Category: Small boats

The Three Rivers Race along the Bure, Ant and Thurne

Three Rivers Race

Three Rivers Race Three Rivers Race

Chaos at the Three Rivers Race

The astonishing and often chaotic Navigators Three Rivers Race along the narrow rivers of the Norfolk Broads rivers takes place this year over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd June.

Running over 50 miles along the Rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne, it makes for an entertaining spectator event with a large variety of boats ranging from Wayfarer dinghies and classic local half-deckers to Thames A Raters and classic gaff-rigged racers built specially for The Broads.

Competitors have to navigate tight broads and open dykes to round large buoys while avoiding other competitors and hire boats travelling in all directions.

Because The Broads are tidal, Continue reading “The Three Rivers Race along the Bure, Ant and Thurne”

How to build a 1930s British sharpie, part II

Here’s a chapter from Sutton on how to make the sail for the standing lug version of his 1930s British sharpie, to go with my previous post about how to build the boat and spars.

The sail is a 92sqft standing lug job that could easily find it’s way into a design today, if anyone out there needs one of that size. There’s some nice details here; for example, in the main diagram the mast stays are fixed by lanyards rather than a turnbuckles, and, of course, all bolt ropes must be sewn to the port side of the sail.

Sutton sail Sutton sail Sutton sail Sutton sail

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The boats of Swallows and Amazons explained

Swallow II

I gather from Never Sea Land that Stuart Weir’s article about the boats of Swallows and Amazons has a new home here:
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ransome/wier/sanda.html

I’ve been searching high and low for some photos I took of one of Arthur Ransome’s dinghies in the Windermere Museum, but I can’t find the folder for the life of me. It’s a shame – it’s a nice old fashioned little Continue reading “The boats of Swallows and Amazons explained”