wooden boat – Page 207 – intheboatshed.net

Photographer Matthew Atkin in Thailand

Matt Atkin’s photos from Thailand

I never cease to be amazed by my brother Matthew Atkin’s beautiful photos of boats in the Far East.

It seems amazing and wonderful that Western and Eastern water craft should still be so different in a globalised and homogenous era, and also given that the physics of water, the technology available for powering craft, and many of the materials available for boatbuilding are often the same or at least similar.

These latest photos from Thailand make the point. Check out the stylish young men, the older couple fishing, the elegant small canoes, the curvaceous pleasure boats and, perhaps most remarkable of all, the ferry with its astonishing truck motor balanced on what looks like a precarious pole and with a vicious-looking straight prop arrangement. I’ve seen photos of smaller craft set up like this, but this is much bigger than anything I’ve come across up to now.

Thanks bruv!

See more of Matt’s photos from Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The mystery of Gadfly II – Simon hears from the builder’s daughter

Gadfly II back on the water in August this year

Simon Papendick has written to remind us that he’s still looking for information about the history of his gaff cutter named Gadfly II, and to bring us up to date with what he’s learned.

For more on Simon’s Gadfly II project, click here.

If anyone can help fill in the remaining gaps, particularly in relation to the 50s and 60s, he would be very grateful. He’s known for some time that she was built by Anderson, Rigden & Perkins of Whitstable, but in the last few days has been in touch with a lady called Tisha – it seems her boatbuilder father, Bob Anderson, constructed a small yacht for himself, Mandamus, to a design of his own, and that Gadfly II was built as a sister ship and launched in 1946. Mandamus had a teak deck, Gadfly II did not, and Tisha believes there were some differences of detail between the rigs of the two boats.

Searching on the Internet for ‘Mandamus’ and ‘yacht’ reveals this obituary for Mr Anderson, who died only a couple of years ago at the grand old age of 100.

Tisha also confirmed that there were at least three Gadflies, which may explain why Simon has collected some widely different stories in relation to Gadfly II, but this one was built for and owned by a Harold Doughty, who Tisha believes was from Thanet and did some building work in Whitstable, including the rebuilding of the Anderson Regden & Perkins yard following a fire in the 1950s.

She doesn’t know whether Mr Doughty had any children, but if there were she says she did not meet them crewing Gadfly II in her time.

Apparently, Gadfly II and Mandamus regularly raced each other at the Royal Temple Club, Ramsgate for a cup, which Tisha describes as ‘a huge silver thing, and it was later stolen’. She also told Simon that Mandamus usually beat Gadfly II – my guess is that might well be true, given that Mr Anderson had spent his life on or by the water, while his opponent was an amateur sailor with a busy building business to keep him from practising his sailing.

Tisha remembers that Mandamus had two sets of figures carved into a beam, which she thinks were her Thames and Lloyds measurement tonnages, and that Mandamus was modified after Mr Anderson sold her: a bowsprit was added and the doghouse was moved more amidships. Both Tisha and her father were present at her re-launch.

The last Tisha heard of Mandamus, she was berthed at Cowes, but does not know where, which has led Simon to wonder whether she might be somewhere in the archives of Beken, the legendary local photographers.

So does this story ring any bells for intheboatshed.net readers? If it does, please let me know at gmatkin@gmail.com, and I’ll pass the information on to Simon.

Photos of Scoter in Norway in the 1960s – and an intriguing change to her cabin

I was charmed this week to hear from Marion Dybing, a Norwegian friend of the Griersons, long time owners of this famous and influential old yacht currently being restored in Cornwall.

From what Marion says, the cabin top shown in the black and white shots is older and possibly the original. If so, I imagine her new owner Jan Carpenter might find himself having to think through which of the two styles he would prefer to go with. If it was my project, I think I’d want go with the one that Maurice Griffiths saw and was so influenced by in his youth.

‘Hi Gavin

‘I just received a Christmas letter from Sheila, with the link to the Scoter case. I have been a friend of the Griersons since 1961, when we met in Farsund, Norway, where I was a journalist in the local newspaper. My heart is breaking when I look at the pictures, remembering all the wonderful times we shared on board, both in Norway and in Scotland.

‘I enclose some photos that I already had scanned. If these are of any interest, I’ll scan them again separately. I also have other photos, but have to dig them out of my archive.

‘The black and white shows Scoter in Farsund harbour, with Colin, Sheila, Audrey and Dough, probably 1961. The other one shows Audrey and Colin with me and my family the same year. The colour photos also show Scoter in Farsund harbour with Audrey, some friends that were sailing with them, and myself and my daughter.

‘The girl on the quay is a journalist from the newspaper. As you see the cabin top has been totally changed. I think this photo was taken in 1968.

‘All the best wishes from

‘Marion Dybing’

Many, many thanks Marion. I know these shots will be fascinating to those interested in the Scoter project. And a merry Christmas to you!

PS – Just after Christmas Marion sent me some more photos that I hope will be hugely useful in Jan’s project to restore Scoter. A selection of them are posted below: