Category: wooden boat

Victorian racing cutter Leila in the shed

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Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust

A kind invitation from Rob Bull of the Leila Trust took us to see Leila in the shed at Southwold where Rob and his colleagues are restoring the old boat to sailing order.* She’s certainly impressive as she towers over visitors with that 8ft keel – the photo at the top of this post tells no lies.

Talking with Rob, one can’t help but be awed by his enterprise and determination, and that of his co-workers. For more about Leila’s story and the appeal, see a previous post.

If you like what you see and can offer the Trust money or help to get her back on the water to begin her new life in sail training, you know what to do!

*Special thanks to Derek Simpson for tea in bed and a killer breakfast.

Two festivals: the Beale Park Thames Boat Show and Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

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Scenes from previous Beale Park Thames Boat Shows

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Scenes from the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy (last two supplied by the organisers, but I think taken for them by Kathy Mansfield)

Two of the most important boat shows featuring wooden boats are coming up – but for some reason this year I don’t seem to be hearing much about them from anyone.

The shows in question are the Beale Park Thames Boat Show from the 4th to 6th June  near Pangbourne on the River Thames (click here for information), and the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival on the 26th-27th June at Portsoy (click here for more information).

You exhibitors out there, why don’t you get in touch and tell me what you’re going to be showing and why you’re so proud of them, and why people should go along and see your stuff – and throw in a couple of photos while you’re at it? There’s still time, it’s very easy, I can be reached at gmatkin@gmail.com, and this site gets 800+ interested visitors a day. It should be a no-brainer…

Songs about rivers with Reginald Foort at the mighty cinema organ

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The Eton Boating Song sung by the Eton College Choral Society,  the Song of the Volga Boatmen with the Don Cossack Choir, Old Father Thames sung by Harry Compton and Ya Vass Lublu sung by Paula Grey. Marvellous nostalgic stuff, every bit of it, and it comes with some nice old footage of the Thames and its working boats, including people apparently playing and sunbathing on its beaches.