Recent content by norwester

They had quite a few of them. The school was called 'The Scimitar Sailing School' I don't think they went down that well as training boats tho. (Off topic but may be of interest,) In the 70s, they also ran cruising courses using a Golden Hind yacht called Clipperau. PBO featured her in a...

RNLI have bitten off more than they can chew! In days of old it was the Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS) that provided the training and lifeguards on beaches. Paid for by local authorities/ businesses. Why the RNLI have adopted the responsibility from that perfectly capable organisation is...

Ah.. The jaundiced and jaded brigade are pitching in. Just say you're considering a British Seagull outboard for propulsion on your Lysander and just wait for the apoplectic posts to flood in. :) It's sad that so many feel that they have to comment in posts that have are of no real interest...

I built one back in the early70s. It was a great little boat. After launching and a weeks shakedown, sailed from Gower >Devon>Lundy>Tenby. Huge open cockpit tho not self draining so a good pump needed. I later changed the rig from gunter to bermudan and that improved windward performance...

Looks similar to a Barry16 OD that I sailed at Barry college of education way back in the eary 70s. Lovely ?

Looks a bit like a Mk.2 Mirror Offshore with a modified rudder.

My old Magellan 300 gives todays date as 21 Aug 99 ! Other than that, it seems to be working fine. I wonder, though, will it still survive when it reaches December 31 or will the millennium bug finally bite? ☺

Seamint standing by a broken down fishing vessel near Portpatrick and Portpatrick Lifeboat arriving.. August 1994. Also, the harbour on return visit.

So sad to read about Seamint. I recall passing her way back in August 1994 on my way north to Portpatrick. She was just north of the Mull, standing by a fishing vessel that had suffered engine problems... I'll try to post a pic but sadly I usually fail. Portpatrick was very quiet in those days...

I expect Whitford lighthtouse will be still there when we're all gone. It is made of thick cast iron plate. I vaguely remember it was for sale for just £1 quite a while back but didn't hear of any takers. The estuary up to Burry is very open to swell that can find its way in up the channel...

Ah! ... Long time past, about 1969,I knocked together my first sleep aboarder, a 17ft Lysander, and local friends let me have a mooring there for the summer. The moorings were way out from the beach near the end of of Oxwich point. A good mile out from the beach head at high water, near an old...

Hmm,Interesting!... There was no serial number on the one I bought. I just stamped my own postcode on it.

Hi!.. I bought a 3.5 water cooled version two years ago and it's still going, so far! The basic engine performs well enough but I've had a lot of niggly little problems that have needed sorting out eg. recoil starter uncoiled, fuel line blockages,throttle cable detached itself and it needs...