the mast on to the other side. Only now should you tighten the opposite jib sheet. DO NOT do it too soon or even worse back the jib, as this will stop the boat dead in the water.

11. As the bow continues coming around on to the new tack, initially tighten the new sheet as the jib fills, then slowly release the jib sheet giving the foot of the jib a more curved aerofoil shape, this will start generating lift and the craft will gain forward momentum. Now as the bow comes further round, release the jib further until it just starts to flap then re-tighten it slightly so that the flapping stops. This is the optimum setting for your jib.

12. Look for your pre-determined sighting mark on the shoreline and when the bow has swung around and is pointing at it, only then straighten the tiller to the centreline.

13. Now bring the mainsheet in a little, to bring on more power. The craft should respond and accelerate on her new course.

DO NOT sheet in too quickly as this will cause her to heel excessively and create leeway. Instead allow her to accelerate for a few seconds before gradually sheeting in a bit more. She should accelerate further,

Some sailors have difficulty going about and getting settled on the new tack. keep doing this until she is at full speed and does not accelerate any more, which means you have passed the optimum setting, then release the mainsheet slightly.

14. At this point re check the jib setting; if you can let it out slightly without flapping then do so to give the maximum curved shape for the new course, its optimum setting.

15. The boat should now be moving well and sailing fast on her new course. You can now try sailing a little closer to the wind.

16. Observe the masthead burgee which will be showing the apparent wind, and its position in relation to the mainsail. It should be streaming aft nearly in line with the sail.

17. Apparent wind is the result of the true wind and the speed of the boat.

18. Push the tiller away from you and head up 5 degrees then straighten the tiller, maintain the new course and observe if the sails start to flap or if the boat speed slows down.

19. If the sails start to flap adjust them accordingly. If the boat is holding its speed then maintain this new course. If the

speed through the water starts to fall away significantly then go back on to the old course and adjust the sails accordingly.

20. Observe wind shifts and keep trying to sail a better course without losing speed.

21. If you notice a major wind shift, ask yourself: if I go on the other tack will I be sailing closer to my destination or be sailing further away from it? If the answer is closer then prepare to tack.

22. With practice this process of constantly challenging yourself and making small course and sail alterations will become second nature.

23. Ask a sailing companion to observe you and keep you concentrating and following the correct sequence to see the difference it makes.

24. Good sailing is about developing a sense of feel for where the wind is coming from and what your boat is doing. It has little to do with brute force, judging speed by how far the boat is heeling over, or making big waves – these are all signs of wasted power and poor efficiency.

25. A well sailed boat will move fast through the water with minimum wave making and have a light feel to the tiller and be a joy to sail.

Sailing on the lake gives you better views of the mountains and valleys in this pretty part of northern England

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FALMOUTH FOR ARTISTS

Falmouth’s finest artists Two great marine artists face each other in Falmouth Art Gallery. Derek Toyne reports on the work of Charles Napier Hemy and Henry Scott Tuke

F

almouth Art Gallery’s recent ‘Artists Afloat’, exhibition (until June 17), features two local artists: Charles Napier Hemy and Henry Scott Tuke. Both reached the pinnacle of their profession, both became members of the Royal Academy, but today neither is widely regarded. For this I can offer no explanation. I am not an artist, nor an art critic. Sadly, I am not a sailor anymore either. We were priced off the water some 10 years ago, and our cherished gaffer passed on to a new owner who could support her increasingly expensive lifestyle.

I am therefore duly grateful to the Gallery for this evocative echo from the end of our port’s glory days, and for their generosity in inviting us in free.

Henry Scott Tuke was born in York in 1859. The family moved to Falmouth when he was four, where his father set up practice as a doctor. Clearly Henry had innate talent.

His first known drawing is said to date from the age of five. Subsequently he studied at the Slade, then Paris, moved briefly to the artists’ colony in Newlyn, and returned to Falmouth in 1885. He died in 1929, but remained in local living memory till the 1960s.

(While going round the exhibition I fell in with an old Sunbeam sailor. He assured me Tuke had a Sunbeam at the end of his life.)

Tuke’s output was prodigious. Over 1,000 items are said to be listed covering a range of subjects, though this exhibition covers only maritime works. Clearly he was knowledgeable about sailing craft of all kinds. His attitude to them seems to show respect bred through familiarity.

Despite his love of the subject, he remains a detached observer. The weight and power of towering square riggers is there, but not demonstrated. Sunbeams are objects of undeniable beauty, even if ready for release into fierce competition and probably spats

‘Sunbeam’ by Charles Napier Hemy

of ungentlemanly ill temper.

According to W G Browning: “Tuke was... a perfect wizard at the tiller... with his one-rater Red Hart he literally swept the board of prizes for the West.”

Unsurprisingly, many of his paintings have a low eyeline. Boats are seen from the level of the helmsman against and beneath finely painted water colour skies. A self-portrait of Tuke suggests a careful observer, but not an intrusive painter. “Exactly who,” he seems to wonder, “is that quirky stranger in the mirror?”

The portrait of Charles Napier Hemy by John Singer Sargent could hardly be more different. Hemy was born in Newcastleupon-Tyne in 1841. He was of a musical and artistic family, two of his brothers also being painters. He studies at the Government School of Design in Newcastle, continued his studies in Antwerp and London, and arrived in Falmouth in 1881. By the time of the Sergant portrait he was an impressive

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FALMOUTH FOR ARTISTS Left: ‘The Run Home’ by Henry Scott Tuke Right: top, Henry Scott Tuke, below, Charles Napier Hemy

figure, smartly dressed with groomed grey hair and a fine walrus moustache. One senses perhaps a degree of irritation with this upstart American portraitist. Hemy’s own thoughts on this episode are given in one of

the well chosen texts which accompany this exhibition.

Hemy was very much an artist of his time. His paintings project Victorian self-confidence and pride. His approach

‘Youth’ by Charles Napier Hemy

has much in common with the theatre of the day. Big effects, sweeping sensations, all shared with a complicit audience. Detail is not always great, but compared to the lift of a wave under her stern and the smell of salt, does it really matter if that lugger is in danger of losing her mast? So long as the painting hangs the mast will stand, and for the majority of viewers, Hemy’s imagination will do the rest.

The difference between Hemy and Tuke is nicely exemplified in two large canvases facing each other across a corner of the gallery. To starboard is Tuke’s ‘The Run Home.’ The helmsman is relaxed, it is a fine day, the crew sprawl happily on the deck.

To port, on a similar sized canvas showing a similar yacht, Hemy’s sons cling to a tilting deck, soaked to the skin as they round a buoy. Spray flies and water hisses along the leeward gunwale. And like Tuke’s crew, they could not be happier.

This exhibition is not without humour.

Falmouth is renowned for modern automata.

For the turn of a handle one can witness the final brush stroke of that Sargent painting, or see Tuke carried aloft by a burly crew in search of the sea. Next to the massive, almost heroic, Hemy canvas ‘Pilchards’ one can see what the artist kept in his cellar.

Despite their differences in style and age, for 30 years Tuke and Hemy were firm friends. They still are in fact. Turn your back to Hemy’s cascade of fish, and you may glimpse them amongst other visitors to the exhibition. They are deeply engaged in discussion of a sketch. So much so in fact, that they fail to notice the herring gull stealing their sandwiches.

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MARINE MOTORING

Casting off (or breaking free)

Helen Lewis, the Skipper, Ship’s Dog and Gralian tear themselves away from boatyard to begin the Great Adventure by heading for Paris

O

ne of the things that is interestingly difficult is untying.

Anyone who has even a passing interest in boats will know that harbours and marinas are full of boats that go nowhere. People with bright dreams, who buy the books and equipment but never do more than a short day trip or twice a year. Worse still you will find graveyards of boats, rotting hulls, torn canopies flapping in the wind, flaccid inflatables with rancid puddles of water.

What was once someone’s pride and joy left to moulder when their interests moved on or they became too old to care.

For me it was something slightly different.

For almost a year I had been a boatbuilder’s apprentice. Mind and soul concentrating on restoration. Sure the water was there

a few yards from the sheds, a few people even came and went – on boats! But ours was firmly grounded, surrounded by curls of wood instead of lapping water. We had sort of lost our way and possibly our nerve.

The boatyard and its rhythms had become comfortably familiar. I started to have a faint feeling of panic that if we didn’t get out of there soon we would silt up. Just another dreamer. The land folk casting a spell that would hold us transfixed.

Gralian came out of the shed one late spring morning, gleaming perfection and was trundled down the rough road of Southwold Harbour and into the racing muddy waters of the Blyth. Her engines gunned her into the water at alarming speed with clouds of exhaust fumes and she chortled a mere 200 yards towards the sea

Left: Keeping occupied while we wait in Dover

before coming to rest just outside her shed.

Enter our Dear Barbara – yard administrator and stalwart friend. “You need to go’,” she said firmly. “You mustn’t wait; when you have a weather window you MUST GO.” “We must go,” we obediently mumbled. “We must go to France. She is a boat now not a project.”

For her part Gralian was snugly nestled between boats that were exactly of that ‘going nowhere’ variety. Bravely we steeled ourselves and in a slight drizzle we let go her springs, having consulted one another on our exit strategy. Tentatively and with our boatyard family anxiously looking on we eased her out and headed for the harbour entrance. There was so much invested in her – not just our money but their time and skill and wisdom – it felt utterly daring to remove her from them.

The journey to the harbour mouth was a blur. Vaguely we registered that friends had raced down the track beside us, waving and cheering us on. The rosy face of Di from the café beamed at us from the harbour wall.

Children momentarily raised their heads from their crabs to see Gralian all gleaming white and chrome surge out and into the open sea.

The sea though, the sea. Once out there everything else dropped away and we cut

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THIS CRUISING LIFE: PART 10

through the small grey waves dappling and dancing towards another east coast river.

Not so far but a world away. Past the mouth of the Deben we went; that would have been too easy, another home from home, another cosy bolt hole. The Old Girl was doing a comfortable eight knots and all our fears dropped away. She tossed her prow, her steadying sail filled gently with wind and feeling her confidence we too relaxed.

We still had a bit to do and as it happened it would take a few weeks to get to France.

We stayed in the Orwell for a week. The Skipper had decreed that he needed his Coastal Skipper practical before we set forth for good and I had bravely admitted that I was far from confident about close quarters manoeuvres. Between you and me I’m not much better now but I rarely have to expose myself to scrutiny since the Skipper is great at boat-handling and I’m quicker with the lines.

Anyway, enter Peter, an instructor of instructors and a man with nerves of steel.

Suffolk Yacht Harbour is home to the East Anglian Sailing School and it was from them that we had had the inestimable Cap’n Andy many years before when we set off to sea for the first time, in Sea Lion, our small plastic

tub. Now we had an experienced motorboat instructor and he bravely agreed to (try to) improve my boat-handling. Little did he know the challenge he faced. Attempt after attempt was made to bring Gralian into a pontoon. You know, the wretched things are low and small and you can’t see them! There isn’t a bow thruster in sight and ferry gliding – well that’s just something smart-arses

The sea though, the sea.

Once out there everything else dropped away and we cut through the waves prattle on about but me, I couldn’t master it, though I’m certain I could glide into a ferry given half a chance.

The Skipper grew paler as I charged again.

The one thing it did improve was his ability to get a fender down our sides at lightning speed. An inquisitive friend in Oxfordshire, who has an unnatural addiction to AIS, phoned to enquire why we were continually going round in circles and our instructor

admitted defeat. The Skipper however learnt his skipper stuff sickeningly efficiently and passed with flying colours.

Incompetent crew or not we set off for Chatham. I quickly forgot my embarrassments with the excitement of locking in to that ancient port. The grandeur and the feeling that mighty warships had only just departed were swiftly followed by our first visit to Nando’s.

Yes, I did say Nando’s. Chatham has been all bijouxed up with restaurants and the like. The dog, Skipper and I huddled outside eating the limited vegetarian option with a small hurricane blowing about our ears.

Paper bags and chip cartons charged down the pavements at us in frenzied attack while we tried to remind ourselves that we were ‘living the dream’.

We followed that with a two week stint trapped by weather in Dover. Harbour Marine Services came steaming down by road to mend a piece of teak decking where a slight weakness in the grain had caused a split and an equally small oil leak. Our old world collided with our new one for a delightful few hours as we caught up with boatyard gossip and drank tea but still it

Left: The dream begins Above, top: A bit of traffic in the Channel Middle: Honfleur Bottom: Richard the Lion Heart’s castle

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MARINE MOTORING The Skipper’s word

A drink aboard with our Parisienne guide

didn’t quite feel like the cruise of a lifetime, as our land-bound friends insisted on labelling our reckless flight to sea.

So let us fast forward a little and get on with that dream. Many of you will have crossed the Channel many times. Always thought-provoking but so much easier now one can calculate the speed of approaching monster boats and pick one’s moment to scuttle across the shipping channels.

Having come clean that my credentials as a helmswoman are not quite up to the mark the best I can do is guide you through the ancillary delights of a cruising life. So – Boulogne has world-class bakery and cheese shop. The ferries no longer go in there, the dog has a good patch of grass to wee on and it retains some old-world charm that is singularly missing in Calais, so it is a nobrainer for one’s first night going foreign.

the Lion Heart and moored up next to a rat colony that nevertheless managed to charm us with their evening activities, teenagers sliding and tumbling into the water then rushing round to repeat the experience very like our own children at a similar age.

Entering Paris by river in your own boat never ceases to thrill. Those huge statues sculpted into the very fabric of the bridges are as exquisitely crafted from below as from above. The pleasure of seeing the soles of their feet and daring to look up their skirts is a secret one can share if one is quick enough with a camera. That is if you also concentrate on the peniche set to ram you and the complicated one-way system.

Gralian once had her own mooring here, right next to Notre Dame. A bumpy mooring this would be fifty years on.

Safely tied up in the Bastille we had a dinner date. A ‘child’ to us, the of old friends but now Entering Paris by river in your own daughter a beautiful young woman and boat never ceases to thrill... Gralian chief designer for Louis Vuitton handbags! It is one of the once had her own mooring here delights of cruising that every few months one glides into a port where one knows someone. Here we had Jump a few ports west and we are in an elegant Parisienne to charm us to the best Honfleur. Hot tip – don’t go into the inner table in the house, choose the finest wine and harbour if you don’t like being gawped at, explain away vegetarianism for all three of us and be assured it is just as pretty as everyone in fluent and gracious French. says. Here we entered the Seine and began By the time we left Paris we felt like our journey inland across France. In one natives ourselves. We watched the airborne swoop, with the tide, one must get from rehearsal salute for Bastille Day and moved the sea to Rouen. There is nowhere to stop on the next day. When Bastille Day arrived and one is accompanied by big boy cargo we found ourselves at the end of the Seine vessels. Rouen though is a worthy goal. On and the beginning of the canal system with our return journey, a couple of years later, a broken water pump. As luck would have we spent a happy week there waiting for the it there were a number of other boats of weather in the Channel to calm. A week varying nationality here, some travelling one spent in golden autumnal sun rubbing down way, some the other. We agreed to join the and varnishing,visiting the fine opera house, French on their national holiday and held an scoffing some great food and meandering impromptu Bastille BBQ on the river bank. through the medieval streets.

