A replica of the ocean-crossing caique, Bom Successo

When a boatbuilder goes on a trip to the Algarve – a holiday, I’m guessing – what do they do? In my experience they usually find time to look at boats in among the other stuff.

Dorset boatbuilder Ian Baird (contact him here or here) has sent these pictures of the splendid replica of the Bom Sucesso, a caique reconstructed from a drawing of 1808 of a vessel that sailed the Atlantic Ocean from Olhão to Brazil.

‘The Portuguese were rebelling against the French Garrison.

‘Some and 17 men made the voyage on this boat to deliver the news that the French had been beaten and removed from the Algarve, to the King in exile, Dom João IV. They arrived at their destination in less than three months.

‘Cheers, Ian, your correspondent in Southern Europe… ‘

Famous Itchen Ferry racer Dolly Varden to be restored

A new YouTube shows the famous racing yacht Itchen Ferry Dolly Varden arriving at the International Boatbuilding Training College Portsmouth for restoration.

She’s described in one of Uffa Fox’s famous books and was known for trialling sails rigs for Ratsey’s. She’s now in the hands of a new owner and happily seems to have a bright future ahead, which is great news. Read all about her and the project here.

Photos of shipbuilding in the Victorian era

FRANCE – CIRCA 1890: Le Havre (Seine-Maritime). Maintenance of boats in the dock of Commerce, about 1900. (Photo by ND/Roger Viollet/Getty Images)
31st July 1863: An iron-cased Russian battery ship in dock. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
1865: A group of top-hatted ‘worthies’ in a shipyard. The liner Tancore can be seen in the background. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

For some stunning photos of shipbuilding in the Victorian era, see this collection taken from Retronaut.

My thanks to Malcolm Woods for the tipoff!