Tag: Fabian Bush

Fabian Bush builds a winkle brig

FaithThis one was built by Fabian Bush of Rowhedge in Essex. I wish I had more information about winkle brigs to share but I haven’t – there’s very little online that I can find – and Google is full of the very different little plastic weekender of the same name.

Here’s just a little information from the book Inshore Craft, scanned by Google.

Anyway, I can say that the sharp-eyed can sometimes spot one sailing out of Brightlingsea, just down the river from Rowhedge…

My thanks to Boat Building Academy student Sam Robinson for letting me know about this one, ahd for the Google Books link! Cheers Sam, and good luck with the boats you’re working on.

Fabian Bush builds a François Vivier Aber dinghy

I’ve just remembered that I haven’t yet shared these photos to share of Lodestar publisher Richard Wynne’s new sail and oar dinghy – so here they are.

It’s an example of the very appealing François Vivier-designed Aber built for Richard at Rowhedge  by Fabian Bush, who showed it at the Beale Park show last month.

Naturally, there was a bit of a party in and around Fabian’s yard on when she emerged into the light. Richard’s delighted with the boat I gather – that day he and Fabian took the little boat for a sail out past Mersea, and found that it both sails and rows like a dream. (It has two rowing positions.)

It’s striking to think that François designed this elegant and well developed looking boat as long ago as 1985.

There are more photos of examples of Abers built around the world here.

Oare Creek to the Colne – a gallery

The following links might be helpful if your interest is piqued by these photos:

  • the impressive deep sea smack Pioneer is managed by the Pioneer Sailing Trust
  • the cute racing dinghies with the tall rigs and the letter ‘C’ on their sails that look such fun to sail are Brightlingsea One Designs
  • the sweet little sailing dinghy is a Heron
  • the workshop belongs to boat builder Fabian Bush, and the boat is a Morgan Giles designed Royal Dart One Design
  • the big cat is coming back from one of the wind farms in the Thames Estuary – which include the enormous London Array
  • the small sailing boat with the balanced lug rig and brown sail seems to have local sailmaker, raconteur and ex-barge skipper Jimmy Lawrence at the helm
If anyone’s wondering whether to make the same trip, I say don’t hesitate – we had a great time, despite the occasional jetski or speedboat hauling a donut.