The Ship’s Dog was in ecstasy: BBQs are such On this first visit we moved on swiftly. shaky affairs and so often lead to inattentive We had a week booked in the Bastille. No chefs and fallen sausages. dungeon this, instead a harbour set amidst Next: Rivers and canals across France. Porta flower garden in the heart of Paris. On our St-Louis-du-Rhône or bust. way we passed the mighty castle of Richard

There is a lovely piece of film of Gralian attending the 1938 Pavillon d’Or International Rally in Ostend. Her first owner’s husband had died the year before in a flying accident, but Mrs Sherren decided to keep the boat and use her. She hired a professional skipper and went foreign. Six years later, Gralian crossed the Channel again for the D-Day landings where she served, it is thought, as an ambulance boat. Over the following four decades she made the trip frequently, bound as far as Switzerland or basking in her regular berth opposite the Rose Window of Notre-Dame, arranged by the Prefect of Paris for a bottle of whisky.

So when the wind stood fair for France in 2011, Gralian arguably knew the way. There were differences, though. She was now three-quarters of a century old.

The men who built her at Saunders-Roe in Cowes might have been surprised she was still afloat. The ships whose paths she had to cross were now going thrice as fast. She no longer boasted a professional skipper and nattily-uniformed hands to plot a course and pour the cocktails. She just had us and a hairy Ship’s Dog. I too had to change. Up until then, I had a million excuses why I didn’t need to know how to bleed an engine and change the filters. Now, it wasn’t just a case of time wealth and cash poverty. I started to wonder how we would cope with trouble halfway across the Adriatic. Having Gralian in pieces had given us a unique chance to find out where everything was and how it worked. Ten months in the yard had taught Helen how to maintain her fabric, while I concentrated on her machinery. The mighty Peter Wonson had begun my education when we bought Gralian, introducing me to the mysteries of cutlass bearings and impellers.

Now Harbour Marine’s legendary Chief Engineer Roly Beamish took me in hand, showing me how to change a water pump and sort a leaky sterngland.

Slowly my skills and my tool-bag expanded to meet the challenges. I now know enough to fix a number of low-grade problems – and to recognise when I am out of my depth.

And the Ship’s Dog? Roly was fairly appalled at the amount of fur flying around on board. Gralian’s engines owed more to Surrealist artist Meret Oppenheim’s 1936 fur-lined teacup than to anything created by DaimlerBenz. OM314s have remarkable powers of endurance against the odds, but Roly felt they should be spared Lola’s tenuously attached coat, so he piped the airintakes directly to the vents on the wheelhouse roof.

It’s all, as he says in his delightful Suffolk drawl, about “givin’ us a bit of confidence”.

HMS tea break while snagging at Levington, with Ship’s Dog Lola

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24/05/17 10:11 2:14 PM AM 8/10/16

ALFRED CENTENNIAL JOHNSON

Why was he called ‘Centennial’ ?

In 1876 a fisherman from Gloucester, Massachusetts sailed across the Atlantic in a 16ft dory. To many his name is unknown but David Parker stumbled across his story in a cottage on the Welsh coast

W

hen he came ashore at the tiny beach in Abercastle, West Wales they said he looked like a ‘living skeleton’. He had been at sea for 56 days in a small wooden dory with a waterline length of only 16ft. The shallow draught boat with a simple boarded deck had survived storms and one ferocious gale which capsized it. The 29-year-old man at the helm was Alfred ‘Centennial’ Johnson and he had just sailed alone for 3,000 miles from America. He was the first man to sail singlehanded across the Atlantic from West to East.

Alfred Johnson was a fisherman and had worked and saved for almost a year to have his modest dory built.

Traditionally these types of craft were open and carried by the Grand Banks schooners to be launched out at sea on reaching the fishing grounds. The share fishermen like Alfred working from the dories sailed or rowed away from the schooner to fish with hundreds of baited hooks and then returned with their catch to the mother vessel. However the vulnerable small boats faced perilous conditions in notorious seas contending with fog and freezing conditions in the great North Atlantic fishing banks.

At the time Gloucester had one of the largest fisheries in the world bringing back tons of cod, haddock, halibut and swordfish.

But a tragic price was paid for this bounty by many fishermen who lost their lives in the process. However this was the heyday of the inshore and offshore fisheries of the eastern seaboard and it drew thousands of

immigrants from distant shores wanting to escape poverty. Alfred had come from Denmark leaving home at 14 to sign up on a sailing ship in Copenhagen before settling in Gloucester. There his accent blended into the melting pot where men of little means but mighty fortitude had a chance to make a living from the sea.

Built to celebrate his new homeland This fishing community lived day to day with the risks and hardships of one of the most dangerous professions in the world.

So when the quiet young Alfred announced his intention to cross the Atlantic in what was basically a row boat they were understandably dumbstruck. Nothing like this had been heard of or done before. Older eyes than his who had seen far too many men perish at sea perceived his ambition as a foolishness which would kill him.

But Alfred was determined his dream would become a reality so put his money down to prove it in a local boatyard specializing in the building of small craft.

The firm of Higgons and Gifford got the job and assigned craftsmen Archie McKenzie and John W Black to the task. For Alfred’s epic voyage a large part of his boat was decked over leaving him just a main hatch for access below and the crampest of cockpits to helm from. Three watertight compartments were fitted for buoyancy and to carry basic supplies of food and water. The dory had a gaff cutter rig with a centerboard added to aid windward performance. Pig iron secured in the bilge was added to ballast the little boat as it crossed an ocean. The sum of Alfred’s navigation equipment to undertake the

Left: To commemorate the crossing, cards were printed with his picture on the front and details of his achievement on the back

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ALFRED CENTENNIAL JOHNSON

voyage was a compass, chart, lead line and quadrant. (A quadrant was used to measure angles of heavenly bodies prior to being superseded by the sextant.)

The boat was painted in red, white and blue and in this colour scheme lay the reason why this intrepid fisherman was setting off in the first place. The Danish immigrant was sailing the Atlantic alone under the stars and stripes in honour of his adopted homeland; this was his extraordinary and individualistic way to contribute to the celebrations of 100 years of American Independence.

When he not only survived but succeeded he was feted for his endeavour at the time, but among great sailing feats his story has faded over the years like the sun bleached oak and pine of his boat.

Remarkably though his boat still survives to this day and is on display at the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester where his memory

is fittingly celebrated. However a wider audience is likely perhaps not even to have heard of his story.

The story of the crossing I’m afraid to say this is where I come in and I have to admit when I asked around I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t accurately identify Alfred Johnson either. Perhaps we can blame the quiet American himself for being so modest about what he had done, although in later life he went on to be one of the most successful figures in the Gloucester fishing fleet. The reason I can recount his

It began with a newspaper cutting I saw on the wall in a rural cottage in Wales

story now begins with a newspaper cutting I saw on the wall in a little rural cottage in Wales I rented at the end of winter. The cutting was from an article in The Western Telegraph by Paul Raggett, dated December 29,1993. The cottage owner had taken the trouble to frame page nine from the paper with the headline “Forgotten Centennial Voyage which is worthy of recognition.’

Not exactly a punchy opener I know, but the article hanging there was a fascinating read and what’s more there was a sequel.

An additional note told of a book left on a mantelpiece in the room written by Rob Morris, a Pembrokeshire writer.

The book, a short self-published paperback with black-and-white photographs and illustrations, was entitled Alfred ‘Centennial’ Johnson - The Story of the First Solo Atlantic Crossing from West to East in 1876. Left in the cottage for guests to read it tells Alfred’s story in full. Even the

Above: the entrance to Abercastle Harbour, Pembrokeshire, Johnson’s landfall after his 3,000mile Atlantic crossing

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ALFRED CENTENNIAL JOHNSON author Rob Morris, who published his book in August 2003, found it extraordinary that so little was known about the Gloucester fisherman. He had heard Alfred’s story told to him by a family friend as a child and assumed the fisherman would be famous with information about him readily available. However, he describes writing his book as “a nightmare to research” and it took him two years of travelling the globe trying to put Alfred’s story together.

But to his enormous credit Rob did put the story together. So by the coal stove in the kitchen at night I read the book as the prevailing westerlies came in from the Atlantic, roaring through the trees and hurling rain at the cottage windows. I read about the perilous Gloucester fishery Alfred came from and about how he chose an even riskier venture to mark his name in history.

I read how he had sleepless nights even at the start of his journey trying to avoid shipping and then had to pull into a harbour in Nova Scotia because the iron ballast was playing havoc with his compass. He had to continue on his way and avoid icebergs which could drift faster than Centennial could sail. North of his course were waters that would sink the Titanic 36 years later.

Then mountainous seas lay in wait and he had to tie himself to the boat in storms when he was forced to lower both mast and sails, once being knocked unconscious for three hours with a head injury. At times, when he was at the mercy of furious seas and howling winds in his tiny cockpit, there were occasions when it was too dangerous to even get at his supplies so he would have to go hungry and thirsty until the storms ended. He had to sleep on deck and just trying to stay dry remained a constant discomfort. Despite the hardships and privations he managed on average 70 miles a day which on a small, basic craft like his was testament to his skill and endurance.

Ships and savage seas He was sighted by various ships along the way who wanted to come to his aid and take him and his boat onboard. But he thanked them and refused their help. The ships however were able to confirm his position and relay it back home. To help him navigate Johnson had to use the sun and stars to guide him, so these encounters with ships also helped him adjust his course and compensate for the vagaries of his own onboard compass.

It was off the coast of Ireland when he encountered his worst storm, which was nearly to prove his undoing. In tumultuous seas a massive wave hit him beam on and capsized Centennial, throwing Johnson overboard. Only the rope he had tied himself to the boat with prevented him sinking and drowning in his waterlogged oilskins. He managed to haul himself

Top: The crossing was made to celebrate 100 years of American Independence Above: After the crossing Alfred put the boat on display to pay for his passage home

back on to the upturned hull and after a tremendous effort eventually right his craft.

In the maelstrom of panic that surrounded him like his floating stores a marauding shark then appeared and Alfred had to lash his knife to an oar to scare it away.

It is probably this moment above all which shows what a consummate seaman Johnson was. Had he not prepared his modest craft so well, had he not made landfall early on to redistribute and resecure all the ballast iron and stores, the capsize was the time when his boat could have foundered.

Eventually the savage storm abated, but it had taken his stove, and a sail and ruined many stores. The weather then provided incessant rain followed by the frustration of being becalmed. A fortuitous encounter with another ship offered help which was again refused but the bread and beer was gratefully accepted. Progressing slowly as the days passed he sailed on eastward and finally his leadline told him he was getting close to the Irish coast. At night the lighthouses of the Welsh coast were spotted and dawn broke to reveal the Pembrokeshire coastline emerging on the horizon.

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ALFRED CENTENNIAL JOHNSON

He had to avoid icebergs which could drift faster than ‘Centennial’ could sail. Then, mountainous seas lay in wait

Instinct would have told him this was as critical a phase as any on his voyage. The rocky shores and cliffs of south-west Wales have many surprises for the unwary sailor with rampant tidal flows, reefs and rocks known as the Bitches to bid you welcome.

Johnson’s original plan had been to make landfall in Liverpool but the strong winds and tides had pushed him further south than planned. Before him now were the approaches to Milford Haven but the tides turned again forcing him northwards as he sailed parallel to the coast. Finally he saw the white cliff top beacon markers

above Porthgain but the safety of this small harbour was denied him by a cross tide. Finally it was the small grey beach at Abercastle which offered him refuge and here it was where his noble dory at last settled on the shore.

It must have been a surreal encounter with the Welsh-speaking locals of this close coastal community as they helped this fisherman who had arrived from across the globe in a dory no bigger than their own local working boats. He wasn’t to stay long though as after only a brief couple of days’ rest he sailed on to Holyhead where he also

Top: Alfred in his wet weather gear, taken in his dory in 1920 Above: Centennial, now on display in Cape Ann Museum and R, decked for the Atlantic crossing

stayed for a couple of days before finally arriving in Liverpool on August 21, 1876.

Word of his epic feat spread quickly up the British coast and as his anchor dropped in a Mersey dock a crowd was there to cheer his arrival after his 66 days sailing well in excess of 3,000 miles. A newspaper reporter from the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News hitched a lift on a rowing boat to scoop the story first and for Alfred a well deserved hotel bed could at last replace the hard boards of his boat. He had made it.

The passage home Over the next few months a modest publicity tour followed and provided enough money for Alfred to pay the passage fees home for him and his boat. They left Liverpool aboard the steamer Greece, ironically a ship which had offered him assistance in the middle of the Atlantic, arriving back in New York on 20th February 1877. For a short while he enjoyed fame at home and naturally enough spurred on others to take on Atlantic crossings.

However it is no surprise that a man like Alfred had a greater hunger for life than feeding off fame as an existence. He toured with his boat for a while longer but turned down an offer from P T Barnum to turn his celebrity into a sideshow. Finally the pallid limelight of celebrity was eclipsed by the sun shining on the sea and it wasn’t long before he returned to his hometown fishing community of Gloucester. Here he worked his way up to become a wealthy, successful skipper and owner of fishing schooners and later a successful businessman when he retired from the sea. For a large part of his life he had remained a bachelor but in 1900 at the age of 53 he married 30-year-old Amelia Neilson and the next year the couple had a daughter, Mildred.

So happily there were descendants of the great man to return to Alfred’s landfall on the Pembrokeshire coast when he finally got some permanent recognition for what he had achieved. After the publication of Rob Morris’s book a plaque carved from Welsh slate was placed in Alfred’s honour on the small slipway on Abercastle beach.

His grandson Charlie Dickman and his wife Maryline were there for the plaque’s unveiling and afterwards news interviews took place followed by a small reception in a local bistro. Without Rob Morris’s efforts there would have been no book, no plaque and no descendants to track down and unveil it.

But without Alfred of course there would have been no story to tell – and what a remarkable story it is.

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WATCHES AT SEA

Keeping the watch at sea Wnen setting watches at sea you need to ensure that everyone is getting enough sleep to be awake when they need to be.

For yacht crews Dan Houston reckons a three hours on, six hours off changeover works better than the naval four-hour system

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eing on watch at sea means exactly what it says – you keep a lookout, principally for potential dangers like other ships on a collision course, rocks, or squalls and, of course, for sea marks that will eventually guide you to your destination.

And keeping a watch is a legal requirement, as outlined in Rule 5 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS): “Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions, so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.”

