Classic Sailor No7 April 2016 by Dan Houston

APRIL 2016 £3.95

9 772059 042003

WWW.CLASSICSAILOR.COM

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

JAMES DODDS

Exhibition 6th – 22nd April

Winklebrig “Breeze”

“What all my paintings are fundamentally about is the balance between the known and the unknowable: the boats with all my knowledge about how they are made matched by the dialogue with the paint; using what skill I have to create a piece of art that contains more than just the sum of its parts but, hopefully, something of the human spirit also. It’s about using head (idea), heart (feelings) and hand (skill) – a creative holy trinity. And I do think that work is a form of prayer or meditation. I long for that timeless out-of-body moment when everything is working well.” James Dodds

Classic Sailor April 2016.indd 1

oil on roof panel 130 x 169 cms 51 x 661⁄2 ins

Messum’s www.messums.com 28 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG Telephone: +44 (0)20 7437 5545 Fully illustrated exhibition catalogue available £15 inc. p&p

19/02/2016 14:20

Contents

22 Editorial

COVER: Cleone – Britain’s oldest yacht still sailing?

Signals

Nigel Irens and Annie

History of the Argo Gold Cup

NEW SERIES It’s life, not a holiday

Sue’s cruise, part 3: Hellevotsluis to Harwich

DIY design

Scouts’ Longboat

On Watch and Over the Yardarm

Off Watch and Shoreside

Instructor’s tales

Navigation

Polish up your hull for the season

Knots: is there a hitch?

Seagulls: getting started

Calendar and Next Month

The last word: Artist of the Month

What will it mean, going to Brest? Your chance to help us fill the British Village at the Brest Festival! Lloyd’s on a data stick; Jolie Brise is a pub; Bluebird at Thames Trad

Around the yards

Portsmouth Boathouse 4 open to visitors; Mylne restored at Bristol; Brown boat redeck; MITEC closes; Herreshoff Fish for Rhode Island

Association news

Classics class for Ramsgate; St Ayeles in Oz; Hurley plaque planned

Classic Coast

Portsmouth Point: with Rowlandson, Wyllie and... Herman Melville!

Smylie’s boats

The Barking Trawler, an improbable and short-lived design

The Post

Monkeys, inner and brass; Seagulls; that heart, and more

Andrew Bray

So what’s the best type of anchor?

Guest column: Chris Museler

An ordinary evening sail on a well-thought-out boat

Nardi’s nods

The smallest Hallberg Rassy that will take you anywhere

Cowes Classics Week

The little regatta that grew... and grew

12 13 13 15 17 19 21 22

Who knows? There’s not a lot of paperwork but... maybe 1860?

The slim, slippery Shetland Fourareen that inspired our top designer How come Bermuda’s hosting next year’s America’s Cup? An inspirational series about cruising around Europe The 21ft Victoria faces challenging seas on her homeward trip A 14ft dinghy, designed with disability in mind Restoring an abandoned GRP hull to sail on Ullswater Useful stuff – and a beer from the bottom of the Baltic A book, a recipe – and some places to tickle your imagination Training your dog to helm the boat Tides go from side to side as well as up and down All you need: gunk in bottles, whizzy machines and how to use them

Certainly is, if you want a quick release, says Des Pawson Your guide to the ever-reliable (yes, really) British outboard Events for the coming month and year, and what’s in our next issue Thomas Somerscales

CLASSIC SAILOR

Editorial Dan Houston

The Brest Festival is the largest event of its kind in Europe. What could you do?

very four years in the world of maritime heritage sailing relationship with the sea. And this year the good folk of Brest are planning a there is a festival in Brittany which almost defies the meanBritish village to show off some of our maritime marvellousness. Someing of the word. The port of Brest, that doughty western how I seem to have been caught up in the mix and for the last week or facing haven, which used to have the effect of being like a two I have been working with Mike Smylie, who some might know as the gasp of air after you had been metaphorically holding your Kipperman, in gathering a small band of people together who might want breath while going down the Chenal du Four in the days to go and show off an aspect of skill or their craft, be it long boats or warm before super-accurate instruments, opens its doors to the beer. I have been thinking is it sensible? To devote that much time to someworld. Several miles of waterfront become crammed with every conceivable thing which is basically not a commercial enterprise? type of vessel; craftsmen show how ancient practices of maritime savoir And then of course I catch myself. Since when did I ever turn up an opfaire are being nurtured throughout the portunity to visit France... let alone attend, saltier corners of Europe, and the crowds an exhibitor, the greatest maritime festival So out came the tin tray again, dear as from all over heave. on the planet. So out came the tin tray again We don’t do this kind of thing in Britain. reader and after three good clouts to dear reader, and after three good clouts to We tried it a few times with our festivals the forehead I am once again seeing sense. the forehead I am seeing sense. of the sea – the best of which were the first The first time I made it to Brest was in two, in 1996 at Bristol and 1998 in Portsmouth 2000. I had sailed there on the newly built – which was allowed, somehow, to unashamedly celebrate the Battle of Russian Tall Ship Shtandart. We’d had gales, leaks and even, sadly, before I got there, a death. But the feeling of landfall in that place was one of the the Nile. In 2005 the effort was to celebrate Trafalgar – and a mock gun best you could imagine. For suddenly you are among more sailors than you battle between Tall Ships off Spithead did a splendid job but by then the can meet anywhere else. And many have beaten their way there against the true celebratory nature of the festival was largely lost; it had started to feel wind and tide, after which it is a handsome thing to take a drink and relax. like Navy Days with a street market of tat and the organisers had got their And now the recruitment bit. Come along and join us. Make an oar or gunter rigs confused with gun sights. show a great bit of British engineering, mend a sail or explain splicing and Brest is as much a naval port as anywhere but this is not obvious at its whipping (though not in the way the Church sees it) or sing shanties. Get festival, which is so overtaken by sailors and boats from canoeists to Tall in touch via CS. It will be festive! Ship commanders that it has that feel of being all about celebrating our

Apart from that, I rather enjoy meals cooked on a primus...

CLASSIC SAILOR 5

Signals A call to Brest, a call to Henley, a call to the Netherlands if you sail a One Ton Class. And 101 years of Lloyd’s becomes 40 Gb of data THAMES

Bluebird back at Thames Trad Sir Malcom Campbell’s world record breaking speedboat will again attempt its first public outing under its own power at this year’s Thames Traditional Boat Festival at Henley on Thames over the weekend of 15, 16 and 17th July. Last year’s relaunched festival was a great success, with over 10,000 visitors and Bluebird’s attempt drew huge crowds in anticipation. She was towed downstream and then restarted for her run back up stream on her own, but sadly the engine bay caught fire. Better luck this year! The newly revamped Traditional Boat Festivali is promising an even bigger range of attractions this year. Over 180 traditional boats of all sorts and sizes will participate, from ‘Three men

in a Boat’ style Thames rowing skiffs and punts, Venetian gondolas to slipper launches and Dunkirk Little Ships, with a return visit from WWII torpedo boat MTB 102. The very popular Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana will also pay a return visit allowing the public to get close up and see her rowed each day. Two historic passenger steamers will provide trips for visitors: the 1883 Alaska and the Windsor Belle. Over 100 vintage and classic vehicles will be on land as well as military vehicles and a fleet of over 20 amphibious craft splashing in and out of the river. Air displays on both Saturday and Sunday, will feature vintage and wartime aircraft. Expect some very rare old aeroplanes.

Catering will include the return of the popular ‘Golden Ball’ pop-up pub, vintage tearoom, and plenty of other unusual food and drink emporiums. Or bring a picnic. Lots of live jazz and period music is promised with a big band on Saturday evening. The Festival has always provided lots of entertainment

for children (under 14s get in free if with an adult) and this year is no exception, with a the chance to try traditional skiffs and canoes as well as enjoy a variety of fairground attractions, including ‘pedal planes’ and a flight simulator. To find out more and book advance discount tickets visit www.tradboatfestival.com.

Dunkirk Little Ships always form an important group at the Thames Trad rally.

NETHERLANDS

BREST FESTIVAL BRITISH VILLAGE

One Ton Cup revival for 2016

Help us make the show

Just over 50 years after the first One Ton Cup was sailed at le Havre, France in 1965 and just 20 years after the last One Ton Cup of Marseille in 1994, the event is back in Europe. A group of enthusiastic One Tonner owners have decided to organize the One Ton Cup revival 2016 at Breskens, the Netherlands, from 25 to 28 August. The event will be open for all types of One Tonners and their sisterships, like the Oyster 41, Oyster 37, Standfast 36, X-1Ton, X-402, J-41, Huisman 37, Contessa 35, Sprinter, Optimist A + B, 6 CLASSIC SAILOR

French-built Esprit du Morbihan is a Dutch competitor in the One Ton Cup

Swan 36, Ranger 37, Tina, Norlin 37, First Class 12, Swan 37, High Tension 36, Baltic 37. By the end of February over 25 One Tonners had pre-registered, with yachts from France, Belgium, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. But organsiers are hoping for more. There will be a mix of windward/

leeward, round the cans, inshore and offshore races on the beautiful Westerschelde estuary in the Netherlands. The races will be run in three divisions: Classic RORC 22 ft. IOR 27.5 ft. IOR 30.5 ft. All yachts should have a valid IRC certificate. The event will be part of the Breskens Sailing Weekend. www.onetoncuprevival.org.

Would you like to join the growing band of skilled workers taking part in the Brest Maritime Festival, 13-19 July this year? Classic Sailor and Mike Smylie (Kipperman) are in the process of setting up a British Village as part of one of the Guest Nations and we are looking for more exhibitions or demonstrations. From sail making to fish smoking and traditional boatbuilding to traditional singing, we hope to showcase all that is great in Britain’s maritime past and present. Please contact editor@classicsailor.com.

“It’s hundreds of hours between us I’d say. There is no way it would be a sensible proposition commercially.” Theo Rye on digitising 101 years of Lloyd’s

NEW ZEALAND

QUAY PEOPLE

Quake in your sea boots Classic Sailors might like to note April 21 as being an occasion worthy of a tot of rum and loyal toast as the Queen, THE Queen, reaches her 90th birthday. Our photo shows her majesty in a carefree moment aboard her yacht HMY Britannia.

ANDY WINNEKE

A yacht seems to sail nonchalantly by as an earthquake erupts around her at Christchurch in New Zealand on February 14. The photo was taken by Dunedin Geologist Andy Winneke who was sailing his own 20ft yacht off the Christchurch coast near Godley Head when the cliffs begain collapsing. “It felt as if the boat had rumbled over some ﬂoating debris,” Mr Winneke said. “There were a series of cliff collapses all along the peninsula. We could hear falling rock. These guys just appeared sailing out of it. They would have been checking their pulses.”

CS welcomes a new writer this month. Helen Lewis will be telling tales of cruising around Europe, living the dream aboard good looking boats. Looking forward to it Helen. Cheers!

TEIGNMOUTH

Jolie Brise pub visit The famous Le Havre 1913 Pilot Cutter Jolie Brise is visiting Teignmouth on May 22 to call in on a pub that has been named in her honour. The Wetherspoons Jolie Brise will host a reception for the current captain and crew and families of her original 1925 Fastnet race-winning crew (see Classic Sailor No1). Jolie Brise was one of the ﬁrst yachts to race to the Fastnet and is holder of Britain’s ﬁrst Blue Water Medal

There will also be a talk by yachting historian Clare McComb who has written a new booklet on the famous cutter and her relationshiop with the town, also celebrating the 90th anniversary of Jolie Brise’s Transatlantic voyage for which she was awarded Britain’s first Blue Water Medal.

Lloyds Register: 101 years on a data stick For some of us who research old boats it’s been a bit of a holy grail – when oh when will the Lloyd’s Register of Yachts be transferred onto a searchable digital database? Well good news! It’s coming! The registers, which run annually from 1879 through to 1980 have been scanned and digitally rendered so that they will form a 101-year searchable reference of yachts, from all over Europe. The project was funded by the Association of Yachting Historians and organised by Theo Rye with GL Watson author Martin Black and C&N archivist Jeremy Lines collating enough copies to be unbound so that they could be machine scanned by a commercial outfit called ASM Data in Andover – at a cost of some £6,000. “We had them rebound and returned them; you can’t tell they’ve been touched,” says Theo. The idea is to sell the registers, on data sticks, which amount to 104,000 pages of information, taking up around 40Gb of data.

Theo Rye is just completing the mammoth task of digitising the Lloyd’s register of yachts (left). “It’s hundreds of hours between us I’d say. There is no way it would be a sensible proposition commercially.” And below, Toby Marris, skipper of Jolie Brise is sailing to a pub of the boat’s name in Teignmouth, in May.

CLASSIC SAILOR

Signals Tips on how to take that perfect photo at sea this summer, crew opportunity, nights at the museum and a barge needs help PHOTOGRAPHIC ART

Ben Wood Exhibition Running with the wind is a new exhibition by Ben Wood, of his best photos, at the Bosham Gallery in West Sussex, 2 April - 26 June this year. “I learnt to sail in a Mirror dinghy as a ten year old boy in Ireland in1979, the year of the infamous Fastnet Race,” Ben tells CS. “We were staying in Skibbereen near Cork when it happened. I loved sailing and for the next 15 years I messed around in small boats before taking up photography professionally after university. After a few years working as a photographer’s assistant in London I decided to start a new project shooting gaff-rigged boats. “For the first few years I didn’t really know what I was doing as I travelled all over the UK from Looe in Cornwall to the Lake District via the Norfolk Broads and back down to the Solent. I slowly got the hang of photographing at sea and in 1996 I had a small exhibition in Clerkenwell which was a great success and without really noticing I’d become a classic sailing photographer.” Here are Ben’s top ten tips to taking a great photo at sea: 1. As a general rule the best photographs are taken in extreme conditions: either very windy or totally becalmed. 2. Keep concentrating and be prepared. You never know when something interesting might happen. 3. Have a good chase boat and an even better driver. Get as close as you can without annoying the yachtsmen. 4. Try and include interesting landmarks or architectural features in the compositions. Research the course in advance. 5. Don’t go on a press boat. Everyone argues about where to go and you all end up taking the same pictures! 6. Try and keep your gear dry on the rib. Have a decent waterproof camera bag and plenty of UV filters to protect your lenses. 7. Marine photography is all about the lighting so be very aware of the weather and how the sun and clouds can influence and enhance your pictures. 8. Try to develop your own style and don’t be afraid to experiment. Slow shutter speeds / unusual viewpoints. 9. If possible always try and get a few boats in the frame racing against each other. Best place for this is on the start line. 10. As Richard Avedon said the most powerful tool you have as a photographer is what you choose to include in your frame. So think about your focal length and concentrate 100% on your composition.

8 CLASSIC SAILOR

From top: the J-Class Velsheda in the Lipton Cup, 2001; Mariquita at Les Voiles de St Tropez 2013; Les Voiles de St Tropez 2014

Running with the wind 2 April - 26 June boshamgallery.com +44 (0)1243 681271

“Don’t go on a press boat. Everyone argues about where to go and you all end up taking the same pictures” BRITTANY VOYAGE

Crew to Brest? Martin Goodrich is looking for crew to help him sail his 1910 gaff-rigged 38ft (11.6m) yawl Gwenili to a series of regattas this summer. The Bordeaux built vessel is currently moored on the Thames at Greenwich Yacht Club and Martin is planning a summer cruise over July and August. “I am planning a sailing trip taking in Yarmouth Gaffers Regatta on 2-5 June, Brest, 13-19 July; Douarnenez, 19-24 July and the Brittany coast from

25 July to 11 August. From there we hope to sail to St Malo for the Branlebas des Regates from 12-16 August and then back to the east coast, 16-22 August, for the OGA Summer Cruise from 22-27August. From there it’s back to Greenwich 28-29 August.” Anyone interested in helping Martin to sail the lovely Gwenili should contact him through CS or email direct: martin.g394@ googlemail.com

Gwenili is a pine on oak yawl built in 1910. She has five berths and Martin is looking for crew who can commit to at least a week or ten days of the two month voyage.

IN NEED OF RESTORATION

ARTHUR BEALE

Westmoreland looking for a champion

Mr Cecil Coleman

Westmoreland is a Thames spritsail barge in desperate need of restoration. Originally built in 1900 by Alfred Marconi White at Conyer, she is a rare example of a Kent brick barge. Her importance is recognised by her inclusion on the National Historic Ships Register. It is hoped that Westmoreland will be restored and operated from her original berth in Lower Halstow. Returning her to her original dock will bring to life the heritage of the Thames barges and the brickmaking industry that relied on them to transport their products. www.westmorelandtrust.co.uk

Arthur Beale is sad to announce the death of Mr Cecil Coleman, who used to own the London chandlers of Shaftesbury Avenue. He started at the Company in 1956 and remained actively involved until last year – a truly remarkable 59 years. He rose from shop assistant to become General Manager for many years before purchasing the company itself in 1994. Present owner Alasdair Flint says: “His contribution to Arthur Beale cannot be understated. Without a doubt, if it hadn’t been for Mr Coleman the company would not still be here. He will be missed.” His health had declined in the last few months and he died peacefully in Barnet Hospital on Saturday 30th January. The funeral service was held at St Ignatius Church Sunbury on 4 March.

A rare workhorse from days when commerce relied on barges

CHESAPEAKE LIGHT SLEEPOVER

Chesapeake’s Night at the museum

Spending a night in a lighthouse sounds like a fun thing

As part of its Museums for All access programme Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is now accepting reservations for its spring Lighthouse Overnight Adventures program. With a museum educator, groups of 12 to 15 children and chaperones can travel back in time to explore the life of a late-19th-century lighthouse keeper, all while spending the night in the historic 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse. www.cbmm.org

Mr Coleman, and parrot

CLASSIC SAILOR

Signals: Around the yards Outreach and volunteering at Boathouse 4, Mitec closing, new deck for a Contessa and the gorgeous Glendhu floats again Portsmouth Boathouse No.4

IBTC getting geared up to welcome visitors Down to IBTC Portsmouth, which as readers can see, is already looking as packed as any commercially healthy boatyard in Spring. On the far right are Marian Smith with her cohort of volunteers who greet visitors and explain the work. The place is free to visit and has a restaurant opening soon. Below Marian is Caroline Barrie-Smith who runs the community learning and participation programme with outreach to local schools, youth groups and home-schooled kids by building a couple of St Ayles skiffs. More next month.

Plenty of work on for students at the recently-opened International Boatbuilding Training College, Portsmouth in Boathouse No.4

Glendhu came in with a leak...

NORWICH

Brown boat’s new deck At the time of going to press, Kingsley Farrington’s Norwich boatyard was in the process of applying an epoxy deck to one of the original wooden Broads One Design half deckers. The 24ft gaff rigged Harlequin was built in 1924 for Mrs Phil Back and has also been stripped back to bare wood as part of this winter’s work. The addition of the new deck will be covered in a future step-by-step feature in Classic Sailor. Further Information Kingsley Farrington: Tel +44 (0)1603 666545

Underfalls, Bristol

Glendhu’s refit completed At Underfalls in Bristol Tim Loftus has just relaunched the 1950 25ft (7.6m) Mylne Glendhu after an eight-month refit. “She came to us last year after a restoration by her previous owner. A substantial leak was reported and I expected to replace some floor timbers, some fastenings then maybe her garboards prior to re-caulking and relaunching,” Tim says. “It was immediately obvious that all floors should be replaced, which required the ballast keel to be dropped. At this point we discovered the planking 10 CLASSIC SAILOR

was down to half its original thickness and had been re-fastened several times. After debating all the options, we cold moulded a triple diagonal skin of 1/8in utile over the existing hull. Deadwood and engine were replaced, before laying a teak deck over a new ply subdeck. A simple, new interior for a young family was built in time for her February launch.” Tim also revealed that he is due to return to Ullapool in the early spring to work in partnership with boatbuilder Dan Johnson.

Known as ‘Brown Boats’ in recognition of their varnished wooden hulls (as distinct from the painted-hull ‘White Boats’) the Broads One Designs date from 1900 and are still avidly raced This refit will be the subject of a future step-by-step feature in Classic Sailor. Photo and story: Richard Johnstone Bryden

A substantial leak was reported and I expected to replace some floor timbers, some fastenings, then maybe her garboards prior to re-caulking and relaunching... Rogers, Lymington

Industry notice

Contessa 32 in build Lid on, lid off Jeremy Rogers in Lymington are progressing their latest Contessa 32 new-build, shown here with her deck off, having been on, while the fitout of her cabin takes place. Back in January we showed the two halves of her hull ready to be joined and Rogers have sent us a link to show how the keel was fitted into the hull which we will put onto our website news pages. See classicsailor.com

Antifouldo’s and don’ts

The new Contessa 32 is being built for a Norwegian customer

ROCKPORT, MAINE

Artisan’s Fish course

Oughtred Auks will hopefully be finished...

PEMBROKESHIRE

MITEC Boatbuilders busy to the end

Boatbuilding students at Pembrokeshire College's Marine and Technology Centre (MITEC) in Milford Haven are hard at work on a number of projects as the current course rushes towards its closure in June. Under the direction of course tutor Richard Davies-Scourfield, the eight students are working on two coldmoulded Iain Oughtred Auk dinghies and the restoration of an 18ft (5.5m) GRP hulled standing lug dayboat. The publicly funded MITEC boatbuilding course has been hugely popular since it started in 2000 but has, sadly, now had funding withdrawn and so this is the final course. Nick Watt

An original 21ft Herreshoff Fish Class sloop is nearing completion of a substantial rebuild at Artisan Boatworks, at Rockport in Maine as we go to press. “Sculpin is listed in the Herreshoff records as No.816. She was delivered to the Seawanhaka Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, Long Island, for a Franklin Remington in April of 1916,” Artisan’s Alec Brainerd tells CS. “Mr. Remington lived on the Driftwood estate on Centre Island and was an avid sailor/racer. He owned the boat until 1921 after which she switched hands several times. From 1932 to 1937 she was owned by John Foster Dulles (Secretary of State under Dwight D Eisenhower) who sailed her out of Cold Spring Harbor until the next owner moved her to Southport, CT. Her history goes on, and includes time spent in Brooklin, ME, as West Wind, and a donation to Mystic Seaport. Her complete history is well documented, and a search of the New York Times archives results in many pages describing her successful early racing career. “ Sculpin will be rebuilt in time for a ceremonial re-launching on her 100th birthday in Bristol, Rhode Island, in April of 2016. She will then be featured in a presentation at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and America's Cup Hall of Fame's Classic Yacht Symposium, before delivery to her new owner on Nantucket Island.”

British Marine Coatings (BCF) Open Meeting of 3 February discussed results of a recent antifouling survey. The conclusion from the meeting was that although the vast majority of respondents knew what precautions were necessary to apply antifouling safely and in an environmentally sensitive manner, more work was needed to educate boat owners who were not aware of the risks to health and the environment that antifoul may pose. The list below although not exhaustive indicates the actions that we as boat owners must adhere to in order that antifouling application is not taken out of our hands and given to professionals: • Always read the label on application, health and safety and environmental impact. • Always wear personal protective clothing: mask, gloves, disposable overalls and goggles. • Wet sand old antifouling to reduce airborne particles. • Dispose of old antifouling and empty tins in an environmentally conscious manner.

