The modellers’ choice for more armchair reading and ideas for future projects
NOVEMBER 2015
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SEVERN STOP NET FISHING
Issue 344 £4.50•
Remembering another lost tradition
MV PASABAHCE
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HMS REVENGE OF 1577 The build of a new Amati kit
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CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2015 – ISSUE 344
65
MEETING POINT Reports of events held over the past few months
74
COMING NEXT MONTH Details of some of the articles being planned for the December edition
COVER STORY
Features 36
HMS REVENGE OF 1577 The building of a 1:64 scale model from Amati
42
CARDIFF AND PORT Brief history of the rise and decline of Cardiff as a port
44
DUTCH WORKBOAT BOMMEL A look at the full size version of this attractive modern vessel
46 54
COVER STORY Traditional craft and the methods they were used for can very easily be lost forever. Tony James continues his research and builds a very different fishing boat that was used on the River Severn reliving the difficult and dangerous way of life in times gone by in fishing for salmon which was much more plentiful than in the present day.
50
MV PASABAHCE Chris builds a 1/87 scale model of the ‘grand old dame of the Bosphorus’ from a Turk Model kit
54
SEVERN STOP NET FISHERMEN Tony looks back at a forgotten, and often dangerous, way of life on the river
60
Regulars 5
MMI VISITS HMS OCELOT Patrick visits this Oberon class submarine at the Chatham Historic Dockyard
ITS DURAND DE LA PENNE A detailed look aboard an Italian Navy’s guided missile destroyer
MESSAGE FROM THE BRIDGE The editor introduces this month’s edition
6
MASTHEAD
36
Maritime news
7
DIARY DATES Events for your diary
10
PLASTIC KIT SCENE Some of the latest releases from various plastic kit manufacturers from around the world
12
VINTAGE CHATTER The ‘Sport’ radio genre
16
WATERLINES Kelvin recalls the Blue Funnel Line 1865 – 1989
18
AIRWAVES Help with comparing performance between brushed to brushless electric motors
22
SCALE SCENE
50
Ian looks back at Sunderland’s Maritime history
26
LIVEWIRES The build of a traditional wooden outrigger hydroplane
30
POWERPLUG Our I/C boatman Rick continues his look at hull set ups/cures
33
READER'S LETTERS Painting tips for the Nantucket Lightship
4
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MESSAGE FROM THE BRIDGE EDITORIALCONTACT MMI generally publishes commissioned articles, but will consider other contributions including news items and factual articles. It is important that contact is made with the editor before any material is written, as duplication of items may result in articles being rejected. Prospective contributors can email or write for a copy of the MMI Notes for Contributors via Traplet Publications Ltd. Any other Editorial queries can be made by telephone to 01749 347172 during normal office hours.
craft of which many full size versions have gone for good. If you want some speed in the form of a traditional wooden outrigger hydroplane, in Livewires Ian Williams builds his speed machine. Talking of speed we have been asked on several occasions can we compare the power of a brushed motor with the power of a brushless motor, not an easy question but Chris S. has tackled the issue in Airwaves. As a taster to the December edition when we have the build of a modern work boat Bommel, this month we look at the full size Bommel Tug which Barrie Griffin based his model on. With event reports in Meeting Point and the usual Plastic Kit Scene, Vintage Chatter, Scale Scene and MMI Visits HMS Oselot, Powerplug, etc. hopefully we have something to please most readers. Have a good month and don’t forget it is only one month or so to Christmas!