The traditional Naval system of watches (overleaf) splits the day into four-hour segments, beginning with the First watch, from 20:00hrs to 24:00hrs, with a Middle watch from 00:00hrs to 04:00, a Morning,

Forenoon, Afternoon and then two Dog watches from 16:00 to 18:00 and 18:00 to 20:00. This creates seven watches and, with the crew split into three watch systems, the Dog, or dodge watches have the effect of kicking over the time of watch every day so that if on the first day you are assigned the Middle watch then on the second you will be on the Morning and on the third you won’t be needed on deck until the

The hardest watch at night is the middle, or graveyard watch and if a watch system gives you this day-in day-out you are going to be more tired

Forenoon. It goes without saying that the hardest watch at night is the Middle (or Graveyard) watch and if a watch system gives you this timing day-in day-out you are going to be more tired than if it’s something you have to do every three days.

On short voyages the effect of sleep deprivation is not so debilitating but on longer passages it could affect performance: I remember a passage to Santander where three crew were doing the four-on, eight-off system and the skipper and I as mate rotated eight hours on and eight off. Doing a long stint of the Graveyard every other night was exhausting since I wasn’t really catching up in the day. Sailing home on the ninth or tenth day during a north-westerly gale I came off watch and never even made it into my bunk; waking up stuck in the door jamb of the forepeak some time later.

The main reason for keeping watches is so that a crew can respond with energy to a

Being on deck for watch duty needs to be taken seriously but can also be fun and a great tme to chat to crewmates. Top left: night binnacle on Kiuros, heading south west by west

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Sailing west under this lemon moon one can sense the track of sailors at sea for centuries.

Helmsmen can follow a star when sailing along a line of latitude, confident that they are on course

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WATCHES AT SEA

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 1

First

Middle

Morning

Forenoon

Afternoon

First Dog

Second Dog

20:00 – 24:00hrs

00:00 – 04:00hrs 04:00 – 08:00hrs 08:00 – 12:00hrs 12:00 – 16:00hrs 16:00 – 18:00hrs 18:00 – 20:00hrs

Royal Navy Watch System

Suggested Yacht watches 1st Night watch

2nd Night watch 3rd Night watch

Early Morning

Morning

Afternoon

Dog Watches

20:00 – 23:00

23:00 – 02:00

05:00 – 08:00

08:00 – 12:00

12:00 – 16:00

16:00 – 20:00

The traditional Naval system of four on and eight off compared to the less arduous three hours on six off during night hours

02:00 – 05:00

difficult situation. At sea disasters always tend to happen when a second incident occurs on top of a first. This is when you need to be able to think on your feet and cognitive impairment caused by lack of sleep has been shown to increase the risk of human-error related accidents.

How much sleep you need depends on the individual. Solo sailors often train themselves to sail with very short snatches of sleep. For most of us a three-and-a-half hour cycle seems the minimum and six or seven hours a day is healthy.

If we are just going sailing for the day we often don’t set watches… but the skipper might say to the helm that they “have the deck” if they are going down below. The phrase transfers command of the business of keeping a lookout to another member of the crew so that they now know to watch for danger from all four quarters… this means turning your head around every few minutes to make sure that a ship isn’t closing on your course. From low down on a boat deck with a height of eye at say six feet the horizon is only 2.8 miles away. You may see a large ship from perhaps ten miles out but if it’s coming towards you it could

be on top of you in 15 to 20 minutes. So you need to keep turning your head!

We asked some experienced skippers how they set their watches at sea and found that a three-hour night watch was more preferable to four. “We generally find four hours too long,” James Wharram says.

“With three crew, three hours gives us six hours between watches, with four crew,

We’re out at sea and the safety of the crew and the boat are the responsibility of those on watch. Andy Cully eight or nine. You should try to get a sixhour spell of sleep at night if you can.”

Chris Barkham and Andy Cully, skippers of the large yachts Cambria and Eilean respectively agree, pointing out that MCA (Marine and Coastguard Agency) rules state crew should have ten hours rest in any 24-hour period; 77 in any seven day period. “Of course it can be less in James Wharram (seen here with partner and shipmate Hanneke Boon) is a pioneer of catamaran design and also a proponent of simplicity (of systems) at sea: “On Gaia we have a bunk in our cockpit so the captain or first mate can sleep there while a less experienced crew is on watch, to be within instant call.”

exceptional circumstances. If the boat’s sinking I’m afraid you can’t cuddle up to the bulkhead!” Andy adds.

Tall Ship sailor and yachtsman Tino Rawnsley says that with short crew he might reduce watches to two hours.

“Staying awake is easy if enough rest has been had beforehand, but lone watches can be tedious or dangerous. Greet those coming on watch with tea or coffee, and avoid alcohol before a long watch.”

James Wharram says that studying the stars or doing some yoga (which is easier on a catamaran!) help to keep him awake, while Chris Barkham says that with inexperienced crew it’s a good idea to have “an older salt with them to feed them a constant supply of stories, jokes and wisdom!”

“Get off your iPad or phone and remember why you are there!” adds Andy Cully. “And keep warm, remember your checks routine. If you have a continual routine then you don’t have time to fall asleep… 03:00 plot on the chart, fill out logbook; 03:15 check the bilge; 03:30 deck check; 03:45 Cup o’ tea; 04:00 plot on the chart, logbook, repeat etc… And do all this Chris Barkham has been skipper of the 23-M bermudan cutter Cambria for more than 15 years: “I find our crew enjoy being up and about during the day. We all enjoy the sea and being on it. We use off watch time to continue the other work/projects, general maintenance and cleaning duties. Everyone generally makes lunch and dinner.”

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whilst monitoring your course, boats in the vicinity, floating containers, and other stuff.

“It is always important to remember on a low freeboard classic, the distance to the horizon can be as little as 5 miles meaning a ship doing 20 knots can be on top of you in 15 minutes. If you are the only one on watch it’s advisable to keep that heads visit short!”

The skippers highlighted how eating together on long passages is important to bond the crew: “It’s the social time, a chance to catch up with what’s going on.

So eat at the turn of watches with the ‘on watch’ preparing food and clearing away before getting their heads down,” says Tino.

“It also allows you to monitor each other and see how that bout of seasickness is Andy Cully has been skipper of the Fife ketch Eilean since her relaunch by the Panerai watch company in 2009. “A second crew member on watch is there to help keep the discussion going, talk the night away, reminisce while you keep a watchful eye on the horizon and those pesky fishing boats.

We’re out at sea and the safety of the crew and the boat are under the responsibility of those on watch.”

affecting someone,” Andy Cully adds. “Crew togetherness is important and crew meals epitomise that – especially when you catch a blue fin tuna, and have cooked up a feast and you’re all sitting together telling stories. ” We asked these skippers for their reaction to crewless ships (CS15) and perhaps predictably their answers were forthright: see p14.

Going offshore: Everyone aboard needs to know when they are expected to be on watch once the sun goes down

Tino Rawnsley restored and sailed his Wharram catamaran Brillig to the Brest festival last year. “We had lots of eager and inexperienced family as crew. So I didn’t do a watch but was on call (and awake) all night, which is no problem for a 24-hour trip.”

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Simple whipping and tallow Des Pawson on how to use whipping twine, and the benefits of tallow – and how to make your own

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t is little details that tell you something about a boat and how she is cared for. How sad it is to see the ends of rope unravelling; one line with a tousled end is bad enough, but often there are more than one; what a poor impression and what a waste of valuable rope.

The solution is a good whipping for the rope. There are plenty of whippings to choose from, some slightly more complicated that others, but anyone should be able to manage a simple or common whipping. Every boat should have a spool or two of whipping twine, or fine tarred marline.

There really is no possible excuse for frayed rope ends.

Some whipping twines come already waxed, but if not running the whipping twine through a piece of beeswax will help make a tight whipping.

If you do not have a piece of beeswax, a candle will do, if you have neither then even a piece of soap will help, or you can go to the trouble of making yourself some tallow (see opposite).

1

2

3

4

A touch of tallow on your fid or spike is a great help too.

I reckon it is like a hand on your elbow helping you. It only needs a little but what a difference

T

1. Lay a loop of twine along the rope.

2. Wrap the twine tightly and neatly round and round over the loop, working towards the end of the rope.

3. When you have tightly wrapped a length, perhaps one or one and a half times the diameter of the rope, making sure that you have left a tail long enough to be pulled later, 4. Tuck the end of the twine through the loop.

5. Pull on the tail so that the loop with the tucked line is drawn deep under the wrapped turns. When they are about the middle of the wrapped turns pull both ends which tighten still more both ends of the whipping.

6. Trim off the ends.

5

6

allow is an unsung, almost lost trade secret, not just for riggers, but those who work with wood or metal. You can make your own tallow by saving the fat from your roast beef or lamb (pork is no good). Put the congealed fat into some water, boil it up and when it has cooled and gone hard, skim the fat from the top. Repeat once more and this should remove most of the impurities from the fat.

Rubbing a little tallow on your marline or whipping twine will make a world of difference. A touch of tallow on your fid or spike is a great help too. I reckon that it is like having a hand on your elbow helping you, it only needs a little, but what a difference.

Dipping the end of a screw in tallow will help the screw go in, but will also help if you need to get it out later on.

You will also find that tallow will help clean your hands of Stockholm tar. A blob rubbed into the hand then wiped off onto a cloth will get rid of most, and then soap and water should do the rest.

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Heaving lines and knots Dan Houston shows how to use a heaving line – and relays how to make a Monkey’s Fist or a quick knot to go on the end of it Monkey’s Fist

hand. The coils should be arranged so that they leave his palm cleanly – dragged out by the flying end of the line. It’s unlikely that the thrower can throw this line 100ft but the extra length often proves very useful. Wetting the line first gives it slightly more weight.

Arthur Briscoe’s sketch Throwing a Heaving Line shows the almost languid energy of the experienced line thrower.

Making a Monkey’s Fist

(i) Stretch your fingers out and wind three turns around your hand. Remove the turns.

(ii) Pass a second set of three turns across and round the first three, in the direction indicated by the arrow. (iii) Pass three more turns round and across the second three, but inside the first set and in the direction shown by the arrows; if the knot is correctly made the end will come out alongside the standing part. (iv) To finish the knot smartly, work all the parts round until they are taut and splice the end back into the standing part. Alternatively, tie an overhand knot in the end and expend it by tucking it inside the monkey’;s fist, then work all parts taut as before.

Heaving Line Knot

Above: a heaving line ready for use. Top: the drawing ‘Throwing a Heaving Line’

by Arthur Briscoe

If you don’t have time to make a monkey’s fist, then this knot is quickly and easily made.

Form a loop about 5ft long at the end of the line.

Working from about eight inches from the turn start frapping the end around both parts, and continue until a small section of loop is left.

Then pass the end through the small loop and haul on the standing part to make a tight bundle of rope.

Heaving Line Knot

HMSO ADMIRALTY

A

typical heaving line is a line 50 to 100 feet long made of light rope – of 6 or 8mm diameter – that is used as a messenger between ships or between ship and quay to allow a heavier line then to be carried across.

One end is weighted with a monkey’s fist, tightly knotted, or a heaving line knot or even a small sandbag. The monkey’s fist sometimes contains a heavy object – a ball of lead has even been known, to carry the line further, but this can be extremely dangerous to those on the receiving end!

The other end is whipped and usually tied to a point on deck near the thrower; many throws are wasted through not doing this!

The thrower needs to stand, so on a yacht he might tie himself on. He carefully coils the line so there are no kinks and then parts the coil in two, with a third of it held in his throwing hand, so that the line will be carried out across the water to whoever is ready to receive it. With the monkey’s fist close to his own he holds the first coil ready to throw and the second coil in the open palm of his non-throwing

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Sailing skills: Anchoring: sailing off the anchor Whichever way the wind is blowing there’s a way to use it to recover the anchor and sail away, says Trevor David Clifton

I

lost an anchor once. Actually I abandoned it. A couple of pals and I had borrowed my Uncle Wilf’s 14ft clinker-built dinghy to go fishing. We dropped the fisherman anchor over the side, near the northern end of the Langstone Harbour Fairway, and paid out the rope.

Shoals of Bream used to swim into the harbour near the top of the tide. We made a good catch.

I didn’t know then that a yellow diamond atop a yellow post marks a cable landing point, where an underwater cable disappears into the sea, or comes ashore – depending on which way you look at it. There was (and still is) one on each side of the fairway.

The tide was ebbing. Time to haul in the anchor. It wouldn’t budge.

We heaved til we were pulling the bow down instead of the anchor up.

We’d hooked the cable. There was no option but to cut the rope.

Every time I see one of those

yellow diamonds I’m reminded of Uncle Wilf’s lack of enthusiasm for the exchange of his anchor for a bucketful of bream!

If you’ve anchored under sail, hopefully nowhere near a yellow post topped by a yellow diamond, you’ll probably be sailing off too.

It’s a lot easier if the boat has a windlass but mine doesn’t so this is how I do it.

Wind and tide together or wind and no tide With wind from somewhere near ahead, there are two options.

1. Hoist the main, leaving the sheet slack, heave in the anchor, tighten the mainsheet and sail away. In a confined space have a small or partially unfurled foresail ready to haul to windward to push the bow towards clear water, and the helmsman ready to steer that way.

2. If the strength of the elements makes heaving in the chain difficult,

hoist the main, leaving the sheet slack until you’re ready to start.

Set a small or partially unfurled foresail and haul it to windward to push the bow away from the wind, sheet in the main until the boom is somewhere near the same angle to the centreline of the boat as the foot of the foresail would be on a fine reach (if it’s hauled in tight the boat will go sideways or remain pointing at the wind).

When the mainsail draws, sail on this point until the bow begins to be forced back towards the wind by the anchor chain. Tack quickly and sail towards the anchor, heaving in the chain as you go.

If you don’t get close enough to the anchor on the first tack, take a bight of chain around a cleat or bollard BEFORE the strain comes on again.

Repeat the process until the anchor breaks out or can be broken out, heave in the slack, and the anchor, and sail away.

I’ve never known this to fail, but I’ve never tried it in a gale!

Wind across tide and forward of the beam

With the boat facing the tide, and the wind somewhere forward of the beam but not from ahead, use the method described above. No need to set the foresail, use the tidal flow over the rudder to swing the boat closer to the wind so that, with the sheet slack the main can be hoisted.

Wind against tide and wind across tide aft of the beam

Wind and tide together or wind and no tide

It’s likely that the boat will be lying to the tide, probably pushed up-tide of the anchor by the wind. In this situation there’s not much choice: heave in the chain, break out the anchor and sail away using the headsail.

If the wind is directly opposite to the direction of the tide it is likely that the chain will be lying along the hull. Grinding it in over the bow roller might well cause some damage. There is even a danger of getting it caught around the keel, rudder or propeller.

Turning the stern away from the chain by using the tidal flow over the rudder will work – see diagram,

but still great care is needed, coupled with a bit of heave-ho!

