Photos of Eagdyth taken by Jenny Steer and Phillipa Gedge
Eadgyth built by students Boat Building Academy students Matt Goode and Jay Preston is a 16ft 6in by 4ft 9.5in Iain Oughtred Elfyn design built in plywood, and fitted out in sapele with oak detailing.
She has a balanced lug rig, and traditional kabes – strong timber supports for oars – rather than the usual rowlocks for rowing.
Matt chose the design after coming across an article about faerings – double ended Norwegian boats – in a magazine in the BBA boat bookcase. He liked the look of them but perhaps most of all its Scandinavian origins called out to his soul. After a little more research, Matt found plans for a more modern version drawn up by Iain Oughtred.
Having launched her, Matt reports that he is ‘absolutely chuffed’ with the boat, which he plans to use for family sailing with his son, Richard, and his wife – if she feels brave enough to sail with him.
For 20 years, Matt worked as an engineer in the automotive industry in Cardiff, but was made redundant in June 2011; while researching different career options, he came across the BBA website three days later started the first of four short courses, by the end of which he had been bitten by the boat building bug and enrolled onto the 38-week course.
After finishing the course Matt has now returned to Cardiff and has been doing voluntary work helping to fit out a 65ft schooner Prince Madoc, together with his son. Recently have been helping to set up the World of Boats, which opens at Cardiff on the 23rd August.
Jay is now employed by the Good Wood Boat Company based in Cumbria.
The company prides itself on creating beautiful hand crafted classic boats using ‘responsibly managed and ethically sourced timber’. They are also the first boat building company to gain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), certification meaning that all wood used to build their boats has come from responsibly managed forests.