wooden boat – Page 197 – intheboatshed.net

Rotoiti 2011 photos by Owen Sinclair

Russel Ward’s Romany (see steam.co.nz). A lovely boat in a fabulous setting

Reader Owen Sinclair has written in with a short report and some stunning photos from the 2011 New Zealand Antique & Classic Boatshow at Lake Rotoiti. His photos appear on this weblog with his permission. Many thanks Owen!

Here’s what he says:

‘Hello Gavin,

‘Numbers seemed to be down this year, presumably due to the Christchurch earthquake, and perhaps also due to a forecast for heavy rain. But after heavy rain early in the morning the clouds cleared and the day became brilliantly sunny.

‘This whaleboat was built recently by Ron Perano to the lines of a whaleboat built in Tasmania and used for whaling in Cook Strait, and donated to the Canterbury Museum in 1926. I think this was one of the few shore-based whale fisheries in the world. The Perano family was one of several associated with whaling and has many descendants in the area today.

‘Another whaling family was the Guard family, and a Guard was on the whaleboat today. I was offered a row, an entirely new experience. The oars are long, heavy, flexible and pivot between thole pins. Although it was an impromptu crew with half probably aged over 70 the boat moved along really well with six rowers and a man steering with a sweep oar. A wonderful opportunity, greatly enjoyed. Thank you Messrs Perano and Guard.

Romany – see owner Russell Ward’s website: steam.co.nz .

Canoe-yawl built to the lines of Eel, a George Holmes design, by a man from Timaru whose name I unfortunately didn’t get. He has built many boats and it shows.

Hamilton jetboat built about ’73, steam launch, stitch and tape version of Rushton’s Wee Lassie, and a lug yawl designed and built by an Australian boatbuilder. I think this boat and some detail of the builder was posted recently on Dave Perillo’s website: openboat.co.nz .

The yellow boat in this shot is a John Welsford Whaler, built and sailed by Peter Murton.

Trailer built in Oregon pine, otherwise known as Douglas fir. I didn’t see what it carries. Nice work!

Pipedream, built in England.

‘Regards,

‘Owen Sinclair’

Meeting a chance to save Standard Quay?

Faversham Creek campaigners are calling on supporters to attend a public local engagement meeting at at Faversham’s Alexander Centre at 7pm on Tuesday 15th March in at attempt to persuade planners not to swamp the town with new developments.

‘Come to the meeting and make sure the planners understand that developers are not wanted,’ says campaign spokesperson Sue Cooper of Standard Quay.

‘Faversham has the skills itself to regenerate the creek as has been amply shown at Standard Quay. It is no coincidence that during the past 20 years the only part of Faversham Creek that has seen regeneration, new employment creation and substantial silt removal is Standard Quay. We just need Swale to stand up to the developers.’

A petition to save maritime jobs and skills at the threatened boatyard at Standard Quay has already attracted local, national and international support with 1,200 signatures.

Supporters are now preparing to voice their concerns at Swale Borough Council’s Local Engagement Forum at Faversham’s Alexander Centre at 7pm on Tuesday.

‘It is time to say no more,’ says Sue Cooper.

Campaigners fear Faversham is in danger of being ‘sold down the river’ by a council hungry for developers’ cash. They fear pleas to save skilled jobs at the town’s last working traditional boatyard are being ignored, while Swale seeks ‘developer contributions’ towards plans likely to kill off creekside industry.

Cooper argues the council is looking to raise money through ‘developer contributions’ or ‘local infrastructure levies’, which she says are unlikely to benefit the town even half as much as the£500,000 the campaign says was generated on the Quay in the past year, and won’t replace the tourism and other spin-offs, such as photographs, postcards and paintings depicting Standard Quay that are sold all over the world.

The plans won’t regenerate the Creek she says, but will lead to ‘real mud and nails employment’ being lost to the town.

For more information, see www.standardquay.com

For more intheboatshed.net posts relating to Faversham, click here.

A happy career change from NHS manager to traditional boatbuilder

Remember Marc Chivers, who built this handsome 13ft pilot punt during his time at the Boat Building Academy? (For more on the pilot punt, click here.)

He’s now working for Ashley Butler down at Dartmouth and is very happy with his new life, according to an interview he has given to Careershifters.org. At Butler & Co, he’s currently working on Pilgrim, an 1895 Brixham sailing trawler.

Before coming to boat building Marc had been carving a career working in the NHS for a primary care trust, a role he found ‘frustrating, soul destroying and generally unfulfilling’.

(Of course, under our new government, if he was still working for a PCT he’d now be facing redundancy.)

He told Careershifters that making the change was easy: he split-up from his ex-wife, resigned from his job and enrolled on the boat building course with the Boat Building Academy. I suppose it sounds easy if you say it quickly.

From the quotes online, there’s no question Marc is a happier man however: ‘I love my new life and I love working in the boat yard helping to build and restore wooden boats is wonderful,’ he told the website. ‘The guys I work with are great and they all are more than happy to share and impart their skills.’

He also added that the work itself is very hard physically as it involves big lumps of wood and working outdoors in all weathers. I can believe it. One of the enduring underlying themes of this weblog is that there’s something special and admirable about those who build and maintain traditional boats – they’re definitely made of sterner stuff than most of us.

Marc’s weblog reveals more about his new life: click here.

PS – Do check out the Butler & Co weblog – they found WWII bullets in one of the timbers!

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