Classic Sailor Issue 2 November 2015 by Dan Houston

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NOVEMBER 2015 Â£3.95 US $9.99

EAST COAST FESTIVAL

Maldon magic Celebrating the joys of the local regatta

11 9 772059 042003

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

Rustler 33 and Rustler 24

Modern Classics by Rustler

Beautiful yachts, beautifully built

Contents Editorial

Galicia: sailing the northwest Spanish coast

Eye opener

The Marine Motorist

Signals

Thames Trad in pictures

Tobias Smollett, the first naval novelist

Gigs galore from Harker’s Yard

Albert Strange: artist, designer – and writer

On Watch from Southampton

Navigation: latitude and longitude

Sailing skills: the getaway

New column: The turn of the bilge

Practical: Teak laid deck, part 2

Trophy sails are when the sea gives you something you never forget For this month’s big picture we chose a painting by Winslow Homer News from our Southampton Boat Show debut, Cornwall, Ireland, the Broads, the Lakes, plus tributes to Mike Turk and Philip Walwyn

Association news

Smylie’s boats

Around the yards

X-OD’s summer, a 50th for the Folkboats, and Finesse class rally Mike Smylie on the Scaffie (aka Skaith, Skaff, etc...) Fresh hope for Kenya Jacaranda, two new Bay Cruisers, rescue Strange nearly ready and a historic transat yacht restored

The Post

Your letters and feedback are welcome

Andrew Bray

Technology vs the sky

Nardi’s nods

Federico’ Nardi’s pick of GRP classics. This month, the Alpa 950

Maldon Town Regatta

It’s an old-fashioned local get-together at one of our favourite East Coast places: barges, smacks and the Essex equivalent of craic

18 21 23 24

Guy Venables goes to the ends of the earth to discover its delights Cowes, Monaco – and a jaunt down the Thames in a Jetstar It’s now the Festival, not the Rally, and it certainly looked festive! The reluctant naval surgeon who launched a literary genre An apprentice training scheme launched an east-coast rowing craze A new biography, designs, paintings and a voyage in his own words Things we found at the show to use, wear, play with and rely on Reading the chart and coping with variation and deviation Using, or neutralising, wind and tide for a clean exit from the dock Surveyors: Aidan Tuckett on what they do, why (and when) you need one Tricks of the trade to achieve those neatly caulked seams

The generation gap

Practical: Dyneema

Falmouth’s Florence at 120

Practical: Tools for serving: mallet or board?

How Kite became Kate

Practical: Replacing a deck beam

Over the Yardarm, Calendar and Next Month

Artist of the Month: Tony Parsons

Richard Johnstone-Bryden seeks fresh ideas to inspire young people Still sailing, still racing – and still exceptionally fast, the venerable Falmouth Work Boat has a fascinating history Andrew Wolstenholme’s personal trailer-sailer goes into intriguingly high-tech production. We take her for a trial sail

Early season in Scotland

To Gordon Buchanan a cruise to the Inner Hebrides in March seemed like a good idea at the time. And, on the whole, it was

The wonder rope? Moray McPhail on the uses that suit it best Serving (with worming and parcelling) protects rope, by Des Pawson And doing it without taking the deck off. Will Stirling advises Drinks, coming events and a preview of December’s Classic Sailor Sailor, lifeboatman and painter of tidal seascapes CLASSIC SAILOR

Photo: Onne van der Wal

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Editorial Dan Houston

A trophy sail can be as much a great experience as learning a lesson from the sea, the hard way

t’s often after an event at sea that you can look back with clear perspective and see things in the light of personal experience. We got caught out in a high gale in the Arctic a few years back and when I think on it now it feels like a trophy sail. The trophy sail is the one where the sea gives you something you’ll never forget. Sometimes these are the great sails, the ones where you feel suspended on the vast heaving, breathing surface of the ocean in one of its benign states; you trip out through the Needles Channel sailing down a moonbeam in a perfect night breeze, mug of hot soup in one hand and a gently thrumming tiller in the other. Or you might see dolphins cavorting around in the wavetops off Ushant, moonwalking back along a wavecrest on their tail for all the world like some smooth, shiny grey version of Michael Jackson. Or it might just be a moment in a race where the boat is hissing along with every weft and warp of her canvas drawing perfectly and she’s canted over in a winning groove. Or, of course it’s that other kind of sail, where the sea teaches you a lesson. That was what happened in the Arctic when we were knocked down on top of such a large wave that although the sail wasn’t in the water the three foot pigs of iron ballast started to jump out of the bilges, casting aside the planks of the cabin sole. The sea on that occasion was simply teaching us we had too much canvas up but I can still feel the tense slow motion feel of dressing to come on deck in those crucial seconds where you know you have no time to spare. Then the sensation of relief when we got the sail down with the boat’s motion settling somewhat and at last a sense of being cared for by the boat herself – the 38ft (11.5m) pilot cutter Dolphin with 100 years under her keel.

For we simply lay ahull among the breaking crests of those huge marching rollers and went to sleep in a state of exhaustion caused by nerves as much as physical tiredness; about halfway through a 450NM passage. It was a day or so after that gale, with the Arctic in an almost placid state that I watched a black backed gull hit the water at speed and come up with a fish, most likely a saithe, which was almost as long as the gull itself. These working gulls of the wild spaces really earn their reputation – and they are large at 28 to 30 inches (71-77cm) long, weighing as much as 4.4lbs. Still I could not see how this bird was going to deal with a fish almost its own size. And yet, as we pulled alongside it had swallowed most of said fish headfirst and soon had the tail out of sight. Then it took off in a physics-defying feat of nature, with a long, running, flapping fight to get free of the water and its wing tips splashing down for another hundred yards or so before it was finally airborne. I feel a bit like that bird right now as we go to press with our second issue, with a few people telling us they cannot find the first one in the shops and the usual teething problems of setting up something new and becoming accepted. But we’ve had a busy launch month, being at the Southampton Boat Show for ten days (p11), setting up our stall at Maldon (p24) and creating a magazine with a broad outlook from a whole host of experts passing on their hard-won knowledge. Add to that that we are to be distributed in America already and the month has had its own trophy feel! I do hope that Classic Sailor is a purely positive influence on our readers as we try to share the excellent knowledge and thoughts of our writers on a wide range of traditional sailing subjects. Do tell us about your own trophy sail!

Suspended on the vast heaving, breathing surface of the ocean Leviathan by Rockwell Kent

For we simply lay ahull among the breaking crests of those huge marching rollers and went to sleep in a state of exhaustion caused by nerves as much as physical tiredness CLASSIC SAILOR

Eye Opener: Fog Warning Winslow Homerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Fog Warning is one of the American artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best narrative works. It depicts the lone fisherman out in his dory on the Grand Banks, after a successful day landing halibut, now rowing for the safety and warmth of the schooner mothership. But we view him at the moment he turns to see the fog bank rolling towards him, threatening at any moment to engulf the schooner, meaning he could easily lose her and spend a miserable night out at sea. Homer painted this homage to the tough and dangerous life of fishermen in 1885, three years after spending time in Cullercoats on the North East English coast among other artist inspired by the harsh conditions of a working fishing port

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CLASSIC CLASSICSAILOR SAILOR

Signals In other pages: An old Broads Yacht Club revived, historic oyster smack for sale, Southampton show report, tributes to Mike Turk and Philip Walwyn CORNWALL

Barnabas, the restored 1881 Cornish fishing lugger has completed a 10-week circumnavigation of Britain, undertaken in the wake of the Cornish drift-net fishing fleets operating in the 19th and early 20th centuries. She set off from Penzance on 27 June – ‘Mazey Day’ in Cornwall – following a clockwise route and returning to Newlyn Harbour on 5 September, where she was escorted in by an honour guard of pilot gigs. She then set off again round Land’s End to take part in the Boats in the Bay Festival at St Ives. Based in Mousehole, Cornwall, Barnabas is the sole survivor of the 1,000-strong lug-rigged seine and drift fishing fleet registered in Cornwall at the turn of the 19th century. A

lug-rigged mackerel driver, she fished from St Ives until 1954 when she was sold as a yacht. She is now in the hands of the Cornish Maritime Trust. The 10-week voyage was split into 10 week-long legs, with different crews for each leg. It took her up the west coast of Britain and then through the Caledonian Canal, where the early Cornish crews, unable to afford a horse, pulled their boats through the canal themselves. From the Moray Firth she headed north to Orkney and Shetland, where in the 19th century, a fleet of drifters, 1,000 strong would amass to await the enormous shoals of herring as they moved south. The fleet would then have sailed south with them, fishing and landing their catches as they went; calling into ports on the east

BROADS WHERRY

New trust for Maud

Maud, the ‘other‘ trading wherry on the Norfolk Broads, now has a charitable trust to help keep her sailing and focus interest on her. Built in 1899, Maud was dug out of Ranworth Broad in 1981 by Vincent and Linda Pargeter, who restored her over 18 years, relaunching her in 1999 in time for her centenary, and who have kept her sailing ever since. Clinker-built, engineless, and with her cavernous hold still below her hatches, Maud is arguably the more typical and authentic of the two surviving 8 CLASSIC SAILOR

trading wherries – the other being Albion. Part of the objects of the new Wherry Maud Trust, established

RUPERT MANLEY

Barnabas sails round Britain in the track of historic herring fleets

Above: Fishing luggers in St Ives Bay: from left to right, Barnabas, a mackerel driver, Dolly Pentreath a pilchard driver and the jumbo Celeste.

coast of Scotland and the eastern fishing ports of England. They would proceed south, fishing all the time from about late June to mid September, approximately the dates of Barnabas’ voyage,until the shoals of herring began to disperse off East Anglia. They fished with drift-nets, something Barnabas could not replicate as it is now illegal. Barnabas was then guest of honour at the 10th annual Boats in the Bay celebration of luggers

this summer, are to provide training in the skills necessary to maintain, preserve and sail wherries. Joe Farrow, Maud’s skipper and one of the four trustees said “It had become clear that it was time to pass the mantle. Our aim is to welcome as many people into the unique experience of sailing a wherry as possible – anyone is welcome to enjoy a relaxed, informal atmosphere onboard. And we’d like to thank the other wherry charities, both the Norfolk Wherry Trust & Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust for their support and kindness in our first season.” Associate membership of the trust costs £10 and more details are available on facebook (Wherry Maud Trust) or ’phone 01379 679666.

in St Ives, where she had been built, by Henry Trevorrow, in 1881. She was greeted by a fleet of Jumbos, punts and picarooners which sailed out in company across the bay to meet her, and by the Mayor of St Ives, Linda Taylor who formally welcomed Barnabas on behalf of the town. The event, organized by Jonny Nance and the St Ives Jumbo Association also welcomed the sailing pilot gig Endeavour from Mevagissey, the first of these gigs to attend.

AGM PETITION

Corinthian rule change could split Dragons Prepare for some fire-breathing at the International Dragon Association’s forthcoming AGM. A new rule, proposed by the executive, which would ban professional sailors from the Worlds and European Championships – restricting helms to Corinthian sailors – has got both professional and amateur Dragon sailors up in arms. Lars Hendriksen, twice winner of the Dragon Gold Cup, who describes himself as a “part-time pro”, has launched a petition on facebook opposing the rule change. He argues that it could split the class into two divisions, with amateur and professional circuits. Corinthian sailors who have signed point out that they relish the present opportunity to compete against the best, regardless of their status. The AGM takes place in Paris on 24 October. Search in www.change.org for Lars Hendriksen to find the petition.

UFFA FOX RESTORATION

Huff’s triumphant return Huff of Arklow, the unique Uffa Fox-designed Flying 30, newly restored by Cremyll Keelboats, made a triumphant return to her birthplace in Ireland this summer – and proved her racing credentials against modern yachts. Her Irish tour included Arklow, where she was built by John Tyrell in 1951, but the highlight of her maiden season was a visit to the Royal St George Yacht Club at Dun Laioghaire, Dublin, where Douglas Heard, her original owner, was commodore. “They gave is a brilliant reception,” said Barbara Bridgman, who with her husband Dom runs Cremyll and restored Huff. “People who’d sailed and built the boat, and their relatives and descendants were there.” These

included the son and daughter of her builder John Tyrrell; Bill Murray, 91, who had worked on her build, and the widow of Douglas Heard, who had commissioned Huff from Uffa Fox, and worked with him on the design, specifying the unique drop sheer by her cockpit to enable him – following a war wound – to get on and off the boat. “They invited us to join the regatta – against over 400 versatile and agile modern boats. The first day was quite horrible – Force 6, boats dismasted, the lot!. We were over canvassed, and didn’t do very well,” continued Barbara. “After that, they changed our handicap, and the next two days, we won! We got the feeling they wanted us to win and they gave us this massive

cup, it’s called the Royal Kingstown Trophy.” Cremyll, based at Mashfords Boatyard, Torpoint, Plymouth, teaches boatbuilding and seamanship skills on

traditional boats, and intends to use the 44ft (13.4m), six-berth Huff as part of its training programme for sailors and skippers, with passages, day-sails and regattas.

WINDERMERE JETTY

Boat museum appoints Good Wood’s Beresford Stephen Beresford of the Good Wood Boat Company is taking over the position of head boatbuilder at the former Windermere Steamboat Museum, following the departure of Adrian Stone earlier this year. The museum, now renamed Windermere Jetty, is at present scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2017 season. It closed for refurbishment in 2006 and is currently a flat site wait-

Stephen Beresford: “I quickly realised it was my ideal job”

ing for the construction of new buildings to commence, apart from the temporary building where the boats are stored, and where conservation work has been carried on throughout. Stephen says he was asked by Lakeland Arts, which owns the museum, to circulate the job description around any boatbuilders he knew – “but I quickly realised it was my ideal job: a blend of high-end crafts-

manship, wooden boatbuilding, project management and engineering.” He will also eventually be running the open conservation workshop where visitors to the reopened Jetty will be able to see boatbuilding work taking place. Good Wood, best known for its hand-crafted wooden dinghies, will meanwhile continue its operation at Cockermouth on a slightly reduced scale.

Left: Part of the comprehensive and eclectic selection of boats owned by the museum in their temporary storage. Below: Architect’s impression of the planned new museum buildings, estimated for completion in 2017

Huff of Arklow in Dun Laioghaire

HOLYHEAD

‘Piratey’ fun again at festival Thirty boats attended the ninth Traditional Sail Festival in Holyhead over the August Bank Holiday. Some years ago the event slipped into a very ‘piratey’ festival, with this year being no exception. The Anglesey Hussars (above) manned a threecannon shore battery to counteract the fire power on board the tops’l schooner Vilma. Holyhead harbour is perfect for the parade of sail and the mock battle which take place within 10 metres of the promenade. CLASSIC SAILOR

Signals MONACO

MEDWAY

Stormy Petrel: living history for sale

EMILY HARRIS

It’s a rare chance to own a piece of living maritime history – one of The National Historic Ships Register’s top 200 ‘National Fleet’ vessels, the Kent built Stormy Petrel is up for sale. The 1890 Whitstable oyster smack has been owned by Dick Norris for the last 53 years, and was previously owned by legendary bargeman Bob Roberts. She was built by R and C Perkins of Whitstable, who used her for oyster dredging in the summer and stowboating in winter. Whitstable smacks were heavily built to take the ground locally. They were as common as Essex smacks but fewer survive. Still without an engine, she has been kept in original condition – though wellmaintained: Dick hauled her out for a major three-year refit in 1998, and she had a new mast in 1995. She is kept in the Medway, measures 40ft (12.2m) on deck and the asking price is £80,000.

SOUTHAMPTON

Dolphin spotter? Dolphin researchers are asking Classic sailors to volunteer as deck crew and spotters in research ships monitoring cetacean sea life as well as environmental conditions such as plastics in seawater. Simon Hartill, Southampton Science Officer, said three recent surveys had had to be cancelled because of a lack of volunteers; email simon.hartill@ southampton.gov.uk 10 CLASSIC SAILOR

British Boats at Monaco Skipper Richard Le May is out on the bowsprit of the 15-M Lady Anne off Monaco for the principality’s Classic Week in September. The exquisite 75ft (23m) 1912 Fife design came second (to Mariska) in the four- strong 15-M class. Other winners were the 1914 Stowe & Sons of Shoreham-built British schooner Morwenna, designed by Linton Hope and restored in 2013, at Chantier Guip, Brest. She won the overall trophy. Helford’s Greg Powlesland won the Concours d’Élégance for his work with Patna, his 1920 55ft (16.8m) CE Nicholson yawl – he is well known as a purist restorer and Patna’s uncompromising period features wowed the judges. Photo: Stefano Gattini

NORFOLK BROADS

Great Yarmouth Yacht Club revived: subscription still 10s/6d

This year has seen the reformation of the Great Yarmouth Yacht Club, which was first founded in 1883 and later in 1937 amalgamated into the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club, along with its Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, reports Jamie Campbell. The newly-revived club, whose constitution still sets the subscription rate at 10s 6d (52 ½p!), held its first regatta at Thurne Mouth on the Broads over the 19/20 September weekend. A new Gold Cup – this one with a saucer and made by Royal Worcester – was provided as a trophy. A mixed fleet of Broads, Yare and Bure and Great Yarmouth One Designs, as well as a healthy number of International 12s and three River Cruiser class yachts took part. The wherry Maud was also in attendance as committee boat.

Great Yarmouth YC Regatta: Left, the smallest River Cruiser, Martlet, also proved the fastest. Committee wherry Maud ican be seen in the background

Classic Sailor’s Southampton show Making friends at our first boat show

The view from our stand

QUAY PEOPLE

Jamie Jigsaw and Jules the Entertainer were just a couple from hundreds of classic sailors (are you sure? Ed) who visited our stand at the 47th Southampton Boat Show held in September. And according to Pete Greenfield, the editor of Watercraft, this was the same spot he had his first show with another trad boat magazine back in 1987! The show felt busy and we felt like we talked for England but it was a good experience and we met some people who knew us already as well as making a fair few new friends.

A call to Brest

Francois Arbellot-Repaire, director of the Brest Festival for July 2016, visited our stand to ask us to invite all comers to help make the British village at Brest special for next year. “We can help boats with free berthing at stopover ports like Roscoff,” he said, “and we want stuff like the Falmouth Marine Band.” Write to CS!

Beachy!

Adrian Donovan showed Hanne, a 17ft Eastbourne Beach Boat of the early 20th century – a major feature of the Sussex resort at that time. Hanne has been restored to original condition, for her owner Bob Peasgoode, who now keeps her on the Norfolk Broads

Kite adds a stripe

People told Matt Lingley of DemonYachts that their new Kite needed some colour contrast, so for the show she gained a graphite stripe. See our review on p34.

Dorset Wooden Boats of Blandford brought a beautifully built Iain Oughtred designed Caledonian Yawl with an ingenious pushpull tiller, as opposed to the bowed tillers

Mystery runabout

with these boats.

St Ayles challenge

The challenge for Jordan Yachts was to build a new St Ayles skiff during the course of the show. It needed to be planked in order to be transorted home – and it was.

Built in Brittany

Birgitta Näsström Seguin takes a break from showing the French Cormoran dinghies.

This slightly mysterious mahogany runabout was shown by Jackson Yachts of Ipswich: we hope to have more details on her soon.

Dad’s Boats stand were displaying these wooden propellors, . ed for everyday use but very beautiful on a wall!

Above: Roger Wilkinson of Kitiwake Boats and and Ewan Spears of North Classic Sailor

CLASSIC SAILOR 11

Signals OBITUARIES

Michael Turk: ‘One of the great 20th-century rivermen’ Michael Turk, who died on 9 August, aged 78 was universally acknowledged as one of the great rivermen of the 20th century. Born into a family of Thames boatmen and boatbuilders that dates back some 300 years or more – an ancestor is believed to have built a ship for the defence of the realm as far back as 1295 and the present Turks was founded at Kingston in 1710 – Mike, as he was known, did his utmost to maintain and enhance the traditions of both Turks and the Thames. At the age of 18 he was bound apprentice to the Worshipful Company of Watermen in 1954, rising to Master of the Watermen in 1988,. He was also a Swan Marker, each July travelling down the Thames from source to sea, in the swan-upping, marking young swans for the

Queen. And as one of 24 Royal Watermen he had to escort members of the royal family and heads of state on the river, and guard State Regalia in transit between the Tower and Westminster. In his working life, he built numerous boats - “Skiffs, dinghies, J-Class yachts, passenger boats, tug, barges, state barges,” according to his son Richard. Eventually this spilled over into building or sourcing boats for film work, including the speedboat chase in Moonraker, and a 16th-century shallop (which he built) for A Man for All Seasons. He also – as was discovered when Turks’ vast warehouse of film props was emptied and auctioned in 2010 – provided the Swallow for the 1974 film of Swallows and Amazons, and boats for the Harry Potter series.

The pinnacle of this part of his career was the 152ft threemasted 18th-century style frigate the Grand Turk. It was, says Richard, the realisation of a boyhood dream, and “the biggest adventure of his life, although it nearly bankrupted him”. The ship, built appropriately at Marmaris in Turkey within one year, featured in ITV’s Hornblower series and other films before being sold off in 2010. Possibly, though, Mike Turk’s most lasting memorial will prove to be the Thames event which he founded in 1988, the year he became Master of the Watermen. Mike issued a challenge to row in a marathon-length, 22-mile race along the Thames. This was the start of the Great River Race, which annually attracts around 300 entries, rowing from Milwall to Richmond.

Philip Walwyn, 68, yachtsman, boatbuilder and hotelier died after falling overboard from his yacht Kate, a mile off the Cornish coast, on 3 August. He was rescued three hours after the yacht was found sailing unmanned, but was critically ill and died shortly thereafter. Cause of death was given as a heart attack. It was his 17th, and intended to be his last solo transatlantic crossing on the boat he loved and had built. Kate was the pinnacle of his varied and extensive boatbuilding activities. An Alfred Mylne 12-Metre designed in 1908 to the First International Rule, she was built on a mountaintop in the small Caribbean island of St Kitts, his family home.

DEN PHILLIPS

Philip Walwyn: Hotelier, yachtsman and boatbuilder

Philip Walwyn aboard his Kate, which he had rerigged as a yawl and painted black

Philip used modern strip plank techniques, but made sure she conformed to her original Mylne drawings. Her finish though was in a startling colour called Fighting Lady Yellow. “It annoys a lot of people,” admitted Philip adding, “which is rather satisfying.” He later changed

Kate into a black-hulled yawl. Although born in Wiltshire, he spent much of his life at the family estate in St Kitts. A former sugar plantation, it became an hotel, which he converted and developed. Tributes form the yachting community included one from his St Kitts Yacht Club, which

described him as “a great man, a legend in his own right.” Its website adds: “We say goodbye to one of the world’s utmost sailing icons, and our past commodore, Philip Walwyn. ” He leaves his second wife Kate, and two sisters, Susan Walwyn and Jill Blancaneux. CLASSIC SAILOR 12

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Signals: Association news XODs, Folkboats and those Finesses

Folkboats celebrate 50 years of racing

XODs ‘Another bumper year’ It’s been another bumper year of racing for the sailors in the XOD Class, who turned out in force for Charles Stanley Cowes Classics and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Weeks. The XODs were the largest fleet at the Charles Stanley Cowes Classics with 60 entrants and the racing format of two windward/leeward races per day proved challenging, with seven different race winners in the eight race series. The racing was so close that it took the last race to finally determine the overall winner, with Paul Woodman and Oliver James in X32 Ibex winning by just one point from Alastair Ashford’s X174 Foxglove.