Sculpin rebuilt will enjoy pride of place on Rhode Island in April

CLASSIC SAILOR 11

Signals: Association news A classic class at Ramsgate week, Oz skiffs and Hurley honour QUAY PEOPLE If it’s April then it’s Antigua Classics Week for those lucky enough to be flying to the sunny WIndies. And here’s a salute from CS to Capt Kenny Coombs, Antigua classics founder who died too young a couple of years back. We’re looking at how another great event, Cowes Classics has grown to be the UK’s largest classic week with a mix of wood and GRP classics in July, p22. The event was founded

largely by David Elliott (left) and Rees Martin, 6-M sailors who gave it a lot of its early vision when it first started in 2007. The current team running Cowes Classics runs to some 70 according to Jill Stevenson (second from left) below. Also shown are race officers Peter Taylor and Bob Milner, third and sixth from left respectively.

The Classic Sailing Club is a small but nearly perfectly formed institution run by Ian Welsh (below) – here he is at the BCYC event in Cowes last year winning a prize. This year the CSC plans to sail to Brest from its east coast base at Pin Mill: classicsailingclub.com.

12 CLASSIC SAILOR

Ramsgate classics For the first time a classic class is being introduced at this year’s Ramsgate Week Regatta in July. Run by the Royal Temple Yacht Club the week, which started in 1898, includes some great racing in the waters between North and South Foreland – the two chalk headlands of Kent’s east coast. And the proximity of the Goodwin and Brake sands with their infamous history and litter of wrecks only adds to the challenge! These were waters that were once raced by the German Kaiser Willelm’s Meteor and King George V’s Britannia. “To be honest we have no idea how many classic yachts would like to race at the week, but we will make them very welcome,” says RTYC secretary Carol Jackson. The week runs from July 24 to 29 and more details can be found at www. ramsgateweek.com

Plymouth plaque To mark the 50th birthday of the Hurley 22 the Hurley Owners Association is hoping that a heritage plaque to George Hurley will be unveiled by his wife Marion or one of his daughters, in Richmond Walk, Stonehouse, Plymouth – home of the Hurley. With Plymouth City Council’s blessing the event will take place on Sunday 24th July at 1100. It forms the final part of HOA’s celebration of 50 years of the Hurley marque, which is taking place over that weekend under the title of Bring Your Hurley Home - 2016. From Tim Sharman, Chairman, HOA Committee Details can be found on its website: hurleyownersassociation.co.uk

St Ayles reach Perth Australian America’s Cup hero John Longley has been bitten by the St Ayles Skiff bug. Veteran of no less than five campaigns (and manager of the winning 1983 Australia II bid) John is no stranger to competition boats. “Having seen the skiffs at the Australian Wooden Boat Show in Hobart about a year ago I was immediately taken by the boats and the concept behind them, i.e. they are built and owned by community for community,” he told CS. John sold the idea to his club – the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, at Perth. “Like all clubs RFBYC is working hard to keep the juniors involved, making sure they have the opportunity to just muck around in boats and not just race. “The St Ayles fit right into that programme, but of course they also work for parents who bring their kids down to sail on Sunday morning and would like to go for a row.” Members donated and a few weeks ago the first two skiffs were launched. Ripple and Dotsie were built by retired club members.

RFBYC members clubbed together and raised $20,000 to build the two skiffs

Smylie’s boats

Classic Coast

Itchen FerriesTrawler The Barking

I Portsmouth Point Club which he helped found in 1920. Orfordness Lighthouse It used to start its races right opposite

Portsmouth Point is the spit of land to starboard as you sail through the narrow bottleneck into Portsmouth By the time youthe read this, It’ the Harbour from Solent. s very real possibility of thismuch imposing chock full of history, of it structure tumbling sea disreputable since itinto wasthe largely may have for outside thebeen city averted, walls andataleast leisure another Unusually severe resort forwinter. shore-leave sailors. There south-easterly have pushed were reputed tostorms be over 30 pubs in coastal erosion thethere Suffolk this small area –on now arecoast’ just s Orfordincluding Ness to within a fewTavern feet three, the Bridge of the lighthouse’ foundations, which has a hugescartoon version of and memberss rollicking of the Orfordness Rowlandson’ ‘Portsmouth Lighthouse Trust beenside. working Point’ painting onhave its south flatItout to with installthe ‘soft defences’ – starts Square Tower, bags ofwhich shingle wrapped in sausages 1494, boasts a guilded bust of of high-performance geo-textile Charles I set high up in a niche on bonding – toside, keeppresented the sea at by baythe (see its landward orfordnesslighthouse.co.uk). monarch on his return from France. e 98ft lighthouse built Then comes the evenwas older Round in 1792and andnext-door decommissioned by Tower, to it, with Trinity Housesquare in 2013, in view of its crowning cupola, Tower the threat from sea. House, home ofencroaching the great marine It hasW already survived anfurther attempt artist L Wyllie. A little by theisNational Trust, which owns along the tall white-and-blue the Ness, to impose a policy of home of the Portsmouth Sailing ‘controlled ruination’ (ie let it fall down). The Lighthouse Trust aims to keep it standing, and open to visitors, ‘for as long as possible’. Visiting, on open days only, involves a short ferry trip and a 40-minute Above: The walk, each way, across the Ness. Round Tower Dates for 2016 are still to be and Wyllie’s announced, house. Right:and are dependent on The Hailing Sta- stability and safety of the continuing tion and beyond, the structure and its surrounds.

the18th-century Quebec House, The spiral staircase at Orfordness where Herman Lighthouse may still be climbed Melville stayed. by visitors Mevillestayed

in the narrows – and still does on Orford Ness a classic Christmas Day,itself whenisthe ferry traffic example of an ever-changing is suspended. coastline. Theslipway long, shift spit of Beside the is aing quaint land that separates RiverHouse; Ore clapboard building,the Quebec from quitehouse capable it usedthe to sea be aisbath andofhotel. closing the river’s stayed mouththere and forcing Herman Melville on a breakthrough higher up, where the Christmas Eve 1849, before catching river’s name thewith Alde.a his shipalternative to America nextisday It’s meccafull for of connoisseurs bleak, sea-chest books in hisofcabin, exposed seascapes (andDick WWII in his and the germ of Moby military brain. It’sdetritus possibleon heHavergate began writing Island). is carefully the bookAccess, duringby theboat, voyage. restricted by the Just beyond is National a curiousTrust. lookout Aset good alternative onis hut, on everyday piles in the tideway. Th the nearby mainland the by equally is the Hailing Station, is used Lloyds bleak aswhither Shingle agentsstony to askbeach whereknown from or Street. bound, and what cargo. Orford village has three pubs, There’s still boatbuilding in the including Jollybuilder Sailor down area – Johnthe Perry, of Victorys by harbour; an excellent fishof hasthe a little yard, and the corner restaurant, Butley the Camberthe Dock nowOrford houses the Oysterage, and theoffine Street new headquarters BenPump Ainslie’ s bakery. America’Peter s CupWillis challenge. Peter Willis

owned an Itchen Ferry onceofand fond memories herinto beached n the downstream parts thehave river Thames, andof out alongside theestuary, old Supermarine shed at Woolston, the river the sandy an unusual mode of fishingacross developed in Itchen she was calledBarking, though she was no from Southampton. the middle part ofPal theofnineteenth century. a small pal of the new known bridge they were building at of thetrawls time. We me and my community for its deployment and–opening up Pal is – were onesfito into one the support of that the North Seathe forfirst white sh,crash was home to of a very small flpillars. eet of Th is was mostlyknown down to facts: Trawlers. that the sails didn’t really fit the what became astwo Barking boatTh and Stuart-Turner throughout time esethe vessels could be engine said tonever be thestarted forerunners of themy Leigh with theboats boat. as It was, a great learning experience on ‘why notfitoshbuy Cockle theythough, relied upon a form of suction to bring up the into atheir boat’holds. . I often wonder what to her.and up to 46ft (14m) in length, Rigged with onehappened large spritsail Wonder was, in fact, fine of an Itchen Ferry. by the some have likened thema to Thexample ames bawleys though theyBuilt differed in great having hasdig been restored andTh sails Dan Hatcher ining 1860, a very deep lift keelWonder, that wasSU120, used to intolovingly the sandy seabed. is from Faversham. I remember seeing her a few years during theWhen Swale device, known locally as a fluketine, operated on a back winch system. Barge G Hatcher, as King Dan toblade his contemporaries, woundMatch. downDaniel and engaged into known a locking system, the with its weighted was very builder of yachts at his Belvedere yardkeeping betweenthe 1845 tine aon thesuccessful bottom edge, acted a bit like a drop keel, thus boat and 1880asand his working boats equally renowned for their speed. upright the thus tine sliced through the were first few inches of the sand. Fish would necessarily his fastest, butthe speedy Not that Wonder be dislodged fromwas their hiding places amongst sandshe andwas. the shape of the The roots (andthat name) fluketine ensured the fish were shot upwards. These vessels all had wet of these from wells, as craft manycame of the boats the small shing village of to of that erafidid, and, added Itchen lying on this wasFerry a large orifi cethe with river Itchen theworked eighteenth a pump thatin was by century. sprit-rigged hand on Small deck. Th us the fish clinker-boats worked off the were sucked into the orifi ce beach, fishing outwell. as far as and into the wet the Th Isleere ofwere, Wight. eir size ofTh course, grew as problems they trawled further various with away their base. these from vessels. Shift s in wind Consequently they adopted strength tended to cause the gaff rigtoasheel many working vessel over and fellows did.occasions The boatswhen were there were three-quarter decked with a the fluketine was snapped small cuddythe with two berths, off through sudden atransverse cupboardpressure and coalon stove it. to while away the hours when Sudden changes in depth not fishing. Gaffblade -rigged meant that the would with a long-boom over the dig into the sand and bring stern and two headsails, the vessel to a standstill, some were as long 30ft in causing some chaosason deck length. of documented the catch and, in Much one well was and oysters and case,shrimps a dismasting. theyThraced home to land. is event made the Barking Evening Standard on April 1st 1864 when the In 1872, according to the fishing registers, 570into second-class Barking Castle , BN1842, dugthere her flwere uketine an unforeseen Barking Trawler boats working the Solent another Poole where the boats cockle bed, coming to an and instant stop, 61 theinmast breaking off at deckwere level, and similar.the Thhapless e designand wasunusually-named widespread around Southampton Water and the taking deckhand Friendless Baxter over the Solent– sometobeing referred as Hythe fishing Other side, pinned the mast by a to splinter through hiscutters. lower arm as well-known it went into the buildersFriendless were Alfred Payne and Fay, his both of Northam, depths. managed to grab holstered knife and Lukes, had to whose cut away his hebeen moved to Hamble. Thhe ey yard at was spot asseabed-wise. I kept Pal before arm theabout elbowthe assame he headed Having taught to swim, were mostly worked by so fishermen crewed forused the yacht-racing then surfaced and was rescued.who The event was nationally tofraternity persuade during the regatta season, and the fishermen too raced . all fishermen to learn to swim. How he managed with aboard just onetheir and own a halfcraft arms Freda , CS110, Blackdrawn Bess, CS32, Ferries have been hasItchen never been answered, butsurvivors: similarities have since been in the effort Nellie , SU71,today’s but seefishermen www.itchenferry.org for more as they adapted to engine to persuade to wear life jackets. power wellTrawlers and others lurk in way-out day I’ll ask if Thequite Barking were never deemedplaces. muchOne of a success andthem by 1886 of Itchen anyone knows whatever happened my Pal and the last trawler was withdrawn fromtoservice, later .adapted, sans fluketine, for stow-netting out of Brightlingsea.

roots made (and name) of these craft Standard came The event the Barking Evening from the1st small of Itchen lying on April 1864village when the BrixtonFerry, Castle’s onuketine the river in thethe eighteenth ﬂ dugItchen in, breaking mast off century. CLASSIC SAILOR 13 17 CLASSIC

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

I was interested to see the letter from Moray McPhail in CS No 1 under the above heading. The object is, in fact, just that. It is called a heart and they come (came) in a variety of shapes usually made of hardwood. The most common use was, as a pair, at the lower end of, for instance, a main or forestay where they per-

formed the function of blocks or deadeyes for the purpose of tensioning those stays. The example in question is probably not of great age, being of galvanised steel which would not normally be used in situations of wear or chafe. Bob Turner, via email

Seagull anti-theft device?

The problem of Seagull addiction, as suffered by Desperate in Dorset (Letters, Feb 2016) and numerous others around the globe afflicted by this incurable disease, is that you have to stop at one – or they breed in the dark confines of the neglected corners of the shed.

To be fair however… it does help to have more than one, as they can develop minds of their own, and refuse to start when having started as recently as a few minutes previously. But it’s not ‘temperamental’ as is so often mis-written. It is a ‘demonstration of character’ – and the test is of yours. If you pass the test, you can always get one started. The simplest solution is to always use fresh fuel, always carry a spare, new-gapped plug, and if you have an older model with the pull-rope, always carry a spare, as it invariably disappears over the side. If it doesn’t start after four pulls, you’re doing something wrong. Even the original British Seagull Owner’s Handbook states this! So don’t go blaming the poor old Seagull! It’s time for a re-appraisal of the much-maligned Seagull, as it can be a useful tool for a dinghy, is light, and never likely to get stolen. Thieves either wouldn’t know what it was, or even if they did, would assume it was ‘just another bloody Seagull’ and so move on to the next dinghy but one, that sporting Jap or Yankee iron on its transom. So fit a Seagull as a theft deterrent! Mark Walker, convenor/organiser/dogsbody of the local British Seagull Owners group, Kempsey NSW Australia And see our article on p74! – Ed

SUMURUN: HACK FOR HIRE Big thanks on publishing my piece in your March issue ‘Sumurun’s TransAtlantic Trip’ (A galley’s eye view). If the old boat could show emotion she would feel proud and honoured to have been featured within such a cool magazine representing all that is good and great in the classics world. I hope I was able to encapsulate the feel of creaking and tweaking away across the Big Pond on a grand old dame of the sea. As you know I spent many years on Sumurun, coming out of cooking retirement twice to try and swing a cat

14 CLASSIC SAILOR

Cygnet - a Halvorsen that has custodians rather than owners

around the galley. The lure of working on a classic is a powerful pull, which I have not yet been able to resist, thank God. For those who enjoyed the piece I would be more than willing and able to offer my services as writer/photographer to preserve a special memory of a trip, a race, a launch or a delivery of your yacht. With Sumurun’s heritage stretching back over 100 years, the lineage and stories are impressive so maybe your yacht needs an article for posterity or publication? I can be contacted at djlouismac@ hotmail.com. Louis McIntosh, Vejer de la Frontera, Spain

The percentage game

I am a member of the Wooden Boat Association of NSW. My wife Sandra and I have been yachties for the best part of half a century. In our more agile days we used to sail small yachts up and down the NSW/ Queensland coast, all the way from Jervis Bay in the south to Bundaberg in the North. Nowadays we are the proud custodians of a classic wooden boat, a Halvorsen cruiser built in 1946 – custodians in the sense that you don’t own these boats, they own you. When we acquired Cygnet (as we named her) she was 40% timber and 60% dry rot, and in danger of sinking. After a good deal of waving of cheque books in the direction of waterfront shipwrights, she is now 80%

timber and 20% dry rot. But it is a continuing process of constant maintenance to stop that ratio reversing back to where it began. Still, worth every penny. Here she is at anchor at The Basin in Pittwater, close to where we live. Dr Stephen Bochner, School of Psychology University of New South Wales Sydney

Migrants at sea

What a very good article (Sam Llewellyn, CS1) about sailing back from the North African coast and the desperate situation of the refugees. I know this stretch of water well having traded to Sfax and Gabes with various coasters. All the E-W through traffic is concentrated here and even the legitimate N African fishing boats rarely carry lights. The seas are short and the whole area has an uneasy feel to it. It would be a modern day judgement of Soloman if you came across a sinking refugee boat with hundreds on board. Never mind the politics, people shouldn’t suffer in this way. Steve Mallett, Kent

Inner monkey

Louis onboard

I am really appreciating your magazine which offers a great balance between beautiful wooden boats and also the early GRP boats, when other titles

I had not heard of the term ‘inner monkey’ before, but it appears to apply to me classicsailor.com seem to be moving towards ever larger and more expensive AWBs which cost as much as my house. The practical bits also go down well – we have just brought my wife’s family Mirror dinghy up from Brighton to our home in Scotland for the kids to sail and I think a complete strip and rebuild may be required. I had not heard of the term inner monkey before but it appears to apply to me, with a 28-year-old Landrover, a 45-year-old boat, an 80-yearold house and now a Mirror. Our Sabre 27 was designed in the late 60s and although not necessarily the fastest is a great sea boat and has proved more than capable of our cruises from our base on the Forth around the East and West coasts of Scotland and over to Northern Ireland last summer. David Gostick, Edinburgh

A Little hunt is on

We have recently discovered that my great grandfather , Frederic Bartlett, or FB Little and his brother Charles Edward or Major CE Little were yacht owners in the latter half of the reign of Queen Victoria, Indeed , my great uncle Major CE Little seemed to be an avid acquirer of fine yachts, owning at least 14! I have attached a list of their yachts obtained from Lloyds Registry and would very much like to find any ‘visuals’ that might show what these yachts looked like. The list includes: 1880 Amy, Yawl, Built in Shoreham as the Fay, Port of Registry Bristol; Sapphire, 43 ft schooner 1863 by J Harvey Wivenhoe, reg Southampton and Dandelion,

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7 Haslar Marina, Gosport, Hants. PO12 1NU admin@classicsailor.com Editor Dan Houston dan@classicsailor.com

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+44 (0)7747 612614 Art Editor Stephen Philp Sub Editor Peter Willis peter@classicsailor.com

52 ft Cutter, built 1882 by Camper & Nicholson, Gosport. For the full list please see News on classicsailor.com Are you able to advise how we might go about this search? Stephen Little, Sydney, Australia

Letter of the month Of brass monkeys I have also found a rather good website which discusses brass monkeys - check this out:

BRASS MONKEY PUB SIGN, HOLLANDS RD, TEIGNMOUTH

www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cold-enough-tofreeze-the-balls-off-a-brass-monkey.html

I greatly enjoyed Andrew Bray’s excellent article on page 21 of March. I’m not convinced however by the explanation of the phrase “freeze the balls off a brass monkey”. Michael Quinion has written an excellent book called Port Out Starboard Home and other language myths, and this is one of the myths he discusses.

For those wanting a bit more detail, here’s the science bit. The coefficient of expansion of brass is 0.000019; that of iron is 0.000012. If the base of the stack were one metre long, the drop in temperature needed to make the ‘monkey’ shrink relative to the balls by just one millimetre, would be around 100 degrees Celsius. Such a small shrinkage wouldn’t have had the slightest effect. In any case, in weather like that, the sailors would probably have better things to think about than coining new phrases. Of course you can’t always be certain which version is correct. But I believe that Michael Quinion’s article is well researched, as is the above internet reference. Enjoying your magazine, John Hayden, Bangor, N Wales

Contributing editor Guy Venables guy@classicsailor.com Columnist Andrew Bray Advertising Catherine Jackson catherine@classicsailor.com +44 (0)7495 404461 Jodi Whitby jodi@classicsailor.com +44 (0)7478 275399 Lynda Fielden Lynda@classicsailor.com +44 (0)7788 722438 Web design Tim Allen tim@classicsailor.com Publishing director John Clarke Chairman David Walker Classic Sailor Ltd Published monthly: ISSN 2059-0423 Subscriptions See our latest deal at classicsailor.com or call: + 44(0)1273 420730

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

CLASSIC SAILOR 15

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Andrew Bray I was taught early on that an anchor and cable are the best insurance policy money can buy. But which is the best type?

o what is the best anchor? The Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans probably reckoned that it was a large lump of rock that Henry Moore would have been proud of. In time, perhaps, something a bit more edgy and Hepworth-like evolved but there would be no great evolution in anchoring until the bronze and iron ages, since when all manner and shapes and sizes of anchors have evolved, each one, of course, being the best. The same goes for anchor cable. Grass, sisal and hemp gradually gave way to chain and wire and then, strangely, back to rope, synthetic this time, or a combination of metal and man-made fibre. In each case the anchor and cable were, in the skipper’s view, the best there could be because the safety of his vessel, his cargo and crew was dependent on the strength and holding power of the right combination and the correct technique when using them. I was taught at an early stage in my sailing education that an anchor and cable were the best insurance policy that money can buy. When the pontoons in the marina are being blown away, when you’re dragging onto a lee shore or when trampolines are bouncing down the high street it’s the best anchor and cable that are going to save you. Anyone wanting evidence of this should read the account of the Channel Race storm in the 1950s in Heavy Weather Sailing. When the crew of Bloodhound abandoned ship they left her anchored. After the storm, expecting to find a pile of expensive matchwood on the beach instead they found her still afloat and still at anchor. But the chain cable had stretched so much that it had become a solid bar and the flukes of the anchor had completely worn away. Anchors and anchoring bring out the very worst in sailors. Red-faced skippers at the wheel bawl at their trembling spouses on the foredeck. “Not like that you stupid woman! Surge another ten metres and snub the cable to see how she settles!” Thinks spouse: “If you spoke to me like that at home you’d be snubbed and severely rationed in all areas!” I witnessed such a scene when anchored

in a small bay on the south coast of Lanzarote. The skipper bellowed, until his wife, whom I had met the previous day and was as mild-mannered a person as you can imagine, suddenly snapped, hurled the windlass handle overboard and yelled back “if you’re so f***ing clever why don’t you f***ing do it yourself!” Another phenomenon is the strange magnetic effect of a boat at anchor. Imagine a deserted Scottish loch with a classic McGruer anchored securely, anchor light rigged and crew enjoying a dram in the cockpit. It’s not a tight anchorage and the choices are multiple but when a second boat enters why does she always head straight for the boat already there? I wonder whether you can judge a skipper or owner by his or her anchor? There are the factory-fresh cruisers with the standard 35lb look-alike CQR, 10 metres of chain and a pile of multiplait, none of which are used for anything other than the occasional lunchtime, light weather anchorage and a good thing that is too. At the other end of the scale are the weathered world-girdlers with more anchors than days of the week and so much cable (all chain, of course) that their boats permanently float bows down. “Better out than in!”, they brag, as they scythe their way round the shallow anchorage, 200 metres of half-inch chain laying waste to anything that gets in the way.

Between these two come a huge variety of combinations of anchor and cable. There are claws, ploughs, spades, shiny stainless-steel objects, fishermen, patented Admiralty pattern and many more. Skippers are close to obsessional about their ground tackle, even as they drag through the anchorage in the early hours. “It’s brilliant in sand,” they later boast. None of this answers the question of which is the best small boat anchor. I can give you the answer. It’s the one on your bow right now and no one will persuade you otherwise.

