Our first half-million hits

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Thames Barges

Thames barges on the Blackwater – one of the first photos
to appear at intheboatshed.net

It feels a little funny when I think of it, but some time in the next two or three days in the boatshed.net will rack up its first half million hits.

Those with long memories will recall that this weblog began in a very small way at the end of 2006, and benefited early on from the support of various weblogs and online magazines, most notably Chuck Leinweber’s Duckworks Magazine and Tim Shaw’s Chineblog.

Ben Crawshaw’s wonderful The Invisible Workshop followed as did Chris Partridge’s Rowing for Pleasure, and so did a host more I won’t mention just now because if I do this post will become too huge for words.

We’re now all part of a community of interconnecting weblogs and online magazines, and I’m grateful to all of them both for their assistance in helping readers find their way here, and for the entertainment and interest they have given us in our household. If you come to this site and happen to land on this post, therefore, I’d like to suggest you take a little time to explore the sites and weblogs, as well as the rest of the intheboatshed.net blogroll.

But I have another request: please send me pictures and stories that you’d like to share! We’re particularly interested in old boats, traditionally built boats whether old or new, in boats that bear the influences of the past, in the history and culture of boating, in influential individuals and in alternative ways of enjoying boating rooted in the past. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a proud owner or not, or a boat builder or other boat related craftsman, or even if you simply have something interesting to sell. And the occasional story about a boat-related shed doesn’t go amiss either!

Finally, I’d like to pay tribute to my family and wife Julie, who has shown immense understanding and enthusiasm over a long period. I know that I’ve been very lucky to have their support and I hope they feel the result justifies the effort and time that goes into the inthboatshed.net project.

Reach me either at gmatkin@gmail.com or by using the intheboatshed.net contact page, which you can get to using the page tab above the title line.

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Frank Carr writing on bawleys

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‘The Leigh bawleys which formĀ  the subject of Mr Mason’s drawing are a type that it is indeed a pity to see vanishing from the Thames Estuary and giving place to a class of modern motor craft, less pleasing in design, where sails are but auxiliary to power.’

Frank Carr describes the history and development of the lovely bawley. Of course, these days I’m sure we’d be happy to preserve examples of the bawley’s successor – no doubt it too was a handsome carvel-built craft, even if Carr found them a little too plain and modern to be interesting.

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For more posts on bawleys at intheboatshed.net, click here.

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Bawleys off the Nore

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Bawley’s off the Nore drawing by Frank Mason

This is the frontispiece from Vanishing Craft: British Coastal Craft in the Last Days of Sail by Frank G G Carr with drawings by Frank Mason.

Published in 1934, the book was written by Carr with the aim of persuading the yachtsmen, curators and scholars of the time to record and record the last small sailing working boats. I don’t know how influential it was, but it stands as a charming and informative piece of work.

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