Suhaili on the Solent

There’s a little bit of magic here. Robin Knox-Johnston’s famous Round the World boat Suhaili sailing on the Solent a few weeks ago.

This is the excellent Nic Compton’s work and I’ve been far too slow in mentioning his latest books, a BBC-commissioned miscellany titled The Shipping Forecast and Notable Boats, which tells the stories of 40 famous vessels that involved in great adventures.

 

The reviews look good for both, and here’s an extract from The Shipping Forecast to read

Overbeck’s Museum, Salcombe, and a few views of the estuary and beyond

Some photos from the museum at Overbeck’s Museum, Salcombe and a few views… The shots include:

  • a model of a famous sailing ship Herzogin Cecilie, which was wrecked nearby
  • a model Brixham trawler (and an explanation of their work beam trawling)
  • a portrait of Captain William Port of Salcombe, master of the brig Phoenix
  • a splendid phot of a seaman’s family dated 1880
  • a story about a pair of parrots
  • Herr Overbeck’s famous medical electric shocking machine, a couple of boats for sale in Island Street
  • a model of an old Salcombe clipper in the Sailing Club (grand building, good food and cheap beer, by the way)
  • also in the club, a painting by celebrated Victorian artist Henry Moore, and a photo through an alley between two buildings that I wish I had taken…
  • some Mirrors on a beach – this lot are all fitted with little outboards and their retired owners seemed to use them to picnic at a different spot around the estuary every day. Good for them!
  • beach guards at surfing beach and Bantham, and the famous hotel on Burgh Island
  • some local traditionally built boats picked out among the RIBs
  • a mass of RIBs awaiting their generally red-trousered and stripey-shirted owners (following that, I’ve included a shot of a cheery looking dog on the beach at Mill Bay to cheer everyone up… )

Ditch Crawlers, 1953