Category: wooden boat

Shetland fifie Swan beats Spider T to win National Historic Ships flagship award

Fifie Swan - The Swan Trust

Shetland fifie Swan, winner of the national flagship award

Spider T, winter 2010

Humber sloop Spider T came second in a close contest

The Swan Trust deserve our congratulations on the fifie Swan’s victory in being made 2011 flagship by the National Historic Ships.

Humber sloop Spider T came second in a close contest.

The award presented to Swan goes to the owners of the vessel on the National Historic Fleet with the most impressive seasonal programme of public events in the forthcoming year. The winners receive a special pennant to mark her flagship status, and a grant of £1000 to be spent on the vessel’s upkeep.

A fifie herring drifter, Swan (LK243) was launched in May 1900 at Hay and Company’s yard in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles. Having survived two world wars and then falling into disrepair, this vessel has now been restored to her former glory by a team of dedicated volunteers. The judges were particularly impressed with the breadth of Swan’s summer programme which, starting in her home port, will take her to the Orkneys; along the Caledonian Canal; to Waterford to compete in the Tall Ships Race to Glasgow, and then to Norway, engaging throughout with the large number of young people who will form her crews, and inviting visitors on board wherever she goes.

Swan is one of some 200 vessels of pre-eminent national significance which together form the UK’s National Historic Fleet.

Swan Trust chairman Allister Rendell, said: ‘I am delighted that Swan has won… It is particularly appropriate that Swan has been selected, since the Tall Ships will be visiting Shetland this year.’

Runner-up Spider T receives a £250 grant which will also go towards supporting the vessel and promoting the Flagship of the Year scheme.

National Historic Ships director Martyn Heighton commented: ‘With the flagship award now in its third year, the quality of entries has gone from strength to strength. Swan is a worthy winner in a year of fierce competition.’

Humber sloop Spider T’s owner Mal Nicholson is a regular contributor to intheboatshed.net, usually on the subject  of Spider T herself. For more posts about the Humber sloop, click here.

Antifouling Sunday – sun and the prospect of summer bring out the boat maintainers

Antifouling Sunday_owner at the top of his boat's mast 2

Antifouling Sunday_at the bottom of the mast Antifouling Sunday_owner at the top of his boat's mast Antifouling Sunday_working on an area of dodgy woodwork

Antifouling Sunday_it may be hard work but it's still a great place to be

I think there’s a special Sunday each year when those who need to ready their boats for the season suddenly rush down to the moorings and get to work – I call it Antifouling Sunday, but you won’t find it in any church’s calendar.

My guess is that what happens for many is that the first days of sunshine and the promise of spring get the sap rising in the boating enthusiast’s veins, but their consciences (and perhaps their families) insist they first complete a selection of household jobs on the Saturday. But then Sunday is their own…

Last Sunday I was down there with the rest of them, rubbing and scrubbing and getting antifouling in my hair and on my sunglasses, and wondering which particular kind of magic stuff to try on my woodwork next (nothing I’ve ever tried has lived up to its promise, no matter what the magazines say) and what other jobs I really need to do.

It might have been hard work but, in that setting and with the sense of community moorings and yards have, it was a great place to be.

There were a companionable lot of us down at Hollowshore, near Faversham, and these photos show just a few of the things that were going on – I was particularly impressed by the chap swinging about on a bosun’s chair sorting out shrouds for his Maurice Griffiths-designed yacht. I hate heights…

Don’t miss the new Dinghy Cruising Association website

Dinghy Cruising Association website

I’d like to draw readers’ attention to the Dinghy Cruising Association’s splendid new website http://dinghycruising.org.uk.

It has always been packed with goodies – articles on dinghy sailing and cruising, advice about techniques and equipment and the rest – but  it’s now much easier on the eye and includes some new sections, including a weblog and a section on the legends of dinghy sailing, including Frank Dye and well known Association members.

I should add, though, that the DCA’s wise webmaster has gone to some lengths to makes sure visitors to the site realise its as much for casual dinghy cruisers (like me) as it is for the fearless adventurer and the hardy folks who camp in small open boats.

One striking pieces of news I picked up on visiting today are that Essex small boat sailing legend Charles Stock has had to give up his boat Shoal Waters after 50 years of regular use – the boat has passed on to well known boating weblogger Creeksailor. (For more on Stock and Shoal Waters, click here and here.)

There are also items here about the Everglades Challenge, Ben Crawshaw’s continuing adventures with his boat Onawind Blue, two of the DCA’s annual awards and our friend Dylan Winter’s journey around Britain’s coastline.

If you’re still with me after all these links… I’d say the DCA’s site is well worth a visiting regularly: http://dinghycruising.org.uk