September 2007 – intheboatshed.net

Another instalment of Jeff Cole’s collection of hundred-year old yacht racing photos

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Moonbeam as depicted in a supplement to The Yachtsman, No. 658, November, 1903. Photo is by Kirk & Son of Cowes. Jeff points out that the sides of the cockpit are rolled. I’m not quite convinced – I think there may be a tender on the port side, and a rolled-up sail on the starboard.

Double-click on all the photos for a larger, clearer image.

Tutty and Nevada battle it out in a photo from a supplement to The Yachtsman, No. 556, December 1901. Photo is by West & Son of Southsea.

Gleniffer. There’s no attribution but the image is a Photomezzotype,and was probably taken before 1895. St Andrew’s flag flies on the forepeak. She looks new, says Jeff, even in this old picture.

Iverna. Again, there’s attribution to show who took the shot. Jeff says that he thinks she is carved and gilded under the bowsprit, and adds that she’s also an interesting hull shape with lots of room inside.

Colombine, winner of the Emperor’s Cup, 1900. This photo appears in a supplement to The Yachtsman, No. 489, August 1900. The photo is by W U Kirk & Sons of Cowes.

A bonus photo tonight, but as yet with no information. This is Heartsease:

For more of Jeff Cole’s amazing collection, follow this link:
http://intheboatshed.net/?s=cole

A successful first adventure for the paddling and sailing expedition boat Expedition Mouse

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The maiden outing for Dan Noble’s Expedition Mouse seems to have been a little more exciting than anyone intended, but even with two grown men aboard she seems to have coped pretty well. Sailing nearby the Statue of Liberty seems rather exotic from my perspective in Kent, England

I’ve said it before, but boat designers love a builder who follows the plans, builds the boat well and makes good use of it. But even those of us who are lucky in our builders have at least a little nervousness before a launch, for there’s always the danger that something about the boat might not work quite as expected.

Well, Dan Noble’s done a nice job of building the Expedition Mouse, and I seem to have got away with it – as once again one of my little boats has proved to work the way it should. Thanks Dan!

The Expedition Mouse is a stretched 14ft variant of my Mouseboat series of easy and cheap to build designs, but instead of being intended for the pond or river at the end of the road, this one is intended for real trips, perhaps involving camping. Many people would say that she’s an unusual looking craft with a surprisingly large sail are, but there is method in my madness. Her scow shape and hard chine makes her stable enough to stand up to quite a lot of sail, but her entry and exit are sufficiently easy that she’s easy to paddle much like a conventional cruising kayak. Her builder has reported that she while she sails well, she paddles ‘like a dream’.

The plans for the Expedition Mouse are available for free and can be downloaded at the Yahoogroup Mouseboats.

British Bronze Medallist rower Steve Rowbotham tries out the John Short flatner at the Somerset River Festival

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British Olympic Bronze Medallist rower Steve Rowbotham tries out the John Short flatner at the Parrett River Festival

Watchet Boat Museum curator John Nash took the new John Short flatner based on the traditional Combwich boat to the Somerset River Festival a few days ago for its first public outing, and British Olympic Bronze Medallist rower Steve Rowbotham took it for a spin.

Steve seems to have approved of the little boat. ‘Obviously she’s a little wider than I am used to but the flatner is an extremely stable and maneuverable boat that would be fun for everyone,’ he commented.

Curator John has sent me plans for the Short flatner for review in a future post. What’s more, he tells me it is to feature in a series of short television films – I’ll also report on this developments at some point.

See two earlier posts relating to the Short flatner and Watchet Boat Museum
•The Short flatner is launched
•Don’t miss Watchet Boat Museum

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