Month: June 2010

Shane Mason makes progress with his stitch and glue sailing Ella skiff

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Shane Mason’s sailing Ella skiff is on its way

Shane Mason in Toronto is busily building the first sailing version of the Ella skiff to a tight deadline and has sent over these shots.

I can report that he particularly enjoyed seeing the shape of the boat come together when he stitched the panels together.

He’s decided to give his deck some camber, which explains why the frames are proud of the sheerline, and has made his mast from pine laminated with carbon fibre.

For plans for this boat click here; for the rowing version click here.

Keep Turning Left at the Three Rivers Race

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A Brown Boat at the start of the Three Rivers Race, 2010

Troubled as I am by continuing problems with our Internet connection – please get on with it Plusnet and BT, it’s been more than two weeks now! – I can’t actually look at Dylan Winter’s videos of the start of the Three Rivers Race this year.

Still, I’m more than sure they’re well worth seeing; those starts must be a sight in themselves, and it’s difficult to imagine any where else in the UK where one could see so many well kept traditional craft on the water in one place.  Dylan would like information about the boats in the videos, if anyone can help.

If he was watching the start of the Three Rivers, he must have been in the area at the same time we were at Barton Turf, enjoying the good company of the HBBR meet there this year, and sailing the Barton Activity Centre’s boats on Barton Broad.

Now, though, apart from getting a decent Internet service, I want to hear how he gets on sailing around the North Norfolk coast, the Wash and the southern end of the long Lincolnshire coast.

A wonderful shed at Barton Turf, Norfolk

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Old boat shed at Barton Turf

It’s been some time since we had a good boat shed on this weblog. This one’s at Barton Turf, by the side of the wonderful Barton Broad in Norfolk. Just by Cox’s Boatyard, its connection with the water is almost grown over, but the old shed itself is a work of pure art wrought by man and time… It’s also a place few people will visit unless they’re on a boating holiday, keep a boat at the yard or doing something interesting and educational at the nearby Barton Activity Centre.

I wonder whether the Cox name here has any connection with the wonderful old singer and melodeon player Harry Cox? As an adult he lived at Stalham, but was born at Barton Turf.

By the way, he was the real source of that famous old song, The Black Velvet Band, among others.

Postscript: two pals have been in touch following this post, Paul Davenport (see the comment below) reveals that this is his home area and there is a family connection between the boatyard Coxes and old Harry Cox (Catfield is close to Stalham, and half-way between Barton and Hickling Broads), while Pete Stockwell said the shed in question used to be a venue for parties back in the days when he used to sail Norfolk punts. Heck Pete, I’ll have to treat you with much more respect in future!