GUY VENABLES

They found her still aﬂoat and at anchor. But the chain cable had stretched so much it was a solid bar and the anchor’s ﬂukes had completely worn away CLASSIC SAILOR 17

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Guest column: Chris Museler ‘This is the not-so-unusual beginning to a sail on a boat that has had some thought put into it’

oll up your pants tightly up to your knees. Kick off your shoes and throw them in the bow of the dinghy and grip both hands around the gunwale. Lightly lift and push the transom into the water. The slight grinding and bumps from the gravel beach are a welcoming sound then the silence and looseness comes as the craft is lifted. Your friend steps a little wobbly into the back and you hold the opposite rail with a laugh as his pant leg dips. You’re off. And right away, even if you have never sailed before, you know you will be in for a fantastic evening. This is the not-so-unusual beginning to a sail on a boat that has had some thought put into it, some pedigree and a good feel. Mind you, not all boats feel good. And not all cocktail cruises are fantastic. This experience is primed by the rhythm-driven glide to the mooring. Conversation drifts away from office gossip to a discussion on rig types. “What makes it a fractional?” Then by the time the oar and oarlock are lifted and the varnished mahogany rail is reached, quiet. A little guidance and your guest climbs aboard by confidently stepping squarely into the middle of tender’s thwart and neatly grabbing the cabintop handrail. Before the questions start rolling out, the chat continues as at a pub. Some boating talk, some politics, some jokes, as you calmly lift the hatch board, place the winch handle in an open cubby and unzip the sail cover. The guest has naturally found one of the two grandfather seats straddling the mainsheet winch and has already crossed his ankles on the cockpit bench in front of him. The main halyard reel winch is quietly cranked while words drift around anything but what is happening. The splash of the mooring line startles your guest, and, as you walk back along the wide-open weather deck pulling the clew of the jib by hand, the bow slides to leeward.

“Mind grabbing that sheet next to your hand?” The guest, with a surprised look, blindly follows the request and the sheet is firm. The jib is brought in with two full turns on the handle and quickly the flat, broad, foamy quarter wake of the sinewy Kettenburg Pacific Cruising Class is rising to the head level of the reclined passenger. The smile rises, too, as the guest looks up the leech of the main then down and forward to the mist off the lee bow. He watches as each piece of chop from the dwindling 10-knot seabreeze is turned into flares of bubbles that then race by, along the rail and out over the growing wake in a dome of white. The narrowness of the hull affords the hiss of foam releasing its air in stereo. Unaware of your absence, the person looks up and realizes that the 6ftlong ash tiller has yet to be tended. It bobbles but never trays more than a degree or two one way or another. A cocktail was prepared below while the guest was serenaded by the movement through air and water. Drink in hand, the voices begin again: “Now, what were we talking about again?” This sunset session illustrates sensations and that ‘feel’ that only comes with a well-designed boat that has attributes drawn from millennia of proven building and shaping methods. Modern glassfibre fin-keelers are wide, with high freeboard to accommodate luxurious staterooms and galleys. The bottoms are flat and work against the sea to counter the drive of powerful sail plans. A good feel at rest, but often not underway. Whether it be a 100-year-old wherry, a diminutive Alden Schooner, even an open little Caledonia yawl or the legendary glassfibre Swan 36, the older designs of the sailing world dominate the good-feel category. But you don’t know it, until you experience it.

Enjoying the feel that only comes with a well-designed boat

As you walk back along the wide open weather deck pulling the clew of the jib by hand, the bow slides to leeward CLASSIC SAILOR 19

Nardi’s Nods

by Federico Nardi of Cantiere Navale dell’Argentario

Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31”The smallest boat that will take you anywhere... interiors are cosy, rational and incredibly spacious”

Above: Cruiser lines, “but harmonious”. Right: Solid wood mahogany throughout belowdecks, with ample storage

MONSUN 31 LOA: 30ft 9in (9.4m) LWL: 24ft 8in (7.5m) Beam: 9ft 5in (2.9m) Draught: 4ft 7in (1.4m) Displacement: 9,250 lbs.

TRANSLATION BY JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR

he’s the smallest boat that will take you anywhere; neither especially fast nor a high pointer, she’s the Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31. With more than 900 built in Sweden, she has sailed everywhere, from the Labrador to the Beaufort to the Bering Seas (just to mention where it’s cold). On YouTube you can see them sailing in every ocean. Designed by Olle Enderlein (who also did the interiors on the Swan 36), production began in 1974 and coninued for eight years. Her full keel has the internal ballast ‘encapsulated’ with abundant layers of uni-directional cloth and resin, with thicknesses up to 25mm that decrease to 15mm at the waterline and 10mm above the waterline. This makes her a very sturdy boat that can tackle challenging voyages quite comfortably: her cockpit is well protected by the permanent windscreen in shockproof glass and bikini top (a characteristic of all Hallberg-Rassys) and the interiors are cosy, rational and incredibly spacious. Belowdecks the layout is super-classic: the navigator’s bunk is to starboard tucked away behind the chart table, while the galley is to port in a nicely laid-out ‘L’ shape, with the sink intelligently placed in the middle near the companionway steps. Amidships we find the L-shaped dinette to port, which converts into a twin bed, and a settee to starboard which doubles as a bunk. The backrests are upholstered and at night they swing up giving you some remarkably good-sized bunks for sleeping. The saloon is separated from the forward cabin by the head, with a sliding door aft and twin swinging doors forward. Mahogany is used throughout; the beautifully done carpentry almost completely utilises solid wood. There is an abundance of doored storage lockers with drawers and shelves. In the passageway leading from the saloon to the forward cabin we have the large hanging locker, divided in two. Aesthetically, her lines are definitely those of a cruiser, but harmonious. The sheer is pronounced and the deckhouse is nicely shaped, while the gunwale is completed by a teak cover-board which gives her a very elegant air; this is also the perfect construction method to join the deck and hull. The single spreader mast is by Selden; it’s very robust and stepped on deck. The original engine was a 25hp, twin-cylinder Volvo MD 2B that managed to push her at 7.2 knots at 2,300 rpm. Her market price at present is around €30-35,000.

CLASSIC SAILOR 21

LOOKING FORWARD TO SUMMER

Classics for all Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become the largest classic regatta in Britain with around 200 boats of various shapes and sizes, and GRP classics are welcome. Cowes Classics is in July

or a while now there have been two annual classic events at Cowes. The first was the British Classic Yacht Club, formed in the euphoric wake of the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup Jubilee in 2001, and running this year from 16 to 23 July; then came Cowes Classics Week, which began as a modest regatta in 2007, mainly for dayboat classes and run

under the auspices of the Royal London Yacht Club. And while the BCYC is a wooden boat regatta Cowes Classics from the start welcomed various classics of GRP design with the local Darings fleet and others. The events have sometimes overlapped and last year they were both on the same week. But they have been uneasy bedfellows, holding separate social parties. Cowes Classics (which started without

One off gaff-rigged boats like Chough on right and Winifred (H4), as well as GRP classics, make Cowes Classics very varied

22 CLASSIC SAILOR

DAN HOUSTON

CLASSIC SAILOR 23

TIM JEFFREYS, DAN HOUSTON

LOOKING FORWARD TO SUMMER

any sponsorship) seemed a bit like a poor relation in its early years – despite having superlative racing run by the Royal London’s Peter Taylor and Bob Milner. But a few years ago Cowes Classics Week got its own loyal sponsor – Charles Stanley, the London investment broker, and it has gradually grown to be a regatta attracting 200 boats, and they want more. It is principally run by the Royal London with its fabulous club house overlooking Cowes Roads, but there are four other yacht clubs involved: the Royal Ocean Racing Club (Cowes), the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club and the Island Sailing Club. The event started as a class and metre boat event and hosts a large number of X-One Designs (around 60 boats now attend) as well as Bembridge One Designs, Solent Sunbeams, Darings, Squibs, Seaview Mermaids, Flying Fifteens and Swallows. International Metre classes are welcome and there are usually some Six Metres, an Eight or two and the odd 12! 24 CLASSIC SAILOR

Clockwise from above left: the Royal London YC; the recently restored Daring Class Doublet does a bit of laundry; Darings fleet start; Six Metres give that thoroughbred appeal.

2016

Cowes Classics 11-15 July cowesclassics week.org

Cleverly they also invite travelling classes like the Loch Longs, Royal Burnhams, Solings, and then other Solent classes like Yarmouth One Designs and Portsmouth Victorys. This year wooden Dragons are on the invite list as well as the Tofinou class. The event website has a list of all invited classes – with an apology to anyone who feels like they might have been left out – and a call to get involved. The organisers are keen to extend the welcome to all comers and have gradually seen more one-off wooden yachts and classic GRP classes (which could not for instance qualify for the BCYC startline) – boats that have hitherto had little opportunity if they wanted to race at more than local club level. Thus Cowes Classics now sees a contingent of classic yachts including Folkboats, South Coast One Designs, Nicholson 32s and 36s, Rustler 31s, Twisters, Stellas and even some Spirit of Tradition yachts built and designed after its normal qualifying date (of design) as being 50 years old. There are

even gaffers and the race officers are keen to encourage more of these to attend. Indeed the races for one-offs are run on the Baltic’s tried and tested KLR (Klassiker Rennwert) formula now commonly used for classics events. “The formula is intended to separate racing from the judgement over items like authenticity, originality and state of maintenance, and so on,” say race officers. “It provides ratings across a broad range of boats designed over more than 50 years.” KLR doesn’t need complicated measurements and certificates are not required. To apply for a KLR handicap you’ll have to download and complete a form from www. fky.org/regatta/klr-engl.htm. Add to this the International Tempest Class World Championships, with their own dedicated race circuit as part of the week in 2016 and you can see that the week of Monday 11 through to Friday 15 July is going to be quite full. Of course it is still only a fraction of the size of ‘the’ Cowes Week (August 6-13)... but it’s growing fast.

E S TTRHADAITM I O NA L

HENL

E Y- O N -T H A M E S

The Thames Traditional Boat Festival returns in 2016 with an even bigger display of vintage & classic boats, cars and aeroplanes! Highlights include: the exclusive Bluebird K3 returning to try again for her first ever Thames run, WWII Dunkirk Little Ships, WWII fast patrol boats, WWI dog fights, amphibians, military vehicles and over 180 traditional boats that makes this the largest event of its type in Europe plus all the quintessentially English eccentricity that makes it so utterly unique!

FREE PARKING

Following the great success of 2015, with over 10,000 visitors, the “Trad” will run for 3 days from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th July. Please see website for details.

Supported by

15 • 16 • 17 July 2016 Fawley Meadows • Henley-on-Thames www.tradboatfestival.com

BRITAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OLDEST YAWL

Sailing in the s

26 CLASSIC SAILOR

CLEONE

e style of 1860 I

t’s a moment of anticipation. Because it’s not every day that you get to go sailing on Britain’s oldest yacht. I’m in a dinghy with photographer Tom Hurley; we are cautiously motoring out into the Exe estuary in heavy fog for a late-season sail, on Cleone, built, as near as anyone can say, in 1860. The definition of fog is that visibility is less than 1,000 yards... and this is much less than that; the shapes of moored vessels are appearing at around 70 yards or so. So maybe we should be using the more colloquial description of being in a pea-souper. Tom’s got his bearings though and with an almost studied nonchalance he gets into the main channel and heads out without any marks to measure our progress for a few minutes before coming to the next trot of moorings, and soon the ghostly shape of a low slung early Victorian yawl emerges from the pale murk. On board owner/skipper Andrew ‘Mac’ McDonald and Peter Newbery-Thornton of Devon Wooden Boats are undoing sail ties in a way that I find slightly disconcerting in all this fog. And that’s probably because I have not yet got my bearings... At this point I would not even know which way was south. But Peter and Mac do and with the

plotter on within a few minutes we are motoring confidently down the twisting channel to the happy sound of the 20Hp Beta, though still with our bowsprit digging into the wet woolly nebula that engulfs us. Fifteen or 20 minutes later it begins to clear and then we emerge out of the lower estuary with houses beyond the beach to our north and the lovely Sandy Bay before us. It’s time to kill the engine and sail her, and with her topsail up we must look a pretty sight. The breeze is very slight, and it’s only later, as we head back into the Exe, that there is enough to lean her over and to get a chuckle out of her wake. I’m helming at that point and enjoying the boat. Her balance and her polite sideways curtsy to the wind as she picks herself up and starts to run forward are charm in itself; she’s a great mix between feeling steady and yet full of life. By this time I have got to know Mac and Peter a bit better. Mac’s owned Cleone for ten years now and Peter has been her shipwright for the last couple of winters. Her last owner, Michael Wright, had found her in a dilapidated condition on the east coast in 1979 and took her out of the water at Beccles and thence into his garden for a refit that he initially

TOM HURLEY / WWW.DEVONDIGITAL.CO.UK

Without a proper paper trail of provenance we cannot say exactly when Cleone was built, but there are the stories, and other clues. By Dan Houston

Sailing in light airs off the coast at Exmouth

CLASSIC SAILOR

BRITAIN’S OLDEST YAWL

“Cleone, a long lean black straight-stemmed yawl... a perfect period piece of the 1860s, usually sailed singlehanded by her batchelor owner” MAURICE GRIFFITHS

28 CLASSIC SAILOR

The Zingueneh from Edgar J March’s Inshore Craft of Britain vol II shows a striking resemblance to Cleone

says. One other little nugget to add to the hearsay that she was indeed built in the middle of the 19th century comes from a passing reference from Maurice Griffiths in his Swatchways and Little Ships, 1971: “Do you remember what happened to Sandy Cross’ little old Alert?” I most certainly did, and shivered. The Alert was a very pretty counter sterned cutter built at the same time as the Crimean war in 1854, and was to be met all over the East Coast often in company with the Cleone, a long lean black straight-stemmed yawl about the same size, a perfect period piece of the 1860s, usually sailed singlehanded by her batchelor owner, neither yacht having an engine in those days. What is known is that Cleone first appears in the Lloyd’s register of yachts in 1911 where she is being sailed by CL Fawell, a lawyer. She changes hands to H Magniac in 1915 before Stanley C Kiver owns her, keeping her at Burnham, from 1925 through to 1950, when the owners are “The Executors of S C Kiver”. CW Ellerby owns her 1951-1955 before B Lucas has her for two years, at Wrabness on the Stour, until 1957 with P Kerridge taking over briefly for a season before HJ Ballam buys her 1958. Ballam fits her engine – a Stewart Turner – in 1959. Lloyd’s last entry in 1980 shows her still owned by Ballam but this is when Michael Wright took over. So while it feels a tad inconclusive to call her Britain’s oldest yacht I think the best evidence is the adze work on her floors and frames and the quite remarkable similarity to Zingueneh – albeit that she was finished clinkered while Cleone was carvel planked. incidentally she also has legs and these could well have been an original feature as well, as many period boats were fitted with them, to come to shore at high water and then to take the ground, held upright by a leg on either side amidships. Perhaps it’s another clue. Mac and Peter are also quite adamant that much of Cleone is original and that around

TOM HURLEY / WWW.DEVONDIGITAL.CO.UK

DAN HOUSTON

From top: Peter NewberyThornton in suitable attire for the CS visit; Andrew McDonald at the helm; the mast cleats; an historically old winch: block for the runners; nav light boards on the shrouds

estimated at 18 months, but which lasted 12 years, from 1980 to 1992 – when she was one of the star boats at Brest that year. At that time there were no major claims as to her age or provenance. The lightness of her one-inch (25mm) pitch-pine planking on 2 x 2½in oak frames (50 x 62mm) suggests she was built for pleasure rather than as a workboat but her lines are almost straight out of Edgar March’s Inshore Craft of Britain Vol II (1970) where he mentions the Restronguet Creek-built 32ft 9in (10m) LOA Zingueneh, built around 1840 as a Fal oyster dredger and still sailing 100 years later. The low-slung dredger’s fine entry – knife-edge as Mac puts it – her sharp floors, rounded bilge, deep keel and heel and particularly her little transom counter almost mirror Cleone’s original shape. Mac reveals that Michael Wright added two planks to raise her sheer and which also added two feet to her length by taking the counter back further. This changes her appearance and you have to imagine her with just eighteen inches or so of freeboard – which was how the dredger fishermen liked to work; it was a waste of effort to bring a dredge, by hand, up over any kind of topsides so these boats had that very low profile. Furthermore her original counter measures much like the older boat according to Peter. Indeed it is Peter’s eye that has made Mac begin to believe that she could date from all those years back. “I was sceptical about her age at first but with her hull being pitch pine it is possible. Peter also noticed that her frames and floors, which are original, were quite roughly finished, suggesting she was being built as a workboat before someone came along and ordered her to be finished as a yacht. “We don’t really know yet but we are intending to do some tests with a piece of her original timber where we can compare the growth rings against a similar pattern from timber known to be from the 1850s or 1860s. It’s called dendrochronology and is supposed to be very accurate. Of course that would not tell us exactly but it would give a very clear clue as to when the timber was cut down and so its likely period of being used in building a boat.” There are of course local papers to go through too, for news of a launching but Mac, juggling a busy life between making boat covers and working as a marine artist, has not had time to research the Cornish press. “We assume Restronguet but she could also have been built in Feock,” he

RUNNING A SMACK

CLASSIC SAILOR

BRITAIN’S OLDEST YAWL

“There were big waves coming through Torbay with 24 knots of breeze and she did bury her bowsprit once or twice, but no more than that and it was quite comfy back here” 75% of the hull has lasted those 150-odd years since her launch. “Her garboards have been replaced, and the stem, plus some ribs,” says Mac. “Michael Wright raised and replaced the deck but her hull and frames are remarkably intact. He also re-fastened her, replacing her iron fittings with silicone bronze fastenings. “There is no keelson, all the larger frames being scarphed into the keel. Her external ballast is a single cast-iron piece, weighing 5 tons, which runs from the forefoot to the rudder. Hand-forged iron keelbolts were all new 25 years ago during that refit. He adds: “I think the mast and gaff are original as well – at least the mast has all hand-forged eyes and throat crane and is a single grown tree.” There are so few boats dating from the 1860s that it seems a far fetch to presume on the date, but it’s not unknown. The Itchen Ferry Nellie built in 1862 by Dan Hatcher in Southampton is a regular in the Solent’s Round the Island race, where she is cited as the oldest boat entered. Another Itchen Ferry, Fanny of Cowes, was built in 1872 for the Paskins family – fishmongers from Cowes. She resides on the East Coast and has been owned by boatbuilder Nigel Waller since 2003. Then, in early February newspapers were reporting that “Britain’s oldest yacht has been given a new home” This turned out to be the open-decked and unused Peggy, built in 1791 for Captain George Quayle, which had lain in her original boat cellar on the Isle of Man for a century following

his death in 1835 before being rediscovered in the 1930s. It’s hard to think of a boat pre-dating the Battle of Trafalgar and of course she has been under cover for almost 200 years. She was being moved to a climate controlled facility, to arrest rust damage from her fixings in the Isle of Man by Manx National Heritage in February. The best known example of a yacht from 1860 however is the Mermaid, 41ft (12.2m) LOD and 68ft (20.7m) length over spars, designed and built by Alfred Payne in Southampton and restored at the Ocean Yacht Company in Penpol in 2012... she also lays a claim to be Britain’s oldest sailing yacht in commission (and is in Lloyd’s). There are other vessels still afloat as well. The Boadicea of Brightlingsea was built in 1808 by James Williamson of Maldon, and served decades and decades in the fishing industry before rebuilt, from clinker to carvel by Aldous of Brightlingsea around 1887. Her timbers were renewed again in 1970 by her owner Michael Frost. Then of course we must not leave out Lord St. Levan’s Ceremonial Barge, built in 1740 and believed to be the oldest boat in the world still sailing – kept in a boat house on St Michael’s Mount. Without the right evidence Mac is happy to claim Cleone as being Britain’s oldest yawl, but I’d love to be reporting the tree ring findings dating her to what owners have said as she was passed down over the years. I also wonder how she sails, in some weather, say. If she is that old she’d have seen plenty of it. “I took over the boat thinking

DAN HOUSTON

A champagne fridge is going in on port here. Also a freezer will be under the companion for ice cream and a bottle vodka Right: her Taylor’s stove and galley are functional 30 CLASSIC SAILOR

CLEONE

that she would be a very light sail and that we could not take her out in much more than a force 3 or 4,” Mac says. “But having come back from Plymouth in a westerly F5, gusting 6 I have started to think that she can handle a bit more. “With a clean bottom she just tore through the water and I was doing some Go-pro photography stuck in the cockpit and coming through Start Bay thinking ‘I can’t stop’. There were big waves coming through Torbay with 24 knots of breeze last weekend and she did bury her bowsprit once or twice – but no more than that and it was quite comfy back here.” He waves at the cockpit with its shallow coamings. Mac’s current plans include re-decking as part of the to-do list and he is hoping to get Cleone coded for charter work, perhaps even in time for this coming season. “Basically I see it as a way of synthesizing all the

things I like doing,” he says. “I like sailing and sailing old boats and I also think she has to earn her keep – but I would not just let anybody sail her so skippered charters are the plan. “I see it as a way to educate people to the way of sailing gaff rigged boats. They are very different from the white plastic yacht you jump into and go. You need to attune your senses to the physical area you are in, working the gaff rig so you think about sailing in a different way, planning moves ahead, working with the tides. And there’s a rawness to that that immerses you more in what you are doing and forces you to go with nature in a different way. “I’d like to pass on that experience. I like the idea of gunk-holing and exploring muddy creeks where other yachts can’t go. And we’ll anchor rather than go to marinas, and use a dinghy to get ashore. Because of her

Cleone 1860 LOA: 35ft 6in (10.8m) LOS: 52ft (15.8m) Beam: 8ft (2.4m) Draught: 4ft 8in (1.4m) 7.5 GRT

Cleone Classic Charters intends to be set up in May sailcleone.uk

size and the fact she is so old we will use a fisherman’s anchor mounted on the bow but a 44lb Danforth will be stored down below for use during longer trips. “But we’ll also do day-trip from Dartmouth Town Quay upriver to the pub and back, keeping things on an easy level depending what people want. I can see her as a mobile research facility too, for my work as an artist so I might take out some painting trips on her.” To this end Cleone is having a champagne fridge (cunningly concealed) installed this winter, along with other jobs like five new steamed ribs, a beam shelf clamp, new legs, pin rails and several stanchions, plus electrics, fresh water system and dead-eyes to replace the rigging screws and return her rigged look, with ratlines, into something more Victorian. With a new survey giving her a clean bill of health, Cleone looks set for another century. CLASSIC SAILOR

PEOPLE OF THE SEA

Learning from Annie

‘A

nnie was built at Hamnavoe on the West coast of the Shetlands in 1910 and was repaired in the winter of 1974 by Magnus Slater, a crofter on Westerwick, while Mr Nigel Irens of Bristol, who was to buy her, looked after the farm.’ Thus a brief catalogue entry at the Eyemouth boat museum (www. worldofboats.org ). There lies a yarn, you might think, even if you didn’t recognise Nigel Irens’ name. And so it does... but first, a brief story. The location is Salcombe, the period the 1950s and the season of course endless summer. A small boy sits in a motor launch with his face resting on the gunwale, watching the sparkling water glide by. The boat’s fine bow easily parts the sea as she’s moved sedately along by a burbling Stuart-Turner inboard and he takes his seaside spade, lowering it over the gunwale. He turns it this way and that like a rudder, fascinated by the currents of water round the blade and the forces acting on it. The glory of the sun’s warmth on his back, the effortless glide of the boat, the clear water running. Here is a moment of beginning: a vital interplay between the boy dreamily watching how the boat and the water

NIGEL IRENS: TRADITIONAL AND RADICAL Nigel Irens’ career as a designer (and sometimes a boat builder), developed in two directions, both of which were threaded together by the principles of speed, comfort and low environmental impact he developed in those early years. For more information see www.nigelirens.com Here are some key moments, in sail and power craft, starting with Formule Tag (Enza), right, from 1983, an 85ft catamaran built in Canada. Irens worked on the project, using aerospace technology to build the then biggest pre-preg boat in the world. 32 CLASSIC SAILOR

behave; and what he understands, only partly through the phenomena of his experience. That fascination with the flow of water past a hull stayed with Nigel Irens. Here, we’re looking at how some of his ideas developed in the 1970s, after he’d studied boatyard management at Southampton while living on his 22ft Falmouth Quay Punt Piskie. It wasn’t the management that engaged him, though, but the form and performance of boats. Piskie had been built at Burt’s in Falmouth in 1913 and Irens went cruising during the college vacations. Then in 1971 he sailed her to south Brittany and fetched up at the Pichavant Boatyard in Pont L’Abbé where he got a job building cold-moulded boats. He began to learn French, too, and became fluent, which stood him in good stead – and good favour – during the periods he subsequently worked in France designing record-breaking projects like the Orma-60 trimarans Sodebo and IDEC (current record holder for single-handed circumnavigation). The following year he returned to Bristol to join the inspirational boat builder and raconteur Hywel Price at the sailing school on the docks. That was good summer work, but the following winter, when he was 27, Irens decided to earn his money working on an oil rig. Flying out to the North Sea, he was struck by the beauty of the Shetland

she was bought in 1992 Robin Knox-Johnston and Peter Blake who had her modified by Irens before taking the first Jules Verne Trophy in 1994.

