Category: Racing sailing craft

OGA celebrates 50 years in colourful style despite strong winds

Start of Clog race by Keith Allso

Strong winds meant that just 60 boats completed the OGA’s 50th anniversary race at Cowes on Saturday, but it didn’t prevent the organisation’s members having a lot of fun.

Almost 200 traditionally rigged sailing boats gathered in Cowes Yacht Haven and Shepards Wharf Marina from all round the UK, and from as far afield as Holland, Belgium and France.

Some 141 boats registered to participate in Saturday’s big race, which would have set a new record for gaff-rigged boats racing together. However, strong winds deterred entrants, and only 94 boats started the race. Many then retired as the wind got up and the sea became rougher. But 60 stalwart boats soldiered on and finished the course.

One of the photos below by Keith Allso shows the 18ft Chough owned by Christine and David Christine Hopkins, which at 18ft the smallest boat to finish the race.

At the other end of the scale, the deep sea smack 68ft Pioneer was the oldest boat at the festival. originally built in 1864 and recently restored by the Pioneer Sailing Trust in Brightlingsea.

She once worked the fishing grounds off Terschelling, but now she takes groups of up to 12 young people from all sorts of backgrounds out to sea for an experience of a lifetime. This weekend she was crewed by a group of young carers.

Pioneer picked up more than one prize in the racing: she was first over the finish line, second in her class on handicap, and to top it all she was awarded the Youth Cup for the crew with the lowest average age.

OGA president Mike Shaw announced the launch of an OGA-sponsored youth fund to support the work of Pioneer and others like her.

Dutch visitors to the festival challenge the different UK OGA areas to make up a simple model racing boat using a kit comprising a clog, a shaped wooden keel and a lump of lead for ballast. A race was held in the marina as part of the regatta, and the winner was awarded a carved wooden tulip awarded by the Dutch skippers.

There’s more to read on the Sailing By website, and more here from Bonita.

Photos by Keith Allso, except deep sea smack Pioneer, which was taken by OGA officials

BBA students’ half rater – not ready for launch day, but so beautiful…

Photo by Paul Dyer Photo by Becky Joseph 

Boat Building Academy student Colin Hurner decided to build a half-rater after stumbling across a picture on the internet of Miru, a William Fife 25ft racer and day-sailer built in New Zealand in 1895.

With no complete plans and limited drawings, Colin created a half-model inspired by Miru’s lines, and then developed a table of offsets, which he then lofted with the help of the other students on the course – it was an excellen learning experience for all of the group.

Named Miura, the new boat is just over 22ft, and carvel planked in Alaskan yellow cedar with an iroko backbone and laminated sapele frames.

He could not complete Miura in time for the launch to the standard he required and so decided not to try – but visitors who had come to see the class’s launch day were able to see her unfinished hull in the workshop.

Woodworking has been a significant part of Colin’s life. His father comes from a long line of Swiss craftsmen, teaching carpentry and carving, and young Colin spent many hours in the workshops working on projects alongside his father, including the restoration of an old 16ft catamaran.

Just before coming to the BBA in September, Colin worked in the Caribbean as deckhand on Martha Ann – a 70m luxury superyacht built by Lurssen.

Colin is now in Southampton with his brother, where he plans to complete Miura’s build.

Tobias Roithner was Colin’s main artner in building Miura. Half Swiss and half Australian, Tobias is a data analyst and process design engineer.

Before joining the BBA worked as a quantitative analyst for Swisscom. Tobias has an interest in ‘unconventional’ means of transport, and in 2002 cycled from Switzerland to India by bicycle.

He joined the BBA wanting to learn the craft of boat building, with a long term goal of sailing around the world – he intends to set sail from Lyme Regis later this year, with the Mediterranean his first destination.

Tobias created a weblog about Miura’s build – click here to see it. Also click here to see the BBA’s photo diary.

Students on the 38 week course, whether building their own boat or not, work on all of the boats built by their class, and Peter Whale’s experience included time working on Miura learning the art of carvel construction.

At earlier stages he learned strip planking, cold moulding and traditional clinker boat building, and spent time time restoring a Rensa (Royal Navy Sailing Association RNSA) dinghy, a traditional clinker dinghy planked in mahogany with oak back bone.

Originally from South Africa, Peter brought his wife and two-year old son with him to Lyme Regis while studying at the BBA, and their second son was born during the course.

At weekends Peter worked at the Lyme Regis Town Mill Bakery, and although his original plan was to work in the marine industry after graduating, he has decided that he wants to stay in Lyme Regis and so for now he will continue with his work as a chef and baker.

 

OGA 50th jubilee at Cowes, 15-18th August


Photos by Chris Boynton

The Old Gaffer’s Association’s big do at Cowes on the Isle of Wight on the 15-18th August looks like wonderful fun.

For one thing, it will see what is likely to be the largest racing fleet of gaff-rigged boats to be assembled in many decades, if not ever.

In addition to the big race on the Saturday, the events include various parties, shanty singing, a competition to sail Dutch clogs, another of the OGA’s downwind rubber dinghy races, various other kinds of nonsense and a 400-cover dinner. Gorblimey!

Read all about it here.