On one occasion, aboard a Catalina 36 with a wing keel, I found myself hanging at an unusual angle to the tide and wind: the boat had been blown over the chain which had caught the keel above the wing.

So the anchor chain went out over the bow-roller, down and around the forward part of the hull on the port side, over the wing of the keel, under the boat and out towards the anchor on the starboard side, what a mess! We could see the chain, stretched tight, disappearing into the depths, holding the boat by the keel.

To get out of that tangle we tied a bowline loop in the end of a mooring line and lowered the loop, just up-tide of the chain, as far away from the boat as we could position it with a boathook. We pulled the loop up on the down-tide side of the chain, again with the boat hook.

We heaved on the two parts of the rope and managed to lift the chain high enough to reach down and tie another line around it with a rolling hitch. This line we led in through the starboard-bow fairlead and secured it temporarily on the cleat.

Then came the test of the rolling hitch. Carefully we eased out the chain from the foredeck. Equally carefully we heaved on the line attached to the chain. The rolling hitch took the strain. We disconnected the chain from the boat at its inboard end and recovered it all over the bow.

Safety

It is important that the inboard end of the anchor chain is secure before the operation begins so that in the event of losing what you’ve hauled in, what’s left in the chain locker doesn’t come rattling up on deck and over the side.

It is also important that the crewman hauling in the chain takes that bight before any strain comes on.

Never try to hold the chain if the wind/tide causes the boat to pull away from the anchor, snub it off!

Or, if that’s too dodgy, better to let it all run out and start again rather than lose a finger. Preparation, and careful briefing are vital.

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We could see the chain stretched tight, disappearing into the depths, holding the boat by the keel. To get out of that tangle we tied a bowline loop in the end of a mooring line...

Wind against tide and wind across tide aft of the beam

Buoying the anchor and slipping the anchor chain

Talking of gales, I was once at anchor in 60+ knots of wind (uncomfortable!). There was little or no tidal flow, but there was potential for the wind to veer and blow towards the nearby shore and, should the anchor drag, I wanted to be able to bug out

fast. I rigged the anchor for slipping.

Every metre of chain I had was already deployed, so the inboard end of the chain was already on deck. I tied a line – long enough to reach the sea bed with some to spare – to the end of the chain and removed the security strop (the rope that attaches the inboard end

of the chain to the boat). I could do that because the chain was snubbed (i.e. had a ‘shock-absorber’ rigged).

I led the long line out over the bow and back on board, then tied a fender to the free end to act as a buoy.

If I had to make a getaway, I could hoist the main, free the chain from the bollard it was secured to and

throw the fender over the side. Then the snubbing line would be the only thing connecting the boat to the anchor chain, with that released the boat would be free and the anchor buoyed for recovery later.

A few hours later the wind died, so I’ve still never slipped an anchor in extremis.

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Joints: the single-lipped scarph joint The technique for making a singlelipped scarph joint as demonstrated by IBTC’s Ian Cook. Words and photos

by Richard Johnstone-Bryden

S

carph joints provide a simple yet effective method of joining two lengths of wood end to end. There are several variations including the feather-edge scarph, single-lip scarph, plain scarph, and the table hooked scarph.

Single-lip scarph joints provide an effective means of attaching the ends of adjacent planking on either carvel or clinker built boats – the rest of the plank being secured to the timbers with copper nails and roves.

To minimise the chances of a leak when using a scarph joint on a hull’s planking, always ensure that the lipped edge of the outer half of the scarph joint is closest to the stern i.e. the aft plank effectively tucks inside the plank ahead.

Equally, it may be necessary to adjust the length of the adjoining plank to ensure that the scarph joint will be above a steamed timber to provide additional strength for the joint by trapping the feather edge of the inboard half which is too thin to be held in place by a conventional fastening.

Fig 1 To clearly illustrate the techniques involved in the making of a single-lipped scarph joint, Ian cuts the two halves of the joint from separate pieces of wood using a ratio of 4:1 which is the minimum ratio specified by Lloyds for planking and provides roughly 65% of the strength of the same section of solid wood.

Figs 2a-f Marking out the inboard half of the joint. Initially, Ian uses a pencil and once he is happy with the position of the line he uses a chisel to scribe the line having clamped the metal ruler firmly in position. The depth of the lip should be ¼ of the plank’s thickness.

2a

2f

2b

3a

2c

3b

2d

3c

2e

4

Figs 3a-c Marking out the outboard half of the joint.

Fig 4 To make it easier to chisel the bulk of the waste away, Ian cuts lines into the waste wood using a fine toothed tenon saw to create several small slices – this will be repeated for the other half of the joint.

1

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An effective means of attaching the ends of adjacent planking on either carvel or clinker built boats

5a

5b

5c

5d

6

7

8

9a

Figs 5a-e Using a chisel to remove the bulk of the waste wood.

Ian begins by removing the slices of wood at an angle of approximately 45º towards the middle. To avoid the wood splitting beyond the lip on the inboard half of the joint “work” the chisel along the cutting line away from the lip. Thus, if the wood splits along the grain beyond the chisel it will do so towards the next bit of waste wood to be removed. Once the process has been repeated for the other end a ridge of waste wood is left in the middle which is them removed to create the rough shape of each half of the scarph joint.

Fig 6 Ian uses a smoothing plane to trim each half of the joint to its final shape. Each half is placed in a vice to be planed.

To ensure the extremity is fully supported, the scarph is placed on top of another piece of wood. The supporting wood also prevents the wood flexing, which could distort the joint, when the plane is used.

Fig 7 Having cut the lip on the inboard half of the joint with a tenon saw, Ian uses a shoulder plane to trim it exactly to shape.

Fig 8 Having used a tenon saw to cut the straight edge of the lip

on the outboard half of the joint Ian switches to a block plane to fine tune the edge to ensure it is absolutely straight.

Figs 9a-b Ian uses a metal ruler to check that the face of the feather edge on the inboard half of the joint is true and level across its length and width.

Fig 10 Once the two halves of the single-lipped scarph joint have been formed they can be glued together. Beforehand, gently key up the matting surfaces with sandpaper to provide a better surface for the glue to adhere to. Don’t forget to remove any dust from the keyed up surfaces BEFORE spreading the glue.

When used to join planks end to end, further strength is achieved by drilling a hole through both halves of the joint and attaching them to the steamed timber located behind using a copper nail and rove.

Description and practical demonstration of the techniques

by Ian Cook, joinery instructor at the Lowestoft, Suffolk, based International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC).

Further Information: International Boatbuilding Training College, tel 01502 569663, email info@ibtc.co.uk, website www.ibtc.co.uk

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On watch: kit for ship and crew

Spoke Trousers (feel bespoke)

In an attempt to take these strides through their paces whilst admittedly sceptical I went sailing in a force six then went to dinner in a posh club that sneers at salt stains, because a claim like this should be real-tested.

Firstly the choice of cut of these trousers is nearer to a tailor than an off-the-shelf. This meant they fitted very well, a plus point whilst sailing.

The water did indeed roll off them like mercury using nano technology (which is best left unexplained by us).

Their wicking quality was excellent and at the dinner table nobody suspected a thing. Possibly for the upper end of the market, (I’m thinking owners of larger boats and fancy pants) and they are quite expensive but to step off a yacht straight into a high class restaurant or club without looking like a wet-dried sail is, for some of us at least, if not a necessity, certainly an ambition. £129 www. spoke-london.com

Torqeedo Travel 1003C

That old ink-in-yer-skin sailor look

Sailors on long trips sometimes got home looking like they had used the entire ship’s supply of ink. These fantastic linen and cotton toile print art dolls are hand made by Mimi Kircher using old curtains to create the same tattoed look. They cost $299. mimikirchner.etsy.com

It is particularly satisfying to test a product that solves previous problems. The new updated Torqeedo travel 1003C is an electric outboard that doesn’t rely on a heavy acidic car battery. Instead there’s an integrated sealed clip-on rechargeable lithium battery that makes the whole thing one unit and gives it the advantages of a petrol outboard without the mess. When you turn it on, the digital display tells you how much power you have and once quietly under way the built in GPS tells you your speed over ground and the remaining range at current speed. (An alarm sounds when the battery drops to 30%.) As for range it depends on how you use it. Two miles at full throttle, when the 915-watt-hour battery will be discharged in 35 minutes or as much as 22 miles at low throttle, when the battery will last eight hours. It’s IP67 waterproof, spotlessly clean, well engineered and can be disassembled into three parts. For heavy use it’s a good idea to get two batteries or the solar panel charger – or you can charge it through your boat via an inverter or shore power. It even has a smartphone app that can be used for waypoints, GPS, range status and trip logging. Long or short shaft will power up to 1.5 tons. We love this. £1699 www.torqeedo.com

GoBag

The intention of this semi-solid bag is to ensure you can get a huge amount into a small space. It ensures you can use a plane’s overhead storage without paying extra. This it does admirably with a super compressing vacuum bag section which doubles as a wet bag or for unwashed clothes and stinky socks. Then it redesigns the full edge zip so you can open the side or front to access anything when needed. It’s water resistant It’s a lot of money but it’s a lot of bag. £180 www.gobag.co 86 CLASSIC SAILOR

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Compiled by Guy Venables

Sea to Summit X-set 32

Victorinox Skippers knife

Sea to Summit have managed to invent a system that incorporates a kettle, frying pan and 3-litre cooking pot that, when collapsed fits into a circle as wide as this magazine’s page and as deep as six copies. The pan bottoms are aircraft grade aluminium and the sides are taste free silicon. It’s a brilliant and well designed spacesaving nest system. www.seatosummit.co.uk £110 for the whole set or you can buy individual pieces from their whole range.

As well as the traditional much-loved toothpick and tweezers this excellent knife is designed with cold wet fingers in mind and is far easier to open than traditional Swiss army knives. It sports 18 functions including a leather reaver, small pliers, corkscrew, locking rope cutting blade, marlinspike with shackle key and quick repair sailmaking eye. All tools snap back like Ferrari doors and it’s a lot of knife for the money. www.victorinox.com expect to pay around £50.

Barton Marine Boomstrut

Trad tools made to last

Traditional shipwrights tools are so cool you’ll be wanting the wooden boat just to have the excuse to use them. Here are some caulking irons, mallets and a pitch (seam-glue) ladle from Traditional Boat Supplies. Five irons in a leather wallet is £175, the mallet is £155 and the ladle is £99.99.

It’s an outlay you are unlikely to need to repeat. traditionalboatsupplies.com

Barton Marine’s Boomstrut, recently declared “race legal” by the Folkboat Association, can also be fitted to many sailing dinghies. The Boomstrut’s main purpose is to support the boom when lowering the main sail – its use has been proven to reduce the risk of accidents and damage on board – for both crew and the boat.

Additional racing benefits include providing a small amount of lift to the boom, helping to open the leach and thus increasing the performance of the sail. Designed with a patented flexing spring, the Boomstrut gives users a fast response whilst ensuring almost constant upward force on the boom.

Fitting the Boomstrut is simple too – and with its maintenance free, durable design, only needs to be done once, to eliminate the problem of boom control.

Classic Sailor is currently testing its own Boomstrut, and will publish a full review in a future issue.Prices start at £132.66. www.bartonmarine.com.

Tech Savvy: Your own locator We recently reported on our website how a sailor becoming unwell at sea activated his personal locator beacon and was airlifted to hospital by rescue services. Ocean Signal just released new beacons including the £450 E100G (L) and £180 Rescueme PLB1 (R). Both use the 406MHz signal to alert rescuers who will know your medical history if you have registered it. More at: oceansignal.com

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On watch: Folding Work Benches Tested by David Stokes

All craft require maintenance, lots of maintenance. If you don’t have the skills you have to get professional help but those things you can do will save you a packet.

A good aid for this is a portable folding bench (workmate, the generic term). Useful to clamp something whilst sawing or just somewhere to place your tools, paint pot or even a cup of tea.

Most of the benches here utilise the Black and Decker system: a table top that consists of two wooden jaws, one of which is fixed and the other able to be moved in and out on threaded rods operated by handles. It can be used as a bench vice to hold items while working on them. One is essentially a set of steps that can be turned into a useful table for paint pots etc.

All are useful for keeping tools etc at a reasonable height so nothing needs to be on the floor, keeping bending to a minimum.

1. Black & Decker WM825 Workmate Plus Guide Price £53.99 (Screwfix) Working Heights 620-800mm Folded Size 830 x 740 x 200mm Vice Jaws Opening 0-205mm Vice Jaws Length 740mm Max Loading 250kg

1

2

5

6

Able to move the front jaw single handedly, the winders are connected with a plastic belt so when one is turned, the other does also.

The rear jaw is able to be located into three different positions. The front jaw can be raised 90 degrees so work can be clamped vertically.

Jaws made of sealed bamboo.

Supplied with very sparse instructions for assembly – just a few pictures and an exploded diagram, no instructions and no parts list.

2. Draper 21353 Folding Workbench Guide Price £35.93 (Justoffbase) Working Height 780mm Folded Size 805 x 650 x 190mm Vice Jaws Opening 215mm, With Clamping Dogs 450mm Vice Jaws Length 800mm Max Loading 120kg Unfortunately the jaws are made of MDF, not the best material because if it gets wet it loses all integrity. Other than that the bench is of simple construction which is lucky because you have to assemble it. Comes with reasonable instructions. Supplied with four plastic dogs so the operator can work on awkward shaped items.

3. B&Q MWB1 Guide Price £15.00 Working Height 760mm Folded Size 1070 x 560 x 150mm Vice Jaws Opening 110mm-220mm Vice Jaws Length 560mm Max Loading 100kg Easy to assemble, jaws made of sealed bamboo, very much at the cheap end of the line up, comes with four dogs. Low cost, high value and won’t take a lot of room in the van.

4. Clarke International CFB600 Strong Arm Guide Price £22.79 (Machine Mart) Working Heights 790mm Folded Size 1010 x 610 x 110mm Vice Jaws Opening 110mm-260mm Vice Jaws Length 610mm Max Loading 100kgs Not blessed with bamboo but with an MDF work top, one could be forgiven into thinking it was made in the same factory as B&Q’s offering. Light and easy to carry, simple to assemble and won’t take up too much room in the van.

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3

4

it’s ready. Unlike the other benches there are no ‘workmate’ clamps but there are two clamps inside the bench that can be used to fasten work to the bench. This bench is made mostly of plastic, the legs are metal as are the clamps. Excellent value at this price.

7. MAC Allister WS-MWB2 Metal Workbench Guide Price £45.00 (B&Q) Working Heights 760 to1075mm Folded Size 900 x 600 x 230mm Vice Jaws Opening 185mm - 400mm Vice Jaws Length 600mm Max Loading 100kgs

7

8a

Made of metal and plastic, adjustable in height. Top can be tilted through 0, 25, 50, and 80 degrees. There are four large plastic dogs and four small ones, these slide along grooves and the large ones can be locked into place. Put by an hour to assemble. Very high value at £45.00.

