Tag: boat building academy

Boat Building Academy student launch summer 2012 – you’re all invited!

The Boat Building Academy is due to launch the latest fleet of student boats into the harbour at Lyme Regis on the 13th June, and the public are invited help celebrate the achievements of those attending courses.

As usual the students have come from all over the EU and all walks of life to join the academy’s 38-week long course: among the student group are three people retraining after leaving the forces, a graphic designer from Switzerland and two people who have been working on super yachts cruising in exotic places, but who now want to settle down.

The boats are as diverse as the students and include one best described as a ‘hot rod’, a restoration of a 1950’s Looe hire boat, traditional clinker, glued clinker and strip-planked sailing boats, and an exciting and unusual coastal rowing boat.

The students will gather at the academy at about 1.30pm to walk the boats down to the harbour, where they will be launched one by one.

For information, see our website www.boatbuildingacademy.com.

Lyme Regis boat builder Gail McGarva receives Royal award

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a boat builder recognised by Royalty!

Lyme Regis boat builder Gail McGarva went to Buckingham Palace this week to collect an award from Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, on Tuesday this week.

Gail received a ‘highly commended’ certificate for the Prince Philip Medal, an international award honouring those who have ‘travelled the City & Guilds path’ and achieved outstanding accomplishments in their chosen field.

Following a successful career as a sign language interpreter, Gail enrolled on the Boat Building Academy’s 38-week course in 2004 wanting to change career. Funded by a City & Guilds bursary, she achieved City & Guilds levels 2 and 3 in boat building, maintenance and support, and began a long relationship with the Academy and Lyme Regis.

After working as an instructor at the BBA she moved on to become an independent boat builder, but has not moved too far – as she now works in a workshop on the academy’s site at Lyme Regis.

Gail is currently building a third racing gig for Lyme Regis Gig Club.

BBA student Ryan Johnson builds a West Greenland kayak

 

You don’t often see an unopened bottle of champers in a kayak

Boat Building Academy student Ryan Johnson built this West Greenland kayak, and launched it on the December student launch day.

He joined the Academy from Leicester, where he had been working as an apprentice manager for an auction company.

Ryan visited the BBA in the summer of 2010, when he decided that he would love to join the BBA’s long course.

After learning the basics of woodworking and helping others with their boat-building projects, and after trying out a similar kayak at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show, he decided to build one for himself.

The boat a classic skin-on-frame kayak in form and uses many traditional techniques but with a modern spin. The frame is of steamed oak steamed ribs, and the material is a ballistic nylon, which is coated in polyurethane to make it extra-durable and waterproof

Although it looks flimsy and weighs only 16kg, the BBA folks report that it has considerable strength and is remarkably easy to paddle through the water.