Category: Traditional clinker

Clinker plans and boatbuilding

Biche – France’s last sailing tuna fisherman

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Sailing French tunny fisherman Biche

Biche, the last sailing French tuna fishing boat is scheduled
to be relaunched in two years.

Googling around for Parisian boat-related material led me to the website of Les Amis du Biche – a society devoted to restoring and relaunching the historic sailing tuna fisherman. The grand old boat is due to be back in the water by 2010, and from the photos there has been a lot of work to do.

I’d also draw readers’ attention to the quaintly entertaining name on the side of the crane. This kind of light-hearted humour seems to happen around these machines: the crane that’s about to put our little boat in the water proclaims itself to be an Iron Fairy. It’s obviously been around long time, but I gather they are still available if you want to buy one – though the more convenient Matchbox toy version is apparently a rarity .

I was entertained by this ingeniously made video appealing for new supporters for the Biche project.

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Slipway Collective plans rowing gig Young Bristol return to Beale – by water!

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Rowing gig Young Bristol sees some action

Rowing gig Young Bristol sees some action Rowing gig Young Bristol sees some action Rowing gig Young Bristol sees some action

Win Cnoops has been in touch to say that he and his Slipway Collective colleagues hope to bring the completed and now well used Young Bristol back to the Beale Park Thames Boat Show. They are looking forward to showing the Cornish rowing gig to visitors who saw the boat last year, when it was still only half-built.

I gather she has been worked hard in the meantime, and has won two races. The photos of the gigs locking into Bristol Floating Harbour was taken after the Avon Gorge Race.

STOP PRESS! Win tells me the latest plan is to row Young Bristol 80 miles or so from Bristol to Beale Park, following the Kennet & Avon Canal and a bit of the Thames. Apparently the Bristol Gig Club sees it as a good exercise!

The Slipway Collective will also bring a finished Whisp and possibly a Jolly Boat.

For earlier posts about this boat, click here, here and here, and follow this link for more on the Slipway Coop folks: www.slipwaycooperative.co.uk.

Tickets for the Beale Park Thames Boat Show can be bought in advance online via the Beale Park website, or by phone on 0118 976 7498.

Take a look at our extensive coverage of last year’s Beale Park Boat Show.


Book a room in South-East England

Sue and Michael Feather’s photos from last year’s Albert Strange Association rally

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Albert Strange Association rally 2007 Hardy

Hardy glows in the evening sun of the 2007 Albert
Strange Association annual rally

Sue and Michael Feather are old friends from my university days, and Mike and I are both enthusiastic traditional-style English fiddle players – so although we don’t run into each other too often, it’s fair to say we still have quite a lot in common.

So I’m very pleased to point to this page of their photos of the 2007 Albert Strange Association annual rally. Mike tells me that Sue takes most of the photos, by the way.

Among the boats in the photos is Sheila, which I originally took to be Adrian Hayter’s Sheila of Sheila in the Wind fame. In fact Hayter’s boat was Sheila II, and was last heard of ashore in New Zealand, as Dick Wynne points out in his comment (see below). He also says that one of the Charms shown in Sue and Mike’s photos is actually a sister ship of Sheila II.

Mike F has some remarks to make about these boats:

‘You have a link to the Albert Strange Association on your intheoatshed.net weblog, which has an article by a very good friend of ours, Jamie Clay, about the yacht Venture.

‘Jamie talks about the superb handling characteristics of these yawls under jib and mizzen in heavy weather. I have witnessed some very impressive seamanship of this type – for example the yawl Sheila entering Shotley Marina Lock in a force 5/6 under sail alone.’

Scary-but-impressive is what I’d call it!

And also from Sue and Michael’s site, check this page of photos showing a peregrine falcon scaring the hell out of a flock of godwits. Notice the characteristic pink colour of the grand old East Anglian house…

Don’t forget to call in at the Albert Strange Association’s excellent website.

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