Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Fowey boatbuilder Marcus Lewis builds a Mayflower dinghy.
I don’t know how I missed this before – it might have been because the Traditional Maritime Skills people and I have been rather slow to make a connection. Still, they say say they’ve put me on their mailing list now.
They have an excellent set of videos on Youtube, including another timelapse presentation, this time of the building of the Grayhound.
Fowey boatbuilder Marcus Lewis wrote to say that he just had to send in these stunning photos of J Class yachts racing at Falmouth – and I’m very grateful he did.
They have a great feel of photos taken in the early part of the last century – it’s partly the J Class boats themselves, but it’s also something about the colour range.
Marcus took them on Thursday last week. He said Valsheda, Ranger, Rainbow and Lionheart were all charging along in a F3-4, and did three laps of a windward-leeward course with a charging reach to finish off Pendennis Castle.
Many thanks Marcus! There’s more information about the Falmouth regatta here.
Marcus runs a boat building and repair and restoration boat yard working on some lovely traditional craft, many of them local types, at Fowey in Cornwall. See his website here and click here for earlier posts at intheboatshed.net.
The Bristol Channel pilot cutters were tied up at Fowey for a meet on Thursday – so local boat builder Marcus Lewis took the opportunity take these photographs.
Almost half, he says, are Luke Powell’s modern creations. However, among them was Cornubia (ex Hirta) built at Polruan in 1911 by J Slade and Sons.
Thanks for the shots Marcus!
Pilot cutter enthusiasts will be interested to know that Luke Powell’s new book Working Sail is due to be published in a limited edition of 1,000 copies in October. It’s priced at £30 and if you would like a copy for yourself or as a gift it might be wise to sign up in advance for the subscribers package via the Dovecote Press website ahead of the 31st July deadline.
PS – Star Yachts boat builder Win Cnoops spotted the YouTube video below. Thanks Win!