8b

5. Homebase Essentials Workbench Guide Price £17.99 Working Height 785mm Folded Size 1010 x 605 x 140mm Vice Jaws Opening 100mm-250mm Vice Jaws Length 605mm Max Loading 100kgs

6. MAC Allister/Keter WS-MWB9 Guide Price £40.00 (B&Q) Working Heights 755mm Folded Size 860 x 560 x 110mm Vice Jaws Opening NA Vice Jaws Length NA Max Loading 180kgs

Another work bench with an MDF top. Make sure its not left out in the rain or the top will become all floppy and be useless. I could be forgiven into thinking this came from the same factory as Clarke’s and B&Q’s offerings.

Lightweight, low cost and easy to assemble as long as it’s kept dry it’ll do very well.

A unique bench, you can use it straight out of the box, no assembling needed. To use, just turn it over till the legs face downwards and by the time you’ve thought what’s happening the legs have descended and locked into place. All you need to do then is push the locking mechanism into place and

8. Batavia Transformer Guide Price £49.96 (Homebase) Working Heights 2300mm Folded Size 1040 x 700 x 140mm Vice Jaws Opening NA Vice Jaws Length NA Max Loading 150kgs Not a work bench in the accepted ‘Workmate’ style and you can’t clamp anything to it but it doubles as a stepladder and a bench and it’s very useful to the boat painter. When two supplied short ‘legs’ are attached the bench can be turned on its side (pic 8b) and is able to handle large sheets of ply or other board. Excellent value and you can buy it from your local Homebase store.

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Over the Yardarm

Off watch Books: Racing rules and Scottish stories

Guy Venables visits the Salcombe Distilling Company’s Gin School to learn how to make gin, properly, with a copper still, and botanicals... or you can just buy their own ‘Start Point’ brand In a smartly converted boathouse on the banks of the creek sits the Salcombe Distilling Company. The most important thing they do here is make the excellent Salcombe Gin. The second most important thing is they teach you how to make your own.

I had made gin before. That’s what I thought. I’d steeped separate flavours in vodka and mixed ‘em up. However, once you get to making it with a proper pot-still you’re in the big boy’s league.

The Salcombe gin was inspired by a boat. The Salcombe Fruiter, a fast locally made boat with open cargo hatches that imported fruit and spices from the Med and West Indies.

This is where the gin gets its fresh grapefruit, lime and lemon edges. There’s also earth and pine and pepper and spice. The water is from Dartmoor and needs no softening. They use an oldfashioned approach known as the one shot method and distil their gin according to the ‘London Dry’ standard. It is very good gin.

Balanced, refined but exciting.

We sat in a classroom each with our own mini copper still and mixed and bubbled and concocted using the hundreds of dried herbs and spices at hand. We were guided in our method by Howard and in our flavours

by Jason, a botanist, chilli fanatic and a man who really knew his botanicals. These were each weighed using tiny micro scales and dropped into the pot. I was interested in seaweed which gives it an oiliness and a pleasant “mouthfeel.” The girl next to me was making what seemed like a gin rogan josh. Down the row someone was adding a lot of chilli. We were all having fun. It bubbled away while we kept a beady eye on the temperature. Eventually it poured through the condensing coil out into a measuring jug. We added water. Not too much.

We then named it, put our own labels on it popped it in a presentation box and with the little left over headed over to the bar and drank it with tonic. I then went home and told my friends.

Three of them have now been on the course. Inspired further by the course, two of them have bought copper stills! I await the outcomes with a large polished glass.

Gin Making course £100 or £125 for two.

Salcombe Gin ‘Start Point’ £37.50 www.salcombegin.com

The Racing Rules of Sailing

By Paul Elvstrom 2017-2020

Paul Elvstrom’s recent (14th) edition of the racing rules of sailing clearly explains the latest rules and how to interpret the most difficult of situations on the race course. When does room take over from port/ starboard? When is a boat overtaking and what are luffing rights? How can you know if you are giving time and opportunity are all covered together with a myriad of others including particulars of match-racing ready for the America’s cup. The GoTo book for working out who’s right and who’s wrong and great for settling after-race ‘chats’ at the bar. JM (Paul Elvstrom, the legendary Olympic sailor died in Dec 2016) £19.00 Pub Adlard Coles Nautical

Waypoints

Seascapes and Stories of Scotland’s West Coast

By Ian Stephen

This is story-telling at its very best. Ex-Coastguard Ian Stephen has a way with people that allows him to pick up the folklore and backstories of the places he visits in a series of different boats. Each chapter is on a different boat. The folklore is skilfully woven into the sailing narrative so that the reader acquires a deeper appreciation of the area, the people and the history while hardly noticing whether you are reading about the present day or some fabulous chapter of Scots history brought to life on the page. Ian uses poetry and provides sketches and diagrams to inform the reader as well as the odd map for reference. A sheer joy to read. EW £18.99 Pub: Bloomsbury 2017

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Shoreside Places we love

Sale: Gorleston-On-Sea, Norfolk

No 13 Addison Road is a detached late-Victorian house with two reception rooms, a conservatory and five bedrooms. The part-walled southfacing garden has a loggia, patio and gazebo – all perfect for entertaining or you could just muck about on the Broads. Gorleston-On-Sea is a coastal village town in Norfolk. It is located between the coast and the banks of the River Yare, 24 miles east of Norwich. Strutt & Parker The sort of bargain that makes you think it’s probably haunted. £495,000

Visit: The South Sands Hotel

Situated just round the corner from the main town of Salcombe in its own South Sands Bay this hotel is quite a find. With ‘locally sourced’ very much a mantra in the kitchen they won the prestigious Diner’s Choice award last year.

Head chef Allister forages every morning serving up the wild and wonderful from the surrounding hills. He also has an endearing habit of sitting with the guests and just discussing the food. The entire place is run with unfussy clean efficient style with all rooms nautically themed looking out to sea as does the restaurant. Possibly the best hotel in the west and dogs are welcome. Double rooms from £250 per night. www.southsands.com

Run ashore

Send us your favourite pubs! Address on p15 The Minerva, Hull

Hull Marina is situated in two docks, built in the early 19th Century, Humber Dock and Railway Dock; The Minerva pub was built in the 1820s not long after Humber Dock was dug in 1809 and was originally a hotel serving the passengers landing at the nearby Steam Packet Landing. It’s named after the Roman goddess of wisdom, hence the wise owl on the building’s façade. Inside the pub’s proximity to the estuary is emphasised with displays of nautical pictures and memorabilia.

When visiting Hull Marina a drink and meal in the Minerva are a must, there is a fine selection of hand-pulled real ales, good home cooked pub grub and one of the finest selection of gins to be found in any pub!

Moored within 50 yards of The Minerva’s back door can frequently be seen the replica of HMS Pickle and the Humber Sloop Spider-T. CLASSIC SAILOR 91

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Artist of the month Anthony Osler

T

he key elements of Anthony Osler’s work are the seas and skies of East Anglia, together with its traditional sailing craft, especially barges and smacks, and the unique light of the region. The results are paintings – mostly watercolours, sometimes oils – often of deceptive simplicity combined with satisfying detail.

Born in Ipswich in 1938, his initial inspiration was a book by Rowland Hilder.

He has painted full-time since the age of 55, and has exhibited frequently at the Royal Society of Marine Artists annual exhibitions. He was also a founder member, and one-time chairman of the East Anglian Group of Marine Artists.

He lives on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and sails (a Fisher 25) out of Levington on the River Orwell. His work, which is surprisingly affordable, is exhibited in a number of Galleries, including Southwold Gallery, Sea Pictures in Clare, Francis Iles, Rochester and Alexander Miles at St Katharine Docks, London. anthonyoslermarineartist.co.uk

Two of Anthony Osler’s characteristic watercolours

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Big Blue Zoo Animal stories from the maritime world

The plastic-hungry catapillar An unlikely ally may be coming to our assistance in the shape of a lowly caterpillar. Developmental biologist and amateur beekeeper Federica Bertocchini of the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain was clearing out one of her hives of the harmful wax moth larvae and placing them in a plastic bag when she noticed something extraordinary. To her surprise the waxworms quickly ate their way out of the bag, leaving it full of holes.

It turns out the caterpillars can break down the bag’s polyethylene into ethylene glycol, which can be readily converted into useful substances such as antifreeze. This not only has major repercussions for the 80 million tons of polyethylene that we produce annually and is particularly difficult to break down it could help enormously to stop the chain of events leading microbic particles ending up in the sea.

Algal bloom danger to Sealions Larger than usual Pacific algal blooms are being blamed for the deaths of 26 out of 40 rescued sea lions at California’s Pacific Marine Mammal Center, in Laguna Beach. Demoic acid released by the blooms makes fish species like sardines toxic to predators like the sea lions. The toxin inhibits nerve transmission in the animal’s brain.

Sea lions can become lethargic, disoriented and suffer seizures. Mild cases engender vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness; in severe cases symptoms include difficulty breathing, short-

term memory loss, coma or death.

Pregnant females are especially vulnerable as they eat more. Seven females gave birth to premature pups, none of which survived, the centre said.

This year’s bloom stretches all the way from Santa Barbara south to the Baja peninsula. Scientists believe chemical triggers associated with broader changes in circulation, physics, and biogeochemistry in the region combined with local urban and agricultural runoff along the coast have created the persistent and very toxic harmful algal blooms.

Beluga boot camp Three captive female beluga whales due to be transferred to the world’s first whale sanctuary are going to have to go to “Beluga Boot Camp” before they are ready, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society announced in May. Jun Jun, Little Grey and Little White have been in a concrete aquarium in Shanghai, China since being captured in Russian waters in 2003 and 2011. When the aquarium was bought in 2012 by Merlin Entertainments work began to transfer them to the world’s first sanctuary for captive whales.

But before they can be taken

there by truck and aeroplane the belugas will need to put on blubber to cope with the colder water of the sanctuary, hold their breath for longer to cope with its deeper space and to recognise dangerous objects they might encounter there. As part of their Beluga Boot Camp they will undergo a fitness regime to be physically and mentally prepared for the move, WDC said. It is expected to take several months before they are ready.

The exact location and nature of the sanctuary is due to be announced shortly. It will almost certainly be a sea cove in North America.

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Anglia Yacht Brokerage Anglia Yacht Brokerage Anglia Yacht Brokerage www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. (0)1359 47 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 +44 (0)1359 27 27 17 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47

sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk

www.anglia-yacht.co.uk

Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 27 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Anglia Tel. Yacht +44 (0)1359 (0)1359 Brokerage 27 17 17 47 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Anglia Yacht Brokerage Anglia Yacht Brokeragewww.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. (0)1359 47 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 +44 (0)1359 27 27 17 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk

Boats for sale Boats salesale Boatsforfor

Firefly Dinghy for Sale

Firefly Dinghy for Sale

80 yr old, now given up sailing has Uffa Fox, varnished Fairey Marine Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel.Tel. +44 (0)1359 2727 1717 4747 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Firefly Dinghy for Sale. +44 (0)1359 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk old, now given upand sailing has Together 80 withyrmetal centerplate Uffa Fox,Trailer varnished Fairey Frans Maas Breeon 36 and ft Iroko 1962Marine Long keel with Hayling Road matching launching trolley.

Firefl y wood Dinghy Sale.home. steel frame, 6 berth.

Modest priceconstruct. toforgood Together with metal centerplate and All in soundLying condition.

Price £16,000.00.

Gosport Deadline 20th of every month.

Trailer and matching launching trolley.

Call 01983 Hayling 869203Road or www.boatshed.com ref 230653 Next issue deadline July 20 2017 Email: liz@classicsailor.com • Tel: +44 (0)1273 420730 Modest price to good home.

Email: evie@classicsailor.com tel •01273 420730 Offers please 01404 871394 All in sound condition.

Deadline 20th of every month.

Every advert in print & on-line to reach your potential purchaser

Every advert in print & on-line to reach your potential purchaser

Anglia Yacht Brokerage Anglia Yacht Brokerage Anglia Yacht (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 2000 in 2006 Kittiwake 16’Brokerage gaff 2001 David David Moss Sea Sea Otter Otter Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 2000 Cornish Cornish Crabber Crabber 22’ 22’Tel. in +44 2006 GRP GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 Moss Email: evie@classicsailor.com tel 01273 420730 Offers please 01404 871394

lovely rigged A very very high high end end 15’ in in lovely lovely condition. condition. Cedar Cedar lovely condition condition with with Yanmar Yanmar rigged sloop. sloop. A 15’ Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter 1GM10 Bespoke road out with lots of hard sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk wood strip/epoxy construction with +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 2000 Crabber in 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff gaff 2001 David David Moss Sea Seawith Otter 1GM10 diesel, diesel, Bespoke road 22’ fit out with lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction aa Tel. +44 (0)1359 2733ft17 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 2000 Cornish Cornish Crabber 22’Tel. in fit 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ 2001 Moss Otter Avola beautiful gaff47 lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop.

A very high end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar in lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop.

A very high end 15’ lovely condition.

Cedar lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop.

A very high end in lovely condition.

Cedar trailer and upped rating to and bronze work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete cutter designed by Francis lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop. A very high end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar trailer and upped Complete 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction withaaaa Jones built 1965.lots 4back 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fitand out with hard wood strip/epoxy construction with 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lotsof of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with category B. cover break road trailer with electric motor, covers and 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with category B. covers and 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in berth 50hp Nanni Diesel. work.

Complete with standing lugyawl yawlrig. rig.Complete trailer and upped rating toto and bronze Complete trailer and upped work. with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete trailer and upped rating and bronze work.Complete Complete with standing lug Complete road trailer.Cedar £8,995. trailer upped lovely condition with Yanmar rigged A very high end 15’ in in lovely lovely condition.

Cedar £37,950 road trailer. equipped.

Suitend live rigged sloop. sloop.

AFully very high 15’ condition. lovely£37,950 condition with and Yanmar category B. cover and break back road trailer with electric motor, covers and with electric motor, covers category B. cover and covers and category B.Crabber coversand and 2000 Cornish Crabber in GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Mosselectric Sea Otter aboard, Kabola Diesel £7,750 category B. break back road trailer with motor, 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road with lots ofKittiwake hard wood strip/epoxy construction with a 2000 Cornish 2006 GRP 16’gaff gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter Moss 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ 2001 David Sea Otter 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’22’ in in 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road22’ “Corriemhor” 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in fit out2006 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter heater.

Lying Ipswich road trailer. £37,950 £8,995.

“Spratt” Much-loved 4-berth Cedar T.24 seeks new home. Owner trailer. £37,950 £8,995.

Perfect for some coastal cruising in style!

Currently on her lovely condition with rigged sloop.

A high end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar £37,950 road trailer. lovely lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop. very high end standing 15’ in in condition. £37,950 road trailer and upped rating to and bronze work.

Complete with luglovely yawl rig. trailer.

Complete rigged sloop.