14 CLASSIC SAILOR

To no one’s surprise and everyone’s delight, the regatta’s Seamanship Trophy was awarded to 14-year-old XOD crew Amelia Hickmott for sailing X120 Morena from the North Channel into her Cowes marina berth on windy Wednesday after helmsman Neil Clifford fell overboard when Morena rolled to windward in the shadow of a passing tall ship. Happily, Neil was plucked from the water by a nearby yacht and landed ashore safe and well. As usual, XODs were also the largest fleet at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week with 62 entries and they enjoyed seven testing round

the cans races from start lines set from the Royal Yacht Squadron, a Committee Boat and the Shrape, producing five different winners. Completing a hat trick, X80 Lass, helmed by John Tremlett won the week’s prestigious Captain’s Cup, beating second placed Rory Paton in X48 XL, which was the only other boat to win two races. The XOD fleets in Parkstone, Yarmouth, Lymington, Hamble, Cowes and Itchenor all enjoy autumn racing locally through to the end of October before laying up for the winter and finalising plans for XOD events in 2016. From Tina Scott

After 50 years of racing in the UK and 70 years since the original design, the weather set out to test and prove once again that its iron ballast keel representing more than half of its displacement really does make Folkboat a very seaworthy boat. Yes, the wind and rain tried to put us off our racing; when that failed the weather resorted to another great tactic, very light winds. To celebrate the 50th a sail past the end of Yarmouth pier was organised with the salute and the dipping of the ensign to the Deputy Lord Leuitant of the Island. certainly an unusual site to see a procession of Folkboats all under their outboards. With boats gathered from all along the south coast the competition was fierce and several general recalls with the black flag were made. Even so one or two underestimated the strength of the tide and had to take the consequences. Fifty-seven boats split between Nordic Folkboats and cruisers took part in windward / leewards, short round-the-can races and long Solent races that tested the crews to the ultimate. The winners for each day received their trophies at the evenings gatherings and the final Gala dinner held at the Royal Solent Yacht Club saw 174 people attending and listening to a short speech from the Danish manufacturer of most of the boats that taken part. Age of the boat is not a factor in winning, just the skill to sail and tune your boat to the maximum of the wind conditions. From David Fox

Smylie’s boats

I Finesse owners rally at Bradwell Rallies of the Finesse class have become an annual event over the last three years, with this summer’s taking place in Bradwell, Essex, close to where Alan Platt had built these 21 and 24-footers from 1961until the 1990s. Craft began congregating on the Blackwater during the week before the meeting, coming from the Medway and the Suffolk rivers. The eventual total reached ten, eclipsing those of 2013 and 2014, both held at Chatham. It was augmented by longerdistance members travelling overland, which made for a very crowded pontoon party on the Saturday evening. The clinker-built shoal-draft Finesse 24s proved a popular East Coast boat when they were introduced in 1968, with over 80 built, as well as 70

Finesse 21s. Earlier boats were mahogany on rock elm, but later models made extensive use of iroko. The hulls are distinctively full-bodied and buoyant, and a choice of bilge plates or a steel centre plate was offered. The former makes for a less cluttered interior, while the latter, which increased the draught to 7ft (2.1m) improves sailing performance. The rally was organised by creek-crawling author Nick Ardley and his wife, who promise another in 2016. “What I found fulfilling was the sheer enthusiasm of owners and crews, including a youngish couple who had sailed from Gillingham in a boat which they’d owned barely four weeks.” The Finesse Owners Association has a website, and a closed-group facebook site.

Scaffie - Scaith, Scaff (Moray Firth Or Buckie Herring Boat)

t’s a slightly bizarre fact that, from all the Washington plans of Scottish boats produced in his 1849 Report, it is the Moray Firth or Buckie boat that best resembles the scaffie, given that they are often presumed to be ‘the’ herring boats of Wick. Now, there’s a wonderfully-explicit and well-known photograph of Wick, taken in 1865, with hundreds of open boats lying in the new harbour at Pultneytown, Wick, which had been built by the British Fisheries Society. Although the boats are said to be scaffies, closer inspection reveals that they are not in fact exhibiting the idealised raked sternpost. These boats resemble the yoles (yawls) of that area, and share a common ancestry from the Viking era, though with a influence from the north coast and Orkney which made them a wee bit more upright. Yet, however you look at it, scaffies are most definitely Norse in design, initially being clinker-built doubleenders, therefore having the same ... their raking ancestry as these Wick yoles. The sternposts and scaffies were renowned for their raking sternposts and rounded rounded forefeet, forefeet, often said to reflect the tendency for harbours to charge fees oftensaid to reflect related to keel lengths. Rigged with a single lugsail (though the odd one the tendency of was two-masted) these craft evolved harbours to relate from the earlier schooner-rigged open ‘Great boats’ that, although fees to keel lengths little is known about them, are said to have fished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Herring was king off the northeast Scottish coast, and the boats developed purely for this fishery. From the smallest at 20ft to larger ones over 40ft, the scaffies were the herring boats of the Moray Firth, from, say, Cromarty to Macduff. Decking of boats did not gain favour amongst the fleets until the 1860s despite evidence from various quarters, including Washington, that decks did improve safety. Fishermen tended to believe decks got in the way of loading the boats with fish even if some capsized from overloading. There’s nothing like going back to harbour after a night’s fishing, loaded up to the ears with herring! Nevertheless, with persuasion, they eventually saw the obvious advantages of decks. At the same time carvel building gained precedence and boats in excess of 40ft were built. Only a very few passed through the phase of motorisation as their hulls were deemed unsuitable for conversion, and today it appears that only various replica scaffies remain. By Mike Smylie

Right: One happy Finesse owner! Far left: XODs on the Friday of Cowes week in the rain. Left: Folkboats including Tom Case’s varnished Ysa – middle and bottom behind Jamie Sheldon’s Merganser in the foreground

CLASSIC SAILOR 15

Around the yards A beloved Brixham trawler rescued; Swallow goes up in the world; Strange restoration, and an epic voyager rediscovered DOWNS ROAD MALDON

New hope for Kenya Jacaranda The Brixham trawler Kenya Jacaranda has been through some difficult times, and more than one restoration group, since she ceased operation as a sail-trainer back around the turn of the century. A popular ship among the young people who had sailed her, she enjoyed a lot of goodwill, but funding was hard to find. Last year, the most recent band of volunteers had to face the realisation that her restoration was going to be beyond their resources. The Brixham based Trinity Sailing Foundation expressed some interest in her, with a view to reverting her to her original name, Torbay Lass, and adding her to their trawler fleet, but decided not to follow through. Tilbury docks wanted her removed. It was at this stage that Jim Dines stepped in, and offered a safe haven. “I said if Trinity’s bid fell through, I’d take her, and find a way through.” So she sailed round from Tilbury, “under her own power,” said Jim, and is now lodged in a mud berth in Maldon.

He confirmed that her condition was extremely poor. “The starboard side is not too bad,” he told Classic Sailor, but the port side in a terrible state.” Jim sees her future as part of a charity to train apprentices in techniques of traditional boat

maintenance, and is currently putting together a funding proposal through his Heritage Marine Foundation. Torbay Lass was built in 1923, by R Jackman & Sons of Brixham and is on the National Register of Historic Vessels.

Top: In more optimistic times, beached for work opposite Canary Wharf. Left above: Jim Dines aboard the KJ at Downs Road Boatyard

WALES

Bay Cruiser 26 joins the Swallow Yachts fleet

SUFFOLK

Donovan’s Bay Cruiser 23 Craftsman boatbuilder Adrian Donovan is currently completing one of his more unusual commissions, a custom interpretation of a Bay Cruiser 23, the water-ballasted trailer-sailer designed (and normally built) by Swallow Yachts. It’s a commissioned build, in ply epoxy, with a fully teak deck and it seems no expense spared. More details to come once the boat is launched, within the next few months, but it promises to be a distinctive member of its class. 16 CLASSIC SAILOR

Ten years after taking on the Swallow Boats company from his father Nick, Matt Newland has announced subtle but significant change to the company’s name, to Swallow Yachts. Over the decade he and his team have developed a range of boats that combine classic looks with modern performance. “Our product range has steadily grown and with the

Southampton Boat Show launch of our new Bay Cruiser 26, we felt that the name change better reflects our product offering,” he announced. The Bay Cruiser 26 is water-ballasted like other boats in the Swallow range, but as the largest model in the range, offers an ingenious layout which provides accommodation for four, around a fully enclosed

heads compartment (cunningly concealing the drop keel case). Features include a slideaway galley and space under the bridge deck for a fridge. Externally she has twin rudders, and we particularly liked the dropdown transom gate to ease stepping ashore when moored stern-to. The sailaway prices start at just under £70,000 inc VAT.

They pointed out that the open, engineless racing hull may not be what he wanted for family sailing and found for him instead a 35ft fast cruiser

NORTHWEST USA

WOODBRIDGE

Mist beginning to clear John Kresja’s restoration of Mist, the Albert Strange yacht found abandoned, is nearing completion. Mist, a 26ft canoe yawl built in 1907, has a remarkable story of survival. After sinking at her moorings in Gare Loch in 1994, she was hauled out and, ten years later, moved to the beach and placed on the beach inside

an old lifeboat hull to provided some protection. There she was immediately recognised, and the Albert Strange Association alerted boatbuilder John Kresja who adopted her as a retirement project and moved her the Melton Boatyard (formerly Mel Skeet’s) in Woodbridge, in 2006 and has been working on her there ever since.

This photo shows her emerging from her tarpaulin chrysalis earlier this summer; since it was taken, the covers have been cleared away, and the spars fitted. New sails are on order, and launch day cannot be far away. John has now brought his own boat round to the yard and had her lifted out, which has to be a good sign.

AUSTRALIA

Marine matchmaking At Sydney Wooden Boats, shipwrights Simon Sadublin and Tom Coventry, who have an encyclopedic knowledge of suitable craft are matching boats to their list of clients who want a wooden beauty that is as good as new with a low maintenance future. They recently restored the Fife designed International 6-metre class Sjo- Ro and Simon owns a sister ship, Rendezvous. A prospective client fell in love with the lines and asked them to restore another 6-Metre hull lying in a paddock for family sailing. They pointed out that the open, engineless racing boat’s hull may not

be what he wanted. They found for him the neglected 1949 Alan Payne designed Questing, a 35ft fast cruiser of similar elegant metre boat lines, but which needed less work. And it had already had a cabin and an engine. The original full length Douglas fir planking was in good condition and only required work at the counter

and stem. The hull shape was remarkably preserved by having double stringers, despite the chain plates being attached only through the planking. A new cabin top was moulded over the top of the original before this was removed. With a discreet extra inch to the coach roof sides and a more vigorous camber, the new interior (left) reflects the original one but is brighter and more spacious. Tom (left) and Simon have a number of classic hulls to match with new owners and already have their next project for which they will be matching a new owner. They rescued a dainty raised deck 22ft fishing boat, which they plan to refurbish, re-engine and fit with a smart wheel house as a fishing day boat.

Crowdsource campaign to restore transat classic A campaign to raise $5,000 to complete restoration of the boat used by the first woman to sail solo across the Atlantic has just been launched by the North West School of Wooden Boatbuilding in America. The solo sailor was Ann Davison, who set out from Plymouth in 1952 and reached Florida 254 days later. She wrote about it in her book My Ship is So Small. And it was small –just 23ft LWL, built by Mashfords of Cremyll, Plymouth, to a design by Sid Mashford. The boat, Felicity Ann, was found abandoned in California many years later and went to Alaska where her new owner began a restoration in 2008-9. When he realised he couldn’t complete it he contacted the school at Port Hadlock in Washington State. The NWSWB has now embarked on a $40,000 restoration; with a 75% private grant, and a pledge of half the remainder, it has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining $5,000. The school’s aim is to use Felicity Ann, first to inspire women to consider a career in the marine trades, and then, on the water for training women, young people of both sexes and the community in general. www.nwswb.edu/felicityann/ Top: Ann Davison and Felicity Ann; right and below: students at work on the restoration

CLASSIC SAILOR 17

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

I’ve just got back to Falmouth to get my hands on the new Classic Sailor issue and want to say I’ve really enjoyed reading it! In particular the regatta article by Guy Venables which was absolutely hilarious and your article on the CowesDinard race on Argyll. I recently sailed back to Falmouth with them after the Fastnet, Lars and I were discussing the magazine and looking forward to giving it a read! It was also a surprise to see Freemans Wharf in the yard section! I’m currently living there on a Halcyon 23 and speaking to George I must have just missed your visit as I think I had just left for Cowes. Emma Louise Wyn Jones, marine photographer, Penryn, Cornwall

Those tenders

Richard Elkan’s (‘Rigging my Tender’, The Post, CS last month) mentions that tenders similar to his (but without the sailing rig) can be found in a “huddled mass” on the fore-

shore at Waldringfield on the River Deben. Indeed they can – here’s a photo of just a few of them. There must be going on a hundred all told. They are tenders to boats on the river moorings and they come, at quite a cheap price, from the local boatyard which apparently has them turned out by “a man in a shed”. Interesting that one has found its way as far afield as Maldon. Jack Blake, Woodbridge 18 CLASSIC SAILOR

Heart Clew answer

Not sure who is offering the bottle of whisky (That’s Classic Marine, not us! - Ed) but attached is the answer to the puzzle. It is a Heart Clew but without the thimbles , as illustrated page 280 in the Wilcox, Crittenden & Co Inc. Dependable Marine Hardware catalogue from 1928. Based in Middletown Connecticut USA, this company was established in 1847 and by the late 1880’s, they had become the largest manufacturers of marine hardware with the most diversified line in the United States. The success of the company was built certainly in part on their development of the pressed two part Brass Grommet. If you want more on their

Volunteering to sail

Great to read the first issue of Classic Sailor, I loved to see such a down to earth approach to traditional sailing. One topic that I hope will be covered is volunteering within the industry. I am now working on boats commercially and the one thing I regret about my time as an amateur sailor is not volunteering aboard sail training vessels. I was surprised when I started working just how many amazing opportunities are available to volunteer in sail training and other areas of the industry. Volunteering on boats can be a very rewarding way of sailing on some of the most amazing vessels ever built. Many a would-be sailor spends their free time dreaming about sailing but the cost, or just

history this link will take you to Mystic Seaports Library catalogue: http:// library.mysticseaport.org/manuscripts/ coll/coll231/coll231.html Des Pawson MBE, Ipswich

distance from one of the sailing hubs, makes the prospect unrealistic. But volunteering for deliveries or sail training couldn’t be easier, and it is a great way to gain experience. I urge all those interested in sailing these vessels to contact their nearest sailing charity or sail training trust, most are more than happy to accept volunteers and will explain how to get involved. I hope that in the future CS may be persuaded to write an article on volunteering as it is a great way for beginners and old hands to pursue their love of sailing. Ieuan Finniear

Testing a new lifeboat

In the light of recent, unfortunate events (Classic Sailor Letters Page October 2015), Peter Duck would like to extend a particularly warm

Just ask – nicely please A new magazine always has difficulty in finding its readership [and we know from calls that there are newsagents which don’tn yet stock us]. But most will also order it in for you, if you just ask… Also we are happy to send out copies for the cover price. Contact us at sales@classicsailor.com

Patsy Knight, Lowestoft’s new offshore lifeboat

welcome to Patsy Knight, the Lowestoft offshore lifeboat, to be named by the Duke of Kent at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club on the 20th September 2015. Patsy Knight is a Shannon class lifeboat, built at the RNLI’s dedicated facility in Poole. Her performance is reputedly spectacular. We hope our fellow classic sailors will never need to put her to the test. Julia Jones & Bertie Wheen

Of your paper

My, what a super magazine you have produced. Like with the Classic Boat, when it was launched in 1987, I am lucky to be in possession of the very First Edition. It is so pleasing to see that Classic Sailor (CS) opted for the quality route over penny pinching, which can immediately be seen in the feel of the

paper, the quality of coating and, as a result, sharp colour pictures and the overall stiffness and substantial feel to the magazine itself. Dr I T Gordon-Pullar, Hamble, Hants

New magazine venture I read the new magazine from cover to cover, which is a very rare thing for me. I wonder if somehow I knew it appealed to me, or whether the content was above average. Kerb appeal is an odd beast. The magazine’s focus on seamanship was a pretty unique angle, I felt. And one that resonates with me. For

After 12 years and 77,000 miles in the wheel-steered Wanderer IV, Erik Hiscock wanthed to enjoy the thrill of a tiller-steered yacht again

over a year now I’ve been trying to put my finger on what seamanship means to me as a dinghy cruiser, and the tricky art of obtaining this quality (especially when you only get afloat three times a year). I had already thought about writing an article about it, except I haven’t found all the answers yet. Magnus Smith, Farnham

Hoisting the jib

My congratulations on the ‘First Edition’, I believe that I can qualify as one such – by virtue of my advanced age! I am prompted to write by the Sailing Skills item on launching and recovering the jib. In the 1980s I sailed as Mate and sometimes Skipper on Biche, the Breton Tunnyman then owned by Charles Booth and now superbly restored by ‘Les Amis du Biche in Lorient’. The jib was managed with the ‘Dyarchy’ system: The jibstay was shackled to the masthead, led through a snatchblock (it didn’t need to be a snatchblock, any block would do) on a traveller fitted around the bowsprit and back up to the tack of the jib, the luffrope of which was hanked to the jibstay. The jib halyard was shackled to the masthead, down through a block shackled to the head of the jib, back to a block at the masthead and down to the deck where it was secured (it was always a problem to lead this halyard clear of chafe). The jib when not in use was kept in its bag on the starboard side of the foredeck beside the bowsprit (the anchor and mooring fairleads were on the port side). To hoist the sail the top of the bag was opened, the traveller outhaul and the jib halyard were both heaved in and the jib rose in all its glory. As your article mentioned hoisting was easier downwind with the sail in the lee of the mainsail! David Cornes, Poole, Dorset

Letter of the month Time to come clean: tiller or wheel steering

With the introduction of this new magazine I got to thinking whether the wheel or the tiller? But unfortunately your October issue of Classic Sailor fails to provide a clear steer on this issue. A similar conundrum was presented to Eric Hiscock when he commissioned the New Zealander Alan Orams to design his Wanderer V in the early 1980s. After two and a half circumnavigations one would have thought that Eric would have his priorities clearly set out – but no – he spent some time weighing the pros and cons of each steering method – so where does Classic Sailor stand on this issue? To help my modern day thought process I searched your October issue for enlightenment: there is the extraordinarily smart new Anker designed 12-Metre from Robbe & Berking showing an impressively large wheel – in its own cockpit, and Griff Rhys Jones clearly enjoys being behind the wheel of his elegant and capable Argyll in your cover piece describing his Cowes Dinard race adventure. But five articles later in the account of the Barcelona-based Puig Vela regatta the photographs provide a sensory overload of beautiful classic yachts, where not a wheel is to be seen but we sight a parade of owners steering – by tiller. The conundrum persists. There are benefits for both steering methods. At first glance the wheel seems to have the edge; the wheel provides the helmsperson with a natural forward-facing stance, you turn the wheel in the direction you want to travel, and with suitable cables and gearing this provides a light and sensory experience. This argues against the tiller that needs a slightly awkward athwartship facing stance, and at first appraisal it’s all back-to-front, pushing or pulling the tiller opposite to the required direction of travel, and where is the gearing to lighten the load? But many would agree that the sheer enjoyment of feeling the boat at your finger tips, talking to you through several feet of a slender ash tiller bar, half an inch here and half an inch there, in a breeze where you can feel the rudder gently trembling, like a contented cat purring, when the boat is going well… Can there be anything more enjoyable than a tiller steering experience? Eric Hiscock mulled over these issues for his Wanderer V - and in the end it was the tiller that won. After 12 years and 77,000 miles in the wheel-steered Wanderer IV he wanted to enjoy the thrill of a tiller-steered yacht again, talking to him when the boat was going well. I must admit that my fellow sailors of the X One Design fleet also agree – you just can’t beat a tiller-steered yacht for the sheer pleasure of sailing. But where does Classic Sailor stand on these issues? John Long, Deputy Chairman, X One Design Class Association, Chichester

Ed: Oh I must agree – it’s a tiller every time for me personally even if it needs a handy billy – which is just a basic kind of gearing, but we’ll be pleased to feature wheels, and no doubt the re-inventions of them…

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+44 (0)7747 612614 Art Editor Stephen Philp Sub Editor Peter Willis peter@classicsailor.com Contributing editor Guy Venables guy@classicsailor.com Columnist Andrew Bray Advertising Jonathon Savill jonathon@classicsailor.com Catherine Jackson +44 (0)7495 404461 catherine@classicsailor.com Jodi Whitby jodi@classicsailor.com Web support Tim Allen / David Miles Chairman David Walker Classic Sailor Ltd Published monthly: ISSN 2059-0423 USA $9.99 Subscriptions See our latest deal at classicsailor.com

Write for some fizz Each month our letter of the month will be sent a bottle of de Bleuchamp Champagne

CLASSIC SAILOR 19

Andrew Bray A slavish over-reliance on technology can be dangerous

e’ve all read the stories of drivers, eyes down on their

in-car GPS, fetching up in the middle of a river or, as in the case of one truck driver, even in the wrong country. It’s good for a chuckle and of course none of us, you or me, would be that stupid. Would we? Meanwhile Stephen Hawking and others are warning of the dangers of creating technology that could take over our lives. I believe that this is already happening. The benefits of technology in the marine field are enormous. In terms of position fixing first of all we had Decca, which was a revelation in terms of navigational accuracy. Then for passagemakers there was the Transit satnav system which was at best uncertain and at worst dangerous. The trouble was that, even at this early stage, sailors were starting to believe what those little LCD numbers on their screens said and when they went wrong, they went horribly wrong. Then along came GPS. When I sailed across the Atlantic in 1990 we carried a sextant and a full set of tables. We also had one of the very early, military GPS sets, developed for use in the Gulf War and, because there was no selective availability, incredibly accurate. It was only operational for a few hours of the day and we carried tables to tell us when this was. The sextant remained in its box. Now of course we have electronic charts as well, which along with position fixing systems, are accepted primary means of navigation. Navigation apart, the new technology was creeping into every aspect of our lives. The first time I sailed in the open ocean, once the Shipping Forecast faded into the ether I had to rely on single observer forecasting, which meant logging barometric pressure, wind direction and speed, observing cloud formations and any phenomena such as haloes round the sun or the moon. There are mnemonics such as “mackerel sky and mare’s tails, make tall ships carry small sails” and others in the same vein. These, along with other disciplines of single observer forecasting, such as Buys Ballot’s law*, became ingrained and even today, with instant push-button forecasting I still look around to see what the sky and wind are telling me. In the United Kingdom the majority of our weather arrives from the west, that is to say from the Atlantic Ocean. So unlike on large land masses, such as the United States, where what your neighbour to the west is getting today is what you’ll have tomorrow, we don’t benefit from the same early warning. This is perhaps an oversimplification, but it illustrates the uncertainty 20 CLASSIC SAILOR

Even today, with instant pushbutton forecasting, I still look around to see what the sky and the wind are telling me.

that has traditionally dogged British forecasting and perhaps led to our obsession with weather. However, things have changed and the Met Office and other forecasters have developed immensely powerful computing systems to analyse current and approaching weather systems. The result is that we have forecasts of an accuracy that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. And it is this accuracy that I believe is creating its own problems. In the same way as an in-car GPS might instruct a driver to move into a different lane on a motorway and the driver responds mindlessly, without considering the reason, so an absolute forecast is absolutely believed. Both take the mind of the driver or the sailor off what they should be doing: looking round, observing and using their electronics as tools to supplement what their own information systems, eyes, ears and brain, are telling them. Perhaps it should be Buys Ballot’s Rules! *Buys Ballot’s law states that if an observer in the northern hemisphere stands with their back to the wind the low pressure is to their left. The opposite is true in the southern hemisphere.