NIC COMPTON

How a love-affair with a slender, fast and slippery Shetland fourareen, developed Nigel Irens’ radical design approach. By William Stanton (a client)

Fleury Michon VIII, 1986, a 75-foot trimaran, won the Route de Rhum outright. This was followed by a series of winning trimarans built in France, where Irens was living at the time.

B&Q Castorama, 2004, the 75ft trimaran built for Ellen MacArthur, who set a new record for singlehanded circumnavigation.

IDEC who run min

lt r

A conversation in design that led to the radically slippery luggers Romilly and Roxanne

IDEC II, 2008, a 97ft trimaran for Francis Joyon, who took some key singlehanded records: a day run of 616 miles, Cowes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dinard 6 hours 23 mins, circumnavigation in 57 days 6 hours.

Farfarer and Maggie B, 58ft and 63ft fast cruising centreboard fusion schooners built in the USA.

Roxane and Romilly, 1994 and 1995. Radically slippery centreplate lug yawls based on Breton and Cornish working boats.

Westernman, various sizes between 40 and 60 ft. Designs developed from the traditions of West-country pilot cutters. CLASSIC SAILOR

PEOPLE OF THE SEA Islands as they lay beneath the helicopter mapped in snow, and the sight reminded him of Paul Johnson. They’d met on the Hamble, where Johnson’s parents lived aboard the Colin Archer Escape, on which Johnson had grown up; but by then he was well on his way to becoming a legend after buying an 18ft double-ended Fair Isle fishing boat, decking her over, re-rigging her as a ketch, naming her Venus and sailing her across the Atlantic. Irens had been impressed by Johnson’s practical nous and accounts of the seaworthiness of double-enders, in particular the Shetland boats. During their conversations Johnson mentioned Magnus Slater, who lived in Westerwick on the Shetlands and that planted another seed, just like those boyhood meditations that set Irens on his course. What interested him was how seaworthy and yet slippery those slender hulls were. Seaworthy, slender and fast: three notions to ponder. Back at the sailing school the following season, he decided to place an advert in the Shetland Times for a traditional working boat, of which there were two main types: the fourareen (or fourern) of about 20ft in length, and the sixareen (or sixern) which was longer, although the sixareens had become extinct by then. The names registered the number of oars shipped – four or six – and the boats were built – or perhaps assembled describes it better – out of pre-cut timber parts brought across from Norway because, as the Eyemouth museum puts it: “Being as close to Bergen in Norway as to Aberdeen, it is not surprising that the cultural inheritance of the Shetland Islands shows many Scandinavian characteristics, not least among their boats.” Their clinker-built, double-ended hulls announce it clearly, with a fine entry and a sharp rising stern, all reminiscent of the Viking ships: small boats, used for general transport between the islands and taken out to sea for fishing. They were primarily rowed, but if the wind served, they raised a square sail similar to a lug. Irens talked about his plan to Hywel Price, whose opinion was that no one would reply – and no one did. Well, he reflected,

iL AN Voyager, 1988, a 70ft power trimaran which won the Round Britain Powerboat record in 72 hours at an average speed of 21 knots with no fuel stops. 34 CLASSIC SAILOR

Annie in the 1920s: “Many Scandinavian characteristics – clinker-built, double-ended with a ﬁne entry and a sharp rising stern”.

there was only one thing for it, and at the end of the season, in September 1974, he loaded himself, his gear and his retriever Sasha into his VW camper, drove up to Aberdeen and took a rough passage on the St Clair across to Lerwick. A short time later he saw some men hauling a boat out on timber rollers and stopped to help them. Chatting afterwards, he mentioned that he knew Paul Johnson, who had mentioned Magnus Slater. That was enough; he was taken straight off to Westerwick, where Magni, as everyone called him, lived. He knew about boats, as well as crofting and raising sheep, his first occupation – and he knew where there was an old fourareen in need of some work. And so a deal was

Cable and Wireless, 1998, a 115ft development of iLAN, set a new round-theworld power record: 22,600 miles in 74 days.

Molly Bán, 2008, a 63ft monohull motor yacht, capable of very comfortable fuelefﬁcient cruising at a steady 12 knots.

done: Magni would repair the fourareen if Irens helped – and helped look after the sheep, too. The work took three months, with Irens living in a cottage loaned by Margaret Stuart, who turned Shetland wool into beautiful Fair Isle knitwear. The old fourareen had been built at Hamnavoe in 1910 by Walter Duncan, whose nephew was still building boats there, and Magni took Irens to meet him. The fourareens had six planks a side and four tafts, or thwarts – and this one needed at least two planks replaced, new tafts, a paint job and a mast and sail. She was a ‘12-footer,’ which referred to the length of her keel, but 20ft overall. The boat had no name that anyone could remember, so in the process

Ocean Eagle 43, 2013, 43m (140ft), a fast, fuel-efﬁcient, stable patrol trimaran for the French government. On trials she has done 238nM at 15 knots on just one ton of fuel.

NIGEL IRENS

of the work, Irens decided to call her Annie, after Magni’s wife. During the exchange of work, and given that Irens was going to buy Annie, he had a road trailer made. He also carved an auskerry, or bailer, from a lump of driftwood, and found a pitch-pine mast. The sail came from Willie Scott for £5, after much tea drinking, but before Annie could be taken away from the islands that had been her home for 64 years, she must take to the water once more. Magni hadn’t sailed for 35 years, and what he knew – like most Shetlanders – had been learned by imitation. Annie’s crew for this momentous occasion was Magni, a friend of his who was nearly blind, and the young Irens. He remembers the sense of excitement and privilege as he watched the two older men almost immediately get back into their groove, with Magni sitting astride the taft, tiller tucked into his groin, holding the sheet with a snubbing turn round a wellie. That was how they used to go to sea, in overalls, cloth cap and wellies. By that time, though, the Shetland boats had changed with the advent of inboard engines, and Irens saw that the form of their hulls, following their function as inboard fishing and delivery boats, had required the filling-out of their aft sections to prevent the hull ‘squatting’ under the weight of the engine. He saw the practical necessity, while

at the same time regretting the change to the fourareen’s elegant aesthetic. But Annie pre-dated all that, and she was slippery. There was one more thing to arrange before Annie was towed away that December, and that was to fill her up with Margaret Stuart’s Fair Isle knitwear, bound for Covent Garden and Christmas shoppers. As well as making friends and learning a great deal about the Shetland traditions (not to mention dipping and drenching sheep), Irens had gained valuable experience. It combined with those habits of reflection that began with boyhood intuitions, with his extensive experience of sailing and boatbuilding; but also his willingness to learn from others – and to credit them, too. There were many outcomes, but something happened during his experience with Annie; part of which was a conversation in design between her fine lines as a pulling boat and those of the sailing-fishing boats he’d encountered in Brittany. That led eventually to the radically slippery luggers Roxane and Romilly that he designed in the mid-nineties, and to other traditional-radical boats too. There were other outcomes as well, that were to develop after he brought Annie south at the end of 1974. From 1975 to 1976, Irens worked for Paul Weychan at Littleton-upon-Severn, mainly on the 56ft trimaran Quest, which

Clockwise from top: Annie, Nigel, Sasha and friends on Shetland; Farfarer, closehauled; Irens the designer.

sailed in the 1976 OSTAR. Trimaran design was evolving, with boats becoming less boxy and more stable, in particular those of Dick Newick and Walter Greene in the US and Derek Kelsall in the UK. The following year Irens at last had the chance to design and build his first boat, the 60ft trimaran Promenade, built under a temporary inflatable dome on the quay in Bristol. She was designed for the Caribbean charter trade and it’s a tribute to the quality of the work that she is still there (www. yachtpromenade.com). Then, momentously as it turned out, Irens met the Canadian sailor Mike Birch in 1978. Birch had come second in the 1976 OSTAR in his 31ft Dick Newick trimaran Third Turtle behind Eric Tabarly’s 76-foot Pen Duik VI, a result proving that the day of the lightweight racing multihull had truly arrived and Birch was on his way to racing stardom. In that year, Irens and Birch bought the wreck of Newick’s 31ft Jan of Santa Cruz in the Canaries and had her shipped to Dartmouth, where they rebuilt her. Irens then sailed her in the Round Britain and Ireland race with Mark Pridie and they won their class. During the compulsory layover in Shetland, Irens went to see Magni – and what a journey that had been, from first seeing Annie in 1974, to a class win in the Round Britain and Ireland Race! Slender, fast and slippery: at the end of the decade, Irens designed and built the 40ft trimaran Gordano Goose and won a prestigious singlehanded race with her in St Malo in 1980. This led to his departure from Newick’s design principles with the 40ft trimaran IT82, in which with Tony Bullimore he won their class in the 1982 Round Britain and Ireland race. During the layover at Lerwick, Irens again went to see Magni, but he was almost at the end of his life. A vital period ended with that boat, and that last meeting with Magni. Everything Nigel Irens had learned from his boyhood musings, his sailing and boatbuilding, an old fourareen called Annie, Magnus Slater and the Shetlanders in the winter of 1974, then from Jan of Santa Cruz and Dick Newick; from Gordano Goose and IT82, all became part of what went into his 1983 catamaran Formule Tag and his 1985 trimaran Apricot, radically different and radically slippery boats that really launched his international career.

Author’s footnote:

I first knew Nigel Irens when he had Annie, and sailed her with him in the Bristol Channel. Later we met at Brest 92, when I was sailing my Drascombe Peterboat Alice and he was sailing with the pilot cutters Peggy and Marianne. Our conversation about lines and slipperiness began again and it all led to him developing the prototype Romilly for me in 1995. CLASSIC SAILOR

BERMUDA RACING

THE

ARGO GOLD CUP ...and the part it has played in the development of the International One Designs and, eventually, Bermuda’s hosting of next year’s America’s Cup by Guy Venables

he King Edward VII Gold Cup, now the Argo Group Gold Cup, is the oldest match racing trophy for one-design yachts in the world. The actual cup was awarded by Edward VII in 1907 during Jamestown, Virginia’s Tri-Centenary Regatta, held in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America. The winner, C Sherman Hoyt, held on to it for 30 years and finally donated it to The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. He proposed that the club held an annual one-on-one 6-Metre match race series and remarked on “my returning a British Royal Trophy to the custody

of your club with its long record of clean sportsmanship and keenly contested races between your Bermuda yachts and ours of Long Island Sound and elsewhere”. It was a cup to be contested between the Bermudians and the Americans and the first winner of the cup in its new placing was the celebrated American Briggs Cunningham, who was also the first skipper to win the America’s Cup in a 12-Metre. Although it is just one of hundreds of cups in the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s stunning trophy room, it is certainly the most keenly contested. The race for which it is awarded is one of the finest yachting races in its own right, but it is noticeable how many skippers and crew who have taken part go on to racing in the America’s Cup teams. In

Right: Bounty tacking perilously close to the harbour wall Left: View of Hamilton Sound from the Gibbs Hill castiron lighthouse 36 CLASSIC SAILOR

CLASSIC SAILOR

BERMUDA RACING

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a more joyous day on the water. The boat was a delight to handle and balanced perfectly. The planning and hope and care hadn’t been in vain” Bermuda, due to the all-inclusive nature of sailing within the island’s curriculum, the competitive sailors are held, as they should be everywhere, among the ranks of superstars. In 1935 the famed American sailor and Wall street banker Cornelius ‘Corny’ Shields first set eyes on Eldon and Kenneth Trimmingham’s beautiful 6-Metre sloop Saga from the deck of Furness Withy liner Queen of Bermuda. Corny Sheilds had a good look at Saga, admiring the full-length Oregon pine planks, glued on edge so finely she “shone like a porcelain bath tub.” What if, he thought, we could tame the escalating cost of competing in 6-Metre boats? What if the playing field was levelled to allow people to win without the wealth of the boat owner to sway advantage? He persuaded the Norwegian yacht designer Bjarne Aas (who had also designed and built Saga in Norway) to secretly design a yacht along her lines but lighter, shorter and with a taller rig. The resulting design was smaller, with less displacement, but greater beam of 6ft 9in. It measured 33ft long, 21ft 5in at the waterline, had a draught of 5ft 4in and displaced 7,120 lb with a 2-ton lead keel. The mast was 45ft carrying 426 sqft of sail. They kept the traditional metre-boat’s long overhangs, graceful sheer, deep, narrow hull and lofty rig, ideal for race handling and perfectly balanced. With this came a specific intention of starting a fleet to compete between themselves. The very first, Aileen, was built and the International One Designs were born. Corny Sheilds was the first to ever sail one and he described it in a letter. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a more joyous day on the water. The

38 CLASSIC SAILOR

wind was from the northeast, light in the morning and then stronger at mid-day, so we had a chance to try her out under a variety of conditions. The boat was a delight to handle, and balanced perfectly. I felt great satisfaction at this - the planning and hope and care hadn’t been in vain.” Uffa Fox pitched in with a description likening them to a streamlined fish: “lines as clean as a smelt’s and each and every line perfect for its purpose.” With Aas in full production mode the IOD became the first serial-produced large-scale sailing boat. Aas found he could deliver up to 50 boats a year to the USA, Bermuda, United Kingdom and Norway. A year later there were 25 of them competing on Long Island Sound. In 1936 they cost £1750 each. As World War II loomed Aas, who was in Norway, realizing that invasion was imminent, buried the IOD jigs in the boatyard’s back garden to ensure their survival. The Nazis didn’t find them and they survived the war and were eventually to be used for a plug for the early fibreglass IODs. Meanwhile the racing pretty much shut down in Bermuda during the war, resuming in 1946 with the Amorita Cup on a Gold Cup course in One Designs. The sails on the Bermudan boats were in such a bad way the Americans agreed to draw straws to determine who used the American sails in the first race, and then rotated them throughout the races. The Gold Cup itself had ceased to be held from 1940 to 1950. Previously the 6-Metre boats were the class sailed in the Gold Cup but, partly due to cost, favour was swinging towards the International One Design boats. Consequently when the Gold Cup was put back up as a race trophy in 1956 racing was with the IODs and Bert Darrel had the honour of defending the cup in this new class. He subsequently went on to win it six times (although it is Russell Coutts who is the overall winner as he won his seventh championship in 2004). Then another pivot changed the future of Bermudan sailing. Following Australia II’s 1983 America’s Cup win, Americans for the first time in 132 years had to prepare to sail for the Cup in waters outside the US. Therefore, in late 1984 the Courageous (Peter Isler) and Defender (Tom Blackaller) syndicates moved their 12-Metres and training camps to Bermuda to practice in the type of ocean conditions expected in Freemantle in 1987. The potential significance of this development was not lost on a few creative visionary members of the Bermuda IOD Class. Led by Reid Kempe and Malcolm Kirkland they persuaded the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club that the

Left: windvane indicator on the clocktower of Hamilton City Hall Right, top: Bounty making full use of the blustery wind on day 2; below, L-R: Peppercorn’s distinctive hull; Vrengen in lighter winds on day 3; Falcon in full action

CLASSIC SAILOR

BERMUDA RACING

1985 was a watershed year and you can connect the dots from there to Bermuda’s winning the right to host the America’s Cup in 2017

traditional US vs Bermuda one-on-one contest for the Bermuda Gold Cup should be dropped in favour of a new round-robin format with numerous international participants. The RBYC was initially reluctant to allow what had previously been a strictly Corinthian event to take on the trappings of professionalism, with professional skippers, commercialism and even the possibility of sponsorship, but they relented as the advantages were palpable. Thus the first Bermuda Gold Cup under the new round-robin format was held in Bermuda in Spring 1985 with eight renowned international skippers, including one Bermudian. It was spearheaded and organized by an energetic band of sailing enthusiasts from the Bermuda IOD Class with help from the RBYC, some sponsors and numerous volunteers. The regatta, held in eight IODs loaned by their owners, was a resounding success and paved the way for the RBYC becoming a founding member of the World Match Racing Conference in late 1985 led by the RBYC’s Jordy Walker. The RBYC then took over the complete running of the Bermuda Gold Cup under the new and more dynamic format. 1985 was an exciting and watershed year for sailing in Bermuda and clearly led the way to the Bermuda Gold Cup becoming such a renowned fixture on the international sailing calendar, at a time when America’s Cup activity worldwide was rampant, and you can connect the dots from there including Russell Coutts winning the Bermuda Gold Cup seven times, to Bermuda winning the right to host the America’s Cup in 2017 championed by the very same Russell Coutts. Even now with the purse money at $100,000 C Sherman Hoyt’s mention of spirit of fair play seems to be all-pervasive at the Gold Cup, with hugs and handshakes being passed around after each race and teams mixing happily at the bar afterwards. The venue itself firstly is a great draw for international teams and secondly brings world-class match racing close to shore where spectators can easily see the competition. The tournament takes place only steps from Bermuda’s colourful Front Street in historic downtown Hamilton or, if you’re lucky enough to be a member or guest, one of the finest establishments in the world, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. With special thanks to Jay Kempe, George Cubbon, Paul Doughty and RBYC 40 CLASSIC SAILOR

From top: IOD lines; The original ﬁbreglass mould in Fredrikstad; US ﬂying boat roars past Mac Paschal and Leon Barnes on Mrs. Magee during the Amorita Cup April 1950; Prince Philip with Bert and Lee Darrell on Teaser 1959

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MARINE MOTORING

‘It’s life – not a holiday’ Helen Lewis launches a new series reflecting the joys and challenges of the ‘untied’ life afloat, cruising the seas, canals and rivers of Europe in her own floating home 42 CLASSIC SAILOR

ave you ever wondered what makes a sailor cruise? Why some sailors race, some day sail and some are only satisfied by cruising? It seems to me that some of the day sailors would really like to be cruisers, only hampered by the need to fund their ‘habit’, but generally racers are bored silly by cruising and vice versa. There is a fourth type of sailor who sits in harbour and dreams about the voyages he will make; some of them actually manage it while others never leave their mooring,

though they often acquire the books, charts and equipment to set forth. We could easily have been this last type but serendipity, the sad death of a parent plus the downward spiral of a career made us untie ten years ago with only the slightest backward glance. We left a small thatched cottage near a river. We gave up our jobs, waved a slightly tremulous good bye to friends and family, packed our overalls and shorts and tried to ignore the dire warnings that were flung about our ears by the land-bound. We took our dog and later acquired a cat. We sold one rotting wooden boat and ended up with another twice the size. We

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN LEWIS

CRUISING EUROPE: PART 1

spent a year in a boatyard while a team of patient shipwrights dismantled and restored her and taught us the basics so we could maintain her on our journeys. Over the next few months in Classic Sailor I want to take you on our journey from river to sea, from land-lubber to sea-gypsy, from Oxfordshire to Oslo (via Essex rivers and the Isle of Wight), through a major restoration of Gralian, our 1937 gentleman’s yacht, from Suffolk to Greece, round the British Isles, and back to the Baltic. Three very different classic boats took us on these voyages. Each held us safe and forgave our clumsy attempts to learn the

This is about what happens when you shed your daily grind and dare to enter a new world where the weather, your last landfall and where you are bound, fill your life Above left: Gralian anchored off Odysseus’ island of Ithaca. Above right: Helen with Labradoodle Lola aboard Gralian in Paris.

ropes. Each slowly moulded us and made us adapt to a different way of life and each led us further and further afield. We never thought of ourselves as sailors nor yet as ‘classic sailors’ but slowly, nautical mile by nautical mile we found ourselves living more afloat than ashore. Our lives were irredeemably changed. This is not simply about the joys of an old boat, nor the pleasure of travelling by water, nor the difference between cruising a classic and a non-classic (though there are some). This is about what happens when you shed your daily grind and dare to enter a new world where the weather, your last

landfall, what you encountered on the way, and where you are bound, fill your life. This is a journey through the canals of old Europe where you can admire Delft pottery or cycle through the tulips until the patchwork of colours sends you giddy. Where you can discover the Jewish diaspora via a bakery that still sells bolus buns, or find that Danish pastries are altogether different and more delicious in Denmark. Where you can tie up in the centre of Copenhagen and view the Little Mermaid from the water before visiting the local launderette in the famous free town of Christiania and see its sad, seamy side. CLASSIC SAILOR

MARINE MOTORING

MATTHEW LEWIS

Top: Gralian in Port Miou calanque, France. Below left: The skipper swimming. Right: Helen and Jonathanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first seagoing boat Sea Lion in Bruges

Where you can anchor in the icy calanques of France, the deep blue bay off Ischia or the soupy sandy beaches off a Greek island. If you prefer to stay closer to home you can explore the mud of the Orwell or venture up to Scotland and have a whole sea loch to yourself. You can visit a remote Scandinavian island and find a smokery to provide your supper or you can get weather-bound for three weeks in Wales without a shop for miles. You can spend an entire winter in Sicily and find storms willing to rip you from your pontoon. You can visit museums and art galleries and understand how a small town in Germany got through the war, or have all your preconceptions about Dutch history turned on 44 CLASSIC SAILOR

You can visit a Scandinavian island and find a smokery to provide your supper, or get weather-bound for three weeks in Wales without a shop for miles

their head. You learn to be self-reliant and to be humbled by the kindness of strangers. This is about cruising a classic classically. Next month: Meet the boats â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from slipper launch to seagoing motor yachts.

Helen Lewis and her husband Jonathan have been cruising classics for thirty years but only went to sea ten years ago. Helen was an NHS director and is now a magazine journalist. Jonathan is an award-winning film director and novelist. Together with their dog and cat they now split their year between Gralian and their cottage in Oxfordshire. Gralian is currently in Denmark, getting ready for her 2016 cruise.