AA very high end 15’ condition.

Cedar lovely condition with Yanmar lovely lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop.

Avery very high end 15’ in condition. trailer and upped rating toYanmar swallowing hook afterCedar 47 years. Built 1969. GRP hull, Haven Marina.

Full spec.

Swampscott Dory built to very high standard,comes trailer near Aberdeen, we can deliver to the new owner. fit out 12’ 32 ft Berthon 8 Ton Gauntlet 1939 £7,750 £7,750 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road with lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with aacoachroof, teak trim, £7,750 electric motor, motor, covers and category B. cover 1GM10 Bespoke road “Corriemhor” 1GM10 road marine-plycovers deck (renewed 1993) and category B. diesel, road trailer with electric and Plusback numerous photos Corriemhor is fidiesel, tted out forBespoke coastal cruising and enjoys a and break with sailing gear,air bags and oars.

A seaupped kindly craft with modest overhangs and draft, Much-loved 4-berth T.24 Avon seeksinc. new home. Owner “Spratt” Perfect for some coastal cruising in style!£8,995.

Currently on her Yanmar 1GM10 regularly serviced, Excellent trailer and rating to and bronze work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete trailer and upped rating to and bronze work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete high level of equipment: £16,000 Brian Hammett. trailer. £37,950 trailer and upped rating todeliver trailer and upped rating to Easily car toppable ,used for built one week only,as new. £37,950 road trailer. swallowing hook after 47 years.

Built 1969.

GRP hull, some displacement and easily handled sail plan, 12’ Swampscott Dory to very high standard,comes trailer near Aberdeen, we can to the new owner. spinnaker.

Sails well.

Hull sound, coachroof needs 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in Forcategory more infoB. on the Romilly including our sail around Mullcover 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in231066 2006 GRP Kittiwake gaff motor, 2001 David Moss Sea Otter teak trim, 01473 B. Super little boat trailer cover andbreak break back road trailer with16’ electric covers and category and back road with electric motor, covers and marine-ply deck (renewed 1993) and£2,500 coachroof, £7,750 category B. category B. NAUSIKKA her sisters have proved both tough is fitted out for coastal cruising and enjoys a with £7,750 with sailing gear,air bags andAoars. repainting, gas-cooker elderly, hence price ono. andCorriemhor a Force 8, and see www.roxane-romilly.co.uk rigged sloop. very high end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar lovely condition Yanmar wrenspark@aol.com lovely with Yanmar rigged sloop. A road very high endproject.

15’1GM10 inFelixstowe lovely condition.

Cedar Only£995 Yanmar regularly serviced, Avon Excellent £37,950 £8,995. roadnew. trailer. high level of equipment: £16,000condition and versatile –Stephen refitted to high standards. £37,950 £8,995. trailer.

Ideal Mooring Ferry, own cradle ininc.

Yard.

Easily car toppable ,used for one week only,as £37,950 Please contact Booth £37,950 fitTelout out2006 with lots of hard wood wood strip/epoxy construction with 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road £35,000.

2000 Cornish Crabber 22’in in fit 2006lots GRPof Kittiwake gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter spinnaker.

Sails well.

Hull sound, coachroof needs Contact: Peter Hough 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road with hard strip/epoxy construction with aa 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in For more info onLying the Romilly including our330077 sail around Mull 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ 2001 David Moss Sea Otter 01473 659572 or timvoelcker@gmail.com 16’ 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ Kittiwake gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter £140,000 UK T: +44(0)1202 Stephen.booth@crondall-energy.com Super07840979473 little boat GRP £7,750 £7,750 £7,750 repainting, gas-cooker elderly, hence price £2,500 ono. and bronze bronze work.

Complete withend standing lug yawl condition. rig.

Complete trailer and upped rating to Yanmar very high and a Force 8, see www.roxane-romilly.co.uk lovely condition with Yanmar and rigged sloop.

A very 15’ Cedar trailer lovely and upped rating to work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete rigged sloop.

A high end 15’in inlovely lovely condition.

Cedar condition with

rigged sloop.

A very high end end 15’inin inlovely lovelycondition. condition.

Cedar lovely condition with very high lovely condition withYanmar Yanmar Only£995 riggedsloop. sloop. A A very 15’ Cedar lovely condition with Yanmar rigged end 15’ lovely condition.

Cedar Ideal project. Mooring Felixstowe Ferry, own cradle in Yard.

Please contact Stephen Booth1GM10 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out withback lots of of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with cover and break road trailer electric motor, covers and category B. diesel, of 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lots wood strip/epoxy construction with aa aa category electric motor, covers and fit out with lots of hard wood with strip/epoxy construction with Bespoke road Contact: Peter Hough Tel 07840979473 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lots hard wood strip/epoxy construction with 01473 659572 or timvoelcker@gmail.com Stephen.booth@crondall-energy.com trailer and upped rating to and bronze work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete £8,995. road trailer. £37,950 trailer and upped rating to and bronze work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete £37,950 £8,995. road trailer. and bronze work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete trailer and upped rating to trailer and upped rating to and bronze work. Complete with standing lug yawl rig. Complete ROMILLY 22 – Little sister of category cover and and break break back back road with electric motor, covers and £7,750 category covers and £7,750 cover road trailer trailer withelectric electricmotor, motor, covers and category B.B. the iconic Roxane, designed category cover and break back road trailer with electric motor, covers and £8,995. £37,950 road trailer. £37,950 £8,995. road trailer.

by Nigel Irens. Ramona was £8,995. road trailer. trailer. £37,950 £37,950 £8,995. road £7,750 £7,750 built in 1999 by Bridgend £7,750 £7,750 Boat Co. She has a modern lug rig, with carbon fibre 1990 Drascombe Drascombe Dabber Dabber Mk2 1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug 1990 Mk2 in in www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. (0)1359 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk spars. Cockpit seats 8, plus27 17 47 Tel. +44 www.anglia-yacht.co.uk rig.

Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with condition 1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe Dabberwith Mk2 in cuddy with 2 berths. Comes Classic 28ftStorm 6 Tonner. A true yacht,balanced built in 1959 lug ‘Sara’ 1990 Drascombe DabberMk2 1999 Mk2inin in Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk 15’classic with 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 Tel. cover, Honda 2.3HP outboard 4-stroke and with full-length tent, cockpit and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and www.anglia-yacht.co.uk Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47 sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk exceptionally tidy Complete condition with byrig.

William King of Burnham-on-Crouch to an F.B.R. Claude Whisstock, 1938 Deben 4 tonner.

22 ft LOA, with Tel. withcover, cover, electricwww.anglia-yacht.co.uk exceptionally tidy condition rig.

Complete with electric exceptionally tidy condition with cover, 4hp outboard, combicondition Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in 1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug & Smithells 1990 Dabber Mk2 road trailer. £2,250 Brown design. £25,000 Ltd, 2 cabins.

4 berth.

Long keel.in £6,000, price negotiable. with road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP outboard 4-stroke and and Williams combi road Drascombe trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and trailer, etc. Nr Dartmouth. cover, Honda 2.3HP outboard 4-stroke and exceptionally tidy condition with rig. Complete with 01329 827 053, Gweek Quay, katie@gweekquay.co.uk and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with £4,450 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 Mk2 in in 1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe £4,450 Dabber road trailer. £2,250 £16,500. road trailer. enquiries@williamsandsmithells.com Tel: 01326 221657in 1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and outboard and combi road trailer. £2,250 road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and road trailer.

Tel 07931 338095. exceptionally tidy condition condition with with rig. Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy £4,450 exceptionally tidy1990 condition with rig.

Complete cover, electric tidy condition with trailer. £2,250 road trailer. £4,450 1999 Storm 15’exceptionally with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 Mk2 in in cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and Dabber outboard andwith combi Drascombe road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and outboard and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with £4,450 rig.

Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with £4,450 trailer. £2,250 road Storm 15’trailer. with balanced balanced lug lug 1990 1990 Drascombe Drascombe Dabber Dabber Mk2 Mk2 in in 1999 Storm 15’ with 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in 2006Patience Cornish outboard and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and trailer. £2,250 outboard combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and road trailer.

Storm 15’ with balanced lug sailing 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in 1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 is a Vertue II rig.and Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition within £4,450 established small sailing Anglia Yacht Brokers boat exceptionally tidy condition with Cedar Canoe are a well established small boat £2,250 road trailer. trailer. road lovely condition with copper2006 Cornish Crabber Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition condition with £4,450 A lovely GRP example of this Laurent Giles 17’ in lovely condition 2006 Cornish outboard and with combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and rig.

Complete cover, electric exceptionally tidy with £4,450 15’ 8” long, weight outboard and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and established small sailing sailing boat Anglia boat Bury St Edmunds.

Yacht Brokers are a wellSt established small based in the UK near Bury Edmunds. £4,450 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in builders £4,450 design.

“Patience” is ready to launch, 2006 Cornish outboard road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 2.3HP 4-stroke and and £2,250 and combi road trailer. approx 20kg cover, Honda 4-stroke £2,250 road trailer. lovely condition with coppercoated underside, Suzuki 6HP lovely condition coated underside, established small sailing Anglia boat Yacht Brokers are a well established small sailing boat 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds.

We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and 2000 Storm 15’ with12’ balanced lug rig.clinker perhaps ready to fulfill your 1973 Longboat Cruiser Mk1 in dreams.

1983 Cornish Crabber Mk1 with bystrip 2000 Storm 15’ with balanced lug rig.

1973 GRP hull, 1975 Drascombe Lugger Mk2 refurbished by Cedar with £2,250 1989 Cornish Coble in nice condition with 2004 Green Ocean Yachts Post Boat 14’6” Vintage circa 1920 Larch on Oak £4,450 1991 Cornish Cormorant in stunning original road trailer.

1978 Drascombe Dabber in good condition 1992 Drascombe Lugger Mk3 1999 Devon Dabber in excellent condition established small sailing boat Anglia Yacht Brokers £4,450 £2,250 road trailer.

1978 Drascombe Drascombe with Mariner 1999 McNulty Drascombe Lugger Mk4 in 1999 Devon Dabber in excellent condition lovely condition with copperare a well established small sailing boat lovely condition coated underside, Suzuki 6HP coated underside, 4-stroke and break-back road 4-stroke and Designed

by Storm Nick Newland of Swallow lovely condition with Tohatsu 8HP outboard, cockpit and deck.

Rebuilt engine 2-pack Designed by Nick Newland of Swallow Bury Stasailing Edmunds. builders 2006 Cornish Crabber inrefit lovely condition with copperNo expense has been spared in a17’ recent lovely condition with and trailer us in under 2010.

Refurbishment included 2-pack based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds.

2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ overhauled trailer and Yamaha 4HP 4-stroke built licence from Character Boats to lug dinghy with T-frame road trailer and condition and garage kept.

With Combination lovely condition with copperwith easy-launch trailer, overall cover 6HP Easy-launch road trailer, good condition with Mariner 5HP outboard, with easy-launch trailer, Honda 4-stroke epoxy sheathing We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and with new new easy-launch outboard, with easy-launch trailer, Honda 4-stroke 2000 15’ with balanced lug rig.clinker 1973 Drascombe Longboat Mk1 1983 Cornish Crabber Mk1 with bysail boat marketing and £4,450 2000 Storm 15’ with balanced lug rig. brokerage and are always on hand refurbishment with 1973 GRP hull, 1975 Drascombe Lugger Mk2 refurbished by £4,450 services, brokerage and are always on hand with 1989 Cornish Coble in nice condition within4-stroke, 1991 Cornish Cormorant in stunning original 2004 Green Ocean Yachts Post Boat 14’6” Vintage circa 1920 12’ on Oak 1978 Drascombe Dabber in Cruiser good condition 1992 Drascombe Lugger Mk3 1999 Devon Dabber inLarch excellent condition established small boat Anglia Yacht Brokers builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds.

1978 Drascombe with Mariner 1999 McNulty Drascombe Lugger Mk4 inBoats.

1999 Dabber in excellent condition are acover well established sailing boat Boats.

She isDevon in lovely condition with electric coated underside, Suzuki 6HP recent sails/furling spar and easy-launch and general overhaul.

Lots of and She is in lovely condition with electric coated underside, recent sails/furling history. respray, bare wood newinsmall sails and 4-stroke and break-back road outboard engine. very high standard inrevarnish, Holland and stunning new tan sail trailer and Tohatsu 3.5HP outboard. and rudder in 2015. recent sails. overall and 2011 Easy-launch trailer. outboard, new overall cover and new sails. which has included a New Beta 16, standing 4-stroke and Designed

by Nick Nick Newland of Swallow and rudder in 2015. trailer. outboard, new overall cover and new sails.

2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in trailer. £5,999 Can be lovely condition with Tohatsu 8HP outboard, cockpit and deck.

Rebuilt engine 2-pack Designed by Newland of Swallow lovely condition with copper2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ trailer. lovely condition with and trailer us in 2010.

Refurbishment included 2-pack coated underside, Suzuki 6HP overhauled trailer and Yamaha 4HP 4-stroke condition and garage kept.

With Combination built under licence from Character Boats to a lug sail dinghy with T-frame road trailer lovely condition with copperwith new easy-launch trailer, overall cover 6HP 4-stroke, Easy-launch road outboard, with easy-launch trailer, Honda 4-stroke We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and 2000 Storm 15’ with balanced lug rig.and coated underside, Suzuki with new easy-launch trailer, good condition with Mariner 5HP outboard, with easy-launch trailer, Honda 4-stroke 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in 1973 Drascombe Longboat Cruiser Mk1 in 1983 Cornish Crabber Mk1 with byalways 2000 Storm 15’ withroad balanced lugOak rig. brokerage and are always on hand refurbishment with 1973 GRP hull, 1975 Drascombe Lugger Mk2 refurbished by 1989 Cornish Coble in nice condition with 2004 Green Ocean Yachts Post Boat 14’6” Vintage circa 1920 12’ Larch on clinker 1991 Cornish Cormorant in stunning original outboard and Combination road trailer.

1978 Drascombe Dabber in good condition 1992 Drascombe Lugger Mk3 1999 Devon Dabber in excellent condition services, brokerage and are on hand with established small sailing boat Anglia Yacht Brokers road trailer. £16,950 outboard and Combination trailer.

1978 Drascombe with Mariner 1999 McNulty Drascombe Lugger Mk4 in 1999 Devon Dabber in excellent condition Edmunds. advice builders based are a well established small sailing boat road trailer. floorboards.

She has a 2011 Tohatsu 4HP and help.

We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. £3,500 condition.

Complete with spray hood, tent, £1,500 £3,500 £3,750 Requires light re-commissioning. £5,950 Angliarespray, Yacht Brokers are well established small sailing boatand Boats.

She issailing in lovely condition with electric £3,750 lovelyrecent £5,950 Anglia Yacht Brokers are aa and well established small boat sails/furling spar and easy-launch and general overhaul.

