As seen on TV – the Humber sloop Spider T

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BBC film of Humber sloop Spider T

The BBC has made a short film about the 1920s New Holland-built Humber sloop Spider T, which is now available for charter, corporate events and so on. Click on the link above to go to the relevant BBC page – I don’t think this one will be limited to UK viewers only.

Owner and restorer Mal Nicholson tells her story as the cameras wander around the boat, and there’s even a nice clip of the Spider T sailing. Priceless stuff, and well done Mal!

For more on the Spider T story, click here for intheboatshed.net posts and here for the Spider T website.

As I write, Amazon lists just two copies of a book by Michael E Ulyatt about the Humber’s legendary sailing barges, which show clear evidence of both Viking and Dutch influence in their development: Flying Sail: Humber Keels and Sloops. Also, Tony Watts’ excellent book Holmes of the Humber includes George Holmes’ descriptions of many of the Humber’s characteristic boats, as well as his own boats and voyages.

The grandest boatsheds we’ve yet seen?

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Chris Partridge of the weblog Rowing for Pleasure has pointed out the astonishing projects below. See them, and gasp:

University College Oxford boathouse

and

Lea Rowing Club boathouse