Drascombe by Churchouse Boats Ltd

New Drascombe boats Refurbishments Brokerage Boats Spares and Accessories

Telephone: 01256 896292 Mobile: 0781 373 1851 07940 959597 info@drascombe.co.uk www.drascombe.co.uk

Nardi’s Nods

by Federico Nardi of Cantiere dell’Argentario

Alpa 9.50 “What I like most about the 9.50 is that she is seaworthy and fast and she sails herself which just does not happen with modern boats”

his excellent modern classic design comes from the Alpa Yard of The anodised aluminium deck hardware – fairleads, cleats and so on are Danilo Cattadori, established in Fiesco, Cremona in Northern like sculptures and they will be long-lasting. Italy, in 1956. Altogether the yard built some 22,000 boats, – one The aluminium mast is solidly built with just one spreader. It’s deckevery three days in the heyday of the 1960s and 1970s. stepped, but I don’t like that too much either – there is no technical reason of The yard was one of the early adopters of glassfibre yachts course, just that I would feel safer seeing the mast coming down to the keel. and there was a test tank for some development – in 1963 they All that loading across the cabin top psychologically bothers me! built the largest glassfibre boat in Europe (at 49ft/15m). However the internal layout is super classic, well proportioned and comfy The Alpas ranged from the 13ft 3in (4m) Flying Juniors to the Flying as well as being an enjoyable space; the internal linings have lasted really well Dutchman and the 48ft 3in (14.7m) Anselmi e Boretti Yawl, the Alpa A15. on many models. Cattadori mainly worked with Van de Stadt, S&S and The Alpa boats all had a reputation for being made Illingworth designs but in 1970 developed the 9.50, a 31ft for seaworthiness and for keeping their owners and crew THE ALPA NINE-FIFTY 2in (9.5m) auxiliary masthead sloop with a lovely semi happy in a seaway. The deck was attached to the hull with LOA 31ft 2in (9.5m) long-keel underwater profile and 1,650 Kg of lead ballast. a rounded joint that created a strong and long-lasting Beam 9ft .71in (2.96m) The five-berth Alpa 9.50 was extremely well built and seal. And as far as we know no Alpa’s chainplates ever Draught 6ft 1in (1.86m) found many fans – almost all are certainly still afloat. failed – the chainplates were designed to hold the entire Sail Area 389 sq ft (36.14m2) What I like most about the 9.50 is that she is seaworthy weight of the boat. They have no problems with osmosis Displacement 9800lbs 4445kgs and fast and she sails herself which is something that just and many are still afloat. does not happen any more with modern boats. You can The Alpa yard made its last yacht in 1978 and closed get her balanced and go below to make a cup of coffee while she tracks along. in 1979. Nowadays there is an Italian firm called Alpa making motor boats. She also sails really well in rough seas, and is still well balanced when you In the 1980s and 90s it is true that technology got better in terms of boat reduce her canvas; she moves softly through the waves and the helm is light, it’s a construction but really this decreased the cost of products and parts and semi-balanced configuration with the rudder on the skeg – with many modern reduced labour costs. It did not result in better build quality. boats you just feel like you are in a survival mode as soon as it starts blowing. So it still makes sense to go for one of these older designs.You can pick I don’t really like the wheel and I would rather have a tiller but perhaps these marvelous cruiser racers up for around €12,000 – sometimes even less that takes up space in the cockpit; in any case you don’t need a helm because and they would take you anywhere. A true modern classic! she can sail herself! Translated by James Robinson Taylor

Clockwise from left: GA and sail plan showing her

Pippa, a recently restored 9.50 in the yard’s tank facility – Alpa was based inland

CLASSIC SAILOR 23

Maldon sea s Maldon is a magic place for traditional boats and sailors. The smacks, barges and wooden yachts help give the waterfront a timeless feel. By Dan Houston Photos: Den Phillips 24 CLASSIC SAILOR

round 50 years ago the Maldon Town Regatta was when and where the east coast’s Old Gaffers decided they’d had enough of nylon and polyester, and, come to think of it, bermudan rig. The town’s quay and the river Blackwater became a spur to the movement of restoring and sailing old boats – especially smacks and barges, the working boats of these waters.

Zip forward to today and Maldon’s quayside charm is still largely down to barges and smacks, and every other boat in this area seems to be made of wood. This year we ditched sailing in favour of promoting this magazine and CS was in the tented area on the prom. You meet great people that way though, like organiser Gerry Courtney, Buffer (who did a great job compering over the river from 10 am til 5pm!). Maurice Herbert told us about the local Model Boat Club – also barges and

MALDON TOWN REGATTA

Quay people From our position on the Promenade we had to wait until near HW at around 4.30 pm before many boats came into the river. As part of the tented village we took the Swallows and Amazons clinker dinghy Swallow. We were between Radio Caroline and the Maldon Shanty singers Mainsail Haul, so somewhere between rock ‘n’ roll and salty folk rhythms; quite pleasant. Buffer, below, compered while the pie and cheese man next to us struggled to hear people’s orders. We had a great time!

From above: Ian Buffer Cox, Gerry Courtney, Richard Titchener; Maurice Herbert; Noel Probyn, of Hardy, and wife Belinda

a salts smacks, but built to scale! It was frustrating not to see the sailing, taking place around a bend in the Blackwater, out in the wider estuary. So I asked Richard Titchener about his race aboard the 44ft (13.4m) 1907 Aldous oyster smack Sallie. They’d anchored off West Mersea the night before. “On the Sallie this year we redeemed our appalling start of the previous year after which amazingly we’d received the seamanship prize for catching up by the first mark! We started well in clear air to

Left: Robin Page’s fast and gorgeous Alberta, a 44ft LOA 1885 Aldous built smack, restored at the late Barry Tester’s yard at Hollowshore, Kent.

windward of the flying machines. It did not last long and we watched as the Maria, My Alice and Alberta disappeared rapidly towards the Bench Head and satisfied ourselves with studying every nuance of activity aboard Charlotte Ellen who we were holding off. Mark Butler (James Lawrence Sails) was sailing with us and had made her new suit of sails so to say he suffered divided loyalties would be a mild description. “As he called the breeze for us on the taxing windward legs, it was providential CLASSIC SAILOR

Above: Alberta . .

that on the first we opened a lead after rounding on her counter whereas on the next roles were reversed. If we beat Charlotte with her cutaway Kidby lines with our cotton sails and fulsome Aldous bilge we have had a good day and vice versa. “We finished the first race at Osea a few lengths behind Charlotte and anchored for a couple of hours until the second race to Maldon. For the entire time the fleet was treated to the resounding reverberation of a drum and bass event on Osea where 26 CLASSIC SAILOR

rehabilitation has many facets. It was music you could really feel and after a while became enjoyable in much the same way as hitting the pain barrier can be for distance runners... they tell me. “For the second race, several of the boats that we stood a chance of beating went home. We had to tow our skiff for later so we soon became tail end Charlie. After finishing we went back to the mooring and rowed up to the crew party to drink the excellent beer kindly donated by the Mighty Oak Brewery.

“The Town Regatta means a great deal to Maldon, a town with considerable local maritime heritage, and the people running it believe it should be for everybody, so they put effort into events onshore and off the quay during the day as well as organising an outstanding and well-attended sequence of traditional sailing races down river; and supporting local charity.” More information about this great event can be found at www.maldonregatta.co.uk. Next year the regatta is on 17 September.

or the entire ti e the fleet was treated to the resounding reverberation of a drum and bass event on Osea...

CLASSIC SAILOR

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The

gap

generation

Richard Johnstone-Bryden suggests that fresh ideas and timely action are required to counter potential threats which could combine to create a perfect storm threatening the golden age of classic craft.

he awe-inspiring sight of classic yachts and keel boats racing at regattas has become an increasingly frequent sight across the globe in the past three decades, thanks to a supporting cast of wealthy benefactors, hard working enthusiasts, sailors, craftsmen, specialist companies, charitable trusts and even public funding bodies. The rejuvenation of neglected wooden boats has been complemented by the creation of new traditionally styled craft that have attracted organisations and individuals who succumbed to the appeal of classic craft but shuddered at the thought of taking on an old wooden boat. Fears that this new generation of craft would usurp their elder sisters have so far proved unfounded. In fact, quite the reverse has happened with both groups happily coexisting to create an even greater spectacle that has only served to enhance the overall impact of the classic boat movement and increase its momentum. Having safeguarded so much of our maritime heritage, it is time for the classic

28 CLASSIC SAILOR

boat movement to secure its long-term future by turning its attention towards engaging with the next generation. The scale of the challenge can be clearly seen across the country where the average age of those caring for our classic boats has steadily increased, especially among preservation trusts. Look at any maritime event and you will see an abundance of grey hair and a shortage of young people. The same dynamic is all too visible within so many of the specialist companies that are required to support the on-going survival of our classic craft. The hard-won wisdom and experience of the older generation is an incredible resource that we cannot afford to squander. Although some sections of the media are only too happy to write off todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngsters as being obsessed with

Look at any maritime event and you will see an abundance of grey hair and a shortage of young people

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Boating groups have a role to play, making newcomers feel welcome and creating opportunities for them

Traditional skills in sailmaking (far left) and boatbuiding need to be passed on to the new generation if they are not to be lost

the instant gratification offered by the superficial celebrity culture which blights too many aspects of modern life the reality is very different – providing you can establish the right link. Those individuals and organisations that find an effective method of engaging with young people are just as likely to succeed in passing on their expertise and passion for classic boats as the enthusiasts who inspired the current revival. However, the successful passing of the baton between the generations will require the enthusiastic involvement of a broad spectrum of our society and the forming of new partnerships between organisations with complementary skills. Such schemes may not always deliver immediate results but they do offer the chance to lay the solid foundations for a sustainable future. Various trusts which care for historic craft are already engaging, either directly or indirectly via another specialised organisation, with local schools. In addition to enriching the children’s education, these links may also inspire some of the youngsters to pursue an interest in classic craft when they are older, either

professionally, or as a hobby. These benefits could be extended by establishing links with youth groups such as the Sea Cadet Corps. In the 1960s, Norfolk’s school children had the good fortune to benefit from the vision of the county council’s Chief Education Officer Lincoln Ralphs who believed in the importance of providing a rounded education. He masterminded the council’s acquisition of facilities to provide pupils with worthwhile experiences beyond the classroom. His programme included the

The Hunter’s Fleet of classic Broads hire yachts continues to engage young people, with discount rates for youth groups

purchase of Hunter’s Fleet in 1968 which introduced generations of children to the joys of sailing classic boats and secured the future of an important piece of Broadland heritage. Sadly, short-sighted councillors jeopardised the fleet’s future in 1995 by using it as a pawn in their game of political brinkmanship with the government in the run-up to a General Election. Their plans to dispose of the fleet and blame it on the government sparked outrage among the people of Norfolk who rallied behind the founding of the Norfolk Heritage Fleet Trust which took on responsibility for the veteran craft in 1996. Boating groups including yacht clubs, one-design associations and regatta organisers also have a critical role to play not least by making newcomers of all ages feel welcome and creating opportunities for them to sample the experience of sailing a classic boat. With so many activities competing for people’s hard-earned money and diminishing leisure time, boating groups have got to be more proactive if they are to survive. As the prolonged economic difficulties of recent years continue, the cost of owning and operating a wooden boat is slipping beyond the reach of more families. Boating groups can offer some assistance in this area by creating an environment that is conducive to the setting-up of syndicates to take on classic craft that are facing an uncertain future. The recruitment of the next generation of personnel to man the specialist companies that support the on-going operation of wooden boats is likely to be one of the hardest issues to resolve. The revival of apprenticeships offers a real glimmer of hope although the limited income and challenging working conditions endured by many who work in the industry may ultimately deter too many capable recruits from devoting their careers to classic craft. Despite the scale of all these challenges, there is still enough time to take the necessary avoiding action to prevent the looming crisis, providing the entire classic boat movement demonstrates the same resolve, imagination and lateral thinking as the pioneers who kick-started it all in the 1980s. In the coming months, we will be focusing on how far-sighted individuals and organisations are already starting to devise new initiatives that ensure a seamless transition from the current custodians of our maritime heritage to the next. CLASSIC SAILOR

Falmouth in f

Florence, an exceptionally fast Falmouth Working Boat, is 120 years old this year and still racing. Nigel Sharp, who happens to coown one of her rivals, joins her crew for a race 30 CLASSIC SAILOR

illiam ‘Foreman’ Ferris was best known for his merchant schooners, but he produced three Falmouth Working Boats of which the 1895 Florence – which he built in Pill Creek, at the top of the Carrick Roads – was the last and is the only survivor. She was a real family boat: she was built for William’s son Charles ‘Shanks’ (although it appears that she lay on

the beach until 1903 while he was serving on coastal trading schooners and various yachts, including Lord Brassey’s Sunbeam, and in the Royal Naval Reserve); was named after his youngest daughter; was passed on to another son, John Tensive ‘Tensy’ Ferris (they all had nicknames), probably in 1909, and remained in the family until 1978. Florence’s design is unusual compared to other oyster dredgers. Shortly after Florence, Foreman finished Merlin, a yacht designed by Harley Mead, a prizewinning naval architect, and classed Lloyds A1. Photographs

FALMOUTH WORKING BOATS

n full Flo

Her new rig, at about 1,000 sq ft, was said to be half as big again as any other Working Boat at the time.

Left: Florence racing, her crew in the red ship’s colours Below: Florence is now owned by a syndicate

of Merlin have a striking resemblance to Florence and it is easy to speculate Florence was the prototype for Merlin. She was built for oyster dredging in the winter and for fishing out at sea in the summer. Her draught of almost 6ft (1.8m) was more suited to the latter, and it did her no harm when Tensy – who had, apparently, previously sailed on the King’s yacht Britannia – started racing her. Tensy grew old but rather than give Florence over to any of his sons she slowly rotted. Barely in time to save her Florence

probably about the same size as the 1,000 sq ft (92.9m2) maximum now officially allowed by the Falmouth Working Boat Association. John and his St Mawes crew enjoyed a very successful racing career in Florence: in 1969, for instance, she won all six races in Falmouth Week – a feat that has never been equalled in the Working Boat fleet – and in 1970 she won eighteen prizes. During this time she captured the hearts of the people of St Mawes some of whom, it is said, raised money at coffee mornings to help pay for new sails. Tom Burley sold her to John Jackson who after just one year in 1979 sold her to Alun Davies who started her dredging again. He commissioned Tony Murray for another major refit: iron floors were installed and the grown frames replaced by laminated iroko. In 1997, Andy Tyler, who had already formed a syndicate with two friends to buy the 1898 Evelyn, decided to start a second syndicate to buy Florence. The ownership of both boats was divided into 32 shares (and with some shares split into two, each boat has been owned by up to 40 people). Once again, Florence needed a great deal of

was sold to a grandchild, Tom Burley in 1955. He engaged Bart Moore to carry out a major rebuild and in the later 1950s Florence re-emerged into the dredging fleet. John Sawle of Freshwater Boat yard St Mawes approached Tom Burley in 1965 and struck a deal: John would race Florence during the summer and Tom dredged in the winter. John completely restyled her rig to enable her to carry a much larger area of sail than any other working boat. Her new rig was said to be half as big again as any other Working Boat at that time but was CLASSIC SAILOR

FLORENCE

work to bring her back into good condition and this was carried out over the first few years of the syndicate’s ownership, in Martin Heard’s yard, with members giving their services to improve her. Pat Crockford took a special interest and in 2002 began another major restoration including new beams and new decks. Since then she has been based in St Mawes – along with Evelyn and, more recently, three other Falmouth Working Boats. Florence’s dredging days are, for now at least, over, but she has enjoyed her share of success on the race course. Amongst the founder members who are still in the syndicate today are three descendants of the man who built her 120 years ago: Andrew, Shaun and Colin Ferris.

he banter on board Florence started before we even cast off. On the neighbouring mooring is the Working Boat Evelyn which belongs to the rival syndicate to which I belong: in fact I am its chairman, so what did I expect? “Careful you don’t scratch Evelyn’s paintwork,” quipped one crew member. “Wouldn’t notice any difference if we did,” replied another. I just had to make every effort to give as good as I got. The editor had suggested I should wear a disguise (he even mentioned a wig) but that was never going to work as we all know each other too well, so I decided to go the other way and defiantly wear my Evelyn colours – a black and gold quartered rugby shirt – as a blatant contrast to Florence’s red, although sadly the damp weather compelled all of us to hide them with variously-coloured waterproofs.

Left: Topsail in bygone days Right: Passing St Mawes Castle 32 CLASSIC SAILOR

She captured the hearts of the people of St Mawes some of whom raised money at coffee mornings to help pay for new sails.

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We were setting off to race on the first day of Falmouth Classics which, since 2012, has been a three-day regatta. The Working Boats would only be racing as a class on the second day, but Florence was keen to play a full part in the event and so she was entered for the ‘Gaffers 23ft and under 30ft’ class on the other days. Last year they won both of races they entered so they were keen to follow this high standard. They let me take the helm as we sailed out of St Mawes in a very light southerly wind. The visibility was poor but as we bore away into the Carrick Roads it became considerably worse and we soon became disorientated. There were disagreements amongst us with regard to the identity and position of various objects we could vaguely see, before I remembered that I had a hand-held GPS with a map in my bag. It proved particularly useful to make sure we were outside the main channel when we heard on the VHF that a ship was planning to leave the Roads and head out to sea. When we found the committee boat we saw that it was flying a postponement flag – with the expectation that the ship would soon leave the race course clear for us – and we began to sail around in its vicinity in the company of a wonderful variety of classic boats including pilot cutters, the Solent One Design Kelpie, a South Coast One Design, the three-masted lugger Grayhound and a West Country Redwing. By this time, much 34 CLASSIC SAILOR

Above: the crew uniform is red. Class rules are that the bowsprit extends outboard by 12ft (3.6m)

to my relief, Steve Miles – a local farmer and founder member of the Florence syndicate – had taken over the helm: it would never do for a journo and rival sailor to prang their boat. Sadly, after a while, a VHF radio announcement told us that the race was cancelled: the ship was waiting for the visibility to improve and there was no way of knowing when it would move.

They have a handicap system, performance related with numbers decided by a small committee and not surprisingly often controversial So we started to beat back down the Carrick Roads, close to the shore to try to get out of the flood tide which prompted what is, by the sound of it, an oft-used Florence ‘joke’, that Steve’s cows, grazing in the fields by the water’s edge, signal to him where the shallow bits are. “Illegal outside assistance?” I wondered. In fact the ‘jokes’ flowed thick and fast but they were of questionable quality: it wasn’t so much that “the old ones are the best” as “the old ones are the only ones we know”. But soon the wind died away to virtually nothing and we were unable to make any

progress. At this point a Shrimper with an inboard engine came past and generously offered us a tow. This was perhaps an optimistic idea, given the relative weights of the two boats (about one tonne to about ten tonnes) but the main reason for declining the offer may have had something to do with an impending sense of mild humiliation... oh, and the fact that Florence has her own outboard engine. It is stored under the foredeck but is easily deployed on a removable transom bracket, and its 5hp managed to propel us through the flat water at about 4 knots. (Note to self here: not a bad idea for Evelyn). But Florence and her crew lived to fight again. The following day she sailed against six other Falmouth Working Boats in almost perfect weather: intermittent sunshine and a southwest three to four. She crossed the finish line in fourth place, just 19 seconds behind the Heard-built GRP Grace, but the Falmouth Working Boats have a handicap system – performance-related with handicap numbers decided by a small committee and, not surprisingly, often controversial – so she was seventh on corrected time. But she fared considerably better on Sunday – in not much more wind than we had on the first day but with much improved visibility – when she won her class ahead of the Golant Gaffer Mary Ritchie and Alf Smythers, the only Falmouth Working Boat which dredges for oysters in the winter and still regularly races in the summer.

FALMOUTH WORKING BOATS

The working hearts of Falmouth

he mouth of the River Fal is almost four miles from the town of Falmouth. The stretch of water that lies between the two is a drowned river valley called the Carrick Roads which includes a meandering channel – over 30 metres deep in places, giving Falmouth the oft-quoted “third deepest natural harbour in the world” tag – which divides large areas of considerably shallower waters. Since the middle of the 19th century, oysters have been harvested from those shallow waters in the upper part of the Roads and still are today. In order to preserve the stocks and protect the beds from over-fishing, there is still a bye-law in force which prevents oyster fishermen from using engines while dredging. While some use rowing punts of around 16ft (4.9m)in the sheltered waters of the River Fal and its tributaries, sailing boats are used in the Roads, and this fishery is generally acknowledged as the only one in the world which still operates in this way. Other restrictions include the times that dredging is permitted: from the beginning of October to the end of March, and from 9 am to 3pm on weekdays and until 1pm on Saturdays. Sailing regattas have been hosted by several of the villages which line the banks of the Carrick Roads and its neighbouring creeks and rivers since long before any of the local sailing and yacht clubs were established: St Mawes Town Regatta, for instance – so-called because the village of St Mawes once had a mayor and two MPs – is known to have been held as early as 1842, almost 80 years before St Mawes Sailing Club was founded. Many of the oyster dredging boats, or Falmouth Working Boats as they have come to be known, competed in these regattas during their off-season, as well

as various other races which took place during the summer. This allowed the oystermen to demonstrate their undoubted boat-handling skills, learnt during the hard graft of the long gruelling winters, in a competitive environment. During the early part of the twentieth century it

Sailing regattas have been hosted by the villages since long before the yacht clubs were established

Above: Falmouth Working Boats racing Below: Dredging for oysters

was by no means uncommon to see 30 of these boats jostling for positions on the start line. Well over 200 different boats are believed to have dredged for oysters under sail in the Carrick Roads in the last century and a half. The number of licensed boats has, not surprisingly, varied over the years – according to factors such as the quantities of oysters, alternative employment opportunities and, occasionally, disease – but has varied from 45 in 1923, to just seven in 1935 and 35 in 1969, for instance. The majority of boats were built for working roles other than oyster dredging but found their way to the Carrick Roads when powered vessels took over elsewhere, and for that reason their characteristics vary. They do, however, have similarities: hull length is typically between 22ft and 30ft (6.7-9.1m), smaller would be too cramped for one man and bigger would be tricky to handle easily; draught is normally about 4ft 6in (1.4m), shallower would hamper sailing performance and deeper would be too restrictive at low tide; and a beam of between 7ft 6in and 10ft (2.3-3m). Their gaff cutter rigs provide them with tremendous versatility, allowing them to cope with all aspects of their roles and weather conditions. Falmouth Working Boats are still used for oyster dredging and for racing today: 20 sailing boats were issued with dredging licenses last winter: around a dozen of those regularly worked, and a couple of dozen different boats raced at various times last summer. But the one big difference these days is that it is very unusual for any boat to do both. CLASSIC SAILOR

How Kite beca m

36 CLASSIC SAILOR

a me Kate

NEW TRAILER-SAILER

Andrew Wolstenholme designed the 21ft trailersailer Kite for his own enjoyment; now there’s a GRP production version, so we can all have one! Peter Willis takes her for a sail and meets her builders

I GRP Kite

helm

t’s the Junior Regatta Week at Aldeburgh Yacht Club and we have to pick our way down to our mooring through flocks of fiercely-helmed Oppies, Fevas and the odd clinker Lapwing. Much later on, when I’m on my way home, it occurs to me that the boat I was on my way to sail, though a kind of classic, is a boat that would make sense to these youngsters when they’re a few years older. This is Kite… oh, hang on, according to the transom she’s Kate – the ‘i’ has been struck out and an ‘a’ scripted in above. Says her builder Matthew Lingley, who’s taking me out for a trial sail: “We decided she deserved a bit of individuality, even though she’s come out of a mould.” In fact, she’s Kite 3, the first production model from Demon Yachts. The first Kite, actually called Kite, was designed and built for their own pleasure by, respectively, Andrew Wolstenholme and Colin Henwood in 2010. A 21ft (6.4m) trailer-sailer with a small, simple cabin, she was built in marine ply, and Andrew and Colin have had a lot of fun with her – on the Solent Raid in 2010, and generally messing about on various rivers as well as at sea. By the time Andrew and his family took her to the OGA’s half-century celebrations at Cowes in 2013 she’d been joined by a second