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SUE’S CRUISE PART 3

Victoria: Hellevoe t The final stage of Sue Lewis and Howard Wheelton’s Dutch trip involves getting their little gaffer across two challenging waterways

here are several routes back across the North Sea from the Netherlands but not all of them suit us in our 21ft, 118-year-old gaffer with a temperamental little 7hp engine. Previously, in a larger boat with 50 horses under her bonnet (as they say) we have set out from Stellendam to cross to Harwich and we have also crossed from Roompot further south. However both these crossings are over 100 miles long and being straight across the North Sea are short on ports of refuge. Our plan this time is to do some gentle cruising south through Zeeland, emerging at Flushing for some coastal sailing on down to Belgium and France, and then to make the fairly short hop across the Channel from Dunkirk to Ramsgate. It’s still the end of July

and we aren’t in a huge rush: we’d like to get to Kent in time to participate in the Swale Match for Barges, Smacks and Gaffers on 8 August. It seems possible, but there’s always the weather… The first two days after the Dutch Classic Yacht Regatta, when we’d like to set sail and be on our way, we remain stormbound in Hellevoetsluis. It is not till Wednesday that we grit out teeth and head out into the force 6 westerly blowing in the Haringvliet. Westerly wind is good: we reach across to the far side with two reefs in the main and just the staysail to balance us, then once in the relative shelter of the Haringvliet’s south shore we set a course for the Haringvliet Bridge and run along at a bouncy six knots. Whilst in the Volkerak Lock we hear a gale warning for our area that convinces us to make this a short day. At least we have

broken free of Hellevoetsluis and will have a change of scene tonight wherever we go. Ooltgensplaat is on our route, only two miles past the Volkeraksluis, though with increasingly strong wind on the nose our little engine struggles even to get us clear of the lock. There are very few boats out on this murky mid-week day and no one else is sailing, but to allow the exhaust to recover its cool we hoist our sails again and beat onwards, motor-sailing in bursts for the extra lift it gives us. By mid-afternoon we are in the pretty tree-lined entry channel to the village of Ooltgensplaat. We are joined by Dutch and Belgian gaffers who have made the same trip and after a short session poring over Victoria’s troublesome engine we meet for a convivial supper on board Anemone. The talk is all of how best to get to Belgium. Our Belgian

They explain ruefully that there is no perfect way – they say we’ll end up ﬁghting the tide whatever we do! How right they are 46 CLASSIC SAILOR

THE VOYAGE HOME

e tsluis to Harwich Victoria short-tacking up the Volkerak and doing her best to keep clear of the barges (photo by Edgar Wagermakers)

friends know all about the tricky business of getting the tides right for travelling south out of the Westerschelde (though for convenience they keep Anemone in Holland) and they explain ruefully that there is no perfect way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they say weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll end up fighting the tide whatever we do! How right they are. Thursday morning the sky is black and there is heavy thundery rain so we delay our departure, finally setting off at 11am ahead of the others. We are determined to sail today even though it means short-tacking up the Volkerak in the narrowing space between the 2m depth markers and the main buoyed ship channel. It is permitted to sail into the main channel but this route is busy with long low fast-moving barges and we want to keep well out of their way. We persevere for a few miles but as the wind comes more and more onto our nose and our tacks get shorter and

CLASSIC SAILOR 47

SUE’S CRUISE PART3

However the Westerschelde is the large fast-ﬂowing mouth of the River Scheldt, and Victoria is small and her engine is not powerful and not performing shorter we relent and start the engine. Soon Victoria’s exhaust starts to stink as she fights to make headway so we decide to call it a day. Conveniently nearby is another little port we have never been to: Oude Tonge. Weed is the problem here – masses of tough clumps just below the surface as we enter the channel. At one point the propeller is so clogged that Howard can barely get the engine out of gear – time for a swim! We later learn that the local Club has a ‘weed boat’ which attempts to clear the way every morning but even so Howard anticipates another swim on the way out tomorrow. The skies have cleared and the sun’s out so it starts to feel like a summer holiday again at last. For the record, of the two new (to us) little harbours we rated Oude Tonge slightly higher than Ooltgensplaat: we liked the Club bar with its fine view of the approach channel, and the barbecue spot by the town quay was perfect with a supermarket conveniently close. Middelburg is our next stop: an early start, an early swim to check for weed before tackling the Krammersluis, and then 32 miles motor-sailing in the sunshine. We arrive in time to buy more fuel from the petrol station before they close, for Howard to tweak the petrol/oil mix as he fills the tank and even in time to sample the house beer in a quirky old Middelburg pub called De Mug (The Mosquito). Now for the tricky part: we’ve opted to sail out from Flushing and we’d like to make Ostend, but the best time for departure for the tide is at either 4am or 4pm – and neither of these suits us. We can’t get to Flushing for 4am, and 4pm seems late in the day to set out. We decide to leave when we are ready and just fight the tide. Just fight the tide! How casually we fall into this trap. We’ve done it before in a bigger boat: it’s frustrating and time-consuming but you keep to the shallower water where you can, rev up the engine, and you get there.

48 CLASSIC SAILOR

Eventually. However the Westerschelde is the large fast-flowing mouth of the River Scheldt which serves the port of Antwerp, and Victoria is small and her engine is not powerful and not performing. We emerge from the sea lock at Flushing around noon, wind light and variable, and motor straight across the Scheldt, fighting the tide not to get sucked upstream and aiming for the shallows on the Breskens side. It takes us 45 minutes to reach the far side of the channel and then we punch that tide for what seems like hours. It is hours! We want to be in the shallows but we can’t get there due to groynes along the beach. Presumably these are here for the very reason that the water flows so fast here, but there are posts in the deeper water and the closest we dare go still leaves us in seven metres of water fighting over three knots of tide. At the height of it our speed over the ground is less than one knot, dropping to zero at times – there are people strolling on the beach who are making better progress than us. There are babies crawling on the beach at a better pace than this. Then as the tide eases off our speed gradually picks up and the worst is over. At 6.30pm we pass Zeebrugge and by 7.30pm we are peering into the entrance of Blankenberge as we sail by. It is tempting, but we have no idea where we’d get petrol here whereas at Ostend we know that the Royal Yacht Club of Ostend is right opposite a Texaco garage – just another 14 miles to go. At 9.10pm we finally turn into the entrance at Ostend. It’s only been 37 miles of motorsailing but has taken us 12 hours! However, as every sailor knows, all the frustration fades with good food and a drink at the Clubhouse. We get the tides right the next day for Dunkirk: we have to fuel up and be out there early in the morning. The forecast is for light airs SW then SE, and Dunkirk is only 23 miles away. It’s a motor, wind almost dead on

Above: Victoria approaches Oude Tong Right, from left: On the Westerschelde; (upper) Neils H and Anemone moored at Ooltgensplat; (lower) First English pint at Ramsgate; Swale barges

THE VOYAGE HOME the nose but light enough not to hinder us. At 10.45am we cross the border into France and we have confirmation that we have got the tide right in the form of a parade of 19 or 20 yachts strung out ahead of us going the same way. It is too early to be stopping already but if we carried on to Calais at this pace we would lose the tide advantage. Gravelines appeals, but the tides would be all wrong for coming out again and heading westwards. It is an excellent stop off when heading east but no good to us today: so Dunkirk it will have to be. The SE wind finally fills in so we are pleased to sail along at last, albeit rather slowly. We log 27 miles in 6 hours and by 1pm we are tied up at the Yacht Club Mer du Nord scanning the next forecast. We have two rest days in Dunkirk as it turns out – up early and ready to go each day but put off by the forecasts: Monday gives “W or SW 5 or 6” for Thames, and Tuesday has a “7 at first” which is certainly off our list. By Wednesday morning the strong winds have gone through and we have the best we can hope for: “SE 3 or 4, variable later” so by 7 am we are on our way out between the pier heads. We cling to the shallows as far as Dunkirk West as we are fighting the tide but soon it has turned in our favour and the sun warms us as we enjoy bacon and eggs and peer through the haze towards Dover. At 11.30 we alter course to steer the proper 310 degree heading, at 90 degrees to the NE shipping lane, and are lucky that the only traffic there passes just ahead of us. We are within two days of one of the biggest tides of the year and there’s still quite a big range so at our slow pace our track is very similar to the ships in the SW lane! Finding ourselves sandwiched between two ships, one overtaking the other, we don’t mind being forced to turn uptide to let the second one pass in front of us. Even so, by the time we get across, still fighting the tide, we are opposite Dover: further south than necessary or desirable. We could have crossed further north and had a shorter trip but the danger then was missing the tidal gate at SW Goodwin and having to fight the tide back to that. We round South Foreland with the tide in our favour at last and the wind is helping us too so we make 6 knots without engine assistance and enjoy a lovely sail up to Ramsgate through Pegwell Bay and past the entrance to Sandwich. We survey this as we pass although the tide is wrong to enter now and by 6pm, local time we are tied up in Ramsgate: 55 miles, 10 hours. Tomorrow we have a free day to explore the river up to Sandwich before moving round to the Swale on Friday to register for the Swale Match. Mission accomplished! Victoria was second in her class in the Swale Match and was awarded the Emma Jane Cup for Seamanship: for having come rather a long way to attend! CLASSIC SAILOR 49

THE MOBi BOAT

One of a kind Duncan Curtis designed a dinghy that could be sailed by someone – like him – with multiple sclerosis. Now he thinks there might be a market for it. By Suzi Grala

ith no formal training in boatbuilding, former craft, design & technology (CDT) teacher Duncan Curtis created a boat. With a passion for sailing inherited from his mother, the construction of MOBi has been a labour of love that has seen Duncan through some difficult times as he faces his daily battle with multiple sclerosis. I met Duncan Curtis at a summer birthday party whilst under the influence of a delicious glass of bubbly or two. As a photographer and collector of interesting folk, including several of the boaty variety over the years, I found Duncan’s challenging tale to be a unique and inspirational one. An accomplished artist, film-maker and musician, Duncan recounted how he had built a sailboat from scratch over the last two years in his garage workshop – which as it turned out was five minutes walk around the corner from my home. I resolved to discover more.

Chatting with Duncan it soon became apparent that his mother, Mollie Tovey was an important source of inspiration. A love of sailing was clearly passed on in the family genes. Duncan recalls how his mother, an orphan, purchased a Milford Haven gaff cutter, the Mary Elizabeth, at the age of just 23 with an inheritance from a godmother. “Having spent her teenage years growing up with her brothers in Whitstable, she was no stranger to boats and planned to sail the Mary Elizabeth up to Chelsea and live on her,” Duncan told me. Unfortunately her dreams were dashed because “the mast was stepped in concrete and wouldn’t have made it under London’s bridges”. Events and family life took over, a move inland pushed boating out of the picture, and it was not until Duncan’s parents retired around 40 years on, to a house overlooking Glengarriff Bay, that his mother was free to reignite her passion. She purchased an old 15ft clinker lugsail dinghy to take out mackerel fishing, before eventually passing away in 1994. 50 CLASSIC SAILOR

Duncan’s own discovery of his love for the water eventually led to the design and build of MOBi. He anticipated the challenge could prove pretty monumental because of his ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). With his MS in remission, Duncan had worked as a film maker, a youth worker, a teacher and a council arts officer – as well as travelling Europe and the USA with the Brasshoppers, playing his saxophone. But when 1999 saw his MS return with a vengeance, he was left with very little energy and a lack of movement in one leg. This meant that life couldn’t go on at the same pace. It was then that Duncan’s love of sailing came to the fore. Not content with simply taking part in sailing activities, he set himself the challenge to custom-design and build a boat. An ambitious feat in the face of adversity. “When your back is weak, your legs are lumps of lead and your balance and stamina are uncertain, you might be inclined to hang up your lifejacket. But if you love the wind on your face, the sparkle of sun on the water, or the hazy morning

The MOBI boat, length14ft, beam 5ft 6in, draught 5ft (boards up). Says Duncan: “A dinghy people-carrier. Four adults with rucksacks, and a dog, no problem. Or me, with dodgy legs, a mate, and a hamper.”

DESIGN AND BUILD

Above, clockwise: Picnic flotilla on Loch Creran; Duncan and Clive; Launching at Rye; Spritsail rig. Left: The model, two views. Right: The bare hull at Seabird Boats

CLASSIC SAILOR

THE MOBi BOAT

“It’s not that easy to give up.What sort of boat might keep me afloat for a few more years? light over the ripples of the incoming tide, then you know it’s not that easy to give up. What sort of boat might keep me afloat for a few more years?” Duncan was fortunate that companion boatman, engineer and friend Clive Boyle was on hand to help with a significant amount of MOBi’s two-year construction as well as building a custom trailer. Duncan’s brother Donald helped with the rig, and his wife Catherine provided enduring support. It was in November 2010 that Duncan formulated his plan to design a sailboat prototype suitable for himself, and for others with a similar disability. Settling on the name MOBi which stands for mobility dinghy, Duncan embarked on the project, with a view that this could be something with potential for future development in the public marketplace. With that in mind he approached East Sussex wooden boat builder Ted Bird of Sea Bird Boats, who saw potential in the project. They began to gauge feasibility and costs, and MOBi, 14ft (4.2m), based on a slightly shortened Selway Fisher Avon 15, started to take shape in 2011. Duncan’s friend Clive suggested that at this stage he construct a model to help visualise the sailboat. This advice proved invaluable as Duncan considered how to resolve practical issues such as: “How to brace the mast, when it needs to fold and be un-stayed. Where to store the oars? What shape for the hidden bulkheads beneath the seats? What spaces might take storage?” The hull was finished in March, and the following months (and ensuing years) saw MOBi’s slow and exciting transformation into the realisation of Duncan’s dream. Duncan describes MOBi’s hull as “beamy”. “The rig’s centre of effort is low, so she sails quite upright... I have no need to be tipped into the water,” he adds wryly. He’s built her with two leeboards, which, he says, “most people in this country don’t like – foreign, and ugly. However, they remove the need for a centreboard, and case, in the middle of the boat, and the effort needed to work out a way to rig them (there are no books on it) has proved totally worth it. Dinghy sailors who sail with me comment on how easy it is to sail, and to move around in my boat.” MOBi is currently rigged as a yawl with a sprit mainsail like a Thames barge, with a furling jib and a small mizzen. “The mainsail brails up to the mast when not in use and the thwarts are movable,” explains 52 CLASSIC SAILOR

Above: Some of Duncan’s design drawings

Duncan, who has focused on creating a clutter-free cockpit to facilitate ease of movement in the space for himself and one crew. The mast is mounted on a tabernacle to enable it to be raised and lowered. He adds: “The mizzen mast and grab-rails around the cockpit provide plenty to hold onto. I use my arms more than most dinghy sailors to move about the boat”. Designed with “optimum stability and ease of operation” in mind, because of Duncan’s MS, MOBi’s flat bottom is good

for estuary and river sailing. “I need my adventures,” states Duncan emphatically. And he concludes: “I didn’t build a boat because I wanted to – it’s a very time and money costly way of getting what you want. The fact is I couldn’t find a boat to suit. Boat builders take note. Me and my impaired kind (MS or not) are a growing market!”

Duncan is seeking help with a current project and can be contacted by email via Classic Sailor (address p15).

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LUNE LONGBOAT RESCUE

Prepared by Scouts: a L When the Ist Upholland Scouts found an abandoned Lune Longboat, they decided to restore it to give themselves a boat to enjoy sailing on Ullswater

couts from Lancashire now have a boat of their own to sail in the Lake District after three years’ work restoring a Lune Longboat rescued from a watery grave at Holly How Youth Hostel at Coniston. The Longboat, still on its nowrusty trailer, had filled with dirty water and decomposing leaves, and, over the years sunk into the mud. The First Upholland Scout group arranged to buy it from the warden for £500. Their first job was to drag it from the undergrowth and relocate it, covered with scaffolding poles and sheets under a large redwood tree in the hostel grounds, where they left it over the winter. Alas, a branch fell off the tree, which damaged the forward thwart. Eventually the whole assembly was moved on a low-loader trailer to Scout HQ in West Lancashire, and a grant applied for from the Big Lottery’s Awards for All, to fund the restoration. Practical help and advice came from various supporters, including Martin Dooley, present owner of Character Boats which had originally built the 17ft doubleender around 1980. He provided the new trailer, spars and sails and rigging, the use of his boat shed, and, says project leader John Lechmere, “that much needed ingredient, encouragement”. Scouts themselves – boys and girls – got involved with the project, alongside adult leaders and skilled helpers. “The hull itself, once cleaned out proved to be in better

condition than expected,” explains John. “What had been thought to be osmosis proved to be just a deteriorated paint finish, easily sanded out before we refinished it with two coats of international Prekote and three coats of International Toplac in Mediterranean White.” The old antifouling was abraded and covered with an isolating coat of International Primocon followed by two coats of red Seajet 33 antifouling. All the old keel bands were renewed and a new drain bung fitted. Internally, it became clear that the hull had been re-flow-coated, poorly, so that much of it was loose and flaking and needed removing completely. The buoyancy tank/hull joints were re-glassed where they thought some leakage had occurred during the boat’s layup. Then the whole of the hull interior was cleaned and abraded, de-greased and, after acetone treatment, recoated with white polyester flow coat. Over the winter of 2014/15 they worked on such woodwork as was salvageable, generally needing to clean up, bleach out old water stains and re-stain. They made three new thwarts, a mast gate assembly and a spectacular new foredeck assembly involving deck beams, partners, samson post, iroko deck and a new gammon iron, welded up from scrap stainless, to take the new retractable ash bowsprit. They rebuilt the original rudder with the lifting tiller and re-modelled a second rudder with a new head stock to take a current-model curly tiller. Left: Cleaning out the hull. Right: New mahogany end cap being glued into position; in the workshop; leathering the mast

54 CLASSIC SAILOR

SCOUTS’ PROJECT

a Longboat for the lake “Martin provided that much-needed ingredient, encouragement”

Scouts afloat – the restored Longboat takes to Ullswater

“We also finished all the new spars that were supplied by Character boats,” adds John. “We’d taken the decision to rig the Longboat as a gaff cutter with Loch Broom Post Boat spars and sails. “In May we were able to start fixing the fittings to the mast, gaff and boom. “By August we were finishing the foredeck, leathering the mast, hanking the staysail and finally finishing all the remaining new woodwork. “By the end of August we were ready to step the mast and hoist the sails on dry land. We renewed all the rigging with braided classic hemp halyards and sheets except for the jib halyard where we used an extra long piece of pre-stretched polyester three-strand. Why? Because we had it, and the extra length means it can be used to help haul up the mast when it’s stepped. The only bit of the original rigging was a nice downhaul assembly we’d discovered when we’d jet-washed out the hull. “The halyards had stainless thimbles fitted, which meant that we needed to learn to eye splice in braid on braid rope and all the ends were spliced up in a seamanlike manner.” By the end of September they were ready to re-launch the Longboat, now named Pelican, at Glenridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater, the boat’s original home lake. The eight scouts who had helped most with the rebuild were invited for the weekend at Patterdale YHA, as well as Character Boats’ Martin Dooley.

CLASSIC SAILOR 55

On watch: kit for ship and crew

Musto Southern Ocean boot The problem with boots has always been ankle rotation. This has now been addressed with the skirted leg giving full waterproofing but early ones weren’t tough enough. These have nice thick soles to counter cold and a double leg sleeve with a 3mm neoprene lining so you can really make sure you don’t get wet. Peak has pretty much been hit here. Comfy, warm, dry. www.musto.com £149

Draper marine tool kit

The Americans, sensibly, have a standardized tool kit depending on your needs and distance of sailing. We don’t. Interform have been working closely with Draper Tools for some time to create a range of specialist tool kits to suit offshore, coastal and inshore sailing and powerboat users. Here is the 155-piece Coastal kit. www.interform-marine.co.uk £229.99

Origo in curves

The humble Origo spirit stove by Dometic is now much easier to clean, and nicer to handle with its curvy stainless sides. The stoves have one or two 2KW burners giving 4.5 hours of burning time.They take slightly longer than gas to boil a kettle but the best aspect is their safety. Price is for Origo Two on Amazon. Gimbals £85 extra. www.dometic.eu £189

Wera Zyklop

There have been many times, upside down with our heads in the bilge we can remember wishing someone would hurry up and invent the Zyklop ratchet. The head tilts to reach all angles and once in place the head can be turned using the handle, so you’re not constricted by what’s in the way of the arc of turn. It’ll also take a bit and can be used as a normal ratchet screwdriver. Genius at a cut price. www.arthurbeale.co.uk £56.29 56 CLASSIC SAILOR

Wilmex anchor winch

An anchor winch or ‘windlass’, as well as being very useful can really set off a foredeck and here’s a beauty from Wilmex in Gdansk. In polished bronze, chromed bronze or stainless steel, it’ll sparkle as well as pull. You can haul either manually or electrically with the two-gear system up to 1,600kg (3,520lb). The flywheel has folding handles to protect your shins. See it working on their website. www.wilmex.com £2,785

Over the Yardarm

Guy Venables on a beer that has been recreated from one found in a 170-year-old shipwreck

Maindeck jacket

Sometimes you just want something that’s not expensive. If that’s you then Maindeck may be your brand. We tried on their kit at the Boat Show and found it all sturdy and well thought out. Anti pill fleece lining, fully waterproof with taped seams and adjustable cuffs. Red/navy or navy/red. This jacket felt snug, warm and tough. The difference? Just look at their pricing. www.marathonleisure.com for stockists £49.99

Muhle watch

The Muhle Glasshutte 29er is named after the same class of sailing dinghy and is a lesson in simplicity and style. The strap is stainless steel or textile, both sea resistant and the workings are of the finest accuracy that you might expect from this high quality German family-run business. www.muehle-glashuette.de £1250

Shinto rasp

Japanese tools often offer up the simplicity of design that we in the west arrogantly forget to incorporate. That’s why this simple double sided rasp, with its 11in (275mm) blade is so good. With a normal rasp you’re always brusing out wood chips but here they fall straight through the cutting blades. And they are what Japanese tools are known for. Sharp. www.arthurbeale.co.uk £19.95

In a lesser classic boating magazine a few years ago, I wrote about the astonishing haul of unique vintage champagne that was found by divers in the Åland archipelago southwest of Finland on board a sunken schooner that went down in the 1840s. Somewhat eclipsed by this were also five rather meek bottles of beer. The survival of this precious cargo, incidentally, is down to the Baltic’s temperature, which is unusually consistent (between about 39 and 43 degrees on its seabed), and it has a salinity level that is less than a fifth that of oceans. Its coastal waters are also treacherously shallow. All of this makes it particularly well suited to sinking ships, and then, once they’ve sunk, to preserving them for centuries. (Creatures commonly known to erode wrecks, like shipworms, can’t survive in such brackish waters.) Anyway, the champagne went to auction, caused a huge stir and sold for fortunes (not before the divers on the boat had opened a bottle and shared it around on the deck unaware that each bottle would be worth up to fifty thousand euros). The beer on the other hand didn’t warrant such a fanfare. It was quietly taken to be studied by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the findings were sent to Stallhagen brewery of Åland. It turned out there were two different beers in these bottles that had been sitting happily at 50m below sea level for 170 years. The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland brewery analyzed them and alongside the brewery, decided to attempt to recreate the original recipes for modern industrial production. ”Our analysis focused on the physicochemical elements of the beer. We isolated and identified the microbes that are common in beers. The beer had been partly destroyed on the seabed, so it was a nice surprise to find living lactic acid bacteria in it. This type of bacteria was typical of beers in that time period, and now the bacteria have been utilized in the new-born Stallhagen beer,” says Annika Wilhelmson, Customer Manager at VTT. The result is the launching of an authentic replica of the shipwreck beer that carries the name Stallhagen Historic Beer 1843. Part of the surplus from the future sales will go to specified charitable causes, namely for marine archaeological research, maritime history and environmental measures of the Baltic Sea. “But what about the beer?” I hear you ask. Well, I have to admit that, at £89 a bottle and a very limited run, they’re not handing out samples willy nilly. That’s the high-end version targeting connoisseurs, while a “more commercially viable” replica – Stallhagen 1843 – sells at around €6 for a 37.5cl bottle in Finland and it’s quite delicious with soft bubbles, a moussy texture and an unusual sweetness. CLASSIC SAILOR 57

