Category: Small boats

Ile aux Moines – a jewel of an island in the Gulf of Morbihan

Boat Gulf of Morbihan

Boat Gulf of Morbihan Boat Gulf of Morbihan Boat Gulf of Morbihan Boat Gulf of Morbihan

Boat Gulf of Morbihan Boat Gulf of Morbihan Boat Gulf of Morbihan Boat Gulf of Morbihan

There always seems to be something special, slightly slow and old-fashioned about an island, and the charming Ile aux Moines set in the Gulf of Morbihan on the West Coast of France is no exception.

Here is a first instalment of photos of boats and scenery from the island taken during a holiday trip there this summer. We liked it immensely. I have a half-cooked plan that when I eventually retire some time in my late sixties, one of the first things I’d like to do is to sail to Morbihan and spend a couple of months both on the island and boating around it in the company of friends who will each drop by for a few days.

Well, it’s a nice idea, and dreams don’t cost too much while they’re still just an idea. In the meantime, there are the photos and a few things to find out about – including the hard-chine one-design dinghy class that’s so popular in the area.

I’d just like to add that it was Francois Vivier’s wise recommendation that took us to the Ile aux Moines. Thanks Francois!

Harbour stroll at Le Croisic, Brittany: boats, fishing blokes and a fairground ride

Brittany Le Croisic harbour fishing Brittany Le Croisic harbour wooden fishing boat

Mainly a holiday resort now, Le Croisic in Brittany has an impressive series of harbours and was a very different sort of place in the past.

Although most of the boats and yachts that use them these days are quite unlike those of fifty or a hundred years ago, there are a few treasures in among the white plastic, and the handsome circumnavigating Colin Archer-inspired yacht Kurun is certainly one. I loved the ancient monument sign on a boat; perhaps we should have them in the UK.

But what’s happening to the decaying fishing vessel? Isn’t it worth preserving and using? I remember when there were many more fishing boats in this area, and they were all tremendous carvel-built craft like this.

Brittany Le Croisic harbour sailing yacht Kurun Brittany Le Croisic harbour sailing yacht Kurun 2 Brittany Le Croisic harbour sailing yacht Kurun 3 Brittany Le Croisic harbour sailing yacht Kurun 5Brittany Le Croisic harbour Kurun 4 Brittany Le Croisic harbour building Brittany Le Croisic harbour building 2

Brittany Le Croisic harbour wooden fishing boat 3 Brittany Le Croisic harbour wooden fishing boat 2 Brittany Le Croisic harbour wooden fishing boat 4

Brittany Le Croisic harbour fishing 2 Brittany Le Croisic harbour boat 2 Brittany Le Croisic harbour boat

Brittany Le Croisic harbour boat 3 Brittany Le Croisic fairground ride featuring fishing boat Brittany Le Croisic fairground ride featuring fishing boat

 

 

BBA students build a Yachting World Dayboat

Yachting World Dayboat Yachting World Dayboat

 

Photos by Emma Brice and John Palmer

This Yachting World Dayboat was built by Boat Building Academy student Sean Quail, with the help of Charlie Yetton.

Sean joined the BBA’s long boat building course after deciding to make his hobby of woodwork into a career, and went to Lyme after completing his A Level exams – though first he took time out to travel through Australia, Canada and Thailand.

Charlie completed a foundation course at Chelsea College of Art and Design and a BA in fine art sculpture at the University of Brighton, and then worked as an artist’s assistant for a period. He then decided he needed what he called ‘real’ skills – and chose boat building and carpentry as the area in which he was most interested.

The Yachting Day Boat was originally designed in 1949 by G O’Brien Kennedy; Sean’s was constructed using oak ribs, spruce planks and mahogany-veneered plywood.

This is the second YW Dayboat to be built at the academy – see Locky McKenzie’s build, click here. On Sean’s boat, the plank lines were tweaked a little, and the Highfield
lever was left off the forestay in favour of tensioning the rig using the jib halyard.

To view Sean’s weblog of the Dayboat build click here.

I gather Sean is now living and working in Hampshire.

PS – If you’re interested in what the BBA can teach and might consider one of its short courses, take a look at its 2012 short course programme.