Category: wooden boat

Troys at Fowey

Troy class keelboat racing at Fowey

Fowey boatbuilder Marcus Lewis has written to say that he’s had Shimmer, T4 of the Troy Class, in the workshop for a bit of attention, including 11 new ribs, rudder refitting, and painting all over – what he calls the usual maintenance stuff.

Shimmer was built in Fowey by AH ‘Archie’ Watty during the winter of 1929/30. She was made for the local squire Colonel Edward Treffry, and was sometimes sailed by his daughter, Elizabeth.

The old photo below shows Shimmer winning the Royal Fowey Yacht Club Regatta race in 1930 with the colonel at the helm. As the results show, Shimmer started her career in fine style.

In 1946, the boat was sold and bought by author Daphne Du Maurier’s husband, Lt Gen Sir FAM Browning, only to be bought back by Elizabeth Treffry around 1953.

Two of the older Troys are now for sale, T6 Ruby and T7 Sapphire, both in good condition, and still competitive boats, but both are to be sold on condition they do not leave Fowey, and that they continue racing. (The Troy fleet now number 28, four of them built by Marcus in recent years.)

There is more information about these boats on Marcus’s website: www.woodenboatbuilder.co.uk

Lt Gen Sir F.A M Browning winning Fowey Yacht Club Regatta in Shimmer, 1930

 

1930 Fowey Yacht Club regatta results Troy 4 Shimmer in Marcus Lewis' workshop Troy 4 Shimmer paint job

Troy 4 Shimmer ready for the water

Petition to save the Ethel von Brixham – and other historic craft in Germany

Ethel von Brixham_2012 by VolkerGries_0598

Some folks in Germany are getting up a petition to try to persuade the German authorities to change their minds – and allow the 1890 Brixham-built trawler Ethel von Brixham to continue chartering.

The vessel is in danger because the German authorities have judged her to be non-traditional because she has a more modern schooner sailing rig rather than her original gaff rig and therefore has to comply with different and much more arduous safety regulations – and I gather they have made similar decisions about other craft.

If allowed to stand, this argument could have serious repercussions for many historic craft that have been altered in some way over the years, and in Ethel’s case it will mean that her chartering days will have to end and  her owner, Gerhard Bialek of Kiel, will no longer be able to keep her afloat.

The Ethel is particularly important because:

  • she is the oldest Brixham trawler afloat, of about nine in European waters today
  • her career has been typical of the many English smacks sold to Scandinavia. She worked in the Swedish fisheries from Bohuslän from 1906, and then served in the coastal trade of northern Norway from 1927 to 1980
  • among the Brixham trawlers, she probably the greatest amount of original superstructure

As written, the petition is here: Petition_Ethel von Brixham

If you are in favour, please mail or email Hermann Ostermann at the address given at the bottom of the petition letter. If I hear that an online petition has been created, I will post again about the issue here at intheboatshed.net .

Hermann sent me some fascinating documents about Ethel von Brixham and other Brixham trawlers’ careers: Brixham smacks to Scandinavia, Brixham trawlers to Sweden, Smacks still sailing, and Ethel history.

Tall Ships Set Out, 1964

Tall Ships Set Out 1964

The Tall Ships Race of 1964 leaves Plymouth Hoe with a good helping of British Pathé razzmatazz. The vessels taking part include Hoshi, Tawau, Etoile, Belle-Poule and the sailing ship Danmark.

At the time the presenter ruefully remarked that the British didn’t have a square-rigger – well thankfully we do now.

My thanks to Amy Davenport for pointing this one out.