Category: Traditional carvel

Traditional carvel plans and boatbuilding

Refurbished Thames barge Edith May at sea and sailing well

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Thames sailing barge Edith May

Edward Gransden has kindly been in touch with these photos of the Thames sailing barge named Edith May, which has this month been sailing for the first time in ten years or more. Here’s what he says:

‘Please find attached a couple of photos from our first sail. We are intending to charter with individuals and groups up to 12 throughout the summer, operating from Lower Halstow, Chatham and Queenborough.

‘Having spent the past 10 and a half years restoring her, it was a great thrill to be able to take her out sailing for the first time, with her performance proving very pleasing. The Swale Match in August will be the first chance we get to see if she has retained the pace she was once renowned for!’

Thanks Edward! Any time you have photos and stories to share let me know.

It happens that we were over at Lower Halstow this weekend, and found the Edith May in the dock looking very smart. I took some shots with my camera phone – but I’m damned if I can get them out. It’s a better camera than you might think, but the connections and software make me curse!

Here’s an earlier post featuring the Edith May, and here’s a link to the Edith May website.

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.

The July/August issue of Water Craft magazine is due out very soon!

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The July/August issue of Water Craft – subscribe online now!

The July/August 2010 issue of Water Craft magazine is out from the 24th June contains the usual fine collection of articles! This time, editor Pete Greenfield says it includes the following:

Designer Paul Gartside presents full plans and offsets for a shapely 18ft (5.5m) gaff-rigged centreboard dayboat. I’d say that was unmissable…

Roger Dongray introduces his new 25’ (7.6m) Golant Yawl, which follows on from the success of his widely admired 19ft (5.9m) Golant Gaffer design. This issue includesfeatures on both.

Boatbuilder Gail McGarva completes the construction of two traditional 32ft (9.8m) Cornish pilot gigs.

Reporter and photographer Kathy Mansfield goes to the recent ‘Oughtraid’ held in Holland. Apparently it was relaxed gathering of Iain Oughtred’s elegant boat designs in the Netherlands. I hope the weather was good.

The issue also includes the next instalments of its Grand Designs series, including a lovely double-page  feature about the Light Trow, and  all the usual regular features.

For more on Iain Oughtred’s designs, click here.

For more on  Gail McGarva, click here.