Recent content by nortonmotors

Old Harry, aka Des Sleightholme, was long-time editor of Yachting Monthly. His books, articles, and sketches such as this, continue to amuse.

Now there's a coincidence! In the 50's she lay close to the Bodlondeb shore at Conwy when I was collecting crabs from the rocky shore there. We stayed aboard Fidelity, just out of view in the photo, a house boat converted from a Thornycroft ASRL.

Thanks for your suggestion, but I don't 'do' FB. I was hoping that I might read reminiscences from crew or passengers and, equally interesting, why the model is named SA Vaal and not its original RMS Transvaal Castle.

Years ago, traveling to Holyhead on the old A5, I saw more or less the same incident. Ahead was a boat/trailer combo towed by a big 4x4 which went over a brow in the road to find a stationary car ahead. Panic braking, tyre smoke, and the trailer jack-knifed to launch the boat nose-first down the...

I've acquired an all-metal waterline model of the above in SAF Marine colours. It's about 36" long and is missing its 'water line' and, perhaps, its case. She was built by John Brown in 1961 for Union Castle Line and did the regular Southampton/South Africa run. Does anyone have any information...

I don't recall this being mentioned previously, but I noticed that Street View has a camera afloat at several places on the Bosphorus. There are several blue 'roads' on the water which, when clicked, put you on board a power boat with with 360 degree views of the third bridge under construction...

No, no counselling - we're very brave and have just learned to cope. But the lone Tornado to and from the range at Donna Nook, low, fast and very noisy, and the occasional Tucano, low, slow and noisy, are another thing altogether. And don't start me on the sky diver taxis from Hibaldstow on a...

I pity you all! I have to watch them from my back garden on one or two days every week. Not so long ago, driving towards Lincoln on the A15, my dashcam recorded five of them coming in across the road, in line astern, to land at Scampton.

"an island resort 20 minutes away off Essex"? Not my idea of an island resort, and it's not off Essex - it's in Essex. I suppose, if permission is granted, that'll mean a pontoon for the plane to moor against.

Looks like Mull to me too. Mind you, "Hispania Wreck" is a decent clue!

Between 1997 and '99, I built this from a bare hull moulding. Working three-day weekends, I got a boat to suit what I wanted to do (cruise the East Coast in comfort) with a large nav area, large galley, a cosy main cabin, and a deck layout for single-handing. Total parts/materials cost was...

Just a guess, of course, but doesn't it say 'Spencer.......' around the back of the aluminium (?) coupling, and weren't Moulton well known for rubber things? Could be that Spencer Moulton is actually the manufacturer of the complete flexible coupling rather than the pump itself. Still a very...

Bulk carrier/tanker going North in the South-going lane, being chased by a patrol vessel?

You mean like this one several years ago at Levington? Small boy to father on the dockside "Daddy, what is that fish doing under the boat?" "Son, it's just eating the weed on the hull". Cue for a quick lift, jet-wash, and back in again before anyone else commented!

Makes one proud to be English - that someone should do that, and no job'sworth has had it removed! Long may it stay that way.