Off watch: reading and roasting

Tremlett A man and his boats Charles Lawrence

It was during a meeting in September 2014 with Diana and Katie Tremlett that I suggested their profusion of family paraphernalia would surely provide the ideal platform for one of Charles Lawrence’s excellent marque powerboat histories. And so it has turned out. Tremlett A man and his boats is a fascinating and revealing insight into Chris Tremlett, boat designer, innovator, boat builder and water/snow ski expert. With an incisive foreword by well-respected powerboat expert and journalist Ray Bulman it sets the scene for a story outlining the life of a remarkable man. Born in 1936 Chris Tremlett established Tremletts (Skicraft) Ltd in 1960, based at Odhams Wharf in Topsham, Devon, to manufacture competitively priced wooden water sport boats. His output matured into the production of wooden cruisers before GRP took over to make ever larger cruisers, such as the 42 Offshore, as well as commercial, work boats, and RIBs. There’s also information on his racing exploits and a fascinating link to a yard in Mauritius. With his usual clarity and care interlinked with delicately penned outline drawings Charles Lawrence takes us through the Tremlett evolution, adding fascinating information, including his venture into hydrofoils. Sadly, Chris Tremlett died in 2008; his like is surely missed. MT £15.00 charleslawrencechiswick.co.uk

Cooking under Pressure Most people, when they think of pressure cookers wince and tell stories of extra portholes blown through various parts of boats. These were the old aluminium ones that did indeed creak and hiss at you and would sometimes get a bit jumpy. The next thing that people imagine is that all you can do in a pressure cooker is curry (see extract from Bernard Moitessier’s Sailing to the Reefs, right). Here in this series we look at the wide range of meals one can make that are not only incredibly quick and easy but retain far more flavour than their longwinded counterparts. We used a Kuhn Rikon duromatic pressure cooker. Other pressure cookers are available but this one is pretty good. Now, who wants a roast chicken in 25 minutes? You will need: 1 (2 lb) whole chicken 2 tablespoons olive oil salt & pepper 1½ cups chicken stock Rinse chicken & pat dry. Season with salt & pepper. Heat oil in uncovered pressure cooker; brown chicken on all sides in hot oil. Remove chicken. Place rack in pressure cooker and place browned chicken in rack (if you don’t have a rack it’s not absolutely necessary). Add stock around chicken. Place lid on cooker, seal, and bring up to pressure. Cook for 25 minutes. Release pressure by quick release method. Remove chicken to platter, pour accumulated juice into bowl & serve with torn off chunks of chicken. Because the liquid is retained throughout, the flesh of the chicken stays particularly moist. If you feel fancy you can always rub the skin in something like paprika or add a bayleaf to the stock. Now pop the cork on something cold and white and enjoy. GV 58 CLASSIC SAILOR

Shoreside

Run ashore

Places we love

Send us your favourite pubs

The Ship at Itchenor

Cornwall

Here’s an opportunity to buy a flat with stunning sea views for around £200,000. This unusual flat is located in the Napoleonic Grade II-listed Fort Picklecombe, near Plymouth. The historic building was commissioned by Lord Palmerston in the 19th Century to defend the local naval base. It sat derelict for many years, until being converted into 103 flats in the 1970s. The two-bedroom flat currently on sale may be in need of refurbishment, but we’re a handy bunch and it has a balcony with incredible views. You also get communal facilities, including gardens, a heated swimming pool, a private beach, harbour, slipway, tennis courts, allocated underground parking and being right there in excellent sailing country. Offers over £200,000 are invited for 44 Fort Picklecombe, Maker, Cornwall, PL10 1JF. Contact Marchand Petit on 01752 829000 or via www.marchandpetit.co.uk to arrange a viewing.

North Devon

If however you just want to get away from it all, this fantastic Grade II listed watchtower, with fabulous views over the River Taw, has been refurbished It’s a proper holiday because you can’t even cook, there’s no cooker just a microwave and toaster! So you’ll just have to go pubbing in Bideford, Westward Ho!, Croyde or Barnstaple. You poor things. www,holidaycottages.co.uk from £285 a week.

Oak lined throughout, the Ship is a lofty but cosy pub with a separate drinking bar and restaurant. Michael Frith paintings adorn the walls (he’s a local). Busy all summer but well staffed and slickly run it’s the best pub in the Chichester Channel area and can be reached at all states of tide. Good local beers with Arundel Castle and Ballards best on full-time with Langham and Horsham Best on at time of writing. It’s in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. They also stock a ‘better than most pubs’ wine cellar. Food is also good ranging from the huge seafood platter for two (£55) to inexpensive catches of the day and they do a really good burger but if you’re lucky and it’s on the specials board, go for their superb garlic mackerel. There's accommodation for the seasick and you’ll always find a helpful ear at the bar for local salty advice. There’s also a ferry service across the water to Bosham Hoe. (01243 512284)

South Devon

Querquay has been a well known bolthole rental that most of us can only dream about buying. Down on the water’s edge in Kingswear (the sunny side) is this fantastically nutty detached four-bedroom place made from local stone with several outhouses. Mature gardens, National Trust woods behind, small beach in front and between the house and the beach a wooden station platform-style deck from which you can watch the local steam train drive past. We are not kidding. Price on application which probably means “find a rich uncle”. Stags Dartmouth: 01803 835336 www.stags.co.uk CLASSIC SAILOR 59

BS DIV A O CR IN FF IP E ER TIO N

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

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DIY BOAT DES IGN THE CRUISING LIFE

NIGEL IRENS AND ANNIE COWES CLASSIC SEAGULLS: A STA S CLASSES RTER’S GUIDE POLISH UP YOU R HULL

Instructors’ tales: Well done Fido

In which Neil Payter obtains some canine assistance in creating a true shaggy dog story

“Did that dog really just park the boat?”

accomplished with a degree of shouting (and swearing). I closed on the pontoon from the other direction. The tide was against me to slow me down, and with the wind blowing me onto the pontoon, it couldn’t have been easier. I went into neutral, lashed the tiller, and walked to the shrouds, rolling a fag with a

distinctly nonchalant air. I shouted instructions to Fido, ‘’left a bit... right a bit... that’s good’’. Aware of course that Fido by now had the audience. As predicted, the boat closed on the pontoon doing less than half a knot. I stepped ashore, tied up the boat, and called back: “Neutral Fido – and well parked!’’.

Needless to say, the school boat’s crew were wide-eyed at this boathandling dog. They ambled along and asked incredulously: “Did that dog really just park the boat?” “Oh yes,” I replied easily. ‘’How on earth did you train the dog to do that?’’ ‘’Treat it with kindness,’’ was all I could say. CLASSIC SAILOR 61

GUY VENABLES

iving on my boat (a Yamaha 34) at Haslar Marina with my partner Maria, who runs the Lightship bar & restaurant there, I have plenty of opportunities to witness the difficulties many boat owners experience parking a boat. As a yachtmaster instructor I am of course always sympathetic and ready to help if asked, but who of us can resist a little amusement at others’ expense once in a while? Last summer I had to take my boat round to Gosport marina to fuel up. I was alone apart from the company of a friend’s dog, who loves being on board. Fido (let’s call him that) sat at the rear of the cockpit, one paw on the tiller, bright eyed and bushy tailed, taking in everything around him. All he needed was the Captain’s hat to complete his air of authority. I approached the fuel berth at the same time as a sea school boat, also going in for fuel. There were four students on board. They were attempting to park with the tide behind them and the wind blowing them off the pontoon. They made it – just, after a flying leap ashore with the mooring lines. Of course their fenders were all at the wrong height, some too high and some too low. All was

Tides: Diamonds are your best friend By John Clarke, Principal of Team Sailing The direction of tides is as important as their rise and fall. The key to this information on a chart is the system of tidal diamonds, spot points which correlate with tables that show the direction and rate of tidal flows at different stages of the tide

ast time we looked at how the tide goes up and down in a cycle of approximately 12.5 hours, as the earth rotates on its axis and the moon rotates around the earth. So too it flows left and right in the same cycle, again following the earth’s and moon’s rotation. And again, just as the rise and fall of the tide can be fairly small (at Portsmouth at neap tides the rise and fall is less than 2 metres, whereas at Jersey at spring tides it is 10 metres), so also the movement left and right can be small or great. In the east Solent, it rarely moves at greater than 2 knots, compared with 10 knots in the Alderney Race (the sea between Alderney Island in the Channel Islands and Cherbourg). Clearly it’s important to know this information, since it will influence where you end up. Thus if you are heading south with a tidal stream of two knots going east, in a direction of 090º (T), you’ll end up two miles east of your course after an hour; similarly with the same tidal stream going west 270º (T) you’ll end up two miles west of your course after an hour. Self-evidently it will flow more quickly or slower over the six-hour or so period when it is flowing in a particular direction, then it will be slack (i.e., not flowing), then it will reverse direction for another six hours – and so the cycle repeats itself. In addition the rate of flow will be greater when we have a spring tide than when it is a neap tide, since more water is pulled around the earth at spring tides. Fortunately over the centuries these tidal streams have been measured, and this information is readily available to us by two means: tidal diamonds and tidal stream atlases. Tidal diamonds are placed at strategic points on charts. See Figure 1, which shows the location of tidal diamond H. And Figure 2, which gives the required information. But what do the numbers and words in Figure 2 mean? Well, let us assume that high water St Helier is at 15.15 hours and we want to know what the tide is doing at H at that time, then reading across we see there the numbers 054, 0.6 and 0.3. In other words the tide is flowing in a direction of 054º, at a rate of 0.6 knots at spring tides and at 0.3 knots at neap tides. The tidal stream atlas gives the same information, but in a pictorial form. It is either shown as a couple of pages in the nautical

62 CLASSIC SAILOR

almanac (see Figure 3) or can be purchased separately as a 13-page booklet. Let us assume that high water Dover is at 10.45 and we want to know what the tide is doing off the northwest tip of Jersey at 13.45 hours. Looking at the picture for HW+3 at that point, and placing our plotter along the line of the arrow, we can read off the plotter and find that the tide is moving in a direction of 197º. The figures 07.17 are shown next to the arrow. This does NOT mean that the tide is running at 7 or 17 knots, but at 0.7 and 1.7 knots, and self-evidently 0.7 is the neap rate and 1.7 the spring rate. Clearly we cannot have this information for every point on the chart, so there will always be an element of chance if you do not happen to be precisely at that point – which in any event you cannot be, except for a second or two. But usefully when we are in the open sea, (rather than inshore when in any event we are using pilotage techniques) these differences in tidal flow are quite small. Secondly you need a reference point for the tide, and in this case the chart with tidal diamond H on it is using St Helier in Jersey as the reference point. (You MUST check on which harbour is being used as the reference for the tidal diamond. But if you look at Figure 4, there they are using Dover as the reference.) And thirdly, you cannot have this information at every moment in time. Both the tidal diamonds and the tidal stream atlas provide the tidal information every hour. And you must remember that this is the average of what the tide is doing during the hour centred on that particular time. So, if you look at what the tide is doing when we are, say, three hours before high water (let us say it is 11.10 hours) then this is the average of what the tide is doing between 10.40 and 11.40. Finally, you will of course be aware that it is very rare for the tidal range to be exactly the mean spring range or the mean neap range. In these cases the information is usually good enough to estimate the strength of tide. For example if the range on a particular day is 2.6 metres at Portsmouth (remember the mean neap range is 1.9 metres and the mean spring range is 3.9 metres) and you are using a Solent tidal atlas which has Portsmouth as its reference point. If the numbers next to a particular arrow are 12 and 24, that means that at neaps

Fig 1

Above Fig 1, circled: Tidal diamond H provides a point of reference for tidal stream tables for the area. Remember: The rate (of ﬂow) relies on the range (of tidal heights)

it flows at 1.2 knots and at springs it flows at 2.4 knots. On this day the range is 2.6 metres, which is a little closer to the neap range than the spring range, so we would simply guess the flow at that point as 1.6 knots. There are ways of working this out exactly, but what I’ve described here will normally be good enough.

Next month we’ll look at how we can use this information for navigation purposes.

Fig 2

Fig 2: Tidal stream charts for the area including tidal diamond H, opposite. Fig 3: The same information in pictorial form. Fig 4: Make sure you are using the relevant tables to the chart in question â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this one covers Dover

Fig 3

Fig 4

CLASSIC SAILOR 63

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Polishing up the gelcoat

Topsides looking a bit dull? David Parker describes how to buff up your boat by choosing the right polishing compounds and a power polisher

hen you have owned wooden boats, as attractive and charismatic as they are, there is no getting away from the fact that the maintenance of one of any size demands a heavy time commitment. Which is why I now own a very forgiving, low-maintenance GRP hull. Of course that too needs looking after but, providing the hull is sound, restoring a faded and oxidised gelcoat surface is a pretty straightforward process. Indeed this is a job which many boat owners are capable of, if you follow a few simple guidelines and have the right kit. The reason gelcoat becomes chalky and hazy over time is that as it ages the effects of harsh marine conditions take their toll. The main culprits are oxidisation, ultra-violet light damage and environmental pollutants. Oxidisation occurs because of the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere. Gelcoat is polyester resin and as oxygen reacts with polymers in the resin it weakens their structure due to a ‘free radical’ attack on carbon atoms. Ultra-violet light accelerates this process, which in turn enables the degradation to work deeper into the polymer matrix causing a loss of gloss and pigment discolouration. Gelcoat also becomes increasingly porous as it gets older, therefore it is more easily subjected to staining from water and airborne dirt particles. For the process of restoring oxidised gelcoat the products required are cleaners, polishing compounds, and waxes. Small areas can be treated by hand, but for a hull you will need a 68 CLASSIC SAILOR

power polishing machine. Note the term ‘polishing’ here is not to be confused with waxing. In this context polishing relates to using a rubbing compound which actually abrades the gelcoat to rejuvenate its shine. In the ‘compounding’ process you are effectively removing the microscopic broken bonds in the degraded gelcoat and exposing new full polymer bonds. The polishing compounds typically contain aluminum oxide and it is this mineral which actually does the ‘cutting back’ of the gelcoat to remove the chalkiness and loss of colour. Correctly done, this process then gives consistency once again to the pigment and restores the finish to a high lustre. However because rubbing compounds are abrasive then once you start compounding it you will have to keep doing this, typically once a year to keep the gelcoat in top condition. You will also have to wax it at least twice and possibly three times a year to further stop UV light attacking the surface. Keeping it clean Basically there are three stages involved in gelcoat polishing, each of which requires a separate type of product. The first, as you might guess, is cleaning. The surface has to be thoroughly washed because there is no point compounding dirt and dust into a hull with a powerful polishing machine. Indeed the removal of grime and heavy accumulations of film alone can dramatically improve the look of the gelcoat. Also frequent washing is relatively inexpensive and will prolong the life of the resin surface because it removes contaminants before

Before starting any work make sure the hull has been thoroughly cleaned. A hand spray is useful for spotcleaning stubborn dirt and marks. Different cleaners are available depending on the levels of dirt and grime

they have a chance to bond or etch into it. A thoroughly washed and prepared gelcoat will also keep polishing pads and cleaning cloths in better condition during the next stage. A hose or pressure washer is a good way to initially remove all loose air and water-borne dirt. However there are also advantages to cleaning areas by hand, because by doing so you are more likely to notice any areas which may require spot maintenance, such as gelcoat filler for minor damage. For general cleaning, detergent-based boat washes will

remove wax, grease and other light contaminants. Mineral stains, caused by rust marks and minerals leaching out of dirt, will require a proprietary agent formulated to remove stains using chemicals to dissolve or bond to them so the stains can be rinsed away. Usually these are brush-on gel formulations. After cleaning, rinse and dry the hull before proceeding to the next stage. For mild oxidisation ‘OneStep’ products which combine a rubbing compound and a wax may be an option. However for a heavily oxidised or chalky

The process will be complete when you have achieved a depth of shine you are happy with and an even colour with no haziness

hull then ‘cutting back’ with a dedicated polishing or rubbing compound will be required. When the surface is clean, if you have revealed any deep scratches, gouges or chips then a gelcoat repair will be necessary. Only ever use harsh treatments such as wet and dry paper on a hull as a very last resort. Getting abrasive As outlined above all polishing compounds gently abrade the gelcoat and products labelled as colour restorers and sealers also normally contain abrasives to a lesser degree to achieve the

same results. To test whether a product has abrasive properties put a small drop of compound on the tip of your finger and you should be able to feel particles in solution which actually do the ‘cutting back’. Compounds are available in various grades starting with coarse and getting successively finer. Bear in mind when selecting a grade that just mildly abrasive products can often restore moderately oxidised surfaces when used with a polishing machine and the correct polishing buffs. Using a more aggressive cutting compound Left: using a polishing compound, such as Starbrite, right, to gently abrade the surface

than is required wears away the gelcoat unnecessarily. Gelcoat is essentially cosmetic and is the resin coating applied to a highly polished mould at the beginning of the boat building process, so it is relatively thin. If it is too heavily abraded, particularly when using a machine, then you could even end up exposing the GRP lay-up itself. When the correct grade of an initially coarser compound has been used, the same area is then compounded with a lighter grade finishing compound to remove swirl marks and smooth the surface. For the finest compounding grades, manufacturers often recommend softer types of polishing buffs for their machines, particularly for darker hulls where compounding imperfections will be more noticeable than on lighter gelcoat. The process will be complete when you have achieved a depth of shine you are happy with and an even colour with no haziness. Check from a variety of angles because swirl marks may not be visible from one side depending on how the light is falling. Also gauge the quality of the finish by looking for a reflection which is smooth and not distorted. Waxing your buff After using the successive polishing/rubbing compounds, the exposed new shiny surface must be protected with a good quality marine wax to seal it. Marine Wax provides a durable protective layer and has UV inhibitors to help stop fading and oxidisation, and a deep gloss wax reflects back a lot more damaging UV light. It also prevents further staining. For waxing, warmer temperatures are ideal because if it’s too cold the polish becomes hard to work into a surface. However on a hot day in direct sunlight it will dry too quickly and not ‘flow.’ Some waxes can be applied by hand or machine, but by hand is often preferred so the

Working practices If working overhead wear eye protection and it is also often preferable to wear gloves when rinsing out polishing buffs. I find the black gauntlet type of rubber gloves are ideal for this. They are also much more comfortable to wear than the blue nitrile surgeon’s type of gloves, which are best saved for the fiddly bits such as when cleaning metal fittings etc. If you need to work low to the ground then knee pads are also recommended. For larger craft, working from a ladder is fine, but if you can use trestles and scaffold boards to make a working platform this can be more convenient. Work in a ventilated area because many products contain petroleum distillates which could be harmful if inhaled and cause nose and throat irritation. Don’t use an electrical polisher when the boat is afloat.

Microfibre cloths are recommended for hand waxing. Below: Meguiars marine wax

wax goes on the boat and is not clogging up the buffing pad. If you use a machine, then have separate buffs for compounding and waxing if possible because it can be difficult to get them completely clean if you’re down at a boat yard only using cold water. For hand waxing, microfibre cloths or soft cotton towels are the best thing to use. Wax an area about a couple of square feet at a time applying it with a steady circular motion. When dried to a haze polish with a clean cloth. A gelcoat surface can also be sealed using synthetic compounds such as acrylics which are applied in a number of coats. Glazes such as these cure to form a permanent coating so are different from waxes which remain semi-solid and can be reapplied and buffed again as necessary. CLASSIC SAILOR 69

Polishing hulls

Polishing Products The selection of boat cleaners, polishes and waxes to choose from is huge with brands like Farécla, 3M, Silky, Rupes, Starbrite, Boat Buddy, Ensearch, Meguiars, and Collinite. They are a bit like antifouling or varnish in that people tend to find a make they like and stick to it and as ever price, availability and budget will be a factor. I find that with the budget products available in chandlers you tend to use more of their abrasive compounds to get a good result. Below I have highlighted a typical selection of cleaning and polishing products which I have found perform well and are straightforward to use. But whatever the brand, preparation and proper application are key to achieving good results. As with any maintenance job whether it be painting, varnishing or polishing the results achieved are only ever as good as the work put in. 3M You often see 3M products used in yards by professional boat polishers which in itself is a strong endorsement. ‘OneStep’ treatments include the Fibrecglass Cleaner and Wax and the Fibreglass Restorer and Wax both of which contain a rubbing compound. The Cleaner and Wax is for light to medium oxidation and the Restorer and Wax for heavier work. Both are effective in producing an even gloss finish although you may find you have to have the machine running at high revs to get a good shine. Where oxidation is heaviest it is best to use 3M polishing compounds and waxes separately. Here the Marine Imperial Compound & Finishing Material followed by the Finesse-It II Finishing Material will achieve good results. The Imperial Compound has more aggressive ‘cutting back’ properties to rapidly compound the surface and it is used with a 70 CLASSIC SAILOR

white lambswool buffing head. The finish achieved with this product alone is high and it is then recommended that you follow it with the Finesse-It II compound using a 3M yellow lambswool buffing head, particularly on a darker coloured hull where compounding marks might be more noticeable. I find the Scotchgard Liquid Marine Wax goes on more easily than the Paste Wax but in warm temperatures the stuff in a tin is handy to keep on board to touch up areas, and both gave a good shine. Farécla Farécla have one of the widest boat cleaning product ranges but one product I particular like for preparation work is the Rapid Stain Remover. It is a gel formulation containing oxalic acid which you brush on, leave to work for 10 minutes and then wash off, although you might need a plastic scraper to help with the really stubborn dirt. The Deep Clean Wash is also one of the superior general cleaners and can be mixed with water in various concentrations depending on what the job requires. Profile Power Wash can be used by hand as well as in a power washer. As regards polishing compounds, the Surface Restorer is designed to remove lighter oxidisation, discolouration, fine lines and surface scratches. The Gelcoat Restorer and Wax does a similar job for milder discolouration and includes a wax to coat the surface afterwards. However for more serious oxidisation there are compounds available in various grades going from extra coarse to fine. The fiercest I have used is the 200XL Supercut Surface Restorer but this is too aggressive for general use. It is really designed for something like smoothing up to P800 grit sanding marks following a gelcoat repair. So for general maintenance and oxidisation removal start with the 300

FARÉCLA (Above) Deep Clean Wash 500ml £9.95 Profile Power Wash 500ml £7.20 Rapid Stain Remover 500ml £13.50 Surface Restorer 500ml £14.50 Profile Gelcoat Restorer /Wax 500ml £12.28 Profile UV Wax 1000ml £17.50 Profile Polymer Wax 1000ml £19.20 Profile 200 XL Supercut 1000ml £20.99 Profile 300 1000ml £20.99 Profile 500 1000ml £19.94 Metal Cleaner 500ml £15.99

Rapid Cut and finish with the 500 Liquid Cut. Most of the compounds are also available in mini tubes. With the waxes Profile UV Wax contains a high level of carnauba wax and is the more traditional type of boat wax which goes on quite thickly as you work it in. Profile Polymer Wax has a lower viscosity and goes on more quickly but still produces a good gloss finish with evenness and clarity. Collinite I have included these as none of the Collinite products contains abrasives and they achieve good results by hand providing a