CLASSIC SAILOR

KITE

Kite, called Mary Hay, built, with a slightly longer cabin, for a customer, by Dick Phillips at Willow Bay Boats in Dorset. Incidentally, in the big race at Cowes – sailed by some 90 varied gaffers in Force 5-6 wind-over-tide conditions – Kite was declared overall winner on handicap. A GRP version had been on the cards for some time, and here she is, bobbing on her mooring looking eager to go. Although at first sight, it has to be said, she also looks a tad bland, all in a single, unalleviated neutral colour. And undeniably plastic. But on growing acquaintance this unadorned simplicity allows her lines to speak for themselves. Well-proportioned like any Wolstenholme boat. “If it looks right, it is right.” And so it is, with deceptive nuances here and there – a slight flare to the topsides, good for deflecting spray, and a sweet, subtle curve to the sheerline, with the upsweep picked up and emphasised by the short, jaunty bowsprit. And there is a bit of adornment – tasteful mahogany coamings to the long cockpit, an inlaid wooden tiller. Then there’s the colour, in which the whole boat, hull, deck, coachroof and cockpit, is finished. At first glance, it seems white, but no, it’s a creamy shade. “Flaxen” according to Matthew. “We didn’t want to make a white boat,” he grins “This looks well with wood, and it goes well with almost any other colour, for example on the sheer strake.” (A graphite stripe had been added for the Southampton Boat Show.) But the true test is in the sailing. We clamber aboard and very quickly the sails are set. “I’m still getting used to gaff rig,” admits Matthew, but he easily gets up the high-aspect main, on its lightweight carbon-fibre spars. The jib is unrolled and within ten minutes we’re under way. “When Andrew took Euan (Matthew’s business partner) and me for a sail, with a view to our building them I was initially somewhat sceptical,” admits Matthew, “I was thinking, something like a Shrimper, so why? But when I sailed her, I got the concept.” And so do I. She’s light, responsive, positive. Just frisky enough to make her fun to sail, but at the same time reassuringly

38 CLASSIC SAILOR

She’s responsive, positive, frisky, but also reassuringly steady... I know I’m talking about her as one might about a new girlfriend, but yes, sailing Kate the Kite is a lighthearted experience

Right: This

Kite 3: from left: the NACA

steady in the way she grips the water and goes. I can’t remember a boat giving me this amount of enjoyment in ages. And I do realise I’m talking about her as one might about a new girlfriend, but yes, sailing Kate the Kite is a lighthearted experience. It probably helps that it’s a nice day, bright, sunny with a fresh breeze. We tack down the river past the unusual quatrefoil Martello tower, with the Anthony Gormley sculpture watching us from the top. I try going a little hard on the wind. The scuppers are awash (Matthew points out where he might add a couple more drain ports to shed the water

a little more quickly) but we’re still zinging along comfortably. And as we go, we chat. It turns out that Demon Yachts is about as old as the original Kite, founded towards the end of 2010, by Matthew and Euan Seel. Matthew is surprisingly young, not quite 30. He graduated in yacht and powerboat design at Southampton Solent University, followed by a frustrating couple of years designing wind turbines. “But,” he adds, “I’ve always worked in boatyards, ever since I was 16.” These notably include Peter Wilson’s yard at Aldeburgh, whose launch we’re using today. Euan is the time-served traditional

NEW TRAILER-SAILER

Kite specifications Hull: single-chine, shallow-draught with lifting centreboard, built to RCD Cat C. Construction: vacuum infused vinyl ester resin, multi axial glass fibre, with a closed cell foam core, with gelcoat finish. Centreboard: lead ballasted NACA sectioned foil with stainless-steel wear strip and Coppercoat antifoul; lifted by easily-operated differential winch. Accommodation: two-berth cabin, galley area with removable sink bowl; ample storags; space for Porta-Potti. Spars: lightweight carbon-fibre tubes, white painted; Sails: high-aspect battened gaff main and furling jib on short ash bowsprit; sails in Dacron, by McNamara. Length on deck: 21ft (6.4m) Length overall: 23ft 7in (7.2m) Beam: 6ft 9in (2.1m) Draught: plate up Draught: plate down Ballast: internal, 250 lb (114Kg); centerboard 176 lb (80Kg) Sail area: Overall: 212sqft (19.7m2) Weight :1650 lb (750Kg) Price inc spars, rigging and sails: £31,950 Design: Andrew Wolstenholme Builder: Demon Yachts Ltd, Harkstead Hall, Harkstead, Ipswich Suffolk IP9 1DB Email: info@demonyachts.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7766040012 Skype: demon.yachts

cutting complex shapes such as foils in hightech materials such as foam-cored glassfibre. For its first few years Demon has been mostly building parts such as keels and rudders for other yachts, including “the complicated bits” for the Boat Project, that 2012 boat built of donated bits of wood (including a prominent coathanger on the starboard bow), as well as a lot of ocean rowing boats, notably the one Charlie Pitcher’ used for his record-breaking transatlantic row in 2013. For all this hi-tekkery, though, Matthew is an unreconstructed classic boat lover. He has a Dragon, Kestrel, at Aldeburgh. And

Below: the simple two-berth cabin, with Porta-Potti

he is charmed to learn that Harkstead Hall, Demon’s base on the Shotley peninsula, had once been the home of Arthur Ransome when he’d owned Nancy Blackett. “I’d always tested potential girlfriends by whether they liked We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea,” he admits. “My wife loves it,” he adds. We also find a shared interest in Windfall yachts, the square-metre classes brought back as reparations from Germany after World War Two. I did a three-part article about them back in 2006; Matthew did his dissertation on 50 sq-ms at university, and he was instrumental in helping to rescue one of

PETER WILLIS

boatbuilder of the pair. He went to Oulton Broad boatbuilding college, before it became IBTC. He later worked closely with the legendary Austin Farrar. More recently, he helped restore Fathom, a Windermere 17, working closely with designer Ian Howlett, and developing a new light, strong deck in solid spruce. At that time, Euan was working as Demon Yachts; Matthew was helping with Fathom, and eventually they decided to combine their skills in a partnership under the name of Demon Yachts Limited. One of Matthew’s skills is in CNC (computer numerical control) programming for

CLASSIC SAILOR

“They specialise in high-tech mouldings which keep down the weight – she’s no heavier than our plywood version”

the most famous, Marabu, which I’d last seen rotting away on Ipswich dock. Matthew also found her there and arranged to have her shipped back to Germany where she’s now at least stabilised stored under cover. In another coincidence, Demon Yachts Limited’s first full yacht build was another Windermere 17, and this was in fact where I’d first come across Demon’s name when I’d been researching the class in 2011, exactly when they were building Flying Duckman (hull spruce, deck foam sandwich GRP). All of which helps to explain why developing Kite as a GRP boat has been, as Matthew puts it, ”a bit of a slow burn” – three years since that initial sail with her designer. Andrew, who enjoyed his first sail in Kate a few days after mine, seems to think this is par for the course with the Kite – the concept, or perhaps just a whim was first mooted with Colin back in 2001, and it took another nine years before their original boat was launched. A production version had nearly always been at the back of his mind, he says, at least “once we got [the original Kite] sailing and saw people’s reactions.” A number of people were interested in taking on the build, but it was Michael McNamara, Kite’s sailmaker (then and now) who suggested Demon Yachts. “They’re ideally placed,” says Andrew. “They specialise in high-tech mouldings which keep down the weight. The danger was that a regular fibreglass hull would be heavier than our 9mm plywood boat; you need a stiffer laminate to keep the weight down. 40 CLASSIC SAILOR

Above: Highaspect gaff rig means short spars for trailing; long cockpit makes for a family dayboat (Photo by Gill Moon)

Also they have their own CNC machine and Matt is computer literate which is a rare thing in a boatbuilder. “The basic shape is virtually identical to our Kite – we’ve just added a hint of a curve across the cabin front and the transom – not so you’d notice but it takes the flatness out.” The weight is the important thing in Kite 3 and her undoubted successors. Keeping it down by the use of these advanced composites, as well as the lightweight carbon-fibre spars, means you don’t need a gas-guzzling 4x4 to drag her around. She can be towed behind a 1.8 litre car – say a Mondeo or even some models of the Focus – on a simple twowheeled trailer which can be used for launching without the need for the extra complexity, weight and cost of a breakback. The spec sheet shows her weight to be identical to the original ply version. After his sail, Andrew comments that she felt “maybe slightly lighter,” but otherwise no different to his own boat. And it seems the Kite has the potential to be an extremely versatile little playmate. As we skip joyously along in our comfortable F3, turning crisply on the tack, or easing her round to gain some ground, Matthew can’t help mentioning the previous evening’s club race, where he finished close behind a 27ft (8.2m) Trapper 500. “My handicap got changed very quickly!” he grins, adding “One of the people I took out for a trial described her as ‘somewhere between a Shrimper and a Gypsy, but for people who like to sail’.”

Racing’s one thing, but the Kite’s tempting little cabin invites thoughts of overnight explorations, perhaps up shallow creeks where her centreboard can be hauled up and the flattened-V shape of the hull will settle gently into the mud to give a more or less level bunk for the night. The cabin is ridiculously simple, as bare as a hermit’s cave: two bunks in V-formation, a transverse work surface across the companionway with space for a camping stove and a cutout for a washbasin. There’s space for a Porta-Potti – optional but so much more eco-conscious than the traditional bucket. The long cockpit can also be converted into a dormitory – or just sheltered sitting space – with an over-boom cockpit cover. Cockpit lockers are capacious, and include a suitably-vented cavity for an outboard up to 6hp, with petrol storage. The outboard – it could be a Torqueedo electric one – drops neatly into a well just forward of the transom. Kite, in short, is a delight. She’s traditional enough to appeal on the grounds of her looks and performance, yet innovative enough, with her weight-saving construction, to earn a place on the shortlist of anyone who’s in the market for a nippy, rewarding, low-maintenance GRP trailer-sailer. Or indeed anyone who hadn’t been thinking of getting one. As well as providing all those Aldeburgh juniors with something to aspire to, she’d make a great mid-life crisis buster. “She just puts a smile on your face,” says Andrew. That’s Kate... er, Kite.

Seemed a good i

t all started one winter evening while enjoying a dram in front of the fire when my wife mentioned that she had arranged to spend a few days in Oban during the week before Easter. A thoughtful look on her face was followed with the suggestion that I launch our boat early this year and sail to Oban where we could spend time together and I might enjoy the extra time afloat. While I am not prepared to admit that the dram had anything to do with my decision making process I must admit that it seemed like a great idea at the time. After all, modern foul weather gear and a good cabin heater would overcome the slightly cooler temperatures; or so the fireside thoughts went. The usual fitting-out rush became a frenzy as time seemed to condense at an alarming rate, however the planned relaunching date of mid-March was actually achieved, as much to my own surprise as anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Planned days during which any last-minute jobs would be leisurely completed were cut to one day as study of Atlantic pressure

42 CLASSIC SAILOR

charts suggested a short spell of reasonable weather seemed probable. As the route to Oban from the Clyde either means a trip round the Mull of Kintyre or the shortcut through the Crinan Canal, consideration was given to both. Since there was some doubt about the canal being open I decided to head for the longer route. Passage round the Mull

he s a ttin o t r sh eca e a fren y as ti e see ed to condense at an a ar in rate of Kintyre with the strong tides and serious overfalls of the North Channel is not something to be treated too casually, hence the care taken with weather projections. A good sail from home on Bute to Campbeltown with a brief stop at Lochranza on Arran emphasised just how early in the Scottish sailing season I had set off. It was cold!

The planned new pontoon complex at Campbeltown had necessitated the complete removal of the original one, and the new layout was still a dream of the planning departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision. No cosy berth alongside with a pint in the hopefully warm local pub for me. Despite the fact that spring tides were only a few days away, an early morning start getting the anchor aboard had me shivering even though I was dressed to emulate the Michelin man. Fortunately once under way the shelter of the sprayhood and a cup of hot coffee made life bearable as I motored past Davaar Island on passage for the trip round the Mull. Incidentally, Davaar Island is only an island at high water but the causeway which shows below about half tide does a great job of making Campbeltown Loch the sheltered haven it is. As it turned out, for once I had actually calculated the tide times correctly and the trip in a Force 1 and watery sunshine meant motoring but was otherwise quite uneventful. Even the commonly rough area at the south west tip of the Mull of Kintyre was in

Above: One happy aspect of cruising this early in the season is the relatively free anchorages

d idea at the time For Gordon Buchanan it seemed like a good idea at the time: his wife suggested he fit out early in the season for a cruise around the Mull of Kintyre, to meet her in Oban... before Easter

benign mood, probably helped by my choice of the inshore course, so despite a lack of wind the passage to an overnight anchorage at Gigha was very pleasant if bitterly cold. The inshore course for first-timers takes a bit of nerve as the least turbulent part is just a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw from the rocks, while the cliffs above can be rather intimidating. With the barometer needle almost visibly rotating backwards it looked as though the short weather window was about to be shorter than forecast. At least I had successfully reached the west side of the Mull as repeating the passage round the Mull in a gale of wind against tide does not appeal. It seemed prudent to push on before the weather deteriorated and the ensuing sail northwards was both bouncy and very fast. In many years of sailing in this area I have never seen it so devoid of life, either human or animal, making the Sound of Jura feel a very lonely place. The spring tide and a building south-westerly wind meant that passage time was very fast and a planned overnight stop in Loch Craignish

saw the anchor going down with a rush as I made a beeline for the cabin and the heater controls. The strong winds continued for a couple of days that were spent at anchor in the shelter of the area known locally as the Lagoon in Loch Craignish. Although there are many moorings the central part immediately ahead once through the entrance

The First Mate enjoying the sail down the Sound of Mull

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Despite the low barometer the views in the calm but crystal air showed that Scotland really can hold its own against all comers for spectacular scenery

is a designated anchoring area. Good if muddy holding and above all shelter from just about all wind directions. Being within striking distance of Oban removed much of the pressure to cover much distance each day so the opportunity was taken to revisit some favourite anchorages. Although the pressure charts showed a deep depression heading my way it was slow moving so a visit to Loch Melfort and the bay just over the hill from the Loch Melfort Hotel provided one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen for some time. The short hop to Balvicar and the friendly boatyard there allowed a visit to the local shop for some essential fresh supplies. Despite the low barometer the views in the calm but crystal clear air showed that Scotland really can hold its own against all comers for spectacular scenery. All good things come to an end and the calm showed distinct signs of an imminent departure so course was set for the trip via Cuan and Easdale Sounds to a berth at 44 CLASSIC SAILOR

Above: Tantina II, the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s J Francis Jones-design 31ft 6in (9.6m) sloop built in 1961. Below: A sleepy granddaughter after rowing practice

Dunstaffnage Marina just north of Oban where my wife would join me by car in a couple of days. The short but always interesting trip through Cuan Sound was especially so as the top of spring tides were running at their full 7 knots. Provided one keeps towards Cleit Rock, the unmarked rock off the point opposite is easily avoided, after which the passage is clear if lively due

to the very uneven bottom and subsequent eddies. The shortcut through Easdale Sound led to the Firth of Lorne, and a rapidly freshening breeze with its attendant cloud cover followed me all the through the channel past Oban and into the marina at Dunstaffnage. By the time the boat was safely secured to the pontoon the wind had reached at least force 7 and rain had decided to part company from the clouds. Fortunately I had a choice of berths, many boats not being ready for launching this early in the season, so was able to tie up on the leeward side of the pontoon thus keeping the new topside paint clear of the inevitable marks caused if leaning against fenders in a blow. I had a day to myself and then first mate i.e. my wife arrived to the accompaniment of an ever increasing wind from the northwest, the one direction that is not fully sheltered at Dunstaffnage. Despite conditions deteriorating over the next few days to include a spell when winds reached force 10 and I used every warp on the boat with

SCOTTISH CRUISING Left: sailing in placid waters. Right: dolphins visit

Tantina II LOA: 31ft 6in (9.6m) LWL: 22ft 6in (6.9m) Beam: 8ft 2in (2.5m) Draught: 6ft (1.8m) Sail area: 451sqft (42m2)

some 14 lines to the pontoon and breakwater, we had a generally pleasant break; even including a couple of nice meals in the marina’s Wide Mouth Frog restaurant. The main feature of life aboard was the constant battle to keep a comfortable temperature in the cabin; the conditions below would have been quite miserable without a cabin heater. After the mate left for home I continued the cruise, heading initially to Loch Aline where the solitude of an early season anchorage was fully appreciated, and a few unfinished boat jobs were completed. One unplanned one was the dismantling of the anchor windlass after inadvertently standing on the foot switch while the chain was still locked on the samson post. The sudden stop of the windlass was such that it caused the anti-reverse mechanism to fail. Fortunately the fix was quite simple if rather time consuming. That taught me to be more conscientious in making sure the main windlass circuit breaker is left off when not needed. Since some stores were becoming a pressing need, a passage north along the

Sound of Mull to Tobermory seemed a Tides at the entrance to Loch Feochan good idea. The four-hour trip was done run very strongly and the channel is very under engine punching into a bitingly cold shallow in places so with my 2m draught wind on the nose. Being long past the days care was the watchword. Although only a of youthful bravado I happily admit that I few miles from Oban, due to a bar at the cowered on the companionway with my feet entrance the flood does not start until two on the warm engine box for the whole trip hours after high water at Oban and then it while the autopilot kept me on course. takes four hours to fill the loch as opposed One advantage of the early season to the six hours of flood at Oban. was that, unlike summer months, there The resultant flow makes for an interestwas a choice of visitors’ moorings in the ing passage. First stop in the loch was at otherwise very deep but popular anchorArdorran Marine for showers and a chat age of Tobermory bay. With another gale about the best channel into the upper loch heading for the west of Scotland I planned where I planned to spend a day or two with to spend a few days around the Tobermory my young granddaughter and her parents. area and although the With a couple of days wind really blew some, wait before they were I spent the time four cold but bright days due to arrive I spent the passed very quickly. time huddled over the huddled over the Trips ashore usually heater outlet as yet anincluded a diversion heater as yet another other gale blew through. to one or other of the Following the gale welcoming and warmglae blew through... a more settled weather ing pubs that are such pattern was emerging. a feature of the town. As the sun shone again Filling water tanks, checking engine oil I carefully made the short passage into levels and adjusting rigging tensions took the upper loch leaving the island that up the rest of my time. blocks the middle of the loch to starboard. A long-awaited improvement in the An isolated rock on the port hand at the weather allowed for a great sail south along entrance to this passage is marked by a the Sound of Mull, for once with the wind small yellow buoy. This is maintained by astern. I have often wondered if I am the the boatyard. At high water I had some only person who constantly sails with the 14ft of depth in this channel before the wind arrow at the top of the mast permaupper loch opens out – where I anchored nently pointing aftwards. Sunshine, but with in about 40ft of water almost in front of the temperature not much above freezing, the Knippoch Hotel, where the family and snow on the surrounding hills meant were staying. It is a very welcoming hotel that the air was crystal clear. My aim had where the food is definitely worth the been to stop for the night around the Oban effort of getting there. As a bonus the sun area before making my way into Loch Feoshone and the water was like a mirror the chan where a rendezvous with some family whole time I was anchored there; and that members was scheduled. I found a free may have been influential in making my mooring on the sheltered side of the Sound timing for the exit a little awry. I exited of Kerrera, this also having the advantage of the loch with the tide in places running being cheaper at £10 for the night than the a full 5 knots against me, but that as they more exposed ones on the Oban side. say, is another story. CLASSIC SAILOR

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The Dorna, the sturdy, tough and ancient boat of Galicia 46 CLASSIC SAILOR

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Galicia: Falling for the end of earth Guy Venables discovers the part of Spain that’s more like Cornwall, with its own amazing food, stunning scenery and superb, relatively under-explored cruising grounds, plus excellent marina facilities

e were driving like the cluttered, expensive South of France over a high misty or the over-populated polluted Mediterranean. pass, several Geographically Galicia is situated at the miles inland. top left of Spain, denying Portugal a northThere were ern coast. The coastline itself is 180 nautical fewer eucalyptus miles of deeply indented granite rias, some trees now, only steep as fjords and some with gentle wooded rocks and heather. The man next to me in slopes. What this means is that it lends itself the van told me that the reason why the wild to short day sails from ria to ria and into horses stayed close to the long-horned cattle sheltered anchorages, deserted beaches and was for protection from wolves. Folks back charming ports with great yacht support and home say that this place is like Cornwall. I world-famous seafood. don’t remember any wolves in Cornwall. The sheer volume of mussel rafts set in For thousands of years Galicia was rigid formation in some rias look like the known as, and considered to be, Finis Terra, allied invasion of the Normandy beaches. It or the ends of the world. (Hence the old is a place of plenty, where the sea is teeming Finisterre shipping forecast area.) It was never with abundant life and the Atlantic currents conquered by the Moors – they did get there feed and wash the peninsula like a doting but found it too cold and misty for their mother. Ask a Galician where the best African blood and headed off back south. octopus comes from and he’ll stare at the This meant that Galicia middle distance and after a grew up alone in Spain, pause will name the fishing cut off from the rest of the village he was born in. deserted beaches country by high hills and Some Galician sailors fly and charming ports the Galician flag; the older a separate language that is still used today. It grew up of Spaniards with world-famous generation without the general Spanish don’t particularly like this, cultural references such as they rallied around Franco seafood paella, originally based on and see it as separatism. a Moroccan dish, or any of While I was there the the Moorish architecture or culture. entire area was going through a massive In fact the Galicians have much stronger improvement project. It included motorways connections with the Celtic culture and but, essentially for us, millions of Euros were using the right filters, the evidence is everypoured into yacht harbours and marinas. By where. It also has some of the finest cruising now it should all be finished because another grounds in Europe and yet crucially we often thing that the Galicians don’t embrace is the just drop in for provisions after making it somewhat relaxed Spanish work timetable. across the Bay, on our way somewhere worse I was there to witness this in an intense

whistlestop tour of the marinas, yacht clubs and rias. We started at the top with Ribadeo, a charming port where eucalyptus logs were being loaded onto a precarious barge and a blue flag for clean water was being raised by the young mayor. His youth being another sign of the new breed of Spaniard taking over and a backlash against the old regime. They say, with relief, that the young are taking over and your electrician will now, to the surprise of many, show up on time. In the yacht club we met Josephine and John, an English couple who’d sailed the 300 miles along the dreaded northern Costa de Morte from San Sebastian in a 15ft (4.6m) dinghy, a feat that had attracted the local press, whom they met meekly with modest shrugs. I used to surf along that coast and in winter the waves will reach 30ft (9.1m). You can’t eat badly in Galicia. To prove the point that evening we had Caldo Gallego,

Galicia has a distinctive identity from the rest of Spain – you’ll see Celtic symbols like these everywhere

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the simple yet fabulous local broth, and a shoulder of pork the size of my head with the soft local red Mencia wine. Potato is the traditional source of starch, introduced in Spain before Britain, and much of the food of the north is hearty and wholesome, designed to see you through the winter months as much as inspiring the palate. We moved west to Ares, a delightful and very sheltered fishing village with an updated port. They were also, suspiciously, raising their blue flag as we arrived. I met a man

All the ports and yacht clubs reserve ten per cent of their moorings for visitors fixing his much-loved 100-year-old Dorna, the rough local fishing boats which are mended with whatever seems to be at hand. There are a few points that I noticed here that I saw along the whole coast. Firstly all the ports and yacht clubs reserve ten per cent of their moorings for visitors. Secondly all of them had a strange looking machine provided by Asnauga, the Asociación de Clubes Náuticos de Galicia, of which we were guests. These machines allow you to check up on real-time information on all the marinas in Galicia. It’s also a downloadable app – an almanac on your phone if you will. Also in nearly all these places visitors are offered the same facilities as the members. We ate here and they served the local seafood empenadas, octopus in paprika and monkfish. With it we drank Albarina, their excellent flinty white table wine. Simple food, excellent produce, thoughtfully put together is their motto. After dessert, to digest, three types of the aguardiente were poured, the best being bright yellow and made with cardamom. Across the Ria de Betanzos in Sada, there is a large fish market which auctions off the daily catch every morning. Sada is a favourite stop-off from the Bay of Biscay crossing as it’s sheltered from any weather from any direction. In a free moment I spotted a bar and I snuck off and ordered a beer. It was very cheap. As I sat there contemplating the area from the roof terrace I was brought a large plate of octopus and some bread. “There must be some mistake” I said. “I didn’t order any lunch.” “Oh, it’s free with the beer” shrugged the waiter. Not only can you not eat badly in Galicia, it’s often hard to pay for it. A Corona (La Coruña) is the old northern city with its trams, cafes and sculptures. You need a few days to suck it in properly. It’s classy and groovy with several long beaches and a calm atmosphere. Picasso lived here for five years and it is an excellent place to eat. We left the Ria de A Corona and headed south –to the beautiful Portosin in the Ria de Muros e Noia where we ate seafood 48 CLASSIC SAILOR

Top: Lively and fun Dorna regatta in Boiro; Right: a Dorna showing off its Viking roots in the bay of Cabo de Cruz; Far right, above: Moorings in Cabo de Cruz; below: A still-manned lighthouse on the beautiful island of Ons

GALICIA

Finisterre sanctuaries

Corona (or La Coruña if you’re still with the Franco gang.) It’s a lovely city with a tram system, two yacht basins (30m maximum boat size), an elegant yacht club in which one can feel rather under-dressed. Bring something nice to put on and go to the bar for a cocktail. It is open to visitors and they are extremely welcoming. Below it is the old prison on a rocky outcrop. When spring tides were high they say the inmates used to be neck deep in water if from Spain or chest deep from anywhere else. The extra strength local beer,1906 Estrella Reserva Especial is heavy and luxurious. Santiago de Compostela, although landlocked it is worth going to see as it’s not like anywhere else in Europe. If in a boat it’s best to attack it from Portosin by taxi. The Gothic architecture is carved in yellow granite which cools the tall streets like marble. Here you will find all the great local food in one place. Don’t leave without trying Pimento Padron in sea salt: small peppers of which one in five is fiery hot. Also on your menu should be the smoked cheeses (Gueso con Membrillo) with quince jelly, plus scallops, razor clams, cold sliced beef, fillet and squid rings. Percebes, the goose barnacles, famously dangerous to catch and very expensive can be tried but not necessarily liked. Crema Orujo is the local creamy hazelnut Aguardiente and is “like Baileys but drinkable.” I liked it so much I was presented with a bottle by our ever-accommodating Asnauga host. All can be bought from the Roman covered market. Be warned that the cathedral, stunning outside and in, is an attack on the eye with an undignified dizzying array of gold leaf baroque and Gothic excesses piled on top of each another due to centuries of unchecked exalting additions and clerical pomp.

