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Clearly
unaccustomed to high office and despite a faultless debriefing by the
Ex-Sectrary, your new Events Secretary turned up at this delightful
venue, thoughtfully circum-planted with large wind screening willow
by the local authority,... without club badges, hammer and notice boards.
Suitably
chastened, I am able to report a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon was
none-the-less had by all.
Blustery winds tested skippers and boats
alike, while scudding clouds, bright sun and newly green foliage suggested
a Palmer's Green summer's day. The morning saw the lake shared with
our hosts while a hard core stayed until late afternoon, enjoying the
now abated wind and steady sunshine.
Vic Moore brought his
recently completed 'Southwold Cutter class' (in fact a sloop) published
I understand in MM last year and his own nicely made copy of a small
Sugg cutter as well as a very multi coloured three masted schooner.
Trevor Smith's Southwold Yawl plied the lake reliably with quick reaches
up and down whilst a nice JEP motor boat, recently restored in blue
and cream made wonderful clockwork noises though powered by an ancient
Bassett Lowke electric motor.
Lady Susan a nicely
restored, painted and converted to radio 36R by Bill Lee. Originally
built in 1952 and believed a Lady Betty design Reeves.
The 2004 MM 'Southwold
Cutter Class' boat built by Vic Moore
Trevor's JEP with diminutive
driver nicely repainted and restored with new windscreens etc.
Geoffrey Turner's restored
cutter, nicely turned out in blue, is guided by the hand of God
AW produced this 56"
hulk from a recent West country sale and provoked a lot of discussion
regarding her provenance. A very nicely made laminated thin walled hull
of fine lines suggest a Model Dockyard Schooner got at and converted
later in her life to a three masted ship, probably a barquentine with
crudely added hatches, poop with shortened counter and forecastle with
other details. Others were not so sure arguing that the painted gunports
were the mark of an original trading model, the gunport decoration surviving
in trading vessels until the end of the 19th C. but even
a fruit carrier would not have had such steep floors thus unable to
berth on mud if required; a packet perhaps?
Reluctant to sail a
square rigger, the owner is still convinced that the well rounded forefoot
and generous trail boards (the end of which have been knocked off) with
the once longer overhanging counter (now foreshortened to represent
a much larger vessel) indeed indicate an elegant and original schooner
yacht of the turn of the twentieth century.
But the ports are a
rather nice and now a pretty old and pattinated feature.could they be
convincingly retained?..come on, what do you think?
An intriguing and short
10R bought for £265; she was advertised as a 6 metre on ebay Geoffrey
Turner explained. She would originally have been faired and caulked
with white lead and painted; she probably originates from the 20's.
The aluminium keel is unusual and is keyed into the hull with aluminium
splines.
A fascinating
glimpse into the typical Biddle advocated construction of an early country
3'0" racing yacht with planks nailed to solid profiles and steamed
ribs between, the whole caulked in white lead putty. Though clearly
a 'length rule' boat with near vertical transom and stem, probably raced
in a local class, she shows the fashionable influence of a '1730 rule'
plank-on-edge cutter of considerable depth and narrow beam for her length.
This wonderful boat
was found in the cellar of a house called Framilode Mill which is situated
on the banks of the River Severn a stone's throw from Saul junction
where the old photograph of the Withy Stick sailors was taken as featured
in the last Turning Pole, reports James Witchell. It seems inconceivable
judging by her similarity to the boats in that photograph and where
she was found, that she did not also race there. Could have been built
anytime between 1870 and the 1900's.
Bruce
Prole sailed this attractive vane Marblehead. He also brought along
a schooner designed by F J Camm
This
fine vessel appears to have trespassed onto the lake from the Small
Liner Section. In fact a rather nice 50's kit of a single screw edition
of Titanic with bejewelled scuttles by Trevor. She progressed most sedately,
followed by what looks like a zeppelin.
Pretty
much the star attraction, this beautiful little yacht had fallen apparently
into the hands of young Grahame Davis. The workmanship and fittings
suggested something as late as the 30's, with the hull design in profile
at least of an 80's plank on edge cutter, but with the greater beam
of a later boat. No obvious signs whether bought in by Bassett-Lowke,
Gamages or any other top retailer. A real conundrum. The Chairman asked
for his considered opinion, after a pause thoughtfully remarked "
I wish I'd found it."
William
Paxton's cutter with a copper bottom and tanned sails; a delightfully
proportioned toy yacht restored by Russell Potts. (See Russell's article
on Paxton on the website).
Another
William Paxton boat restored by Russell Potts, this time a neat schooner,
(with a Potts lead weighted tiller special).
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