Lots of history. £6,450 and She is in lovely condition with electric rigging, upholstery, headlining, windows recent sails/furling bare wood2011 new sails and delivered UK or Boats. outboard engine. trailer and Tohatsu 3.5HP outboard. very high standard inrevarnish, Holland in stunning new tan sail 4-stroke and break-back road and rudder in 2015. recent sails. trailer. outboard, new overall cover and new sails.and 4-stroke and Designed by Nick Newland of Swallow and rudder inand 2015. overall cover and Easy-launch trailer. outboard, new overall cover new sails. trailer. condition with Tohatsu 8HP outboard, cockpit and deck.

Rebuilt engine 2-pack Designed by Nick Newland of Swallow trailer. lovely condition with copperlovely condition with and trailer us in 2010.

Refurbishment included 2-pack coated underside, Suzuki 6HP overhauled trailer Yamaha 4HP 4-stroke built under licence from Character Boats to a lug sail dinghy with T-frame road trailer condition and garage kept.

With Combination lovely condition with copper£2,250. with new easy-launch trailer, overall cover 6HP 4-stroke, Easy-launch road outboard, with easy-launch trailer, Honda 4-stroke lovely condition with coated underside, Suzuki £12,950 4-stroke and break-back road 2006 Cornish Crabber £4,500. £2,250. with new easy-launch trailer, good condition with Mariner 5HP outboard, with easy-launch trailer, Honda 4-stroke copper£12,950 4-stroke and break-back 17’ in £4,500.

4-stroke and Easy-launch trailer. cushions and Easy-launch road trailer. £6,950 brokerage and are always on hand refurbishment with outboard and Combination road trailer. £3,950 services, brokerage and are always on hand with road trailer. £16,950 4HP outboard and Combination road trailer. advice 2001 David Moss Sea 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in 2006 GRP Otter road trailer. floorboards.

She has a 2011 Tohatsu 4HP Edmunds. builders based marketing and and help.

We provide traditional 2000 Cornish Crabber Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter £3,500 £3,500 condition.

Complete with spray hood, tent, £1,500 builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. and frames, Jabsco toilet, Origo cooker & £3,750 Requires light re-commissioning. £5,950 Anglia Yacht Brokers are a well established small sailing boat in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. sailing boat marketing and builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. £3,750 £6,450 £5,950 are always on hand with refurbishment services, established small sailing boat Boats.

She is in inoverall lovely condition with electric abroad and are always on hand recent sails/furling spar and easy-launch and general overhaul.

Lotsoutboard. of history.brokerage andwith Boats. is lovely condition recent sails/furling bare wood newin sails and outboard engine. very high standard inrevarnish, Holland and stunning new tanShe sail trailer and Tohatsu 3.5HP and in 2015. recent sails. trailer. outboard, new overall cover andwith newelectric sails. £4,500. respray, and rudder rudder in£12,950 2015. overall cover and 2011 Easy-launch trailer. outboard, new cover and new sails. trailer. £2,250. coated underside, Suzuki lovely condition with trailer.

4-stroke break-back road coated underside, Suzuki 6HP £4,500. £2,250.

6HP copper£12,950 4-stroke and break-back coated underside, Suzuki £4,500.

4-stroke and Easy-launch trailer.

2006 Cornish Crabber cushions and Easy-launch road trailer. £6,950 trailer. £3,950 17’ in trailer.

2001 David Moss Sea 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in 2006 GRP Otter oven, Furlexand 100s,with NASA Clipper instruments. outboard and Combination road trailer.

2000 Cornish Crabber Kittiwake 16’traditional gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. provide traditional sailing boat marketing and road trailer. £16,950 outboard and Combination road trailer.

Treluggan Boatyard advice builders based the UK near Bury St Edmunds.

Wehigh provide sailing boat marketing and are always on hand with refurbishment services, road trailer. floorboards.

She has ain 2011 Tohatsu 4HP marketing and and help.

We provide traditional £3,500 condition.

Complete with spray hood, £1,500 £3,500 brokerage and are always on hand with £3,750 Requires light re-commissioning. £6,450 £5,950 lovely condition Yanmar rigged sloop.

A very end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar Anglia Yacht Brokers are atent, well established small sailing boat sailing boat marketing and lovely condition Cedar £3,750 £5,950 established small sailing boat advice and help.

Please ask for Alex. £4,500. coated underside, Suzuki 6HP 4-stroke and break-back road trailer. £2,250. condition with £12,950 4-stroke and break-back road trailer. £4,500.

St1000 Auto condition Helm.

Garmin Echomap 70. £2,250. copper£12,950 4-stroke and break-back £4,500.

4-stroke and Easy-launch trailer.

01752 851679 £12,950 We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and cushions and Easy-launch roadUK trailer. £6,950 £3,950 refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand hand with £12,950 marketing and refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on with 2001 David Moss Sea 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ inlovely 2006 GRP Otter 15’ in lovely condition. lovely with Yanmar rigged sloop.

Cedar 2000 Cornish Crabber Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter builders based in the UK near Bury Stwith lovely condition Edmunds.

Abrokerage very high end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar advice and help. builders based in the near Bury St Edmunds. refurbishment services, and are always on hand Please ask for Alex. strip/epoxy construction 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke fitunderside, out with with a with 4-stroke and break-back 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with a road trailer.coated £4,500.

Lying ashore S.Wales. £17,500 road Suzuki 6HP £12,950 refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand hand £12,950 trailer. refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on with advice and help. trailer. advice and help. provide traditional sailing boat marketing and We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and strip/epoxy construction 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with with 15’ in lovely condition. lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop.

Cedar 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke lots of hard wood strip/epoxy construction with aa lovely condition A very high end 15’ in lovely condition.

Cedar trailer. advice and help. £12,950 Please Please ask for Alex. work. rogerdon37@gmail.com ask for Alex. standing lug yawl rig. trailer and upped rating to and bronze Complete 4-stroke and break-back trailer and upped Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete road advice and help. £12,950 refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand with £12,950 are always on hand £12,950 Please ask for Alex.

07549 946 629 standing lug yawl rig. trailer and upped rating to and bronze Complete trailer and upped work.

Complete with standing lug yawl rig.

Complete strip/epoxy construction construction 1GM10 outbreak with lots with with a 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke Bespoke road ofroad hard wood strip/epoxy with a trailer. category B. coverfitand back covers and and Please ask trailer for Alex. category B. diesel, Please ask for Alex. advice and help.with electric motor, covers advice and help. with electric motor, category B. cover and break covers and Please ask trailer for Alex. with Please ask for Alex. category B. road electric covers and Please ask for Alex. standing lugmotor, yawl rig. rig. trailer and rating to £12,950 and bronze Complete trailer and upped upped work. back Complete with standing lug yawl Complete

Anglia Yacht Brokerage AngliaYacht YachtBrokerage Brokerage Anglia

ComeCome and and see usseeatustheatSouthampton BoatBoat Show 11th11th - 22nd SeptSept the Southampton Show 22nd ComeCome and see usseeatsee 11th11th - 22nd Sept and usseeatusBoat theatSouthampton Boat 11th - 22nd SeptSept Come atCome theseeandSouthampton andand ustheCome atusSouthampton the Southampton Boat Show 11th -11th 22nd Sept Boat Show -Show 22nd Sept theShow Southampton Boat Show - 22nd £37,950 £37,950 £37,950 £37,950 category B. category B. £37,950 £37,950

road trailer. trailer. £8,995. road road trailer. motor, £8,995. road trailer. with electric electric motor, covers cover and break back covers and and Please ask trailer for Alex.

Alex. road with Please ask for £7,750 £7,750 £7,750 £7,750 road trailer. trailer. £8,995. road £7,750 £7,750

Come and see us at theCome Southampton Show 11th Boat - 22nd and see us at Boat the Southampton ShowSept 11th - 22nd Sept

1979 Drascombe Longboat Cruiser Mk2 1999 Sandweaver 16’16’ in gaff lovely 1983 Cornish Crabber GRP hull, New Deben Deben Luggers Luggers being being built built to to order order for 1999 Weaver 16’ Mk1 with with tan sails/gunter 2006 rigged sloop. A for New Balanced Balanced Lug Lug 10’ 10’ Roach Roach Dinghies Dinghies built built 2006 GRP GRP Kittiwake Kittiwake 1983 Sand Cornish Crabber 1999 Sand Weaver New New 1979 Drascombe Longboat Cruiser Mk2 1999 Sandweaver 16’16’ in gaff lovely 1983 Cornish Crabber Mk1 with GRP hull,high New Deben Deben Luggers Luggers being being built built to to order order for 1999 Sand Weaver 16’ with tan sails/gunter 2006 GRP Kittiwake rigged sloop. for New Balanced Balanced Lug Lug 10’ 10’ Roach Roach Dinghies Dinghies built built 1983 Cornish Crabber 2006 GRP Kittiwake 1999 Sand Weaver A delivery.

New built to New order.

2-berth in good condition with recent condition gunter rig, tan sails for May delivery. cockpit and deck. engine and trailer sloop rig.

She is in lovely condition and very end fit out with lots of hard wood May to order. order. very high with end fit cockpit and deck. sloop rig.

She issound inRebuilt to 2-berth in good sound condition with recent built to order. condition with gunter rig, lots tan sails for May delivery. cockpit and deck.

Rebuilt engine trailer May delivery. sloop She is in lovely condition and high end fit out with of hard wood toInc order. very high end fit cockpit and deck. sloop rig.

She is in May delivery. order. £3,250.

VAT. Yamaha 6HP outboard and Type Approved and combination road trailer.

Prices from £14,500.

Inc VAT and overhaul.

Lots of history. £3,250.to Inc VAT. complete with spray hood, overall cover and and bronze work.

Complete with and general general overhaul. bronzevery work. complete with sprayrig. cover and Yamaha 6HP outboard and Type Approved combination road trailer. and general overhaul.

Lots of history.

Prices fromLuggers £14,500.being Inc VAT VAT complete with spray hood, cover and 2006 and bronze work.

Complete with cover £3,250.

Inc VAT. VAT. Lug and general overhaul. and bronze work. complete with spray Prices from £14,500.

Inc £3,250.

Inc 1979 Drascombe Longboat Cruiser Mk2 1999 Sandweaver 16’ in gaff lovely 1983 Cornish Crabber with GRP hull, New Deben Luggers being built to to order orderWe 1999 Sand Weaver 16’ Mk1 with tanoverall sails/gunter GRP Kittiwake 16’ rigged for have New Balanced Lug 10’ 10’ Roachfrom Dinghies built built 1983 Cornish Crabber 2006 GRP Kittiwake 1999 Sand Weaver sloop.and A New Deben built for New Roach Dinghies from Euro Easy Launch road trailer. £3,450 £16,950 from combination road trailer. break road trailer.

We have twoBalanced demonstrators in stock stock £16,950 break back back road combination road two demonstrators in Euro Easy Launch road trailer. from £3,450 from £16,950 combination road trailer. break road We have two demonstrators demonstrators in in stock stock from £16,950 break back road combination road have two 2-berth in good condition with recent built to order. condition with gunter rig, lots tan sails for delivery. cockpit and deck.

Rebuilt engine and trailer MayMay delivery. rig.

She is in lovely condition and very high end outtrailer. with of hard wood to order. order. very highback end fit fit cockpit and deck. sloop rig.

She issound in May delivery. to £3,950 £3,950. £8,995. £2,950.We £8,995. £3,950. sloop £2,950. £3,950 £3,950. £2,950. £8,995. £3,950.

Yamaha 6HP outboard andoverall Type Approved combination and overhaul.

Lots of history.

Prices from from £14,500. £14,500.

Inc VAT VAT complete with spray cover andLong Keel. and bronze Complete £3,250.

Inc VAT. VAT. and£8,995. bronze work. work.road and general general overhaul. complete with spray cover Prices £3,250.

Inc Rival 34 hood, £16,000.00 1977, GRP, Wing 25 Mk III, 1975,£2,950.

FULLY REFURBISHED! Engine 24 ft trailer.

Bawleywith Yacht builtand CWhite, Brightlingsea; John Inc We stock from Euro Easy Launch road trailer. £3,450 £16,950 break back road trailer.

We have have two two demonstrators demonstrators in from combination road trailer. £16,950 combination road Call 01983 869 203 or www.boatshed.com ref recon, new perspex windows 2015!

New sea toilet in stock from Leather design.

Clinker planked, larch on oak.

Long builders Anglia Yacht Brokers are a well established small Anglia Yacht Brokers are a well established sailing boat builders £2,950. £3,950 £2,950. £3,950. £8,995. £8,995. £3,950. builders Anglia are Anglia Yacht Yacht Brokers Brokers are aa well well established established small sailing boat builders 2016, new standing rigging 2014, new upholstery keel, 3ftWe 9ins draught.

Engine:sailing Lister SL3 12 HP diesel. sailing based the UK Bury Edmunds. provide based in in231357 thebased UK near near Bury St Edmunds. traditional sailing sailing in UK near Bury Edmunds. provide traditional based in the the UKSt near Bury St St We Edmunds. always boat and refurbishment services, boat marketing marketing and refurbishment services, brokerage and are always The current owner has owned her for in excess of 30 2016, new mainsail cover/dodgers 2016, hull reGood condition.

Lying Melton btyrd on R Deben. Price always boat marketing and services, brokerage boat marketing and refurbishment refurbishment and are always Anglia Yacht Brokers are aa well established small sailing boat builders Anglia Yachtand Brokers are well established on with advice ask for £6,000 Alex. on hand hand withon advice and help.

Please years and he’s cherished her.help. sprayed 2016! Fabulous, Essex £6,950 Woodrolfe 01473 736697builders maparko@btinternet.com hand advice and Please ask Tel: for Alex. on hand with with advicePlease and help. help.

Please sailing based based in in the the UK UK near near Bury Bury St St Edmunds.

Edmunds. We provide traditional sailing Brokerage 01621 868494 brokerage@woodrolfe.com always boat boat marketing marketing and and refurbishment refurbishment services, services, brokerage and are always on on hand hand with with advice advice and and help. help. Please Please ask for Alex.

94 CLASSIC SAILOR 19901990 Drascombe Dabber 1999 Storm Mk2Mk2 in in 15’ with lug lug 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in 1990 Drascombe Dabber 1999 Storm Mk2 in 15’balanced with balanced Drascombe Dabber 31/05/16 10:54 PM Let us help sell your boat! exceptionally tidy tidy with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with rig. Complete condition withwith exceptionally tidy condition with rig. Complete with cover, electric exceptionally condition Email: evie@classicsailor.com or call on1999 01273-420730 and we’ll mail youlug a simple form to fi2.3HP ll in. Dabber 1990 Drascombe Dabber Storm Mk2 in 15’combi with balanced 1990 Drascombe Mk2 in and road trailer. cover, Honda 4-stroke and cover, Honda 2.3HP outboard 4-stroke and and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and cover, Honda 2.3HP outboard 4-stroke and Anglia yacht brokerage Mayus 2016.indd 98 sell your 31/05/16 10:54 Let help boat!

