Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Jacques Molinari’s TheEdge Mouseboat is looking very smart
The carvel-built Mouseboat built to the free TheEdge plans that Jacques Molinari is building in Vietnam continues to make progress. He’s now reached the point where he’s making sails and launch day is approaching.
I’ve recentlyseen some film of a plywood-built boat to the same plans sailing, and I have to say it seems to perform pretty well. Good luck, take care and remember this is really a pond skimmer Jacques!
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The Oxford Canal at Hillmorton on the eastern edge of Rugby in Warwickshire –
image from the Wikipedia, photographed by G-Man
Ordinary people in the UK are already prevented from using the large majority of our rivers, streams and lakes. And now there’s apparently a threat of the canal system being sold to private owners which will likely mean we’ll have even less access, for unlike many states in Europe and the Americas, ours is a small, crowded country where privately owned also means ‘Keep Out!’.
Needless to say, this must not happen and a new petition on the Prime Minister’s website has given us an important opportunity to show the level of support that exists for our wonderful canal system.
I think this is an important petition – please help protect and extend our inland waters for public use. So please sign here!
PS Read what the British Marine Federation has to say on the subject!
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Boats of Hong Kong – click on the images for a larger photo
Hong Kong resident and photography enthusiast Matthew Atkin has kindly sent me this collection of his stunning shots – I guess the fact that he’s also my brother had something to do with it!
I’ve never been to the Far East (though will have to save up to travel there now my brother ands his family have set up residence), but I’m struck that while Hong Kong’s tower blocks seem very familiar, nothing else seems at all like anything I know, including the hills, the boats and ships and even the colour of the sea. I think Matt shot these images using his Leica camera, so I’m confident that the colour rendition here is accurate.
I’d like to say that these boats are junks and sampans and that some of the images of small boats include yulohs but I can’t, for neither Matt nor I can give these craft and their components their proper names. If anyone would like to help, please use the Comment link below.
Thanks for the photos Matt – I’ll post some more in a few days.
