Boats you love

[BlackPig]

I would add a Bristol pilot cutter to the list

me too

 

[westhinder]

Pen Duick, the boat of the great late Eric Tabarly.
Many of the classic yachts you see at Les Voiles de St Tropez
And as we are daydreaming, someone might add a Wally.

 

[chris46]

the yacht from Casino Royale ticking on along a Venice canal just after mr bond had retired

 

[Seajet]

Ditto the Falmouth Andy

At the moment I would like to sail a BayCruiser20 - looked at the range again today at SIBS and was impressed - think I will end up with one....one day

I hope people here won't mind my description of sailing on a Falmouth Working Boat.

For those not familiar, theres' a byelaw in Falmouth saying oyster dredging may only be done under sail power; originally these boats did just that under reduced sail in winter, leaving the topsails at home.

For a long time - decades - now though they are simply used for racing in summer, and are a major draw for spectators.

I was told the statistics of 3 tons of lead keel versus 2,500 sq ft of sail; while the sail area quoted seems a bit large, I agree with the sentiment; when the skipper of the FWB caught me gazing up at the rig with my jaw dropped he burst out laughing !

Then we went into real racing; " Tighten up that jib a touch, put up a third one and hand me a beer and pasty ! "

The best sailors I've ever had the honour to be among.

I'll just add that there is what I think is a myth, that these guys sail their boats so hard they get sunk in heavy weather, to be recovered by diver chums with floatation bags !

I'd guess this may have happened once or twice, but generally the owners have too much seamanship and love of their boats to do this; it's the type of gentlemanly sailing where any other Working Boat crossing tacks was met with a " Hurragh ! " from the crew, a far cry from the cut-throat dinghy racing amongst lawyers which I grew up with in Chichester and put me off racing for life !

 

[Woodlouse]

I'll just add that there is what I think is a myth, that these guys sail their boats so hard they get sunk in heavy weather, to be recovered by diver chums with floatation bags !

I'd guess this may have happened once or twice, but generally the owners have too much seamanship and love of their boats to do this; it's the type of gentlemanly sailing where any other Working Boat crossing tacks was met with a " Hurragh ! " from the crew, a far cry from the cut-throat dinghy racing amongst lawyers which I grew up with in Chichester and put me off racing for life !

Not a myth. It is far from frequent, after all no one wants to sink their boat but it has happened. There is a very good sequence of pictures at the St Mawes Sailing Club of one being sailed under in the 80's. It doesn't have to be particularly heavy weather either, you just need a gust strong enough to dip the cockpit combing and you're in trouble.

Also go sailing in the Fal in the deepest winter and you will see some of them still working.

 

[E39mad]

Most of the Fife designs if wood.

More modern production boats I think the mid late eighties Frers designs take some beating such as Swan 46 and 53. If on a lower budget First 435 or 51.

 

[chris46]

i could love her,alas she cannot be mine,she loves another

 

[Seajet]

Not a myth. It is far from frequent, after all no one wants to sink their boat but it has happened. There is a very good sequence of pictures at the St Mawes Sailing Club of one being sailed under in the 80's. It doesn't have to be particularly heavy weather either, you just need a gust strong enough to dip the cockpit combing and you're in trouble.

Also go sailing in the Fal in the deepest winter and you will see some of them still working.

Woodlouse,

yes the odd example sailed under in the 1980's.

My go crewing was roughly 1987, the people I sailed with ( Iris Elizabeth, I think no. 29 ) were far too bright to sink her !

I'd imagine winter sailing dredging must be a sort of byelaw job to keep the summer laws going ?

 

[Ludd]

Zulu herring drifter.
The Swan,LK 243, not the original rig (dipping lug main,standing lug mizzen)but converted to gaff rig,is on youtube transiting Yell Sound.
Can't do the link ,but worth a look.

 

[fishermantwo]

5.5, Dragon, Etchells plus a selection of ton class boats like "Ganbare".