3M (Above right) Fibreglass Cleaner and Wax 1000ml £25.95 Fibreglass Restorer and Wax 500ml £12.17 Marine Imperial Compound & Finishing Material 1000ml £37.80 Marine Finesse-It Finishing 500ml £12.17 Ultra Performance Paste Wax 269g £26.60 Scotchgard Liquid Marine Wax 500ml £15.35

COLLINITE (Right) No. 920 Fibreglass Boat Cleaner 473ml £13.60 No. 850 Metal Wax 473ml £17.69 No. 870 Cleaner Wax 473ml £22.83 No. 925 Fibreglass Boat Wax 473ml £21.48 No. 885 Heavy Duty Paste 12oz £23.92

hull is not too heavily oxidised. However in my opinion for serious fading and discolouration more aggressive compounding products would be required. The first step is the Fibreglass Boat Cleaner designed to remove light oxidation, dirt, film, oil, grease and staining. It is not a detergent but quite viscous with the consistency of a liquid wax. By hand it does give good improvement for little effort but using a power polisher with a polishing pad is far better. Collinite also produces a range of waxes. Cleaner-Wax 2 in 1 is designed for lighter jobs to remove dirt and mild oxidation. However it is also

Keep the machine moving and don’t linger too long on the same spot. If in doubt choose a slower speed and avoid excessive pressure which can damage

recommended that for added protection you follow up with one of the final stage waxes such as Fibreglass Boat Wax. This is also a stand-alone liquid wax after the cleaner and is designed to protect the coating against weather and UV light. The best of the bunch though for me is the Collinite Heavy Duty Paste Wax which gives a high gloss surface and is one of the best boat waxes I have used. Power Polishers Polishing technique with a machine When using a polishing machine work slowly and systematically, cultivating a light

touch. If polishing compound is in a tub, it can be painted on or applied with a soft cloth but do not let the paste dry out and do small areas at a time. If it’s in a bottle always remember to give the compound a good shake before use to ensure any suspended particles which have settled out are well mixed. Then squeeze out several blobs of polish on the buffing head each time you need to apply it. Hold the machine and then with it still switched off use the buffing head itself to spread the polish on to the gelcoat area with a figure of eight action. If you start the machine before doing this you will find

Below: Squeeze out several blobs of polish on the buffing head each time you need to apply it Right: Keep the machine moving to prevent the build up of hot spots

you probably splatter polish compound everywhere. Once the compound is reasonably spread on the area to be treated, gently bring the polishing pad against the gelcoat and start the machine slowly to prevent compound spraying off. Work on small areas of about a couple of square feet or a shoulders’ width at a time and use an overlapping circular motion. Keep the machine moving and don’t linger too long on the same spot. Recommendations for operating speeds vary; some manufacturers state that you should run a rotary machine at between 1500 and 1800 rpm. For me this is too quick and I find that working around 1000 rpm is adequate. If in doubt choose a slower speed and avoid excessive pressure which can damage the gelcoat. At the leading edge of mouldings it is very easy to abrade through the gelcoat if a vulnerable profile is compounded too heavily. Polishing machines are highly effective but can quickly wear through gelcoat. Similarly take special care on the exterior angles of a chine hull; if in doubt just work up to an edge with the machine and do the vulnerable areas by hand using polishing cloths. Around fittings it is also better to work by hand and in tight spots on deck watch out for cable snags. A snagged cable can snatch at the machine and then the wire can end up wrap-

The better the buffer, the better the job There is a massive range of polish products to choose from, however how they are applied and worked to high lustre will make a big difference. This is where the importance of a decent buffing head comes in. Typically manufactures have their own versions of foams and buffs with backing pads but I find the wool/acrylic 3M double-sided polishing pad to be very effective and the easiest and quickest type to clean. With the correct chuck fitting, rotary polishing machines can be used with either foam or lambswool buffers and an M14 adapter may be required to fit the 3M buffs to some machines. ping itself around the polishing wheel and rip out if you’re not careful. I have had this happen to me once when I was distracted … it is easily done. Always rinse out the polishing pad in water when changing through the compound grades then spin the buff at high speed on the machine to dry it. When you have finished using it for the day also wash the pad clean. If you do not, then next time

CLASSIC SAILOR 71

Power polishers to consider

Silverline At the budget end of polishing machines the Silverline (£54.95) is a third of the price of more expensive models and it does have it clearly written on the box that it comes with a 3-year guarantee. It is certainly a serviceable tool and the robust feel is heightened by details such as a durable metal rather than plastic casing around the head for example. And it comes with spare brushes for the motor. However the polishing accessories included in my opinion are poor and the trigger mechanism can be a bit stiff. Another downside is that at 2.9kgs it is on the heavy side if you are doing a lot of overhead work.

not only will the buff be less effective, but wax allowed to harden into a polishing pad will go solid and can cause scratches. Similarly always wash out polishing flannels and microfibre cloths after use. Do not lay a polishing pad face down on the floor or it will pick up grit. A water spray bottle is also useful to locally clean areas and help buff dried compound. Choosing a polisher A key part of getting good results is using a decent polishing machine and buffing accessories. Some polishers can also be used for sanding but the cheaper automotive type of twin-grip buffers you see typically in car accessory shops are just for buffing wax so are not suitable for use with the compounding polishes used to restore gelcoat. Proper boat polishing machines have a rotary or orbital movement at the disc head but whichever design you choose look for one with a variable speed. Do not use a grinder with a buffing attachment. High speed machines generate too much heat into the gelcoat. One way to lessen the risk of surface damage due to heavyhanded operation is to choose an orbital type polisher, also known as a dual action machine. These combine an oscillating and elliptical motion designed to reduce swirl marks. They are 72 CLASSIC SAILOR

Rupes More expensive, but a durable, quality machine which I know professionals use, is the rotary Rupes LH 18ENS (£198.00). At 2kg it allows you to work away comfortably, especially when using the polisher for long periods or when doing overhead polishing. In operation the dual gear reduction system provides plenty of torque at low revs and vibration is low. The soft start feature means you can ease into the polishing motion without the pad rotating too quickly as you start. The machine will rev from 700-1850 RPM and the speed dial is conveniently placed close to the on/off operating trigger.

considerably more expensive but mirrors the action of the hand as the whole pad moves at the same speed in small orbits. This makes it easier to control and you tend to keep the polishing head flatter on the surface which avoids hot and cold spots. Random orbital machines are a big advantage for the less experienced but they can be heavier and vibrate more. Use foam pads, which help dissipate heat, or microfibre buffers. However the straightforward rotary polisher is perfectly adequate if used with care. With the rotary polisher a pad with a large circumference will allow you to cover a bigger area quickly but the outer edge which does the work will be spinning faster than the centre, generating more heat. Features to look for Ideally it would be good to try a polisher before you buy because some polishers seem to have quite a lot of vibration when

compared to other models. Individual testing isn’t usually possible but there are general things to look for. A prime consideration is that ergonomically the tool should feel comfortable. A lightweight tool with a slim body makes handling easy. One that weighs 2kg will feel very different to one that weighs 3kg, although if the machine feels well balanced in the hand then this makes a difference. Look for a variable speed selection – and a ‘soft start’ feature where the revs build up slowly is also handy. Some polishers have the power switch on top of the machine which I find more awkward to use than a trigger embedded in the handle. The latter is more practical because you don’t have to move your hand for the on/off control. Also a top switch does not switch off automatically when you release your grip on the trigger handle. Most power polishers have side handles included but some

Makita The Makita 9227CB (£199.96) polisher’s build quality is impressive although it can seem a bit bulky and heavy at just over 3kg. With some power tools you tend not to bother with the handle, but with this one it feels better with it fitted. The motor range is from 600 to 3000 RPM and there is plenty of torque at low speeds. Increasing revs is seamlessly smooth and it is the quietest polisher I have used. The machine is designed to be converted to a sander and again it has a soft start feature. However I am not so keen on the foam polishing pads they supply for it and prefer to use it with a 3M polishing pad.

Right: To measure the effectiveness of a polishing compound a Gloss Meter, such as the PCE-GM 50 shown here can be used. This allows you to take spot measurements to determine the reflected light and measure the gloss at a particular point on a surface. At very high readings from a meter, say in the 90s it is very hard to tell much difference by eye. Interestingly though gloss meter on a hull readings drop by a couple of points when you apply a finishing wax but this is to be expected.

Below: A random orbital sander and some orbital pads

designs also have a protruding stub head at the business end so you can grip it here too. I actually find this type of grip an easier technique because it allows you to more readily gauge the pressure you are applying to the polishing head – particularly handy when working on deck mouldings and around fittings. A loop handle design makes it easy to change hand positions and balance the machine to get a comfortable polishing action. This type of wrap around grip also means that when you put the polisher down on its back in a grubby boatyard it keeps the tool body and pad clear of the ground. A spindle lock for when changing pads is also useful. Finally look at the power cables – as with any power tool on a boat, the longer and stronger the better. Cables should have a stout entry point so they are not ripped out easily; they should be durable and flexible and not kink and snag as cheaper plastic coated wires can tend to do.

Skills: Thoughts on some Slip Knots

Des Pawson introduces some variants of the Slip Knot – the useful knot with the looped end to pull to undo, with some words of caution: “It was a long way down the harbour wall to the dinghy... I was extra careful to make sure which end took the strain and which was the release”

ILLUSTRATIONS: DES PAWSON

Above: the Falconer’s Hitch. Left: The Highwayman’s Hitch. Below: the Sampan Hitch, a variant of the previous two knots used by far-east boatmen.

knot tied properly and tightened, under strain, can be difficult to undo, even when the strain has been removed. To avoid this the answer is to finish the knot by tucking in a bight of the rope, rather than the end, making the knot easily slipped, or spilled, undone. Many standard knots are far more useful as a slipped version; after all, one of the most regularly used knots is the Slipped Reef or Bow, used to tie our shoes, unless you use the Slipped Granny (shame on you!). If you are extra clever, perhaps you can use the Turquoise Turtle, which is a slipped variation of the Surgeon’s Knot. Other common knots that have a very useful slip

version are the Constrictor Knot and the Rolling Hitch. There are also a number of unique slip knots. One is the Highwayman’s Hitch, said to have been used by Dick Turpin to make his quick escapes. It should be used with care, but makes an impressive way of making your dinghy fast high up on a harbour wall. The hitch can be easily undone from the dinghy when it is time to depart. I used this to great effect many years ago in tying up a dinghy in the harbour at Port Tudy, on the island of Groix, off the Brittany coast, where there is a very big tidal range, so it was a long way down the harbour wall to the dinghy. When I made the knot I was extra careful

to make certain which end took the strain and which was the release. I first saw the Highwayman’s Hitch in a school history book where it was described as a Falconer’s Knot, but probably the true Falconer’s Knot is a slip knot that can be tied with one hand with perhaps a little tension on the standing, or bird end, of the leash. The short working end is usually tucked loosely through the bight to avoid accidents. Something to be considered with other slip knots. Slip knots should be used with care. Do test that the strain can be taken on the end you are expecting it to be taken on. Make sure that everything is good and tight, as any slackness in the knot

will lead to trouble. Also be aware that the loop part can snag, or be released accidentally should the tail get caught, and avoid using very slippery rope. These knots work best in natural fibre or matt polyester ropes. Great care should be taken when tying these knots, in fact there’s one special series of slip knots, the Cod End Knot, used to tie the cod end of the trawl where all the fish collect, that is treated with such respect that it is the sole responsibility of the first mate.... there is a lot at stake, and each mate has his own special variation that he swears by. Take the same sort of care when using any slip knot and they will serve you well. CLASSIC SAILOR 73

The turn of the bilge Seagull outboards: all you need to get started The classic British Seagull outboard motor ceased production 20 years ago – but there are still plenty about. Aidan Tuckett explains how to spot a good one, bring it back to life and keep it going

nce, I was the proud owner of an ancient clinker launch, possibly wartime vintage, with an even older petrol inboard. Fairly early on in the relationship it needed a new engine, the inboard being beyond redemption. Money was tight so I traded its remains and £10 for a Seagull Silver Century outboard which ran confidently for three or four minutes before slowing to a gentle stop. That’s when I began a study of two-stroke mechanics by ordering an owner’s handbook from the makers. I’d hoped for a nautical Haynes manual but instead got a photocopied pamphlet which opened with: READ THIS CAREFULLY BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. The world of engine owners is divided into two classes... the vast majority are those who never get any trouble and get heaps of pleasure, whilst the second class is a very small minority which is always in trouble, causing misery to itself and constantly drawing on the kindness and good fellowship of other people for aid and assistance. Well I certainly aspired towards heaps of pleasure, especially at that age, but I needed a few hints on the way there, maybe a fault-finding chart that led you through options such as dirty fuel, blown gaskets or blocked back passages. But the chaps who ran British Seagull simply advised a 74 CLASSIC SAILOR

thorough check of the spark plug and then: But will people do this? No, they won’t...instead, they go on pulling the starting cord for twenty minutes or so, pumping more and more petrol into the engine, filling the plug with oil, and then have to row home, and sometimes (if they’ve got the strength) write a furious letter to the manufacturers. We have no sympathy with these people at all... Strong words, but of limited value for an engine long past its best. In my case, it gradually dawned that water was supposed to come out of the hole in the cylinder head; some hours later I found the cooling jacket was blocked solid with cooked oil, salt and rust. Once cleaned out, that engine did passages I wouldn’t dare now, but youth and poverty were powerful motivators. In fairness to the handbook’s authors, a new engine shouldn’t have much to go wrong beyond the plug. But after a few decades in the open, sediment in the fuel tank plus wear and tear, most engines would need more than a new plug. In the beginning... British Seagulls were first built in the 1930s and soon settled into a design that remained fundamentally unchanged for another 50 years. There were two engine blocks: a 64cc block used for the ‘Forty’ models, producing between 1.5 hp and 3 hp, and a 102cc block used for

Seagull 40 standard shaft model..

the ‘Century’ models that developed between 4hp and 6hp. The range of horsepower from just two blocks was due to different carburettor sizes, gear ratios and propeller diameters. A few engines had neutral gears, although you gained the impression from the maker’s literature they viewed this as a concession to the weak minded, a true sailor having the skill to stop an engine by running the carburettor dry while stemming the tide and picking up a mooring in one go. In the early 90s the company gave the engines a complete makeover with recoil starters, CD ignition systems and cowlings. But it was too late – cheaper and quieter imports won the day and production ceased in 1996 when a 5hp Seagull cost around £660, about 30% more than its competitors. Nevertheless, the basic, nofrills Seagulls have always had the advantage of being easy to repair and – for old engines – relatively reliable. Because they were designed to power displacement boats by turning a large propeller at slow speeds, bearings could be solid bronze bushings instead of needle rollers. Ignition timing and carburettor settings were fixed. An adjustable spanner and screwdriver were sufficient to carry out most maintenance and mixing oil with the twostroke fuel ensured every part of the engine and its surrounds would be well coated against corrosion.

The basic, no-frills Seagulls have always had the advantage of being easy to repair and – for old engines – relatively reliable

Two sizes, 90 variants There were about 90 variants of the Seagull built between 1930 and 1995, all based on the two cylinder sizes. Most of those available are either the Century or the Forty series, either direct drive or with a neutral clutch, dating from1946 to 1979. These engines were usually fitted with Villiers carburettors and Villiers or Wipac contact point ignition systems. They run on a 1:10 fuel mix and use SAE140 oil in their gearbox. After this, engines with recoil starts and astern gears became more common. Around 1987 the range was rebranded as the QB series. These were marketed at between £350 and £750 when production ceased so may be pricier now, but you’ll do just as well with an

older model. Later on Selva Marine took over the brand but their engines bore no resemblance to the originals.

... and the same engine cut away to show the gearbox and cylinder head. From the collection of John Williams of Saving Old Seagulls

Second-hand sources There are many sources - Friday Ad papers, the backyard of any proper chandlery or marine engineer and boat jumbles. It’s worth a phone call before making a trip to a private seller to ask when the engine last ran. Long-term storage indoors is rarely a problem because the high oil mix tends to preserve everything. Ask if the flywheel can be turned by hand. If the seller isn’t sure which model they have, ask how wide the exhaust tube is, Forty models being 35mm/1.5in diameter and the Century 95mm/2.75in. As a guide, dinghies up to 3m (c10ft) and 300kg (660lb) will run with a Forty series engine. Transoms greater than 380mm depth (15in) will need a longshaft version. Beyond this, boats

up to 5.5m (18ft) and 600kg (1300lb) need a Century model. Larger boats can be moved if you can find one of the Century Plus models with a 5-blade 330mm (13in) diameter propeller, but only in calm water. Depth is fairly critical – if the propeller is too shallow it may churn the surface if weight is forward and water will fail to circulate. Too deep and back pressure from the exhaust will prevent starting. The ideal is to have base of the exhaust tube just below the surface. Assuming you find one worth looking at, try turning the flywheel to see if there is compression and that the propeller turns at the same time without too many creaks and groans. Look closely for missing parts – if major bits such as the carburettor or mounting bracket are missing or badly damaged, the engine is virtually worthless unless you need it for spares. New parts are available from some suppliers but the cost in

COURTESY OF SAVING OLD SEAGULLS

The chances are that every Seagull built in the last 50 years is capable of getting you out to sea and back again, which isn’t something I’d try with any other outboard that old. This is the beauty of these engines and with second-hand prices sticking at around £150, they make a great deal for a classic boat. But they do need a bit of cosseting and, while they’re not complicated, the cost and availability of spares along with the difficulty of stripping down a corroded engine makes a major rebuild unviable for all but true afficionados. So unless you fall into this category, you need to look for an engine in some kind of running order.

CLASSIC SAILOR 75

The turn of the bilge

relation to another secondhand motor doesn’t make this worthwhile. Look out for evidence of mechanical butchery such as heavily hammered flywheel dome nuts – signs that the head or crankcase bolts have been shifted with the wrong sized spanners – or damaged slots on the screws that hold the lower leg castings together. The ideal is to test run the engine on a boat so that you can rev it up and see how it manages under load, which is when problems will manifest themselves. Failing that, start the engine clamped to the inside of a water-filled dustbin or, at a push, you can run it out of the water for up to 30 seconds. These engines create a lot of exhaust noise but there shouldn’t be any bad mechanical rattles indicating worn bearings, drive shafts or gearboxes, any of which puts an engine into the salvage category. Testing an engine with old fuel can be difficult because adding two-stroke oil to petrol makes it go stale over time and causes the carburettors to gum up. Likewise a rusted sparkplug is unlikely to deliver much. Often these two problems are combined. Ultimately, if the flywheel turns smoothly, there is compression and the engine is complete, it can probably be brought into working order. Filling up: the mix All Seagulls made before 1979 run on 1:10, oil to unleaded petrol. Newer ones run on 1:25 although they will not come to any harm on 1:10, especially if they are getting worn. Outboard motor two-stroke oil, grade TCW3, is best for dealing with the relatively low heat of a water cooled two-stroke engine, although motorbike or SAE30 oil will do. Contrary to legend, mixtures involving paraffin and sunflower oil will not. Forty series engines use about one litre of fuel per hour and Century 76 CLASSIC SAILOR

COURTESY OF SAVING OLD SEAGULLS

Seagull outboards: all you need to get started

A ﬂock (or a ‘squabble’ to use the correct collective noun) of seagulls.

models about 1.5lt, both at ¾ throttle. The usual tank size is 2.2lt, although later engines had an optional long-range 4.5lt tank. Starting up and running Start the engine by opening the tap at the base of the fuel tank, give the motor a shake from side to side to encourage fuel tank gas to send petrol

to bring the spark back to life. Look out for observers standing behind in case they get whipped by the starting rope – the prayer position is safest in many ways. If the engine doesn’t start, open the choke and keep trying. After that go with the manufacturer’s advice and clean or change the plug, pulling the engine over a few times with

Keep trying up to four or ﬁve times. Engines that have been laid up will need a bit of effort to bring the spark back to life into the float chamber and then open the breather screw in the middle of the filler cap. You may still need to hold down the button on the float chamber to fill the carburettor. With the choke flap in and the throttle open, wrap the rope around the flywheel slot and pull hard. Keep trying up to four or five times. Engines that have been laid up will need a bit of effort

the plug out. After this, practice mindfulness or meditation to regain composure and allow the condensed fuel to evaporate. Or row for a bit. Once it’s running, there should be a steady stream of water coming out of the hole in the cylinder head at anything over idle speed. Look to see that nothing is working loose, especially the clamps on the mounting bracket.