Ribeira 50 tonne travel lift and a five-tonne one for small boats; 239 places, 25 for visitors and an anchorage opposite. Fuel station, scuba centre and huge fish market. Charming old town with a bakery that’s been open since 1850 – and plenty of night life. Cabo de Cruz 190 spaces, new small marina with a temporary club house that’s being rebuilt now. Hot showers, loos and laundry are set up as well as a public workshop, wifi and a smashing little bar. A short walk through the town brings you to one of the best beaches in Galicia. Sanxenxo Has the only pontoon especially for disabled people in Spain. The Club has 60 spaces but call ahead as it’s always busy. It has a large swimming pool, huge gym, classy dining overlooking the ria – even a crèche! Portonovo Celebrity chef in the kitchen, excellent bar, 203 berths, laundry, close to town. Javier (as well as Asnauga themselves) can organize permission to go to the national park island Ons, which you really should do. Cangas Vigo’s beach town across the water. Busy workshop, running water pool for kayak practice, 269 moorings 26 visitors births. Nice beach. 16m boat length limit. Vigo Most southern ria and generally the best weather. Two marinas, plenty of visiting spaces (44 overall) and a warm welcome in the amazing clubhouse. All marine services are here, including wooden boat repairs. Great place to stock up and fix things before setting out to explore the vast choice of spots in this ria. Charter boats available here so it’s a good place to start if you don’t have a boat. If you’re doing an Atlantic crossing you’re much better off here instead of sitting around in the dustbowl of the Canaries.

Portosin Four pontoons, 210 berths, 50 visitors slots. From here you can reach Santiago if you can tear yourself away from the stunning beauty of the ria with it’s high forest and charming beaches (Chiringuito is the nearest) and welcoming atmosphere of the club. No charge for short stay. It’s a relaxed family nautical club with an excellent restaurant, a crane lift (35 tonnes), launderette, paddle court (local tennis) free camarotes (rooms set aside for anyone who is • A CORUNA ill or seasick) and • SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA high standards of • VIGO housekeeping. The sunset from the Spain balcony bar is what Portugal will make you put down roots..

Portosin •

• Cabo de Cruz • Ribeira

Portonovo • • Sanxenxo

•Cangas

VIGO•

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empenadas and the soft smoked cheese with ice cold Rias Baixas Albarina. Children playing in Optimists seem to be a constant backdrop. It was a Force 4-5 just two miles away out at sea and yet the clubhouse flags were hanging straight down. That is the strength of these Rias. I met an Irishman, the first of many people I met who keep their boats in Galicia and only go back home for the winter. He took me aside and said with a smile, “If you ever decide to sail to Galicia for God’s sake put your stuff in storage and rent out your house.” There were fireworks going off across the ria in the middle of the day. This, I was told was one of Galicia’s many festivals celebrating local produce. Known as the place of a thousand parties there are fiestas that celebrate lamb, empenadas, potatoes, peppers, ray, pork, albarino, onion, Ribeiro and general seafood. There are also Viking fiestas, Middle Ages fiestas and many more that we couldn’t think of at the time. Further south still we went to Ribeira and the Ria de Arousa. This seems like a stopping point where people wait for the right wind to head north. There’s a large beach and a fish auction which has seating for the public to come and watch. The boats come in all night and it’s one of the most important fish auctions in Europe. This is the biggest ria in Galicia and you could happily spend a month here going from anchorage to fishing village in short stops wherever the wind feels the easiest. Across the water in Cabo de Cruz there was a Dorna regatta going on in the main town of Boira. They say that the Dorna is measured along the keel in handspans, and the ones made on a certain island are bigger because the brothers who made them had unusually large hands. They are tough 50 CLASSIC SAILOR

little clinker boats (known in Galician as tingladina), full of character and the Viking influence is obvious as the larger ones vaguely resemble their Drakkar. The unusual traditional band was playing and the Celtic symbols painted on the hulls made sense of the bagpipes. You can always tell whose boat is whose by its colour as the paint on their houses is also used on their hulls. Down on the quay kids were jumping in the water and around 50 Dornas were getting ready to race. Much of the rough charm of the Dorna is its primitive pragmatism and I saw rocks and engine parts being used as anchors, eucalyptus trunks as masts and several v-branches for oarlocks.

“If you ever decide to sail to Galicia, for God’s sake put your stuff in storage and rent out your house” The weather warms as we head south and Galicia seems to be split into two climatic regions. Now we are seeing many more vineyards and we drive through a valley where much of the finest Albarino is made. Sanxenxo is a large town in the Ria Pontavedra, well known by the locals as a place to come if you have teenagers who want to have some fun. The beach is packed and the shops all sell inflatable shapes to drift out to sea on. The Vikings raided up the river here and there is a local replica Viking boat and a huge Viking fiesta in August. As well as being taught sailing, the kids in the Club de Mar here are taught glassfibre repair and navigation. It is impressive how inclusive the Galicians are with their kids. They must

The excellent and wellstocked bar at A Corona Yacht Club – visitors welcome

all be sailors by the age of six and Sanxenxo Yacht Club has been the spawning ground of many of the nations world champion sailors. In the entrance to this fine and modern club was a Dorna that had been polished and varnished. It didn’t look very happy. We ate dinner that night in the Club de Mar of Portonovo on a balcony overlooking the beach and town. Lofty pines on long spits hide shady houses and immaculate grass. It’s possibly the best port of all. This part of Galicia is wittily known as “Galifornia.” To give you an idea of how clean the water is around here there are spider crabs living in the marina and mussels grow everywhere. We had baby sardines with Zarate Alberino and spicy Alguera Ribeira Sacra red with the pork on toast, and apple sauce. Inside through the glass was a group of 50 army cadets who had just finished their exams. The night was rowdy and hilarious as the lads took on complex drinking games. Javier, the commodore of the marina told me that he’d been coming here on holiday since 1966. I can see why. The pristine and protected island of Ons is part of the Atlantic Islands National Park and has been inhabited since the bronze age. It sits right in the centre of the ria entrance sheltering the whole cove from the westerlies and ensuring calm water in any wind strength. It has one of the only permanently manned lighthouses left in Europe and sandy beaches on the eastern sheltered side. There’s plenty of anchorage or you can just grab a speedboat ride from Portonovo. On the western side the granite cliffs are sheer and the heather and blackthorn that carpet the clifftops are a graphic reminder of that Cornish connection. It is the world’s largest breeding ground of the Shag. Here Sheerwaters, Cormorants, Gannets, Storm Petrels and Razorbills circle on the cliff updrafts and lazily arc and flop into the water emerging always with a fish. The sea spray that was being thrown up to us smelled of freshly chopped celery. In the restaurant we had the excellent island speciality, corn and mussel empenadas. Our final visit was Vigo, a large port with a stunning 1930s art deco clubhouse shaped like a liner. Again it was inclusively run, welcoming all visiting yachtsmen to use all their brand new facilities. (The electricity and water can be reached by opening a hatch in the pontoon sole!) In the airport, desperately trying to fill my bags with local produce I was in a thoughtful mood. The folk here are fiercely inclusive and infectiously happy. The strange thing was that although I’d been in Spain for over a week, not once did I feel like a tourist. Instead I often witnessed Galicians calling other Spanish people tourists. Maybe the parallels with the Cornish are more marked than I initially thought.

Classic Sailor full page Oct 15:Layout 1

25/09/2015

250 (8ft): lovely to row, takes motors up to 2.5hp, popular as a yacht tender

15:51

Page 1

“fun and highly practical... where they really score is in their light weight.” PRACTICAL BOAT OWNER

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The Marine Motorist News from the world of motorboats by Mike Taylor Classic Rally, Cowes

Organisers Ben Curtiss and Paul Hooper can congratulate themselves on arranging yet another hugely success event in Cowes to coincide with the ever popular Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race held over the weekend of 4-6 September. The annual Classic Rally celebrates all that’s best in classic powerboat design and performance, and continues to rise to even greater heights with enthusiasts and observers alike revelling in the collection of these elegant craft. Among the more rare boats to appear was a delightful Riva 2000 with triple Crusaders from the drawing board of legendary naval architect Sonny Levi and a Cleopatra 23 Blue Nile designed by JCL Marine providing a stunning sight set against the regular round up of beautifully presented Faireys, Trianas and Christinas. Added to the flotilla were representatives from the thriving Classic Motor Boat Association, which included a Tremlett, a Healey with unusual jet propulsion (yes, the Healey family didn’t only build sports cars), and an Albatross, one of the best loved sports boats of the 1950s designed by Archie Peace.

Rivas gather at Monaco Classic Week

We are not sure what the collective noun for a group of Rivas is – perhaps a varnish of Rivas? That was certainly the effect at the Monaco Classic Week where more than a dozen gathered to celebrate the bi-annual occasion for sailing and motor yachts. This year the club was celebrating the recent opening of its new shipshape clubhouse, designed by Lord Norman Foster and able to host gatherings of 3,000 plus. Carlo Riva’s own Aquarama Lipicar IV was on show; his eldest daughter Lia runs the Monaco Boat Service and the principality boasts some 80 Riva classics that overwinter in the state, the largest Med base for these boats of which 4,100 are now listed worldwide. Alexander Kurgnasky’s Riva Maud II won the Belle Classe restoration prize, while in the Concours D’Elegance Ismaelia II, owned by Stéphane Warny won. Britain’s John Fildes won First Powerboat in the Manoeuvrability Prize with his nifty restored Albatross. DH

Said Commodore of the Classic Offshore Powerboat Club, Mike James: “The event continues to grow in popularity with this year around 31 boats and some 120 people congregated in the Cowes Marina. It shows how interest in these wonderful craft is going from strength to strength. The rally has been another great success.”

Restored Renato Levi Powerboat for sale

After a detailed and thorough restoration the Renato Levi (right) designed powerboat Viva Tridante is up for sale. Built by W C Clark of Cowes, Isle of Wight, beginning in 1962 she enjoyed a career spanning 13 years competing in the world renowned Cowes-Torquay event. This elegant boat has now been rebuilt to her former glory. Power is supplied by a 5.0 litre Mercruiser and during shakedown running in trials off Studland Bay she comfortably attained 32kt with significantly more to come when the engine is fully bedded in. The wooden hull is sheathed in glass fibre and is set off by beautiful teak and mahogany topsides. This 23ft (7m) long classic is now ready to give her new owner some serious fun. Price £59,950 Contact Phillip Taylor at Clipper Marine Tel: +44 (0)1202 916424

Jetting down the Thames

It was over a glass of wine (or three) during the summer that classic powerboat enthusiast Mark Pattinson and some friends discussed the possibility of a leisurely trip on the River Thames, from Walton-on-Thames, down to St Katherine’s dock and back. Mark’s craft is not just any classic speedboat. It’s a rare 17ft Jetstar 520 built by Bluebird Marine at Haywards Heath in Sussex during the 1970s, based on an original prototype devised by water speed record holder Donald Campbell as a way to manufacture sports boats to create a revenue stream. Campbell’s untimely death forced the programme to stall until Bluebird Marine was set up and the boats began being produced with water jet propulsion. Mark’s boat is fitted with a 3.4 litre Ford V6 engine driving a Castoldi jet drive, which gives a sparkling 40kt performance. However, he was never going to reach these dizzy speeds on the Thames – the return trip taking them more than 14 hours.

Mark’s Jetstar 520 at rest on their 14-hour London trip

Book Review: Hurry West: Cowes-Torquay Race 1961 In the evolution of powerboat racing in the UK, the Cowes-Torquay race of 1961 must surely rank as a cornerstone in its exciting history. Now, enthusiasts and casual observers alike can read the fascinating background to how this prestigious event came about, the boats and the personalities involved. Classic powerboat specialist Charles Lawrence has published another in his series of impressive works on period powerboats. Entitled Hurry West (the code name given to the event by the combined services) it is a detailed collection of Lawrence’s own line drawings of each of the registered entrants, period photographs and in-depth descriptions of the people involved supported by reproductions of fascinating original paperwork. Typical of Lawrence’s artistry is a particularly impressive piece of design work, which is a timeline indicating the position of each craft as it passed critical points en-route. Charles Lawrence has gained an enviable reputation for his diligent research and detailed delivery in each of his books; ‘Hurry West’ won’t disappoint. Hurry West: Cowes-Torquay Race 1961 Charles Lawrence ISBN 978-0-9927773-4-0 £20

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Lawns, launches, d The Thames Trad is back! With a new committee, a new name - it’s now a Festival rather than a Rally – and

attered by two cancellations in recent years – last year ‘s due to the catastrophic flooding in the Thames Valley, the volunteer-run Thames Traditional Boat Rally’s finances, and its human resorces were in a parlous condition. Past president Tony Goodhead and chairman Stuart Wilkinson, who had kept the rally going with a dwindling handful of committee members had warned that its future was a matter of concern.and this year’s event was, literally, ‘make or break.’ The immediate response was a meeting called at the end of September 2014, which drew

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a packed attendance from interested participating bodies, including the Thames Vintage Boat Club, River Thames Society, Thames Traditional Boat Society, Star Craft Association, Rampart Owners Club, the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships and others. The outcome was over 20 volunteeers to form a new and energetic committee with a new president, Lady Judy McAlpine who has the advantage of being a professional events organizer. Between them they relaunched the event – with the emphasis on the visitor-friendly ‘Festival’

THAMES TRADITIONAL BOAT FESTIVAL Far left: Gloriana’s crew get set; top left: various uniforms; below, left: Is that Jeremy Irons enjoying a punt? (the actor is a well known gaff rig sailor), and, right, Dunkirk Little Ships. All photos by Rod Tietjen

, dukws and punts above all fine weather and a river that behaved itself, the 37-year-old event was bigger and better than ever. rather than the boat-oriented ‘Rally’. New attractions included opening selected boats to visitors, so that they could appreciate the interiors and learn something of life on board. Even the beer tent was reinvented as the ‘pop-up pub’, the Golden Ball. Boats on display ranged from Gloriana, the Queen’s magnificent rowbarge, to Sir Malcolm Campbell’s 1937 water-speed record breaker Bluebird K3 – only her third public appearance, and the first on the water since the completion of her restoration three years ago.

They joined the traditional attractions provided by the Dunkirk Little Ships, freshly returned from the 75th anniversary return to Dunkirk, plus a drive-past by amphibious vehicles, military and civilian, as well as the elegant Edwardian crusers , varnished Thame slipper launches, rowing skiffs and punts and the myriad other inland watercraft that make the Thames Trad such a fascinating event. Over 170 vessels took part. The weekend attracted over 10,000 visitors, giving a financial surplus for next year’s festival when ‘new surprises’ are already being planned. From left: Entering into the spirit; amphicar; Bluebird K3; a WW2 Dukw; Alaska’s steam whistle; slipper launch and rowing skiff. All photos by Rod Tietjen CLASSIC SAILOR

NAUTICAL LITERATURE

Tobias Smollett The original nautical novelist? The seafaring novels we know today owe a lot to this irascible and deeply reluctant sailor turned writer. By Sam Jefferson

A contemporary view of Cartagena with the positions of the British Fleet under the Command of Admiral Vernon. 1741. Right: Tobias Smollett, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland

he seafaring novel is such an accepted genre these days that it can sometimes seem almost formulaic: The hero, some worryingly chiselled gentleman, generally commits all manner of derring do in the name of king and country or at the very least death or glory. There are variations on this theme, of course, but you get what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m driving at. Which is why it may seem surprising to many that initial forays into this format were considered pretty leftfield and outlandish. People simply couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe that you could sustain an interesting narrative with the sea as your main backdrop. One man who did an awful lot to change that perception was Tobias Smollett; a foul

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tempered, cynical Scotsman who never professed any great affection for the sea. Nevertheless, the stroke of his pen (or quill) was able to bring the sea to life in a manner rarely witnessed before and means he fully deserves consideration as the grandfather of the modern day nautical novel; it was he who first brought to life the sea, gave it character and a life of its own. Witness the language he uses to describe a storm which batters his ship in the early stages of his Transatlantic voyage to South America: The sea was swelled into billows mountain-high, on the top of which our ship sometimes hung as if it were about to be precipitated to the abyss below! Sometimes we sank between two waves that rose on each side higher than our topmast-head, and threatened by dashing

together to overwhelm us in a moment! Of all our fleet, consisting of a hundred and fifty sail, scarce twelve appeared, and these driving under their bare poles, at the mercy of the tempest. At length the mast of one of them gave way, and tumbled overboard with a hideous crash! Nor was the prospect in our own ship much more agreeable; a number of officers and sailors ran backward and forward with distraction in their looks, halloaing to one another, and undetermined what they should attend to first. Some clung to the yards, endeavouring to unbend the sails that were split into a thousand pieces flapping in the wind; others tried to furl those which were yet whole, while the masts, at every pitch, bent and quivered like twigs, as if they would have shivered into innumerable splinters!

“I am pent up in frowzy lodgings, where there is not room enough to swing a cat.” Humphrey Clinker vol. 1, 1771

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NAUTICAL LITERATURE

Incia cone mint ea volum quatiate dis arumquam, quiandant venim assinvera nonsectem sint pa cusciisit

Stirring stuff; contrast his writing with his contemporary, Daniel Defoe, whose Robinson Crusoe was a story deeply involved with the sea. In comparison to Smollett, Defoe seems utterly incapable of conveying the capricious beauty of the sea. In his hands it is flat, uninteresting and utterly incidental; a means to an end. Crusoe sails to Brazil from London and enjoys a ‘good voyage’ and nothing more. Later, when a storm batters his vessel, Defoe utterly fails to bring the scene to life, retreating into trite clichés and speaking of ‘the wild sea’. With Smollet’s arrival, the sea finally found a writer worthy of invoking its beauty and capriciousness in English.

Failed playwright

This is rather ironic, for Smollett, born just outside Glasgow in 1720, had precious little interest in the sea. The younger son of minor gentry, he trained as a surgeon, but his heart was always in writing and he harboured dreams of fame and fortune scratched out with his quill. Not only that, but he had a trump card; he had spent his early years painstakingly putting together a play called The Regicide, centering on the Assassination of King James I. Smollett clearly believed he had struck theatrical gold in the form of this roller coaster of a play in ten sizzling scenes. He simply needed to get it placed in a theatre in order to make his fortune; it may well have been this ambition 58 CLASSIC SAILOR

The old sea dog, helpless ashore: Commander Trunnion with Jack Hatchway, in Peregrine Pickle, as portrayed by Francis William Edmonds

that prompted the callow youth to hotfoot it to London in 1739, his masterpiece tucked into his back pocket, success all but assured. There was one small problem; the play was utter bilge and was rejected by one theatre after another. Smollett was outraged, believing that racism was the reason behind his failure. Racism or otherwise, Smollett was now in a tight corner. He needed money and in desperation opted to sign up as surgeon in HMS Chichester, a rather ancient and decrepit 80-gun three-decker manned by a staggering complement of 600 men. The Chichester was fitting out to take part in the ill-fated seige of Carthagena, part of the somewhat forgotten

‘War of Jenkin’s ear’ between Britain and Spain. We British probably like to forget it as it was an unmitigated embarrassment. The Chichester was part of a huge armada of 186 ships meant to seize the port of Carthagena – now one of the principal cities in Colombia.

Reluctant Naval officer

Things didn’t get off to a good start for Smollett aboard the HMS Chichester. It soon became obvious to the Scotsman that the main reason the ship was so heavily manned was because the crew were dying in scores from a whole range of ailments. The sick bay was so full you could barely get in there. As surgeon it was his job to tend to the sick and one of the first things he did in this role was upset a large chamber pot full of slops much to the outrage of the patients. This set the tone for the trip. Smollett hated the sea and hated the officers even more. His subsequent descriptions of life aboard are all coloured by violent dislike. Captain Oakum is a brutal and brainless disciplinarian, who parades sick men on deck until they drop dead and doles out numerous lashings with the cat o’ nine tails for almost any reason at all. Smollett’s navy is unclean, unfair and utterly unpleasant. His relentless highlighting of bad practice has unquestionably had a profound effect on the layman’s view that life aboard a naval vessel was all about ‘rum, sodomy and the lash’ – as Winston Churchill put it many years later.