DOUBLE 130mm x 50mm, 80 words and picture - £100 63mm x 50mm, 30 wordstidy and condition picture - £60 exceptionally tidy withSINGLE cover, electric exceptionally with rig.aComplete condition with

Anglia yacht brokerage May 2016.indd Anglia yacht brokerage May98 2016.indd 98

31/05/16 10:54 PM

trailer. road trailer. road trailer. road trailer.

Email: evie@classicsailor.com£2,250 or call£2,250 on 01273-420730 and we’ll mail youroad a simple form to fill in. 24/05/17 12:45 AM and combi road trailer. cover, cover, Honda Honda 2.3HP 2.3HP 4-stroke 4-stroke and and £4,450 £4,450 Remember - subscribers are entitled tooutboard a 50% discount!

p94_CS0617_Boats for sale 2.indd 94

COOYA, Linton Hope Teak Yawl 1914. £63,500 Not only a beautiful Classic, Cooya is a comfortable shorthanded oceangoing yacht.

Cruised globally by her current owners of 40 years, she has been lovingly maintained and improved, including being refastened, re-coppered, and

A replica of the world girdling Trekka a Giles design.

A completed -new build not commissioned, epoxy and- glass sheathed strip plank construction.

20ft8ins x 6ft5ins x 4ft5ins. Lying Harwich. £6,000 Tel: 01255 504837

1985 Moody 31: In fantastic condition featuring a new Volvo D-30 engine, fuel tank and prop in 2014 coupled with full osmosis treatment, new stainless steel keel bolts and standing rigging all changed in 2008 plus much more. £29,950 VAT PAID call Clipper Marine on 01489 550 583

Bangor Bangor “S” Class “Stealaway” - 1946/7, Sail Number 1 with a full history back to new, cutter rig, good sails, Yanmar 2GMF 13hp diesel, wintered ashore under cover every year, last survey in 2010, a wonderful boat. West Mersea,, Essex £11,500 Woodrolfe Brokerage 01621 868494

Francis 26 1981 Very Seaworthy Long keel cruiser, well maintained 4 berth version, just reduced! £19,500 Barbican Yacht Agency E-mail Info@plymouthyachts.com or www.plymouthyachts.com 01752 22885

Holman & Pye 3/4 Tonner 1974 Fin & Skeg, Triple skinned mahogany, Beautiful & quite famous classic! Well maintained & updated.

Devon £22,500 Barbican Yacht Agency 01752 228855 Email Info@plymouthyachts.com or www.plymouthyachts.com

Folkboat 25 Wood Carvel Construction, long keel.

LOA 7.65m (25’1”) • 1965 • 1x diesel 14hp • 4 berths Price £6,500.00 Lying: Gosport Call 01983 869203 or www.boatshed.com ref 234456

Mathilda 53’ Baltic Trader Schooner built in 1982 to traditional lines using traditional construction techniques and materials.

Coded for commercial use under Swedish flag.

8 berths in 2 cabins with large central saloon. Very interesting boat, manageable size in sound condition. Sweden £90,000 Woodenships Tel/Fax +44(0)1803 833899

1999 Maurice Griffiths Tide Water 30 Iroko on steamed oak. Currently gaff cutter rigged.

Lister Petter 30hp. Lying Norfolk.

Full photographic building history.

For full info etc: 07909804444 or 01603 713435

Finesse 21, MK1, 1966, Clinker Bermudan sloop with centreboard. Iroko on Oak. In commission, well found, Yanmar GM10.

Maldon Essex.

OFFERS £5,250 MJL: 01621 859373

40 ft Kim Holman Ketch 1972 SILENT FLIGHT - The first boat built by Claud Whisstock for himself was named LANDFALL. A fast and comfortable passage maker – boldly-sheered, short ended hull belies the fineness of the lines – volume below impressive, sleeping 6. £68,500 Lying UK T: +44(0)1202 330077

WINNIE MARIE West Solent One Design No39 built 2010. Larch on oak. Bespoke bronze fittings on hull and spars. Tohatsu 5hp OB. Two berths. Origo meths cooker.

Garmin chart plotter. VHF. NASA echo sounder. Lying Camaret, Brittany under cover. 145,000euros.

00 33 60 74 24 14 7 or y.lecouteur@cmys.fr

Jorrock II 35ft + Bowsprit. Maurice Griffiths Bermudan Cutter, 1936, Original interior with headroom, Volvo engine Sister ship to Lone Wild II. Faversham Kent OIRO £35,000 MJL: 01621 859373

Gentleman’s Motor Launch 45’ motor launch built in 1961 of Teak on Oak In need of complete restoration Lying Treluggan Boatyard, Landrake, Cornwall £15,000 ono 01752 851679

CLASSIC SAILOR 95

p94_CS0617_Boats for sale 2.indd 95

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• IRONWHARF BOATYARD SALES •

This substantially built vessel is named “Jester” was constructed in 1937 at Rosneath on the River Clyde by the world famous shipyard James Silver & Co. She was designed as a “gentleman’s motor yacht” by the equally famous yacht designer John Bain. She has good seakeeping qualities.

A refit of the accommodation in the vessel can be completed according the requirements of the buyer and is very much a matter of personal preference as to layout and specification.

She is 20.75 metres long, 4.34 metres wide and 1.3 metres deep and powered by twin 6 cylinder Perkins Sabre diesels which are recently installed. The hull and machinery has been extensively refitted during the last 12 months and is now considered to be in fine condition.

Call Ironwharf boatyard for further details.

Tankard 19, 1970s classic GRP pocket cruiser, FULLY RESTORED, no expense spared, Yanmar 1GM10 diesel new in 2011, new mast, boom 2011, Garmin instruments, topsides re-painted 2012, fantastic buy! £8000 Essex 01621 868494 Woodrolfe Brokerage

Jennie of Paglesham was built by Frank Shuttlewood in 1946/7 from the bones of his grandfather’s 1885 clinker-built boat Jennie. An article about Jennie by the late Maurice Griffiths appeared in YM April 1948.

Jennie is a gaff-rigged cutter measuring 24ft 6in in length by 8ft 3in beam by 4ft draft; the pictures seen are when she was in her glory. Carvel construction of pine on oak steamed frames and with a solid pine straight laid deck, she is now ashore at Ironwharf and now is in need of work, the hull and deck are in fair and is mainly cosmetics, the cabin top and cabin sides will require work. The spars are lying on deck and are seen in serviceable condition. She has a Lombardini diesel engine, sails and new rigging. Jennie is a project vessel and is not for the faint hearted, but once works are complete she would be a fine sailing vessel.

All reasonable offers on Jennie considered.

Please call 01795 536296

1987 Westerly Storm: fitted with a Volvo 2002 diesel engine, diesel heating, Navman plotter, ST60, tiller pilot, Manson supreme, Hull painted in 2005. Lying Swanwick marina. £23,950 VAT PAID Call Clipper Marine on 01489 550 583

ADVERTISING BOAT FOR SALE BOOKING FORM Deadline next issue July 20 2017 Include a photo and don’t forget your email or telephone and we’ll do the rest!

Date: ............../................../................. Customer Name:.............................................................

Daytime tel ................................................... email .....................................................................

Payment by cheque, or postal order, or by credit/debit card or over the phone.

Payment is required on placing the ad High resolution photos can be emailed to us or sent to our address (see below) Publication will be in the next edition unless specified Single Panel YES NO Double Panel: YES NO Please circle or tick Single 30 words - double panel 80 words Issue(s) for insertion:...............................................

Please include: Name/type of boat; year built; LOA; materials; no of berths; condition; where lying; price and your contact/tel You can also visit our website at classicsailor.com and upload details of your vessel with more information.

1985 Moody 31: In fantastic condition featuring a new Volvo D-30 engine, fuel tank and prop in 2014 coupled with full osmosis treatment, new stainless steel keel bolts and standing rigging all changed in 2008 plus much more. £29,950 VAT PAID call Clipper Marine on 01489 550 583

Let us help sell your boat!

SINGLE panel insertion 63mm x 50mm, 30 words and a picture – £27.50.

DOUBLE panel insertion 130mm x 50mm, 80 words and a picture – £48.00 Buy two consecutive insertions and get a third insertion free!

Subscribers buy one single panel, and get one free with their subscription.

Ads can be copied to go onto our website in our boats for sale section Email: liz@classicsailor.com or call us on +44 (0)1273 420730

96 CLASSIC SAILOR

p94_CS0617_Boats for sale 2.indd 96

24/05/17 12:45 AM

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Falmouth Classics 16-18 June With Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival falmouthclassics.org.uk falmouthseashanty.co.uk Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta 17-18 June Levington, Orwell, Suffolk syharbour.co.uk 35th America’s Cup 17-18 & 24-27 June 2017, Bermuda, WI americascup.com

‘Traditional boats, lve music, good food, good people’ hippersons.co.uk Round the Island Race 1 July Cowes-Cowes IoW roundtheisland.org.uk Sailing Coble Festival 1-2 July, Bridlington bridlingtonharbour.com 50 Years of Drascombes 6-9 July, Weymouth drascombe.co.uk

Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Portsoy 24-25 June stbfportsoy.org

Panerai British Classic Week 8-15 July, Cowes britishclassicyachtclub.org Cowes Classics Week 17-21 July, Cowes cowesclassicsweek.org

Beccles Charter Weekend 1-2 July Hippersons Boatyard

Thames Traditional Boat Festival

14-16 July Henley tradboatfestival.com

Woodbridge, Suffolk maritimewoodbridge.org

Plymouth Classics 28-31 July, Sutton Harbour plymouthclassics.org.uk

Southampton Boat Show 15-24 September southamptonboatshow.com

Cowes Week 28 July-5 August cowesweek.co.uk

Thames Trafalgar Race 30 September - 1 October littleshipclub.co.uk

Fastnet Race 6-10 August Cowes-Plymouth rolexfastnetrace.com

Golden Globe Race 2018 14 June, Falmouth Suhaili Salute Sail-past 15 June SITanN Challenge Race Falmouth-Plymouth 30 June, Plymouth Start of Golden Globe 2018 Roundthe-World Race goldengloberace.com

Mersea Week 20-25 August merseaweek.com Great River Race 9 September Thames greatriverrace.co.uk Maritime Woodbridge 9-10 September

See classicsailor.com for more events and details and upload your own!

In Classic Sailor next issue Day skipper on your own boat

Offshore Drascombe Cruise

For many a practical Day Skipper course is something to do on a seaschool boat. So what is it like to use your own, fairly new to you, pride and joy?

We join David Jillings as he cruises across the North Sea and up to the Friesian Islands in an open Drascombe to discover his Viking ancestry CLASSIC SAILOR

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24/05/17 12:49 AM

Last word: A dinghy to which to retire Sam Llewellyn on Nicholas Serota’s retirement ‘gift’ from Tate staff

A

s all seafaring folk are aware, Sir Nicholas Serota is leaving his job as Tate Gallery Supremo this month. Friends and sycophants organised the traditional leaving present whip-round. ‘We are asking colleagues if they wish to contribute towards the purchase of a small dinghy on an entirely voluntary basis’, says a spokesperson. This caused a certain amount of indignation among the Tate’s shockingly

ill-paid staff, who like much of the British public associate yachts with big-money yobs like “Sir” Philip Green, not striving jams like you and me.

So what to do about Sailorboy Serota? It might be better to lend him a picture or two, on marine themes obviously. Le Bateau Rouge

by Odilon Redon would give him that Mediterranean feeling. A large breezy Turner to stand in front of would let him enjoy the thrills

of the maritime life with none of the annoying surplus moisture. A couple of pickled sharks would give him that real deep-sea feeling – not only because of their horrid teeth, but because the sense of having paid big money for something that is falling to bits would give him a proper insight into boat ownership.

If he really does want to experience the joys and anxieties of boat ownership and the hands-on sense of the wind up his trousers,

he could have one built. Not, one suspects, by one of our homegrown geniuses like Luke Powell or Adrian Morgan; but by members of his own flock. Sails by Tracy Emin, perhaps, complete with embroideries and anomalous stains. Inside-out hull by Rachel Whiteread, deviser of houses with solid interiors and nonexistent walls. Interior paintwork by Chris Ofili in marine quality elephant dung. Absolutely marvellous, darling.

Though come to think of it all this stuff is a bit, well, concrete.

Next thing you know he will be wanting actual oak frames and elm deadwoods and the whole schmear. The obvious solution is to go entirely conceptual. Take one paper chart. Stick a dirty great X somewhere in the middle of, well, up to you really, Pentland Firth?

Dover Strait? And frame it, and

Next thing you know he will be wanting actual oak frames and elm deadwoods and the whole schmear...

The obvious solution is to go entirely conceptual

GUY VENABLES

hang it on the wall of the house in Islington. And when people stop nodding sagely and fingering their chins and pluck up the courage to ask what the hell that cross is doing on that sea map thing, you can tell them that there lies the whole Serota Leaving Boat project sunk full fathom five. And the underpaid masses of Tate workers will no longer hear their children crying for bread, and N Serota can buy himself an Oppie from his personal resources and get on with a bit of nice quiet sailing.

PS: Should any Tate staff reading this have been unable to sell a Turner or other painting lurking in the basement to gratify the great leader’s leaving wish then can CS helpfully point them to our useful “boating on a budget” feature: p46.

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23/05/17 4:26 PM

Announcing the 7th Biennial

CLASSIC CHANNEL REGATTA 2017

DARTMOUTH • ST PETER PORT • PAIMPOL

JULY 8TH-14TH 2017 Bringing together an international fleet of classic yachts and their crews for a week of friendly competition and informal social events, the Classic Channel Regatta has an established reputation for a week of highly enjoyable classic sailing.

Three of the finest ports in the English Channel provide the perfect backdrop for a unique and varied series of races. Two days of racing off Dartmouth, then the Classic Channel Race from Dartmouth to Paimpol - this year with a stopover in Guernsey - are followed by the Round Ilê de Bréhat Race, a night in Lezardrieux and a grande finale in Paimpol as a central part of the town’s Bastille Day celebrations.

Classic yachts designed before 1974 and those built more recently in classic style are welcome.

Racing will be to the JCH Classic Handicap which is free.

We invite you to join us in 2017 to experience everything that makes the Classic Channel Regatta such an enjoyable event.

For full information and to pre-register, visit www.classic-channel-regatta.eu

The Classic Channel Regatta is run in association with the Yacht Club Classique and the Royal Dart Yacht Club, and is part of the Challenge Classique Manche-Atlantique.

Photograph credit

CLASSIC

YACHT.TV telling sea stories online craftsmanship + how-to videos yacht design racing + cruising classic yachts for sale destination guide

showcasing the world of traditional boats, classic yachts, companies and heritage

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