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
I like to look at intheboatshed.net’s stats in order to try to workout where its visitors come from and where they go to.
Often they come from a Google search that has turned up several interesting pages in addition to intheboatshed.net – and that’s how I found this interesting piece about Ian Proctor and his Tempest design.
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Esperanza, the day she was relaunched and at earlier stages in her restoration
It’s been a great few days for people sending me photographs, and here are some more. If any of you happen to have any stories to tell and photographs to share, please send them in!
Robin Marshall, a supporter of the Florida Gulf Coast Maritime Museum sent us these photos of a little flat-bottomed fishing boat that someone had used to sail from Cuba to the USA.
I’ve tried imagining what it must have been like so far from land in such a small boat – a flatiron skiff so small and limited in terms of seaworthiness that most of us wouldn’t sail more than a mile or two out in it, let alone the 90-plus these this brave crew must have covered.
It was all years ago, so I hope the weather was good and that what they thought they wanted really was what they wanted after all!
Here’s what Robin has to say:
‘Hi Gavin.
‘I thought you might be interested in an unusual restoration.
‘Our local maritime museum the Florida Gulf Coast Maritime Museum in Cortez took on this project – the remains of a Cuban refugee fishing boat.
‘It had been left to rot in someones yard down in southern Florida and was almost rotted away.
‘Under the guidance of Bob Pitt, who is in charge of the workshop, the museum restored her using as much as possible of her original timbers. She was re-launched this weekend at our annual wooden boat festival.
‘Robin Marshall a member of the museum’
Many thanks Robin!
For more on boat restoration in the area, check this lot: Great Florida Gulf Coast Traditional Small Craft Assn
For more on flatiron skiffs and a whole range of other North American boat types, I recommend the classic work by Howard Irving Chappelle, Small American Sailing Craft. For material on building them try The Sharpie Book.
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New Nick Smith 12-footer at Salcombe
While I was whooping it up in Paris this weekend, another set of photos arrived from boatbuilder Nick Smith over the weekend. Here’s what he had to say:
‘I am back from NZ and have just completed a 12 foot six runabout, mahogany on oak, pictured here in Salcombe harbour – that’s my brother sitting on the pontoon.
The other pictures are of the sistership Bumble which you have seen before, on the Thames. In the first, she’s fully laden and under full power. The second comes from a Stuart Turner event.
‘I will be exhibiting again at Beale Park Thames Traditional Boat Show, from the 6th to 8th June this year.
‘The last picture is of the steam launch SL Puffin under steam on the Beaulieu River.
‘Regards, Nick”
Thanks Nick – I’m sure intheboatshed.net readers will admire your boats!
Nick’s a member of the Wooden Boatbuilder’s Trade Association, and you can read more about him here:
Nick Smith at the WBTA website
Take a look at our extensive coverage of last year’s Beale Park Boat Show.
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