TOBIAS SMOLLETT

After two months of death and disaster, Admiral Vernon departed, announcing: “We have decided to retreat, but we will return to Cartagena after we take reinforcements in Jamaica”. To which Blas de Lezo, the Cartagena leader, responded ironically: “In order to come to Cartagena, the English King must build a better and larger fleet, because yours now is only suitable to transport coal from Ireland to London”. The whole affair was a massive fiasco and King George was so irritated by it that he forbade his courtiers from ever mentioning it. The 18thcentury Royal Navy at work: The Capture of Puerto Bello 21 November 1739 by George Chambers Senior. The battle of Porto Bello preceded the battle of Carthangena in the ‘War of Jenkins’ Ear. Below: the frontispiece for Roderick Random

If life aboard was unpleasant for Smollett, things were about to get a whole lot worse, as the great fleet, after fitting out in Jamaica, headed for Colombia. The siege of Carthagena became one of the biggest embarrassments in British naval history. At the time it was one of the most important ports in South America and therefore strongly fortified. Still, it should have been no match for this mighty fleet. Unfortunately, after some initial successes, a lack of strong leadership compounded by a conflict between the leaders of the land and naval forces conspired to mean that, after 67 days of almost unmitigated failure, the action was called off. The toll was a heavy one: 18,000 men dead and 50 ships lost. Most of the men who had not been killed in battle proceeded to die in this festering steaming pit of disease and despair, as Smollett recalled: Nothing was heard but groans, lamentations and the language of despair, invoking death to deliver them from their miseries. What served to encourage this despondence was the prospect of these poor wretches who had strength and opportunity to look around them; for there they beheld the naked bodies of their fellow soldiers and comrades floating up and down the harbour, affording prey to the carrion crows and sharks, which tore them in pieces without interruption, and contributing by their stench to the mortality which prevailed.

Back to the books

Smollett returned to England after some years out in the Caribbean and it is perhaps understandable that, following his chastening experiences, he did not further pursue his naval career. Instead, he returned to London and moved to Downing Street, practicing as a surgeon and writing as and when he could. He proved an indifferent surgeon, for he was always a peppery, rather bad-tempered man and dealing with the bunions and boils of wealthy clients was a definite trial of his temper. His writing, on the other hand had improved since The Regicide and in 1748 he managed to get Roderick Random published. This dark, satirical story, largely based around his adventures in the navy, was an instant hit, propelling Smollett into the big time. It was also to have a profound effect on the genre of nautical literature, not just because he was able to bring the sea to life in a manner other authors could not, but also because it introduced into the canon of English literature that much loved character, the feckless old sea dog, stumping along on a wooden leg and, at least on land, cutting an utterly helpless figure. This character was to pop up again and again

His writing showed he was at one with the sailors, uniting with them aganst clueless captains and cruel mates in Smollett’s novels, and later in the works of Charles Dickens and, most famously in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. In Roderick Random it is Tom Bowling, kindly uncle of Roderick. He is succeeded by Commander Trunnion in Smollet’s second novel, Peregrine Pickle and Captain Crowe in his fourth novel, Launcelot Greaves. As a picturesque example of Smollett’s old sea dogs, marooned and helpless ashore, here is Commander Trunnion, delayed on his way to a wedding: “Hark ye, brother, don’t you see we make all possible speed? Go back and tell those who sent you, that the wind has shifted since we weighed anchor, and that we are obliged to make very short trips in tacking, by reason of the narrowness of the channel; and that as we lie within six points of the wind they must make allowance for variation and leeway .” As Sir Walter Scott later observed admiringly: “The term of Smollett’s service in the navy was chiefly remarkable from his having acquired, in that brief space, such intimate knowledge of our nautical world, as enabled him to describe sailors with such truth and spirit of delineation, that from that time whoever has undertaken the same task has seemed to copy more from Smollett than from nature.”

A lasting influence

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Smollett did not return to the sea and wrote about it sparingly in later, less successful novels. Nevertheless, his influence was profound and he played an important part in shaping the way in which later novelists dealt with the subject. None could say that his was a particularly positive view of life at sea. Indeed, a contemporary observed that he seemed to have “dipped his pen in gall and bilge-water’.” Even so, he was able to bring sailors and the sea to life in a manner that none had done before. If one could never exactly say that he was at one with the sea, his writing certainly showed that he was at one with the sailors; united with them against clueless captains and cruel mates, just as he had been on HMS Chichester. This understanding and love of the poor, beaten down tars, so ill used in both the merchant and Royal Navies “at the mercy of every whim of a despotic leader” as he put it, allowed him to bring them to life on the page as none had done before and few have done since. CLASSIC SAILOR

HARKER’S YARD GIGS

Racing to keep up How the restoration of Pioneer produced a training scheme for apprentices which has led to a whole new interest in competitive rowing, by Julia Jones

andwiched between two examples of traditional boatbuilding craft at last year’s Woodbridge Maritime Festival – a replica of the Sutton Hoo Viking burial ship and a Celtic curragh – was, in this context, a startlingly modern rowing gig: Matchless, gig no 4 from Harker’s Yard, Brightlingsea. Matchless and her many fellow gigs are the product of a training scheme set up in the wake of the rescue and rebuild the 1864 first class smack Pioneer, ‘Last of the Skillingers’, now relaunched as a sail training ship. The shipwrighting skills involved were considerable and other restoration projects naturally followed. Harker’s Yard was set up by the Pioneer Sailing Trust, primed with money from the EU Transcoast Project which aimed to regenerate port areas and help them reintegrate with their local communities. Soon, the emphasis within the trust shifted slightly away from the material heritage towards embedding skills for the future. Specifically they wanted to focus on training apprentices as the craftsmen of the 21st century and they wanted them to learn through involvement with real build projects. Restoration work might not offer the orderly progression or range of skills to educate youngsters who might have no previous wood working experience at all. Shaun White, one of the two master shipwrights who had worked on the Pioneer, therefore spent a year developing and building the first of the Harker’s Yard gigs. The idea came from the success of the Cornish pilot gigs but the Harker’s Yard design was adapted from a traditional East Coast model. At 24ft (7.3m) the Harker’s Yard gigs are shorter than the west country types and are rowed by a crew of four (plus a cox) rather than six.

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The gigs have inspired local clubs and competitive, as well as recreational rowing

White’s crucial innovation, however, was to move away from clinker to cold-moulded construction. Transcoast and other development money helped to provide the facilities and the time he needed to build the ‘plug’ – the mould that is used to shape the hulls of all the Harker’s Yard gigs (and also the purpose-built trailers in which they are transported). He and the then apprentices produced gig no 1, Velocity, which was launched in 2012, only the second newlybuilt craft to have been publicly launched in Brightlingsea for ten years. Since then the project has gone from strength to strength. Gig number 13 is currently in production. “Every time we deliver one,” says Fred Dorrington of the Pioneer Sailing Trust.“We get orders for two or three more.”

The primary importance of the coldmoulded process is the range of skills that the apprentices must learn. These begin with ‘skinning-up’ where the three thin layers of mahogany are laid diagonally onto the mould once the backbone of the gig is in position. The first layer is stapled; the rest are glued. The technique is very simple: what is required from the apprentices is to position each strip with the utmost care and precision. Tyler, an apprentice in only his fourth week at the yard explained how much he enjoyed having to concentrate on “doing it right”. The apprentices must then remove the core from the mould and place it in the cradle where they learn the processes of fitting out. They fix thwarts, knees, floors and gunwales and practice all the ancillary

up with demand

ROWING

Production has gone from strength to strength. Every time we deliver one we get orders for two or three more

techniques such as sanding and planing. Some will become adept at sourcing timber, others will develop their expertise in using the patterns originally developed by Shaun White to cut out the component parts. Then the gig is moved into a separate container where it is painted first with epoxy paint and finally with a top coat and her name. Most of the Harker’s Yard gigs bear the names of long-dead smacks. Gig no 2, Vanduara, for instance perpetuates the memory of another of the ‘skillingers’ – those big 19th-century Brightlingsea smacks which crossed the North Sea to dredge for oysters off Terschelling. The remains of Vanduara lie on Peewit Island in the Pyefleet and it’s satisfying to think that members of the Brightlingsea Coastal Rowing Club, who own both Vanduara

and Velocity, might sometimes spare her a thought as they pass by. Each of the gigs takes about 2,000 man hours or a year’s work for one person. Currently the apprentices, under the supervision of their tutor, John Lane and the gig manager, Dunstan Pugh, are producing three or four gigs a year. They are also learning to make oars for the gigs – flatbladed oars that are slightly more robust and only a little less powerful than the spoon-face oars supplied by Suttons, the specialist makers in Windsor. Each set of oars can count as another piece of coursework for the apprentice as he or she works towards their City and Guilds qualification. Clubs can now buy a total package, everyday-quality oars, specially designed trailer and fitted covers as well as the gig From Left: 1 The plug mould taped up ready to be skinned over being applied 3 Battening applied to hold second skin while glue dries 4 Making oars

itself. The gigs cost £12,000 each, the extras £3,000. Dunstan Pugh admits that there is sometimes a moment of sadness experienced by the teams as their most recent offspring leaves the yard. The Harker’s Yard babies set off to lead robust and busy lives. Gig racing and coastal rowing is a fast-growing sport. Local clubs have been established at Wivenhoe, Rowhedge, East and West Mersea, Maldon, Bradwell and Burnham. There’s an attractive ‘have-a-go’ community aspect to this type of rowing and all the clubs run regular free taster sessions. It appeals to people with a reasonably wide range of age and fitness levels, who enjoy the social and recreational aspects as well as the links to the past. Nevertheless there’s always the potential for fierce competition. “We don’t hold back in races,” said Fred Dorrington and I was amused to read a more colloquial social media comment from a local club member who described him or herself as “buzzin’ for some kick-ass racin’”. Locally there’s both a summer and a winter series featuring mixed as well as men’s and ladies’ teams with particular emphasis, in the winter months, placed on the importance of bacon sandwiches. There are collisions and gigs have to return to be repainted. I was rather struck by Dorrington’s explanation of the two thole pins in each rowing position: the aft pin is hard wood but the forward pin is soft wood, deliberately designed to break easily if an oar goes too deep or feathers accidentally. In general, however, the cold-moulded construction has proved exceptionally durable and maintenance-light. Matchless is Harker’s Yard’s own gig. As well as strutting her stuff at exhibitions and festivals she is there to be rowed by the builders themselves. Though her name is not as often on the leader boards as her community-owned sisters, she is an ever-present inspiration. I overheard an apprentice and a work-experience student talking about her as we motored back from a trip to visit Pioneer. “I wonder if we could make her sail,” said one to the other. That’s presumably what the Vikings thought. CLASSIC SAILOR

ALBERT STRANGE

The artful yachts o

Professional artist and amateur yacht designer, Albert Strange drew charming, distinctive boats.

an we accredit Albert Strange with being an influential yacht designer? More inspirational perhaps. People admire his signature characteristics, the pretty canoe sterns with their elegant droopy bumkins, but neither feature has gone very far in the evolution of yacht designs. The canoe sterns required too much mathematical skill to get right, and their origins in canoes, and then via narrow-bodied 62 CLASSIC SAILOR

canoe yawls proved a design cul-de-sac – although Dick Wynne, president of the Albert Strange Association, tells me canoe yawls are making a bit of a comeback. Yet it was one of his designs, the 46ft (14m) Tally Ho, that won the second Fastnet Race in 1927, in extreme conditions that led to the retirement of the previous winner, the redoubtable pilot cutter Jolie Brise. And the fascination provoked by his unique and delightful yachts survives, as do a goodly number of the vessels themselves, to this

day. Which is why it is good to welcome the reissue, by Lodestar Books (prop. Richard Wynne), of John Leather’s 1990 biography, Albert Strange Yacht Designer and Artist, newly augmented by some of its subject’s yacht designs, his writings and even some of his paintings. For Albert Strange was not just a yacht designer, nor even in theory primarily one, though he was remarkably prolific. For most of his adult life – indeed almost up to his death in 1917, aged 61 – he was the principal of Scarborough Art School

GREAT BRITISH DESIGNERS

s of Albert Strange Peter Willis welcomes a republished biography

Seal, 37ft, “A good example of a Strange design for all round cruising,” says John Leather. She was designed in 1907 and won second prize in a design competition

and a painter whose work featured regularly in the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibitions. The school specialised in design and illustration and was much influenced by the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements – elements of which are apparent in Strange’s page decorations for club magazines and the like, and which can also be detected in aspects of his yacht designs. He was born in Gravesend on the Thames in 1855, and by the age of 14 had become a ‘boy’ or assistant to a local bawley fisherman and river

pilot with whom he experienced sailing on racing cutters, schooners and yawls. His own first boat was an 18ft (5.5m) peter boat called Dauntless, which Leather tells us was “clinker planked and with a pointed stern… originally an open boat

People admire his characteristic pretty canoe sterns with their elegant droopy bumkins

with a wet well amidships as a relic of her fishing days. Strange fitted her with a cabin and altered the rig. Not having a centreboard or false keel she would reach and run quite well, but be slow in turning to windward, even with a fair tide. However she could also be rowed.” Leather adds that the boat had a lifelong effect on Strange’s designs for small cruising yachts. Albert used Dauntless to explore the lower Thames and the Medway, and at the age of 20 sailed in her to France, where he lived aboard CLASSIC SAILOR

ALBERT STRANGE Sheila, 1904, 24ft 10in, the oldest Strange owned by Mike Burn

while studying painting. In 1880, aged 25, he was appointed second master at Liverpool College of Art, and two years later was encouraged to apply for, and got, the position of headmaster at the newly-established government school of art in Scarborough, on the Yorkshire coast. Having grown up on the lower Thames, Albert doubtless found the fiercely tidal Humber estuary a lot less daunting as a cruising ground than a refugee from, say, the Solent might have. He quickly fell in with the Humber Yawl Club which 64 CLASSIC SAILOR

had grown out of the local branch of the Rob-Roy MacGregor canoe craze of the 1860s. Its unpretentious membership also sailed the more temperate waters of Hornsea Mere (which Leather ignores) in small open boats but had begun to develop larger, more robust yachts, still with canoe-type hulls, for modest cruising. Among them was fellow yacht designer George Holmes with whom Albert became firm friends. Albert’s own, self-designed, canoe yawl was Cherub II, 20ft 2in (6.15m), built in 1894, which

in 1895 he sailed single-handed down the North Sea coast from Scarborough to Brightlingsea, including an inland section up the Humber and down the Trent to Boston, and then back again over six weeks. In his Yachting Monthly article about the cruise, he admits “My own private mania was to discover and build as small a boat as was possible to do mad things in.” There are several of these YM articles in the book, and they make for good, evocative reading. All are written in what Leather calls Strange’s

GREAT BRITISH DESIGNERS

Lines of Wenda, 24ft 9in, 1899, built in 2006 by Fabian Bush as Constance for Dick Wynn

Charmina, 1923, 28ft 7in, possibly based on Cherub III, currently being restored by Jamie Clay Solorroribus volupiene nonsendit, et volor atatusam, ut quia in pliaerroria estrum esse.

‘companionable’ style, though he could be firm and even acerbic when called for – as in a controversy that blew up on the subject of cruising yacht sterns. “Don’t tell me that a transom stern is a bad stern,” he admonishes a correspondent firmly, though later adopts a more conciliatory and, one feels, characteristic tone. “It is not a question of condemnation (I haven’t the heart to condemn any kind or sort of boat); but it is a question of efficiency.” Controversy nevertheless seems to dog Strange, even into this presumed celebration of his life and

Nirvana of Arklow, 8.5-ton, 35ft 6in cruising yawl built 1925, now owned by Peter Clay

work – though it is its author John Leather who comes in for the most stick. The foreword to this new edition, by Iain Oughtred is distinctly curmudgeonly. He opens by suggesting it should have been completely rewritten, and condemns

“My own private mania was to build as small a boat as was possible to do mad things in”

John Leather’s “brief and sketchy design commentaries” as “never highly regarded,” and his suggested modifications as “entirely inappropriate.” It’s true that Leather’s design notes tend to be opinionated, though however mistaken, they do help to bring the lines to life and you don’t have to agree with them. It’s also true that his (quite serviceable) biography forms only about a third of the book. The rest includes contributions by other authors. A chapter on Strange as an artist makes a decent attempt to find him a place in CLASSIC SAILOR

ALBERT STRANGE

Three of Strange’s paintings. Above: St Valéry; far left: Entrance to Blakeney; left: Bound for London, showing Cherub II in his 1895 single-handed cruise

the chronology of British marine painting; it is frustrated somewhat by the difficulty of tracking down his works (time for a retrospective? There’s a centenary coming up), but concludes that his paintings must speak for themselves, and that as an artist he had a distinctive personal style, much as he did as a yacht designer. But a good part of this thick, large-format volume is taken up with Strange’s own works and words: his cruising yarns, lines of various boats and colour plates of his yachts and his paintings. 66 CLASSIC SAILOR

It’s a delightful anthology, a pleasure to dip into, and if some feel it doesn’t do its subject justice, it certainly doesn’t do him a disservice. In all Strange designed around 150 boats, though not all were built. There are some 20 still afloat – the oldest is Sheila, 1905; the newest, Constance, was built in 2006 by Fabian Bush. Some are in restoration. In Melton Jokn Krejsa has nearly finished restoring Mist, built 1907 and

found abandoned on a beach in Scotland, and in Brightlingsea Jamie Clay is restoring the 1923 Charmina for a new owner. And the Fastnet winner Tally Ho, after years under a tarpaulin in America, is now owned by the ASA and looks like returning soon to Britain for restoration. Albert Strange, Yacht Designer and Artist, by John Leather, published by Lodestar Books, £20

GREAT BRITISH DESIGNERS

My Last Cruise in Cherub II By Albert Strange These extracts are from a much longer, 7,000-word, 1911 article in Yachting Monthly. Cherub II was Strange’s own self-designed 20ft 2in centreplate yawl; the cruise, in 1896, started from the Isle of Wight and ended at Greenhithe on the Thames.

hen a man has owned and parted with a good many different boats, each one leaves in the memory its own particular stories which are never forgotten. To turn over their old logs brings back vivid recollections of the days and nights spent happily in them at sea, and no ship that I have ever owned has left more or happier memories than the little Humber yawl, whose doings in the North Sea have already been chronicled in these pages. She was a good, dependable little creature, such a sea-boat for her inches, and, if you did not want to walk about below, gave such comfort and ease when the toils of the day were over, that the affection she compelled has never been obliterated by her successors, and whatever allowances one has to make for the glamour of past days, in which all discomforts are forgotten and only the shining hours remembered, there is no doubt in my mind that she thoroughly earned my affection and has thoroughly kept it. I still wonder how I brought myself to part with her. *** he fair wind and tide soon brought us up to Beachy Head, whence we laid course for Dungeness and soon began to leave the land. Never have the crew of Cherub had a more glorious sail than this grand run up Channel. Clear and deep blue was the sky overhead, with warm tinted companies of marching clouds steadily travelling eastward. The sea, dark toned with Homer's purple, broke here and there into small crisp curls of foam. When the west going tide strengthened, a steady growing heave made itself felt, and the boat climbed the long slopes of the waves and clove through the tops with a rush. She seemed a brown-winged seabird, so easily did she run, with hardly a spray on deck, and her wake as clean as a knife-cut. Half-way across the bay the wind freshened still more, and she began to over-run the seas, almost half her length forward seemed clear of the water when she lifted above the curling crests. So it was 'snug down' to two reefs whilst there was time, yet still she ran fast and dry. The land now looked far off and we passed many craft, like ourselves under shortened canvas, turning to windward. We were in a world of our own -- a world of deep blue, and wine-tinted purple, flecked with flashing whites of foam and ruby red sails, through which poured the

vigour of the glorious wind, bringing strength and laden with life. How such a day stamps itself on the mind! Years have passed, yet this day still lives in my memory with as clear a vision as if it were yesterday.

middle portion at low water, and there are mud flats and mussel beds and shoaly places to beware of. A barge yacht or a light draught boat with a centreplate is the best craft for work of this sort, as the plate is a good pilot, and in many parts short *** boards are necessary when turning to windward. o we went on towards the sunset, carrying our But it is a quiet cruising ground -- at least, it was flood up to Herne Bay. Then the wind veered at the time of which I write -- with nothing more still more and we had to stretch off a good way on harmful than a few barges and bawleys, and, near the slack high water, and soon we were slowly but Whitstable, the oyster fleet. surely made aware that our tide was done. Ashore there are few indications of life or So, as there wasn't the remotest chance of activity such as are seen on the Thames. Here and getting any further we brought up in four and a there a mysterious looking factory settles itself on half fathoms, and went below to make ourselves the bank and builds a wharf, alongside of which as happy as circumstances and a hot supper would an odd barge or two or a small coaster may be permit; the skipper volunteering to keep the first seen reclining in somnolent idleness. Beyond the watch, though there was hardly any necessity for mud flats are the marsh and the sky, sombre tinted and full of the Albert Strange calls of birds, which emphasise the seen here at solitude and perfect its peace. the helm of his later yawl *** Cherub III here was no end of sketching to be done everywhere. For this work the Cherub was most happily fashioned. With three minutes exertion one could be underway, dodging about amongst the barges, taking up any position necessary. She was much admired by many 'bargees' who seemed specially flattered when they discovered for what purpose the l ittle brown boat with the brown sails was hovering about their course. Often I would ask the skipper of an anchored barge if I might hang alongside, and the request was always courteously granted. watching, our anchorage being out of the track of Sometimes 'bargee' would inspect my little any vessels who would ignore our riding light. So I ship below, and never failed to ask if I knew Mr sat below whilst my deckie slumbered and the little Wyllie, who amongst modern artists seems to be boat rolled gently on the tidal swell -- thinking of almost the only one who can depict accurately the the summer days and winter nights spent on these spirit, as well as the outer semblance of the barge. Kentish flats in company with the old fisherman When I had to admit that I had not the honour who, in my boyhood, owned the bawley Eliza, and of that gentleman's personal acquaintance, they who tried to teach me some fraction of all the lore all said the same thing in almost the same words. of the river which he possessed. "Well, that's a pity, he's a werry nice gentleman," And I lived over again that wild December night which says a good deal for Mr Wyllie's popularity when we were caught in a heavy south-west gale on the river at that time. riding to our ‘stowboat’ net in the Barrow Deeps -and sailed again the long struggle to windward *** under a close-reefed mainsail, the bawley deep e went on to Erith in company with a yawl laden with sprats. All these old vanished days, belonging to a friend, anchored for a little came back to me, and perhaps I dozed a little, for while until the ebb bent, and then turned back to suddenly my hazy mind was roused by a feeling of Greenhithe where we brought up and spent the chilly surprise that the dawn had come so soon, and last night on board our good little ship. Perhaps brought with it a clipping westerly breeze. not the last night, for I hear that she has now come back to her native country and is living in *** the South, and some day, perhaps, I may greet her or those who like inland tidal waterways, again and once more enjoy the pleasure of a sail in giving shelter anywhere, the Swale offers my most beloved boat. good cruising ground. There is no depth in the

CLASSIC SAILOR

On watch: Southampton show special Things we found at September’s Boat Show. Compiled by Guy Venables

Foldaway coracle

Here’s a smashing 65kg little skin on frame inflatable folding sailable coracle called the 300s from Nautiraid. For the sailor, a boat that can be towed by bicycle or easily slung in or on a car and for anything over about 40 foot these would make great sailing or powered tenders. From £1450 to £4300. www.nestawayboats

Crewsaver

Hydromax 150

In the same vein as the fuel cell EFOY charger this is a machine that charges your batteries by chemical reaction, this time between salt water and fruit acid. This means silence at anchor, no running your engines unnecessarily, water vapour exhaust, energy saving and it even monitors your batteries. £3,599 www.technicalmarinesupplies.co.uk

Beds on Board

More of a concept than a product, but a clever one. Sign up and you can stay on other people’s boats. It’s that simple. If you’ve got a boat, you can register it and rent out the space when you’re not on it. Prices vary depending on size mostly. Good eh? All you do is sign up. from £17.50 a night www.bedsonboard.com

Virgin Atlantic/rya

A heads up to all of you who are members of the RYA. Did you know that you can now get discounted Virgin Atlantic and Delta flights to 200 destinations to America. www.virgin-atlantic.com 68 CLASSIC SAILOR

The Crewsaver ergofit 190n is a top spec yet reasonably priced lifejacket. It has padded interior, light, chin support and hood, quick fit buckle and it exceeds the 12402-3 buoyancy standard. It also has a pocket for an EPIRB. We have been impressed with the quality and comfort of these. You might be too. From around £120. www.crewsaver.co.uk

ORU folding kayak

This is a simple and quick solution to the folding kayak, developed by Anton Willis who applied the art of origami to his paddling pleasure (and storage problems) to come up with a simple but great idea. 12ft (3.7m) and 28lbs (13kg); great to tuck away in the forepeak! £999 www.orukayak.com

Premier marine paints.