A small boat will always go faster if it is running level, so if you need to sit forward, use a length of 20 mm dowel rod as a tiller extension. A pair of earplugs will help for long passages and bear in mind the human voice will travel farther than a twostroke engine so avoid sharing personal views on neighbouring vessels with anyone else. If you can, stop the engine by closing the fuel tap and letting it run on as you drift to a halt otherwise the carburettor will dribble fuel everywhere when the engine is tilted. Like all two-stroke engines, Seagulls are not the most environmentally friendly motors although you could argue that keeping a 40-year-old machine running is better for the planet than buying a new one that’s unlikely to last more than ten. You can buy a new needle that will reduce the oil mix from 1:10 to 1:25 which will help reduce fuel pollution, although an older worn engine may need the

They are like a poor man’s steam engine with plenty to tinker and polish – and a tatooed bicep without the pain

heavier mix anyway to help seal worn bearings. Bio-degradable two-stroke oils are made by Mercury and Elf, and it should be possible to use bio-fuels (i.e. with 5-10% ethanol). In January 2007, manufacture of two-stroke out-boards became illegal under EC pollution regulations. However it is legal to use all existing engines until the end of their lives. You should try and avoid letting fuel spill into the water through careless filling or leaking pipes as this does no good at all to water fowl. That aside, these motors are like a poor man’s steam engine with plenty to tinker and polish, and they are just right for any self-respecting Classic Sailor – a tattooed bicep without the pain. Maintenance and repair On maintenance, starting from the bottom, the gearbox is filled with SAE140 or SAE90 oil, the lighter SAE90 being used on post-1987 engines in a 1:25 fuel

British Seagull marketing from the 50s and 60s – though we think one of these may be a fake (it is the April issue after all!)

mix. It is meant to emulsify with the small amount of water that gets past the seals to form a creamy paste. Remove the nylon filler plug with the back of a knife blade to check the oil is level with the base of the filler hole with the engine vertical. A gearbox full of water may be due to the rubber oil-seal washer in front of the propeller wearing out or being damaged by fishing line. If not, then a water-filled gearbox is probably due to excessive bearing wear, which is unlikely to be repairable at any reasonable cost. It can be managed up to a point by more frequent oil changes – you should in any case replace this oil after ten hours running. Don’t overfill the gearbox – this may cause oil to seep out of the top bearing where it will mix with seawater in the cooling system pump and block the cylinder head passages over time. There is a centrifugal pump directly over the gearbox

to pump water from the slots at the front of the lower end up a pipe running within the exhaust tube and into the base of the cylinder head. When running, there should be a smooth flow of cool water from the hole at the right-hand base of the cylinder head. After every 10 hours running it’s good to either run the engine in a dustbin of fresh water or hold a hose against the cooling water outlet to flush the system through and remove caked salt. A mastic tube nozzle to connect the hose will reduce splashing. If the engine revs wildly and makes crankshaft death rattles, this is likely to be the square steel spline directly above the gearbox rusting into a round shape and losing its grip on the box section crankshaft. This can be fixed by building up the worn corners with weld metal and grinding it back into a square shape. If you do have to take apart the gearbox, use a screwdriver

with exactly the right size blade for the bolts and use plenty of easing oil. These are stainless screws that go into an aluminium casting – on an old corroded engine the chances of the bolt shearing or a split casting are high so go slowly and use heat (from boiling water or a low blowtorch flame) gently. A screwdriver bit in a brace, ground to exactly the right size for the slot, gives good control. The last thing to check down the bottom end is the drive spring. This is a fairly soft grade of stainless steel, designed to straighten out and let the engine run free if the propeller jams on weed or rope. Lesser impacts cause the spring to unwind slightly, but as long as it still has a right-angle bend at the outer end, it will remain usable. Damaged ones can be heated to cherry red with a blow torch, bent back to shape in a vice and then reheated and quenched. Moving up to the fuel system, frequently run engines should CLASSIC SAILOR 77

The turn of the bilge Seagull outboards: all you need to get started

need little attention provided the fuel is clean. Less frequently run engines may suffer from the tendency of elements of two-stroke fuel to evaporate and leave a gummy varnish-like coating in the carburettor’s passageways. Also over time, water will condense out of any air in the fuel tank and collect in the carburettor bowl. Fuel tanks inside and out Fuel tanks tend to take a bit of a bashing given their position right at the back. The early brass ones seem to take any amount of abuse without splitting although there is not much that can be done about the dents and knocks. Later steel ones will corrode along the seam. Both can be recoated with smooth black ‘Hammerite’ paint and if you really want to make an impression, you can even buy copies of the original decals with the Seagull logo. Tanks should be removed and cleaned once a year on regularly used motors – filling an engine from a can inevitably introduces fine particles from corrosion, paint particles and the like. To address this there are two filters; one at the base of the tank and one within the banjo nut that connects the fuel pipe to the carburettor. Both should be cleaned at the same time as the tank. To check and overhaul the carburettor, remove the fuel bowl and float, drain any water and grit from the bowl and shake the float to check it isn’t leaking. Then with a bowl under the engine, 78 CLASSIC SAILOR

check that fuel flows smoothly through the needle valve at the top of the carburettor bowl. The flow should cut off when the float is 6mm beneath the body of the carburettor. Use compressed air or a WD40 can with the red tube nozzle attached to blow through both the main jet and the slow running jet. The needle should be adjusted so that its adjustment screw is level with the top of the slide. Raising it makes the mixer richer, which is only needed in freezing conditions.

sea, don’t risk repairing it on the transom – it’s too easy to drop bits overboard. Electrics Early electrics are the main source of problems on Seagulls. Up to 1987 all engines had a contact point ‘make or break’ system contained in a small brass-lidded box within the flywheel. A charge was built in the condenser by magnets on the flywheel and when the points opened, the charge fed through the ignition lead. After

If you really want to make an impression you can buy copies of the original decals with the Seagull logo Remove the knurled top of the carburettor slide assembly to check the cable moves smoothly with the throttle lever. This should be well greased. The cable sheath often fractures at the control or carburettor end as the tiller is repeatedly tilted up and can cause the throttle to jam open. To avoid this, some engines have a rubber sleeve to stiffen the cable – if not, the same effect can be achieved by wrapping insulating tape around the ends to increase stiffness. The slide should touch the base of the jet assembly when the throttle lever is closed. If not, this can be adjusted with the knurled nut at the top of the carburettor assembly. If you suspect a blocked carburettor at

1987 the company used a sealed ignition system which rarely gives problems. The ignition is accessed by removing the domed nut on the top of the flywheel and taking off the flywheel pulley and plate. You should also remove the plug to allow the engine to turn easily. On all engines, the point gap is 0.5mm and is adjusted by slackening the large platesecuring large bolt and twisting an eccentric screw. Rock a small piece of card between the contacts when closed to keep the faces clean. Replace the covers and test the ignition by spinning it with the plug held against the engine. There should be a clear blue spark (test this out of direct

Above, left: EP90 oil for the gearbox – should be ﬁlled to the level of the hole with the engine upright. Centre: The drive spring bends to take any minor shocks before the gearbox is damaged. Right: Points gap, 0.5mm; undo the big screw and twist the small one to set.

sunlight). The plug should be tan to brown colour. Black oiling or carbon may indicate prolonged slow running, the mixture being too rich or too much two-stroke oil. A white burnt appearance can be caused by the engine running too hot (check the cooling system for blockages), too lean a mixture – either the needle is set too low in the carburettor slide or not enough oil in the fuel. The same size plug will fit all sizes of engine: Champion 10COM, NGK A6 or Bosch M10AC. If everything else is ok but the spark is still weak, try spinning the engine with an electric drill for about five minutes with the plug left out. This will re-magnetise the flywheel. Parts and advice For major rebuilds you’ll need a service and parts manual. Metric or AF spanners and sockets do not match the nuts and bolts on Seagulls, for which you need a set of British Whitworth spanners. For parts and advice, suppliers will need the serial number of your engine which can be found at the top of the crankshaft tube. Sources of parts and advice can be found at www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk, a website run by John Williams who deserves a medal for the mass of advice and ideas he freely provides. He also keeps a good stock of spares. Also Sheridan Marine, www. sheridanmarine.com, keeps parts and manuals.

Boats for sale Boats for sale Deadline 20th of every month. Email: catherine@classicsailor.com tel 07945 404461

Deadline 20th of every month. “JANJO OF ARISAIG” Email: catherine@classicsailor.com tel 07945 404461 FORMERLY “KIWI LADY”

Van de Stadt Rebel 41 Ketch, Tyler Boat Co. 1968 Skilfully fitted out by first owner. Owned and sailed for 20 years Scotland west coast after 2 seasons in West Indies. Full osmosis treatment in Kilmelford. New Volvo D2-40 Engine and Eberspacher heater in 2014 New 6 man Reimers design, built in Sweden 1989,41’ GRP hull, teak Liferaft. Sails good, ,made / serviced deck, lead keel,Owen Proctor spars. annually Sails . Monitor SS Gear (not fitted). Currently ashore Fast and beautiful boat, surprisingly sea kindly. Winner Kilmelford,,from Mid April on Arisaig of many local Regattas andmooring. Classic Events. Sleeps 3/4. £ 50,000. 01234 712266. Aﬂoat inContact: Penzance. john@tusting.co.uk

Chadrak has gained the 22 square metre Championship both in Sweden and UK. In 2015 she has been equipped with a new spruce mast, brand new stainless steel and dyneema rigging Chadrak comes immensely equipped and with a fantastic suit of sails. £27,900. Chadrak has gained the 22 square metre Championship both 823927 or email int 01752 Sweden and UK. In 2015barbara@cremyll-keelboats.org.uk she has been equipped with a new spruce mast, brand new stainless steel and dyneema rigging Chadrak comes immensely equipped and with a fantastic suit of sails. £27,900. t 01752 823927 or email barbara@cremyll-keelboats.org.uk

International 30 Square Metre K21 ‘Aeolus’

Let us help sell your boat!

£35000 ono. Richard Sadler - 01736 731500 rsadler@toucansurf.com

Let us help sell your boat!

NB We will check your details but cannot be responsible for errors.

rigging. Complete restoration, traditional style retained, with modern comforts. Lying Inverness. (20mins airport/train) L/0 Maurice Grifﬁths ‘Lone Gull II’ 30ft W/l 26ft Draft 5ft 6ins.Good survey 2011, OIRO £20,000. 01997 421909 rossmoira@hotmail.com

Iroko-built in c.1973 by Whisstocks and updated since with self-tacking cutter-rig, 16 HP Petter diesel, Maurice Grifﬁths ‘LoneParaFin Gull II’cooker, GPS, charcoal stove, Baby Blake, Taylor radio, autopilot, new bunk cushions, cockpit cover and Iroko-built in c.1973 by Whisstocks updated dodgers etc. Professionally maintainedand ashore every since with self-tacking cutter-rig,over 16 HPlast Petter winter by Nick Gates at Emsworth c.18diesel, years. charcoal stove, Baby Blake,condition. Taylor ParaFin cooker, GPS, Excellent radio, autopilot, bunk cushions, Viewingnew Chichester Harbour cockpit £18,500cover and dodgers etc. Professionallyormaintained ashore every nick@nickgates.co.uk phone 07764 236781 winter by Nick Gates at Emsworth over last c.18 years. Excellent condition. Viewing Chichester Harbour £18,500 “LOVEDAY” nick@nickgates.co.uk or phone 07764 236781

Email your advertisement to: admin@classicsailor.com Include a large file size picture together with a description and your contact details, and we’ll do the rest. Email your advertisement to: We do a three for two admin@classicsailor.com deal and only pay Include asubscribers large file size picture half price. together with a description and We take major creditand cards anddo your contact details, we’ll you rest. can call 01273for 420730 the We us doon a three two and speak to Evie deal and subscribers only pay evie@classicsailor.com half price. We take major credit cards and NB We will check your details but cannot be you can for call us on 01273 420730 responsible errors. and speak to Evie evie@classicsailor.com

Sulya is a very pretty long keel Morgan Giles classic, 1955. Honduras Mahogany on CRE Oak backbone. Alloy spars s/s rigging. Complete restoration, traditional style retained, with modern comforts. Lying Inverness. (20mins airport/train) L/0 30ft W/lis26ft Draft 5ft 6ins.Good survey 2011, £20,000. Sulya a very pretty long keel Morgan GilesOIRO classic, 1955. 01997 421909 rossmoira@hotmail.com Honduras Mahogany on CRE Oak backbone. Alloy spars s/s

1969 VOLKER 1000 Steel ketch built 5mm thick steel and still is. Re-engined with Thorneycroft 2.5 litre,10 metres long with good sail inventory. Interior fitted out throughout in Teak. “LOVEDAY” New navigator and Radar and Autohelm this year.(Raymarine) FittedVOLKER with A1000 frameSteel so that onebuilt person lower andand raise 1969 ketch 5mmcan thick steel still both main mast and mizzen. Outside steering position is. Re-engined with Thorneycroft 2.5 litre,10 metres long with complete engineInterior controls Aft double cabin with hand good sail with inventory. fitted out throughout in Teak. basin. Doubleand berth forward. Sleeps 5 this in comfort. Life raft New navigator Radar and Autohelm year.(Raymarine) serviced thisAyear with cate.person A verycan good cruising Ketch Fitted with frame socertifi that one lower and raise £35,000 Tel 01502 712311 John@tradboats.com both main mast and mizzen. Outside steering position

Choose from 3 styles

complete with engine controls Aft double cabin with hand basin. Double berth forward. Sleeps 5 in comfort. Life raft serviced this year with certiﬁcate. A very good cruising Ketch £35,000 Tel 01502 712311 John@tradboats.com

5 x 2 130mm x 50mm either 160 words or 80 words and picture - £180 5 x 1 63mm x 50mm either 80 words or 30 words and picture - £95 Choose from styles 3 x1 64mm x 10mm 30 3 words - £40 5 x 2 130mm x 50mm either 160 words or 80 words and picture - £100 5 x 1 63mm x 50mm either 80 words or 30 words and picture - £60 3 x1 64mm x 10mm 30 words - £30

category B. £37,950

cover and break back road trailer £8,995.

2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ in lovely condition with Yanmar 1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road trailer and upped rating to category B. £37,950

with electric motor, covers and road trailer. 2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff 2001 David Moss Sea Otter £7,750 rigged sloop. A very high end fit out with lots of hard wood and bronze work. Complete with cover and break back road trailer £8,995.

Anglia Yacht Brokerage Tel. +44 (0)1359 27 17 47

15’ in lovely condition. Cedar strip/epoxy construction with a standing lug yawl rig. Complete with electric motor, covers and road trailer. £7,750

1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug

1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in

outboard and combi road trailer.

cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and

sales@anglia-yacht.co.uk www.anglia-yacht.co.uk rig. Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with

1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in £2,250 road trailer. rig. Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy £4,450condition with outboard and combi road trailer. cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and £2,250 road 1999 Storm 15’trailer. with balanced lug 1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in rig. Complete with cover, electric exceptionally tidy condition with £4,450

2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in outboard combi road trailer. small cover,sailing Honda 2.3HP Anglia Yacht Brokers are and a well established boat 4-stroke and £2,250 road trailer. lovely condition with copperbuilders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. £4,450 coated underside, Suzuki 6HP 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in We provide traditional sailing boat marketing andStorm 2000 with balanced lugcondition rig. 1973 Mk1 in 1983 Crabber Mk1 with GRP hull, 1975 Drascombe Lugger Mk2 refurbished 1978 Drascombe Drascombe Longboat Dabber in Cruiser good condition 1992 Cornish Drascombe Lugger Mk3 with Mariner 1999 McNulty Drascombe Lugger Mk4 in by boat 1999 Devon15’ Dabber in excellent Anglia Yacht Brokers are a well established small sailing 4-stroke and break-back road Designed by Nick trailer, Newland of Swallow lovely condition with Tohatsu 8HP outboard, cockpit and deck. Rebuilt engine and trailer us in 2010. Refurbishment included 2-pack lovely condition with copperwith new easy-launch trailer, overall cover 6HP 4-stroke, Easy-launch road trailer, good condition with Mariner 5HP outboard, with easy-launch Honda 4-stroke refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand with builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. Boats. Shenew is inoverall lovely cover condition recent sails/furling general respray, bare and wood2011 revarnish, new sails and and rudder in 2015.spar and easy-launch recent sails. overhaul. Lots of history. overall cover Easy-launch trailer. outboard, and with newelectric sails. trailer. coated underside, Suzuki 6HP and 2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in outboard Combination trailer. road trailer. £16,950 floorboards. She has a 2011 Tohatsu advice and help. Welight provide traditional sailing boatYacht marketing and £3,750 Requires re-commissioning. £6,450 £5,950 and Anglia Brokers are a 4HP well established small sailingroad boat £2,250. lovely condition with copper£12,950 4-stroke and break-back road £4,500. 4-stroke and Easy-launch trailer. 2000 Cornish Crabber 22’ £3,950 in 2006 GRP Kittiwakebuilders 16’ gaff 2001 Sea Otter based in the UK nearDavid Bury StMoss Edmunds. refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand with £4,500. coated underside, Suzuki 6HP trailer. Wehigh provide traditional15’ sailing boat marketing and Cedar lovely condition with Yanmar rigged sloop. A very end in lovely condition. advice and help. Please ask for Alex. 4-stroke and break-back road £12,950 refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand with

1GM10 diesel, Bespoke road fit out with lots of hard wood trailer. advice and help. Please ask Alex. work. Complete with trailer and upped rating to £12,950 andfor bronze category B. cover and break back road Please ask trailer for Alex. £37,950 £8,995.

strip/epoxy construction with a standing lug yawl rig. Complete with electric motor, covers and road trailer. £7,750

Come and see us at the Southampton Boat Show 11th - 22nd Sept

Come and see us at theCome Southampton Show 11th Boat - 22nd and see us at Boat the Southampton ShowSept 11th - 22nd Sept

1983 Sand Cornish Crabber GRP hull, 1999 Weaver 16’ Mk1 with with tan sails/gunter cockpit and deck. engine and trailer sloop rig. She is inRebuilt lovely condition and and general Lotsoverall of history. complete withoverhaul. spray hood, cover and £16,950 combination road trailer. £3,950.

2006 GRP Kittiwake 16’ gaff rigged sloop. A very high end fit out with lots of hard wood and bronze work. Complete with cover and break back road trailer. £8,995.

New Deben Luggers being built to order for May delivery. Prices from £14,500. Inc VAT

New Balanced Lug 10’ Roach Dinghies built to order. £3,250. Inc VAT. We have two demonstrators in stock from £2,950.

Anglia Yacht Brokers are a well established small sailing boat builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. We provide traditional sailing boat marketing and refurbishment services, brokerage and are always on hand with advice and help. Please ask for Alex.

1999 Storm 15’ with balanced lug rig. Complete with cover, electric outboard and combi road trailer. £2,250

2006 Cornish Crabber 17’ in lovely condition with coppercoated underside, Suzuki 6HP 4-stroke and break-back road trailer. £12,950

1990 Drascombe Dabber Mk2 in exceptionally tidy condition with cover, Honda 2.3HP 4-stroke and road trailer. £4,450

Anglia Yacht Brokers are a well established small sailing boat builders based in the UK near Bury St Edmunds. “DUSMARIE” – As featured in January Issue of Classic Sailor Magazine We provide traditional boat and cruiser in 1933. Built by Aldous of Brightlingsea in 1884sailing (Daisy CK6) and marketing converted to a sailing refurbishment services, andincluding are always onRace, hand with This beautiful Colchester Oyster Smack isbrokerage very well travelled a Channel The Baltic, Mediterranean advice and andGallipoli help.and was also a regular contender in the Tall Ships Race in the 1970’s and 80’s. Fantastic opportunity to acquire your very own piece of maritime history. Available to view by appointment Tidemill Harbour. Pleaseat ask forYacht Alex.

Offers in the region of £39,450

Lying: Woodbridge

Come and see us at the Southampton Boat Show 11th - 22nd Sept 1939 LANDAMORES 36’ MOTOR BOAT

1990 MCMILLAN YACHTS 34

1955 SOUTHERN YACHT SERVICES 30’ TSMY

1971 OAKLEAF 28

£39,950

£29,950

£24,950

£11,950

Beautiful single screw motor yacht converted to an estuary cruiser in 1965 and restored to her mid 60’s sea going condition in 2005. Option of a wet boat house mooring on the Norfolk Broads if required. Superb opportunity to acquire a traditional yet practical motor cruiser. Magazine article available on request.

LYING: BECCLES

Originally built as a 30ft cutter but always intended to be a 34ft yawl. Later rebuilt by Spirit Yachts Ipswich as a yawl with a fully balanced rudder. She has recently undergone a major refit including a new engine at a cost of some £43,000. A rare opportunity to acquire a custom wooden yacht, built to the highest standards.

LYING: WOODBRIDGE

Beautiful example of this traditional wooden twin screw motor yacht built by Southern Yacht Services in 1955 to a design by Anthony Needell. Sympathetically restored over the past three years to a very high standard. Internal viewing highly recommended.

LYING: WOODBRIDGE

Well built classic cruiser with long keel and lifting plate. This particular example was re-engined in 2003/4, repainted & varnished 2014/15 with lots of new and updated equipment including new mainsail and new grill and hob (2013) and new stainless steel fuel tank (2014). Ideal for East Coast rivers and drying moorings

LYING: WOODBRIDGE

TIDEMILL YACHT HARBOUR ▪ TIDEMILL WAY ▪ WOODBRIDGE ▪ IP12 1BP

Tel: 01394 385577 ▪ Email: howard@howardfordmarinesales.co.uk ▪ www.howardfordmarinesales.co.uk

Calendar

Send us your events! editor@classicsailor.com

This month

Classics Week 11-15 July www.cowesclassicsweek.org

James Dodds exhibition Brest Festival

6-22 April Messum’s, 28 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG messums.com

13-19 July www.brest2016.fr

Douarnenez Festival Sydney Classic and Wooden Boat Festival

19-24 July tempsfete.com

15-17 April, Darling Harbour hosted by the Australian National Maritime Museum, it will showcase vessels from around Sydney and Australia and celebrate Maritime Heritage. The festival precinct, bursting with an array of colours, will be spread across the waters surrounding the museum and in to Cockle Bay for the first time. With workshops, demonstrations, kids’ activities and a symposium, the festival will boast an intriguing program for knowledge seekers, boating enthusiasts and families. anmm.gov.au

Panerai British Classic Week 16-23 July

Cock of the Channel Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters Race Saturday 30 April Barry Harbour 80th anniversary of this 125 mile race around the island of Lundy with the original and

ww.britishclassicyachtclub.org

Thames Traditional Boat Festival 16-17 July, Henley tradboatfestival.com

America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth 21-24 July Sutton Harbour Rally James Dodds is exhibiting his paintings at Cork Street until the 22nd of April modern pilot cutters. See classic-sailing.co.uk

Coming up Thames Smack and Barge Matches 2016 Medway 28 May Blackwater 11 June Thames 25-26 June Pin Mill (Orwell) 16 July Colne 10 September sailingbargeassociation.co.uk

Classic Sailing St Mawes Pilot Cutter Review 26-29 May, Fowey-St Mawes In 2016, Classic Sailing is offering Pilot Cutters payment to attend (and is also looking for sponsors) classic-sailing.co.uk

Oostende voor Anker 26-29 May, Ostend Harbour, It’s fully booked but you might bag a bunk on an old gaffer oostendevooranker.be

Plymouth 29 July - 1 August plymouthclassics.org.uk

Yarmouth Gaffers Regatta 2-5 June, Yarmouth IoW oga.org.uk/solent/events/

Beale Park Boat Show

British Raiding 8-12 August, River Clyde, www.raidengland.org

3-5 June, Pangbourne, Berks bealeparkboatandoutdoorshow.uk

Thames Trafalgar Race

Falmouth Classics

10-11 September littleshipclub.co.uk/events

17-19 June, Falmouth falmouthclassics.org.uk

Great River Race

Round the Island Race

3 September, Thames greatriverrace.co.uk

2 July, Cowes-Cowes IoW

Southampton Boat Show Charles Stanley Cowes

16-25 September

In Classic Sailor next issue

Couta Boats of Australia

Our jumbo - and how we sail her

Research into renewables

From work boat origins these fast craft have become a much loved and hard raced Australian pastime. We look at the history and evolution of the famous couta boats.

In St Ives they have brought back the native craft - colloquially known as the jumbo. These beach boats were used for fishing but now form part of the backdrop for the town’s tourism trade. But how are they to sail. Maker Jonny Nance passes on the wisdom of using lug rig.

Meet Simon Cooper, canoeist and bicyclist who likes to combine the two with camping as well. Simon has pioneered a range of lightweight home-made canoes made with flax and a natural sunlight curing epoxy. It’s a versatile material which Simon is improving and so proving that it may be a viable alternative to some plastics. CLASSIC SAILOR

Artist of the month Thomas Somerscales

ou can tell whether an artist, like a writer, has been to sea or not. Somerscales clearly had. Anyone can paint a boat but the sea you have to know. He started life as a naval teacher at sea, but he gave this up after being struck down with constant bouts of malaria. He found a job in Chile as a schoolmaster, and began to paint as an amateur, specialising in South American landscapes and sea pictures. When he was in his fifties he returned to Britain to live in Hull, where he painted most of his best pictures as souvenirs of Chile. In Off Valparaiso and other such paintings he emphasised the jade green and blue of the Pacific Ocean. The full rigged iron ship in the picture was used to bring minerals from Chile. She is shaking out top gallants and royal sails, while hoisting her goose-winged flying jib. The whaler is a pilot boat, with standing oarsmen, being greeted but refused. Somerscales is highly regarded amongst maritime artists nowadays even though little praised in his lifetime.

Off Valparaiso 1899 965 x 1803 mm

82 CLASSIC SAILOR

The sinking of the Esmeralda by Huáscar during the Battle of Iquique

Somerscales - Recogiendo velas -1904, detail. 51 × 92 cm (20.1 × 36.2 in)

BPBOS16_A4advt_WCfinal011015.pdf

th & 4 , 3rd

01/10/2015

16:46

2016 e n h Ju

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CMY

For all trade information, please email

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“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Kenneth Grahame, author of Wind in the Willows