Barrie Stevens MMI
GREETINGS ALL! As we have said before, the editorial team are always keen to hear from readers of their likes and dislikes and last month we certainly had some strong voices from the racing yacht readers who have complained that we have not published the usually regular articles on Sail Free for a few months. This regular feature has been going for many years under the pen of our legendary past editor of MMI, Chris Jackson. Last year after many, many years of excellent yacht racing reporting Chris very understandably asked to stand down and I managed to find another keen contributor who agreed to continue the bi-monthly series of articles, namely John Brinker who in the past has been actively involved in the fast electric world but of recent years has been involved with yacht racing. Sadly, as you will see in the Masthead obituaries, John passed away recently which has left a void in our yacht racing reporting. I have been in contact with the MYA but if any other readers who are actively involved with yacht racing would like to give regular reports/tips and advice please let me know. In this month’s edition we have another mixed bunch of articles spanning most of the interests in our hobby including two kit reviews, namely the new Amati kit of the period ship HMS Revenge and the Turk Model kit of MV Pasabahce. Our now regular model builder of traditional models, Tony James, has built a scratch model of a Severn Stop Net boat, another rather different subject but as with all of Tony’s models they are keeping alive in the form of models traditional
EDITOR Barrie Stevens mmi@traplet.com Tel: 01684 588604 Traplet Publications Ltd, Traplet House, Willow End Park, Blackmore Park Road, Welland, Malvern, WR13 6NN ASSISTANT EDITOR Chris Saunders chris.saunders@traplet.com CONTRIBUTORS Ian Williams, David Wiggins, Robin Trott, Kelvin Holmes, Rick Eyrich, Eric Bauthier, Chris Koenig, Patrick Boniface, Tony James and Barrie Griffin MANAGING DIRECTOR Tony Stephenson
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CROC RACING Could this be the start of a new racing series? Seen on a model boating pool in West Somerset a family (David and son Oscar) spent some time racing their footwear called CROCS. They float and sail very well in slight wind. No building and easy to carry/wear to the lakeside!
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This magazine is sold subject to the following conditions: that it shall not without written consent of the publishers be lent, resold or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in excess of the recommended maximum retail price. All rights strictly reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the prior agreement of the publisher. All letters must be accompanied by the senders full name and address. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited correspondence nor some of the opinions expressed. All material and artwork originated by Traplet Publications Ltd., photographs, drawings, plans used in this magazine become the publishers copyright under Copyright law. Some photographs may have been digitally re-mastered. The Company reserves the right to suspend or refuse any advertisements without giving reasons. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes, Traplet Publications Ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or omissions. Nor can the Publisher accept any responsibility for the bona fides of advertisers. © Traplet Publications Limited 2015 ISSN 1746-8590
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great britain
The completed model with a good catch!
Severn Stop-Net Fishermen author: Tony James
Tony looks back at a forgotten, and often dangerous, way of life on the river
S
tanding on a deserted River Severn beach on the edge of the Forest of Dean as the flood tide swept up towards Gloucester it was hard to think of a more inefficient and dangerous way of catching fish. Who in his right mind would anchor a small open boat broadside-on to the West Country’s fiercest tide, stick out a net on a couple of poles and sit there for six hours or so hoping to catch a salmon? No one except the men and women of the tiny riverside hamlet of Gatcombe – and they made a living out of this perverse and unique way of fishing, known as stop-boating, for hundreds of years. Not anymore. Stop-boat fishing finally ended in Gatcombe more than ten years ago with the death of its last two practitioners, Ann and Raymond Bayliss, and today the remains of their two stopboats lie rotting in the brambles at the edge of the beach. Now the only reminder of the days when the Severn teemed with salmon and fish was often the cheapest way of keeping a family alive are two boats rescued and restored by salmon-fishing enthusiasts. A century ago, the Severn was England’s most prolific salmon river. The Severn itself runs for 220 miles from Plynlimon in Wales to Severn Beach near Bristol after which it becomes the Severn Estuary and finally, at Weston-Super-Mare, the Bristol Channel. Whatever it’s called, it was once a haven for Atlantic salmon. Since then environmental and commercial pressures have drastically cut the Severn’s salmon population and put in jeopardy those who depended on it for a living. As we will see, the stop-boat fishers of Gatcombe became some of the first and most grievous casualties.