Icemule Coolbox ruck sack

Loved this. A soft coolerbag ruck sack that you sling on your back and off you go. Sizes vary. You’ll never need to drink warm Fino sherry again. Inflatable too! From £49.95 www.icemulecooler.com www.coolboxesuk.com

We were so impressed about just how much these lads knew about antifoul, paint, varnish and undercoats that we bought some antifoul last year and it has performed particularly well against some of the foulest sludge on the south coast. From £13.99 (1L) www.premiermarinepaints. co.uk

VHF/GPS Adams knife

A really good no-nonsense rigging knife comes from TS Rigging in Maldon, who stock the J Adams’ two piece yachtsman’s leather sheathed set with a 3mm-backed stainless blade that you can lay a hammer to if you need to chop a heavy hawser. The shackle key-spike combo feels good and strong in the hand too. £43.50 www.tsrigging.co.uk

Standard Horizon have lifted the bar with a new waterproof handheld VHF with built in GPS called the HX870E. It boasts route navigation, (can plot up to 20 routes from a directory of 200 waypoints) man overboard and group monitoring. £229 www.standardhorizon.co.uk

Collari low spill mug.

For those of us who don’t like to drink out of plastic or tin the Collari mug solves the spillage problem at least and having a non slip base the shape of a ship’s decanter, it shouldn’t slip over. Your drink’ll stay warmer longer too. Let’s just hope it fits in the mug rack. From £20 www.collaridesign.com CLASSIC SAILOR 69

Navigation: the basics Latitude and longitude By John Clarke, Principal of Team Sailing Plotting a course on the chart, and then applying it to the compass reading for the helmsman, making allowances for Variation and Deviation

1 Where are we? The latitude and longitude scales around the sides of the chart tell us what we need to know. A rhyme to help us remember which is which is: "The Lat .

n last month's article I explained how a position on the earth’s surface was fixed by its latitude and longitude – latitude being how far north or south of the equator the point is (00 to 900 north or south), and longitude by the angle east or west of the Greenwich Meridian (00 to 1800 east or west). And also how a mercator chart is made, with the lines of longitude always pointing straight to the north pole. So now we’ll look at how to plot a position on a chart. Look at figure 1 and suppose that somehow (we’ll look at the how in a later article) we’ve fixed our position at A, and for what could be a number of reasons we need to know the latitude and longitude: for instance to transfer to a more detailed chart; or we’ve obtained the latitude and longitude from the GPS and need to show where that lies on the chart. By going to the borders of the chart, we find the latitude is 400 23’ north, and the longitude is 2001’7 west.

Measuring distance and angles

Now let us look at how we measure distance and angles on a chart. In figure 2 we want to know the angle (called the bearing) and distance between A and B. For the angle simply place the edge of your plotter along the line, make the north on the rotating disc at the centre of the plotter point to north, and measure the angle – in this case 420. And for distance place the points of the dividers at A and B (figure 3), then go to the side of the chart which shows latitude (remember that one degree of latitude is equal to 60 nautical miles (NM), and one minute of latitude equals 1NM). From figure 4 you will see that the distance is 11.2 minutes, which is therefore 11.2NM.

Variation: true and magnetic

There is one other feature of the chart which I need to point out. Mercator charts have all the lines of longitude 70 CLASSIC SAILOR

Align the plotter's grid with lines on the chart to read off bearing

Lines on charts point to the North Pole, but we steer the boat by a magnetic compass which points to the magnetic north pole, which is not the same place – and moreover, it moves around 6

pointing to the north pole (true north), but we steer the boat with reference to a magnetic compass, which points to the magnetic north pole – which is not the same place! It lies east or west of the true north pole, and if you look at figure 5 you will see an arrow in the compass rose which points towards the magnetic north pole, and with the numbers 20 45’ W 2008 (8’E) on it. What this means is that at that point on the earth in 2008 the magnetic north pole was 20 45’ west of the true north pole. And moreover the magnetic pole does not stay in the same place, it moves around (its position varies) and this variation is forecastable. So at that point on the chart the magnetic pole moves easterly by 8 minutes a year. So in: 2008 it was 2045’W 2009 it was 2037’W 2010 it was 2029’W and so on... For 2015 it is 1049’W But for navigation purposes we don’t need our direction to be measured with

an accuracy of less than one degree, so for practical purposes the variation is 20W. Why does this matter? Well if we exaggerate the variation to (say) 200 west (which it is in parts of the world!), and want to go from A to B in figure 3, and ask the guy or gal who is steering to point the compass towards 420, then we’ll miss B by 200 (see figure 5). The helm must steer 0620 to go along the line of 0420. The notation for this by the way would be 0620 (M) and 0420(T). And if the magnetic pole is west of the true north pole the magnetic heading is always greater than the chart heading. See figure 8 where the true bearing is 2400 and the magnetic heading is 2600. By the way, the variation in the UK's south coast at the moment is about one degree and so can effectively be ignored.

Deviation

There is yet another consideration to be borne in mind when drawing lines on your charts. It is something called deviation,

Deviation acts on the compass itself, when a nearby magnetic force pulls the needle away from its true reading

which is caused by various electromagnetic and ferromagnetic influences on the boat itself. These act on the compass and cause it to deviate from pointing at the magnetic north. Figure 6 illustrates the phenomenon. Think of the magnetic compass having its magnet pulled east or west by the other magnetic influences present on the boat. So with a variation of 200 west and a deviation of (say) 60 east then the compass will point 140 west of the true north. I was on a yacht in Greece many years ago with the editor and there were two compasses on the boat we had chartered, on the coach roof, and their readings differed by as much as 500! When we went down below we soon discovered the reason – speakers from a sound system had been placed just the other side of the bulkhead from the compasses. And the other month when delivering a boat from Lorient the young man who was crewing for me placed his headphones on the binnacle and caused a 200 deviation. CLASSIC SAILOR 71

Sailing skills: Boat handling under engine, Part 1 By Nick Beck If there’s one area that seems to give folks more trouble than any other when skippering traditional long keel boats then it’s manoeuvring them in tight spaces. In the first of a series on close-quarters boat handling and mooring techniques, we look at the first part of any voyage – the getaway

s it’s often easier to understand the ‘how’ if we have

first grasped at least some of the ‘why’, let us start with a little bit of theory: In any berthing manoeuvre there are a number of forces acting on the boat. Some of these (the propeller, rudder and warps) we can control. Others are in Mother Nature’s remit and can be used if they happen to be working in our favour, or must be conquered if not. A key point to understand is that our craft will always be acted on by all of these forces at once, with each playing their part in the delivery of cheering or jeering from the onlookers ashore.

Tide

Tide can be our best friend, our worst enemy or a completely disinterested bystander when it comes to parking or setting out. What is for sure is that only a brave skipper or a fool will ignore it if it’s running. Typically in UK waters harbourmasters and marina designers will have done their best to ensure that the worst effects are mitigated, however there are still plenty of ‘cross-tide’ pontoons out there to catch out the unwary. Time taken to understand what the tide is actually doing at the exact spot that you are manoeuvring will never be time wasted.

Wind

Operating above the waterline where we can see and feel the effect, the wind is more obvious than the tide and 72 CLASSIC SAILOR

often attracts the undivided attention of the inexperienced skipper. When there is no tidal flow this may well be justified. However, a gentle Force 3 blowing us on or off a pontoon will have a negligible effect if 2 knots of tide is sweeping along it. Essentially if the tide is fast enough to give us steerage with no forward motion then the chances are that the wind will play a secondary part in the manoeuvre. Whilst we might not be able to do anything about the wind direction and strength, we can choose to increase its effect on the boat by hoisting sails. With a breeze on the beam, sails forward of the boat’s pivot point will tend to push the bow away whilst those set aft (eg a mizzen sail or hoisting just the peak of a gaff main) will give the stern some sideways impetus. Even with the wind forward, a backed staysail can perform miracles when we’re requiring the boat to turn away.

Amelie Rose, the author’s replica Scillonian pilot cutter, on which hundreds of charter crerw have discovered the wonders of traditional sailing

Propeller

Putting aside for now the horrors of offset propellers, the modern affectation of saildrives and those boats with dual engines, the vast majority of us are dealing with a single propeller sitting on the centreline in a cut-out section of the rudder. In forward gear this fires a stream of water backwards, which Newton tells us provides an equal force propelling us forward. In reverse however the prop has a tendency to fire more water to port or starboard of the hull,

The difference between prop kick and prop wash

an effect known as ‘Paddlewheeling’. Until the keel and rudder have enough water flowing across them to negate it, this effect causes the stern of the boat to move crab-wise in the opposite direction in an effect known as “Prop kick”.

Rudder

Without water flowing across it the rudder is as useful as a chocolate teapot. However when sufficient flow is established, say by moving the boat through the water, it becomes the directional control of

The key thing to realise here is that the rudder cares not whether the boat is moving as long as the water is. A knot or t o of flo i i e s steera e

With a knot or two of tide running even being “blown on” is no problem. Here simply putting the rudder down is providing enough impetus to bring the nose of the boat away from the pontoon

Using a bow spring with the engine in forward to get the stern clear. Note the relative size of the lever created when the rudder is used to redirect the prop wash

choice. For most traditional craft a knot or two of water flow will give us steerage. The key thing to realise here is that the rudder cares not whether the boat is actually moving, as long as the water is. The required flow over the rudder can be provided by tide or even by the propeller if it is mounted directly forward of the rudder blade. In turn this gives us the ability to deflect the propeller’s water flow to port or starboard, forcing the stern to move in the opposite direction. This is known as “Prop wash” and can be very useful indeed. Unfortunately the geometry of the prop and the cut-out in the rudder can mean we lose some of this effect (and at extreme rudder angles can lose it all) but on a boat where it exists it’s a key tool.

Warps

Leaving the boat securely tied to the pontoon with breast lines and fore and aft springs

will severely restrict our ability to manoeuvre. Once one or more warps are removed or slackened off however, all sorts of possibilities unfold. A warp secured at one end to the boat and at the other end to a pontoon allows us to create a lever via which a force (the wind or flow of water from the propeller) can be used to alter the position of the boat before we commit to anything rash. This is known as “springing-off”. It is worth getting a little more specific about this effect before we continue. Remembering Archimedes, folks sometimes attempt to make these spring lines as long as possible in order to ‘lengthen the lever’. Whilst that’s a correct reading of the theory, it’s a misunderstanding of where the lever and pivot exist in this case. The lever here lies between the thing providing the force (the propeller) and the point around which the boat is

Using a stern spring and the engine in reverse to bring the bow out. Note the relatively small length of lever - more revs will be needed here to promote the effect

pivoting. Initially this lies between the bollard on shore and the connection point on the boat. However as soon as the front or back of the boat makes contact with the pontoon it will become that point instead. The key is to ensure that the spring warp runs from the aft-most corner forward (if we plan to reverse onto a stern spring in order to get the bow out) or the foremost point heading aft (if we are driving forward to get the stern clear). Assuming that the breast lines have been led directly ashore or even slightly inward it’s often the case that they’ll work perfectly well as a bow or stern spring. Enough with the theory – on with the practical.

et’s assume that we’re preparing to leave a berth with a yacht or two ahead and more behind with all of their owners looking on nervously at our (relatively) big heavy boat about to leave. On the Amelie Rose we always run through the following four-point checklist if the solution is anything apart from blindingly obvious. 1. Assess the situation and form a getaway plan 2. Prepare the boat and crew 3. Test the plan 4. Execute the getaway

Step one: Assess the situation and form a getaway plan

Our first thought is always to look out for the tide. The best CLASSIC SAILOR 73

Sailing skills: Boat handling under engine, Part 1

route to a controlled departure will be to head into any tidal stream that’s available. If it’s running from fore to aft then the exit may be as simple as putting the helm down, engaging the engine, letting the lines go and ferry-gliding gently away. With tide up the chuff things get more complicated due to the potential effects of prop walk and any bowend accoutrements that will now be sweeping across the pontoon. Being pushed off by the tide is generally a boon, whilst being pushed on may require help from Houdini or at least a harbourmaster with a powerful launch. Next our attention falls to what the wind is playing at. If we’re being blown away from the pontoon and the tide isn’t playing silly buggers then simply letting go of lines should again work out well. If we’d like the bow out first then we might consider holding on to the stern line for a while or holding on to the bow line to get the stern out first. Popping up a little staysail or jib or peaking up a little of the main/hoisting some mizzen can also help to make use of an off-pontoon breeze. Wind fore or aft with a negligible or agreeable tide further inclines us to head in that direction but with wind working against tide the maths gets trickier as it now depends on which force is stronger. It’s when the wind is full onshore that we’re almost certainly going to find ourselves resorting to springs to lever the boat outwards. With a rough plan in mind based on Mother Nature’s offerings we can now think about how to arrange the forces that we do control in order to effect a clean getaway. It’s at this stage we think about which way the prop kick will take us if we need to reverse, whether sails could 74 CLASSIC SAILOR

About the author: Nick Beck is a commercially endorsed RYA YachtmasterTM Offshore and YachtmasterTM Instructor. In 2009 he left the world of Investment Banking IT to start an adventure holiday and sail training business (Topsail Adventures) aboard Amelie Rose, his Luke Powell replica Scillonian pilot cutter. Since then he has introduced hundreds of people to the wonders of traditional sailing.

What do you think? Join in the conversation on our Facebook page: facebook.com/classicsailormagazine Have any problems with your boat that you’d like us to address? Let us know via Facebook or email us at post@classicsailor.com

Amelie Rose, stern view, showing the location of the rudder

be useful, the potential to use springs and if we can use prop wash to any useful purpose. Having mashed all this together into our best prediction it’s now time to get prepared.

Step two: Prepare the boat and the crew

The best laid plan is almost bound to fail if the boat and crew are badly prepared. For the crew this means having a reasonable grasp of the whole plan and a detailed understanding of their part in it. For the folks controlling dock-lines it’s imperative that they are also briefed to do nothing until requested and then to communicate clearly when their task is complete or if anything goes awry. From the boat’s perspective it means having everything that might be needed to execute the plan ready for instant use. On board Amelie Rose we will typically set up bow and stern lines and any springs we intend to use as ‘slips’ (one end made off on board, the other going round the cleat ashore then back into the hands of a crew member via a turn around a strong point aboard). We do this as we prefer to have all of our crew aboard as we prepare to leave but it does mean that

extra care must be taken to ensure that the slips don’t get snarled up. It’s also worth recalling at this point that no berthing manoeuvre was ever ruined by the liberal use of fenders. We always include one ‘roving fender’ to jam into any unforeseen contacts and at least one or two big fellas stuffed in at the stern or bow if we’re intending to spring off. Lastly, if we’re planning anything that might see the bowsprit heading ashore we have a jolly good think about whether it might be safer just to run it in.

Step 3: Test the plan

Especially when the elements are competing or our plan calls for the use of springs or something even more esoteric then having a trial run without letting go of anything is a great way to subtract the guesswork. If the bow and stern lines are set up to slip and are long enough then the crew can ease away to check the scheme without actually committing to it. If using a spring bear in mind that adding more force (i.e. revs) to the lever will increase the effect and (for a bow spring) using prop wash to redirect the force can also add an extra couple of feet of clearance.

If the plan doesn’t work (e.g. the bow refuses to clear an obstacle ahead) then the boat can be brought back alongside and a new plan formed. It pays to make sure that everyone understands that this is only a test – letting slip a line at this point could be costly. Conversely, if all works well, then a properly briefed crew can now be asked to let go of the lines and we’ll be away.

Step 4: Execute the getaway

With a proven plan we can now go ahead and direct our getaway. A common issue at this point is failure to control the deck. Being specific about each action as and when we want it to happen will mean that we are in control of what happens next. It’s also worth one last look around before we give the order to let go and find ourselves blundering into another vessel. So now we’re away – but there’s still the entrance to reach and we’ll have to get back ashore again later. Next time we’ll have a look at some close-quarters boat handling and mooring techniques that will see us out to sea without drama and then safely moored up at our destination.

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It’s what you would rather be reading… Welcome to the new magazine about traditional seamanship and seaworthy boats.

NOVEMBER 2015

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IA DISCOVER GALIC TTISH CRUISE RKBOAT SCO FALMOUTH WO ILER SAILER TRA W NE A 120-YEAR-OLD DYNEEMA RIGGING: USING

The turn of the bilge By Aidan Tuckett, Marine Surveyor The role of a marine surveyor within the boatbuying process can be a more complex affair than you might expect. In this new series Aidan Tuckett explains how to get the most out of it

ike many things that should improve the quality of life, classic boat projects can be seriously high-risk activities. ‘Holes in the water filled with money’ doesn’t begin to describe it. The purpose of this series is to look at how such projects can go astray and describe the solutions people have found. I am fairly well qualified in this regard as the owner of a gaff cutter that has been ashore for repairs so long, it is recorded on Google Earth. I also work as a marine surveyor which means I meet people when they first acquire their dream and again, if I don’t avoid them, some years later when they might take me to task for helping them part with what seemed like a reasonable sum of money at the time. But buying any traditional boat is more of a down payment with a few risks thrown in than ownership. Hopefully this series will share ideas on how to deal with these.

At the outset when you are just looking and accidents don’t have to be paid for, size is everything. The smaller the boat, the greater the pleasure, applies to sailing, boatyard charges, credit card bills and not least your own time in the race against all things organic returning to nature. So far as boats are concerned, this should be figured in terms of displacement, not length. A 30ft vessel takes about two thirds more of the cost and work to construct that a 20ft one needs, not a third. Few of us have the ability to work out just how much we can afford - if we did we’d probably buy average white boats. Put another way, if the best shipbuilders in the country can underestimate the cost of an aircraft carrier by £2.8bn on a £3bn quote, what chance do the rest of us have? So think small. If it works out, you can always sell up and do another. If it doesn’t, then you’ll remain a smudge on Google Earth.

The steam tug Portwey, which Aidan was surveying while writing this article; any vessel, however small or large, whether in commission or a restoration project, proper survey

The process of buying and selling is common to all boats but is slightly more loaded where classics are concerned. You might start from an advert or broker’s details and then go and see the vessel ‘as is where is’. You must decide at this point if she matches what you can afford because after this, the assumption is the sale will be completed provided a survey or inspection does not find anything that shows the boat to be markedly different from how she was described. This is because if you do proceed, most brokers and some owners will expect you to make an offer ‘subject to survey’ and pay a 10% deposit on the boat. You will also have to pay for the boat to be lifted ashore if she is afloat. If a boat is presented as being more or less in commission, you should pay a surveyor to inspect her on your behalf, not least because most insurance companies will only provide cover if they have an independent survey. If the boat is obviously a project and you are confident of your ability to take her on and fix her, the survey is best left until later. We’ll cover how surveyors might be chosen in future articles; for now be aware it is not a regulated title

or profession. Most reputable surveying associations will insist their members have professional indemnity insurance which is generally only available to those who can do the job properly. Where traditional boats are concerned, you should particularly be aware that any survey report will have formal ‘limitations’. These cover the impossibility of assessing every part of a structure without completely dismantling it. The point is to be aware of what the limitations are and the degree of risk they pose. If necessary, you can ask for areas to be ‘opened up’ where problems are suspected, although that will probably be an additional cost. Given all these potential expenses, a thorough ‘in the water’ inspection before making any commitment is well worth doing. In the next article we’ll look in detail at what you might the look for in wooden boats and what you can do to work out their cost and significance from the outset. Aidan Tuckett is a marine surveyor based in Brighton. He also part owns and runs the Yacht and Small Craft Practical Surveying Course

Buying a traditional boat is more a down payment with a few risks thrown in than ownership

CLASSIC SAILOR 81

Refurbishing a teak laid deck Part 2: Recaulking By Richard Johnstone-Bryden Teak laid decks can really enhance the appearance of any modern or traditional boat. However, by virtue of their role, laid decks are subjected to more than their fair share of wear and tear which inevitably causes problems that will have to be dealt with either as emergency repairs or as part of a boat owner’s long term maintenance plan to preserve its watertight integrity. Here we look at finishing the job with neatly caulked seams.

Fig 1

The amount of recaulking required after the replacement of a laid deck’s plank(s) will be determined by the overall condition of the deck’s caulking. In this example, it was decided to replace all of the foredeck’s caulking so the procedure illustrated in Fig 6 was repeated for the other seams.

Figs 2

To improve the appearance of the laid deck, the weathered planks were sanded using a belt sander to reveal the true beauty of the wood. To achieve the best results Pete ran the sander back and forth along the grain of the planks. Sometimes, it is necessary to sand laid decks back to bare wood to regain a level surface where softer parts of the timber have been worn away over the years by repeated scrubbing of the decks leaving a ridged appearance. In these circumstances it may also be necessary to increase the depth of the seams using a 82 CLASSIC SAILOR

router to provide sufficient space to accommodate the new sealant. Of course this will only be possible if the deck is deep enough to accommodate a deeper seam.

Figs 3

When the old sealant was removed it inevitably took a little of the wood away with it to leave some uneven edges along the seams. To rectify the situation, Pete uses a chisel to square off the edges of the rebates to achieve a smart looking appearance. Where necessary he also increases the depth of the rebates a little with the chisel to compensate for the earlier sanding of the tops of the planks.

Figs 4

Check that the ends of the planks are all evened up. This should have been done at the time of construction, but if it is necessary mark off a straight line using a metal ruler and Stanley knife and then trim back with a chisel.

Once you have left the sealant to cure for the required period, run a wide chisel over the seams to remove the e cess then nish ith a e t sander

CLASSIC SAILOR 83

Refurbishing a teak laid deck: part 2

Figs 5

Figs 6

Pete applies black primer along the seams. You can use either black or clear primer on hard woods. Black has the benefit of clearly showing how well you have covered the seam. However, on softwoods the black primer can bleed in to the end grain so it is better to use a clear primer on soft woods. It is also critical to ensure that the primer is compatible with the rest of the sealant system for the seam. Pete applies breaker tape along the bottom of each seam

Figs 7

He uses a caulking gun to slowly apply the new sealant. As he does so Pete ensures that he does not create any air bubbles which could later undermine the seam’s watertight integrity. He also ensures that the sealant stands proud of the seam so that when it settles it does not drop below the level of adjacent planks.

Fig 8

You must carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the sealant in terms of the curing time and the period that the deck must be left before anyone can walk on it or the excess can be sanded off. Once you have left the sealant to cure for the required period, run a wide chisel over the seams to remove the excess sealant before using a belt sander to remove the remaining excess to create a beautiful appearance. Part 1: Removing and replacing a plank in Classic Sailor issue no.1 is available on back order. With thanks to

The International Boatbuilding Training College’s Senior Instructor Peter Graham, Tel: +44 (0)1502 569663 Email: info@ibtc.co.uk www.ibtc.co.uk

84 CLASSIC SAILOR

Sailing skills: Money for new rope By Moray MacPhail Classic boats were always at the leading edge of design in their day, so now they should make best use of new materials. But the fog of marketing hype, techno-babble and endorsements by handsomely paid celebrities can make it hard to work out how. So here is my attempt to see where Dyneema, or Dyneema based rope might be used in traditional rigs.

yneema is the trade name of a high modulus polyethylene fibre, but it is rather more than bits of a supermarket bag on steroids. It comes in three main varieties. Braided Dyneema is a rope made from – usually – 12 strands of Dyneema which form a tube a bit like pyjama cord. It is also slippery, so normal knots don’t work very well, it doesn’t stay put in clutches and jammers, and needs to be carefully spliced. Nor is it good at resisting abrasion, so leads and fittings must be very smooth.

You can get this rope with a braided polyester outer jacket, usually in vile colours. To be compatible with the inner core, the jacket needs to be woven very tight. This works well in winches, jammers and clutches and is usually referred to as ‘racing Dyneema’ or similar. To reduce the cost while retaining the low weight and stretch properties of the fibre, ropes usually referred to as ‘cruising Dyneema’ have been developed where a centre core of Dyneema is packed out with polypropylene and then jacketed with polyester. And here is how they compare with other ropes. Table 1.

Table 1

Properties of various types of rope (using 6mm diameter for comparison) Item Wire ropes 1 x 19 wire 7 x 7 wire 7 x 19 wire

Density – relative to water =1.0

Break Load (kg)

Extension* 50% Load (%)

Extension at 500kg (%)

7.0 7.0 7.0

2800 2180 2040

0.5 0.94 1.13

0.09 0.22 0.28

Dyneema based ropes Braided Dyneema Racing Dyneema Cruising Dyneema

0.98 1.2 1.2

3980 1800 1520

2 2 4

0.25 0.56 1.32

Polyester-based ropes Braid-on braid polyester Buff braided 3-strand Pre-stretch 3-strand buff

1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

1230 590 1020 550

5.5 12 7 17

2.24 10.17 3.43 15.45

* I’ve assumed that constructional stretch, which is what happens as the fibres, strands, knots and splices settle down together under load has happened. So this number describes the amount of stretchiness you will be left with, inherent in the material itself. In short: Steel wire rope is heavy, strong and very stiff. Dyneema-based ropes are light, very strong and quite stiff. Polyester-based ropes are fairly strong, not very stiff, and not very heavy.

86 CLASSIC SAILOR

Above: Deadeyes, described by John Leather as ‘theatrical’ could be making a comeback thanks to modern lowstretch ropes

If windage is critical, then go for 1x19 wire. But if you worry more about weight then braided Dyneema will be better by quite a margin

Standing Rigging

Table 2

What you want rigging to do or be Attribute Benchmark

Strength Stretch Weight Size Ability to cleat/hold Ease of handling Flexibility

Standing Rigging Shrouds & Stays

Semi-standing Halyards, sail controls

Running Sheets

Stainless wire 1 x 19

Stainless Wire 7 x 19 or Braid on Braid

Braid-on-braid polyester

important paramount important important not relevant not relevant not relevant

paramount important important relevant important relevant relevant

important relevant relevant relevant Important important important

All of this is for ordinary mortals where cost is always relevant! Reducing to the minimum, your choice of materials for running rigging will be based on ease of handling, the semi-standing rigging needs strength and the standing rigging requires stiffness.

With standing rigging you want low stretch for a given load, and you can pay for that in terms of weight or windage. See table 3 overleaf.

If 1x19 wire is the benchmark there is no question that the smallest for stretch is steel wire rope, so if windage is critical, then that is the one to go for. The Dyneema rope diameters for a given stretch are larger. But if you worry more about weight than windage then braided Dyneema will be better than stainless wire rope by quite a margin, and will weigh maybe 10% of the steel equivalent. But how come top race boats use fibre rigging? Well the stuff

CLASSIC SAILOR 87

NIGEL PERT

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best for standing rigging? If windage is critical choose wire; if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more worried about weight, go for Dyneema

Sailing skills: Money for New Rope

Table 3

How Dyneema compares with 1 x 19 Stainless wire rope 1 x 19 wire benchmark 1 x 19 Braided Dyneema Racing Dyneema they use is both stronger and stiffer and lighter than steel based wire rope. But it is very expensive, and has about as much resistance to sunlight as Count Dracula, so it doesn’t last long enough for our purposes. Since Dyneema is stronger (size for size) than stainless wire

Diameter for a given stretch

Weight for a given stretch

Diameter for a given load

Weight for a given load

1 1.68 2.49

1 0.35 0.96

1 0.84 1.25

1 0.09 0.24

rope, substitution of Dyneema for 1 x 19 steel wire rope will be quite safe – with plenty of strength in hand – but it will stretch more. But since working loads in the fibre will be low, splices or knots can be used even though they weaken the rope significantly.

Semi Standing rigging

Below: Dyneema really comes into its own for ‘semi-standing’ rigging such as this backstay

What about halyards, running backstays, outhauls and other sail controls? The flexible version of wire – 7 x 19 - is compared in the table below. Braided Dyneema can match the stretch with a big weight saving. If you aren’t too fussed about the amount of stretch, then the extra strength – are you keeping up at the back? – of fibres like Dyneema can be brought into play, to use even smaller diameters and weights. Just to give you the flavour of it: if you are using say 6mm 7 x 19 wire as a halyard, then you could match the stretch of that by using 6 mm braided Dyneema, or 10mm racing Dyneema, with weight savings of 90% and 70% respectively. If you are happy with a bit more stretch, 4mm braided Dyneema or 6mm racing Dyneema would give weight savings of 94% and 83%. Yes you did read that right.

Compared with 7 x 7 wire, Dyneema of about the same size will weigh about a sixth as much for the same stretch, see Table 4. More weight saving is available if you could live with extra stretch. But on the other hand there is the higher cost and reduced robustness. You could argue both ways. But a length of braided Dyneema kept to make an emergency stay could make sense.

ow about braid-onbraid? The polyester stretches about 2.5 times as much as the modern fibres, so for a given stretch (i.e. lots) you could have tiny diameters of Dyneema. You are looking at a third the diameter, and a sixteenth the weight. That really is spectacular. Snag is the Dyneema-based rope of that size would break. Remember you need stiffness for standing rigging and strength for running rigging.

Table 4

How Dyneema compares with 7 x 7 Stainless wire rope 7 x7 wire as benchmark 7x7 Braided Dyneema Racing Dyneema

Diameter for a given stretch

Weight for a given stretch

Diameter for a given load

Weight for a given load

1 1.08 1.61

1 0.15 0.4

1 0.74 1.1

1 0.07 0.19

Diameter for a given stretch

Weight for a given stretch

Diameter for a given load

Weight for a given load

1 0.95 1.42

1 0.11 0.31

1 0.72 1.05

1 0.06 0.17

Table 5

How Dyneema compares with 7 x 19 Stainless wire rope 7 x 19 wire as benchmark 7 x 19 Braided Dyneema Racing Dyneema

88 CLASSIC SAILOR

The savings in size or weight or stretch from replacing buff-braided or 3-strand rope with cruising Dyneema are quite compelling, and may even cost less

As well as rigging, Dyneema has transformed attachments where strops and shackles might have been used

Better to say you will use the same loading in the rigging as you do at the moment, Table 6. Even though you may not know exactly what that is, if your current arrangement works, then so will the new

one. Now for a given size of braid on braid your braided Dyneema can be 60% the diameter, and racing Dyneema about 80%. In both cases the resulting stretch will be about a third of what it was, and the

weight saving between 40 and 80%. And the blocks used could be smaller, cheaper or lighter. Cruising Dyneema offers savings in stretch and weight, but not much in size. As for other ropes, Table 7 below summarises how racing Dyneema and cruising Dyneema compare with other types of rope commonly used on classic craft. In all cases you are looking at around ¾ the diameter or less. But you may have to change the hardware (jammers winches etc.) to cope with this. This is where classic cleats, belay pins etc. can win over modern jammers and clutches sized for a particular rope. The savings in either size or weight or stretch which can come from the replacement of buff braided and 3-strand ropes are quite compelling. What is more the replacement may even cost less. So when even cruising Dyneema offers lower size, weight and stretch on semi standing rigging at lower cost for everything except the best braid-on-braid, what is there not to like? I think this is where these new ropes really come into their own.

Running Rigging For running rigging (sheets etc.) I reckon that size is the most important attribute of the rope. Now size for size, racing Dyneema is about 4 times the cost of polyester, and cruising Dyneema about twice. Sure the weight will be reduced by about 15% and the stretch by a good deal more than that, but is that critical for a piece of rope which you can trim? Well it is your call, but for my money I’ll stay with polyester.

To sum up, then

Standing rigging: credible, but I’m not sure it is really worth the candle in a ‘normal’ boat. You never use the full strength of Dyneema if you want to maintain the stiffness of the rig, and stiffness is the main idea. Semi-running rigging: for halyards etc – this seems to me where the saving of weight and windage, maybe even money, are pretty attractive.

Moray MacPhail trained as a naval architect with the Admiralty. Some 30 years ago he reckoned the market for frigates and submarines might be reducing, so after a short period with a proper job, he started Classic Marine 25 years ago. Either he likes it, or has exhausted all imagination, because he is still there

Running rigging – sheets etc. – I can’t see the point since for a given size the cost is necessarily a good deal more, and the benefits hard to identify.

Table 6

How Dyneema compares with braid-on-braid rope Braid-on-braid as benchmark

Diameter for a given stretch

Weight for a given stretch

Diameter for a given load

Weight for a given load

Stretch at that dia and load factor

1 0.34 0.5 0.77

1 0.08 0.21 0.5

1 0.56 0.83 0.9

1 0.22 0.59 0.69

1 0.36 0.36 0.73

Braid-on-braid Braided Dyneema Racing Dyneema Cruising Dyneema

Table 7

How racing and cruising Dyneema compares with other ropes

Compared with

diameter

Braid-on-braid 3-strand ps Buff braid Buff 3-strand

0.83 0.75 0.57 0.55

Racing Dyneema weight stretch 0.59 0.49 0.28 0.26

0.36 0.29 0.12 0.12

cost

diameter

2.56 1.77 1.12 0.95

0.9 0.82 0.62 0.6

Cruising Dyneema weight stretch 0.69 0.58 0.33 0.31

0.73 0.57 0.24 0.24

cost 1.37 0.94 0.6 0.51

CLASSIC SAILOR 89

Tools: Serving with mallet or board? By Des Pawson, ropemeister

Some thoughts on Serving: Are you a board or mallet sort of person ? Worming, parcelling and finally serving are the three stages in an ages-old process of providing rigging with added protection from chafe or weather. The serving needs a tool to bind it tightly, which can be a mallet or a board.

orm & parcel with the lay, turn & serve* the other way. *Serving:- Encircling a rope with line or spunyarn, &c. to preserve it from being chafed. David Steel, Elements & Practice of Rigging, 1794. “Worm & parcel with the lay turn and serve the other way is an old adage. The protection of a ship’s rigging, both from chafe and from the weather, is a major task. Much of the standing [i.e. fixed] rigging, be it made from fibre rope or wire rope, is covered with what is called serving, the first description of which is to be found in Henry Mainwaring’s Seaman’s Dictionary, written about 1620. The full task is done in a number of stages: first the rope is tarred; then the grooves between the strand are filled with small soft line, frequently spunyarn made up from old ropeyarns, which is called worming; then the rope is covered with tarred canvas, sacking or even old shirt, called parcelling; and finally the rope is covered with a tight binding of marline or spunyarn, which is called serving. Lastly another good coating of tar or riggers mix is a good idea.” Lieut George Nares, Seamanship 1862 90 CLASSIC SAILOR

“As well as chafe protection, this was also done to keep the water out, so where it is shrouds that are being covered in this way, it is important to parcel from the bottom up, so that the tarred canvas forms an overlap and any water that does get through runs off the outside rather than, if the parcelling was done the other way, the water would have a chance of working itself inside to the rope. It is important to think of this, even if you are not serving the entire length of the shrouds, but just the splices. Parcel from the eye up at the bottom, but from the eye down for the top of the shroud. “To make this serving tightly and evenly on the rope has led to the evolution of many tools that fit into the broad description of serving boards and serving mallets; these come in many forms.” David Steel, Elements & Practice of Rigging, 1794.

Serving mallets

The Ǻke Classon Rålamb Skeps Byggereri, 1696 As early as 1696, the Swede Ǻke Classon Rålamb in his Skeps Byggereri, shows a serving mallet with a round head and a groove on its side where it fits round the rope to be served; the serving material

Left: a serving mallet in action: the rope has already been wormed (soft line inserted between the strands) and parcelled (covered with fabric - what looks like old shirt in ths case), then the marline or spunyarn is wrapped around the rope, with a few turns around the mallet, its handle and the rope to increase friction to tighten turns

Classon Rålamb serving mallet in use; bottom: A diagram from David Steel, 1794

There are a number of variations as to how one cares to wrap the marlin or spunyard around the mallet and its handle to increase the friction

Blanckley serving mallet

Above: A selection of serving mallets Right and below: A selection of serving boards

being wrapped round the head and the handle to give friction, to keep the serving tight-and-even as the mallet is revolved round the rope. The ball of line is passed by a second person. The Thomas Riley Blankley Naval Expositor, 1751 Thomas Riley Blankley in his Naval Expositor of 1751, the first illustrated English sailorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dictionary, shows the serving mallet with the groove on its end; this was how it is usually found in the British Isles. There are a number of variations as to how one cares to wrap the marline or spunyarn round the mallet and its handle, the idea being that the friction should be sufficient to make the serving as tight as possible, without breaking the serving material. I prefer to bring the material round the head behind the handle, round the head and rope, and back up round, with a few turns on the handle.

Serving Boards

Wooden serving boards are probably as old as, if not older than, serving mallets. Instead of a round head with a groove in, they are flat with a groove on the side face; other than shape they work in much the same manner.

Which is the best serving tool?

It is worth noting that the serving mallet, with its round head, really requires the use of a lathe to make, but the board can be made, at a pinch, with nothing more than just a knife. Therefore those people and organisations who have access to manufacturers, will tend to use mallets, hence their use in the Royal Navy and by many shore-based riggers, both those in naval dockyards and working in the fitting-out of merchant ships. These mallets would probably have been made by the block maker, as many block makers list and show serving mallets, together with fids, amongst their products. They also manufactured the occasional board to cater for those who had developed the taste for these tools, which actually take more trouble to make with machine tools than the mallet. Parsimonious owners in the merchant navy and the poor sailor or fisherman, who could not afford to buy ready-made tools, tended to use a serving board. So, if the board was the tool you were taught with, you may well spend the rest of your time choosing to be a Board Man rather than a Mallet Man. CLASSIC SAILOR 91

Replacing a broken deck beam By Will Stirling With wooden boats ongoing upkeep means replacing things while not taking the boat apart. Here is a solution to replacing a 22 Square Metre’s deck beam without removing the whole deck

he problem we had to overcome was replacing a broken deck beam without pulling the whole boat to bits. The covering boards and hatch had to come up anyway as the canvas deck covering was to be replaced. We didn’t want

the beam is wider than the female hole in the inboard side of the beam shelf. We cut a male dovetail in the beam end whose outboard end was the same width as the width of the female hole on the inboard side of the beam shelf. The beam could then be pushed

Left: the space where the beam is needed. Above left: the beam ends show the problem – you need the deck off to put a new full beam in. Top: solution: scarph in a new beam in two parts. Above: the incomplete dovetail, and wedge! Above right: glued in place. Right: all done! Below right: The 22 Sq M is ready to sail

to pull up the deck because escalating costs and wooden boats are bedfellows who don’t need to be encouraged. The broken beam was removed and templated. The template was cut into two sections with a long scarph. Oak to suit was selected and cut to fit the template. The next difficulty to overcome was the beam end dovetails. A deck beam dovetailed into a beam shelf needs to be dropped down from above. But we couldn’t drop the beam in from above. By the nature of the dovetail the male outboard end of 92 CLASSIC SAILOR

into the beam shelf. The two faying faces of the scarph were glued and bolted together. Once cleaned up and varnished the beam looked as singular and as full length as its neighbours. However, the dovetail was now slack and had no holding power. In order to turn it back into a functioning dovetail, a parallel wedge (which I suppose by definition is not a wedge) was fitted from above into the gap. With or without glue this wedge returned full potency to the dovetail, acting as a joint which prevents the boat spreading.

44’ Luke Powell Isles of Scilly Pilot Cutter built in 2004 and possibly one of the best yachts Luke has built. All bronze fastened throughout. Recent thorough interior and exterior cosmetic refit, pictures cannot do this yacht justice. Very well equipped, she can be handled easily by a small crew and has completed many thousands of miles in recent years. Magnificent in every way. Cornwall £295,000

45' Gaff cutter built on Pilot Cutter inspired lines and first launched in 2012. A very clever adaptation of the traditional design making her ideal for modern sailing. Spacious interior with 10 berths plus a lovely dog house for shelter. All bronze fastened larch on oak frames. Immaculate build and a stunning yacht. Sussex £310,000

48’ Buchanan Yawl built by Kings of Burnham in 1965 to Lloyds 100A1. All Burma teak copper fastened to Rock Elm timbers, bronze knees, strap floors and keel bolts. This was the best money could buy and is a testament to the quality of British yacht design and construction at this time.New Beta diesel, recent rig and sails. A magnificent pedigree yacht. MUST SELL THIS SEASON. Devon £89,000 SE

37’ gaff cutter yacht on lines first drawn by Claud Worth. Built in 2005 by Dartmouth master shipwright Pete Nash for his own use, this boat is THE manual on how to build a wooden boat. Stunning lines, immaculate construction and in simply superb condition. She has proven herself as a very capable cruising yacht and has been much admired in many classic regattas. Devon £215,000

43’ Camper and Nicholson built by C&N in 1960 to Lloyds 100A1 for offshore racing. Honduras mahogany hull on rock elm frames. Volvo 50hp diesel, 8 berthsin very smart yet original interior. Much work in recent years including new deck and bottom end. Fast, capable and powerful yacht, a true pedigree of her era. Devon £89,000

Juni One design class built in Sweden in 1973 to a design by the well renowned Torre Henlin as a training boat for young cadets. Major refit between 2005 and 2012, she is now in very tidy condition. Complete with a custom made road trailer, this is a stunning little boat that is incredibly enjoyable and very easy to sail. Scotland £10,500

40' Colin Archer Gaff Ketch built Germany in 1979 to an original Colin archer design from 1898. Iroko planked on sawn oak frames, teak on ply deck, Ford 80hp engine. Built for the present owner and cruised extensively around northern Europe and the Baltic, professionally maintained to a very smart yacht finish. Germany €125,000.

45’ Curtis and Pape Bermudan yawl built in 1981 for the first owner to sail blue water voyages. Iroko planking copper fastened to steamed oak timbers. 7 berths with full headroom. Completed voyage around S. America in present ownership, proved as a very capable and seaworthy cruising yacht. Hants £79,000

Over the Yardarm Guy Venables ponders the requirements of the ‘perfect pub’

Calendar Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition 14-25 October, Mall Galleries, London SW1Y 5BD rsma-web.co.uk One of our favourite annual events, this year being opened (at Private View for Friends, 13 October) by Sir Robin KnoxJohnson Arthur Beale events Lost Rivers of London 5 November, 6.45, £5 (or free if you spend £15 in the shop) Talk by Stephen Myers (including origins of Arthur Beale); will take place in church hall opposite

’ve moved. I now live close enough to the sea not to go mad and close enough to the pub not to go sane. It’s a good country pub called The Dean, hunkered in a valley dotted with good pubs like a seam of Californian gold. Each one has its own redeeming feature. One is so dark it’s advisable to sit on a bench outside with your eyes closed to let them adjust so that you avoid, on entering, walking straight into the fireplace or down the cellar steps. Another has a pub dog that sits in my lap. A third has a well kept pool table. Sadly I have left an area full of pubs that are reachable by sea – a huge bonus in the ‘pub points system’. It set my mind wondering what the perfect pub might be. Certain criteria jumped up instantly. You must be able to sit at the bar (hopefully without having a menu shiftily slid towards you like some secret dossier.) There must be a gloomy seated area where you’d feel comfortAs for sticky able plotting a political carpets, I’m all murder. The beer must be thoughtfully chosen and for them, they well looked after. (I had chocolate beer yesterday. help you stay It was disgusting but it was upright thoughtfully chosen and well looked after.) I like the staff to be friendly but not pushy. (In Brighton there was a girl who used to sit down at our table while we went through the menu for chrissakes, but that’s Brighton.) Which reminds me, food is a necessity but shouldn’t be the main focus. If that’s the case, all you have is a “pub shaped restaurant” and all sorts of evils begin. I like an open fire – some of the pubs round here keep it going all year. I tolerate music (The Red Lion in Hove plays very good blues all day) but not if it’s bloody awful, which it usually is. As for sticky carpets, I’m all for them, they dampen the noise and help you stay upright when wearing leather soles. Before the smoking ban children were seen less in pubs. I used to drink in the Hare and Hounds, Stoughton, in the locals’ bar. If anyone came in with children, Steve the farrier and I used to buy two of the filthy Nicaraguan cigars from behind the bar and light them up. The family with children would soon quietly leave through clouds of acrid smoke. So would everyone else come to think of it. And we would go green. The main thing about a good local however is that, with any luck it will soon be filled with your friends.

Martyn Mackrill 9-21 November: A small exhibition by the well-known marine artist, upstairs at the quirky central London chandler. Coming soon, another film night: The Cruel Sea, 3 December, 6.45, advance booking required. 194 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JB arthurbeale.co.uk

Send us your events! Cruising Association talks From Pin Mill to Rømø: the cruise of the Drascombe Longboat Badekar, by David Jillings Badekar’s seven week cruise was intended to reach the Baltic, and to retrace the steps of David’s Viking ancestors who settled in Suffolk from Denmark. 11 November, 7pm, CA House, Limehouse Basin, London E14 8BT CA members £4.00; others £7.00 Round Britain in a Gaffer, Tim and Liz Dodwell We join Tim and Liz on their cruise to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Old Gaffers Association aboard their Pilot Cutter, High Barbaree 24 November, 7.30pm, Parkstone Yacht Club, Pearce Avenue, Poole, BH14 8EH. Free for CA and Parkstone YC members, others £3 donation requested; no booking required. More talks and details, theca.org.uk

In Classic Sailor December

Whooper’s winning ways This champion of classics racing is sailed hard and successfully by Giovanni Belgrano. So how does he do it?

Silverleaf with a difference Chinda - designed in Scotland, built in Whitsable, found in Cowes and restored in Suffolk - is a bit more blingy than your Roseneath-bult gentleman’s motor yacht

Paimpol paintbox Classic French festival of sail and music as seen by east coast artist Claudia Myatt

Dusmarie’s link to Gallipoli Former Colchester oyster smack converted to a yacht, 100 years and her war hero owner

And of course more... Like presents for your boat, and so forth... CLASSIC SAILOR

Artist of the month: Tony Parsons Sailor and lifeboatman who has solved ‘one of the great seascape puzzles’

Emsworth Mooring, in Hampshire

The beck, at Staithes, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Fishing boats at Porthleven, Helston, Cornwall

98 CLASSIC SAILOR

Emsworth Mill Pond showing the old towpath

ony Parsons understands the sea. Not only is he a keen and lifelong sailor, he’s also a lifeboatman based in Brighton. His work is impressionistic, knowledgeable and extremely competent. His use of colour is vibrant and luscious and he has solved one of the great seascape puzzles: simultaneously representing the three levels of the sea or “reflective refraction” as he puts it. Shown here is Emsworth at low tide, well known to many of us and it’s so evocative of the scene one can almost smell the mud. His dedication to capturing the right angle stretches to his use of an ingenious wooden canoe with stabilising outriggers to paint from the sea and up shallow creeks. His work varies from £500 to £1,500. His work is for sale; a list of galleries and more about him can be found at artistonthehill.co.uk. Guy Venables

The artist at work on the water