54 NOVEMBER 2015
End of season hauling out of boats 1950
Restored Wye stop-net boat
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The Place Just a few miles from the country home of Princess Anne, and hidden from the outside world, Gatcombe nestles in a wooded valley on the northern bank of the Severn, five miles from the oncethriving harbour of Lydney and on the opposite bank to the still-busy port of Sharpness. Long intrigued by the mysterious business of stop-boating, we called at Gatcombe at the end of a three-day trip delivering a yacht up-channel to Sharpness, wondering what to expect from this largely-forgotten place, once an important estuary port for coal and timber and found it a shadow of its former self. Once there was an impressive quay, a stone and timber pier and a slipway, but when the main Gloucester - South Wales railway line was built across the hamlet’s river frontage in 1851 it destroyed everything except the quay. Access to the beach through a railway arch is now only possible at low tide and no working craft remain. Two pubs served the busy community – the Sloop and the Ship. Sir Francis Drake is claimed to have stayed at the Sloop (now Drake’s House) while sourcing shipbuilding timber in the Forest of Dean. Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have stayed there for the same reason. Records show that since before the Civil War in the 17th century, stop-netters had fished a stretch of river exposed to the weather rolling in from the south-west. Up to six boats at a time would tie up broadside to ‘chains’, which were in fact wire warps stretched across the river, and spread out their nets to catch salmon riding up on the flood. It was a perilous trade. The water off Gatcombe was considered the most dangerous – many fishermen drowned when their boats overturned in strong tides – and safer venues were in areas known as Wellhouse Bay, Howard’s Rock, Long Ledge, Fish House and Old Duns.
Close-up of Gatcombe fishing gear
The Stop-Boat Fishermen Every fisherman had his own boat which he sculled out to the fishing grounds and records show that in 1870 there were nearly 30 registered Gatcombe stop-nets and twice that number on the nearby River Wye. The price of salmon was high and tragedy was never far away. In 1878, William Shaw, a Gatcombe fisherman, was drowned when his boat hit the nearly-completed Severn railway bridge near Sharpness. The body was found on a sandbank and taken to the Sloop Inn. As recently as 1937 the death of a fisherman named Fenner led to a temporary ban on all stop-boat fishing off Gatcombe and a severe restriction on when it was safe for boats to go out. When it wasn’t, fishermen spent their time in a small stone building in Wellhouse Bay known as the Fish House. This had two rooms, one with bunks and a fireplace. The other was a store for fishing gear. Here the stop-netters would sit round the open fire or sleep while waiting for the weather to improve. When the Fish House was destroyed by a very high tide in 1950 it was rebuilt higher up the embankment. Sadly, like the fishery, this too has disappeared. By 1988 only Ann Bayliss, last in a line of fisher folk going back over 200 years, and her husband Raymond held licences to fish with stop-nets and were the custodians of fishing records going back many generations. These ‘salmon accounts’ detail every fish caught, its weight and selling price. For instance in 1913 an average-size fish sold for 2s3d in February, 1s6d in March, and 1s2d in July. The fisherman received half of this and the licence-holder got the rest. In 1913 1,179 salmon were caught by Gatcombe boats raising £1,070 of which only £424 was profit. When the stop-net season ended in August the boats were hauled out on a high tide just after the full moon and dragged up under the railway line by the fishermen and their families with the help of local farm horses and the day became a celebration of the harvest from the river. Once all the boats had been blocked up, everyone went to a nearby farmhouse for the traditional meal of cold salt beef, beetroot and mashed potato followed by apple pie, all washed down by unlimited local cider.
Unknown Wye fisherman in the 1920s With the boats laid up, other ways of making a living had to be found. One family did carpentry repairs and made ladders to sell. There was plum-picking and cider-making. One man looked after the lights on the Severn railway bridge. Ann worked as a teacher to subsidise the fishing while Raymond ran a smallholding and sold home-cured ham and bacon. In her last years Ann gave guided tours of the area and explained how things used to be. She knew they would never be the same again.
The Nets The stop-net itself, usually made by fishermen’s wives, was a bag suspended on two 24 ft long poles of Norwegian spruce called ‘rames’. These were held in a triangular shape by a spreader, giving a 30 ft wide net opening. Five ‘feeling strings’ were attached to different parts of the net and to a ‘tuning fork’ – a wooden stick which the fisherman held and through which he could feel vibrations when a fish entered the net.
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