Boring Classic Boat Magazine

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piratequeen

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Just got the latest copy of Classic Boat and in my opinion it's not worth the cover price. The same old articles about the same old beautiful big boats, undergoing million pound restorations, where are the stories about the real people like you and me? People struggling in the mud berths and drying harbours of this country, doing as much as they can to keep their boats looking smart and not deteriorating any more than water, salt and old-age will let them. Where are the articles about old Dunkirk boats, and how many owners have given up and seen their beloved boats scrapped, because they just didn't have the money and energy anymore to ensure their survival?
Come on Classic Boat, we're not all multi-millionaires, some of us have wooden motor baots too you know, and I don't mean Rivas or Thames slipper launches, but well-loved family boats which we spend hours rubbing down, varnishing and painting, so that we can go boating, fishing and holidaying. We'll never be in the lists of famous boats, we'll never win the Concours d'Elegance, but we'll certainly be out enjoying life the next time the weather is favourable.
 
Pirate Queen makes a passionate point about multi millionaires and their wonderful sailing ships and no doubt their vessels would prove their worth in any of Mr O'Brian's classic sea chase adventures.

I have seen some of these boats at St Tropez and some of the other classic boat gatherings and have nothing but praise for the work of their bosuns and masters.

However, I know well two young squeaker midshipmen who share the ownership of a fine old Norfolk Broads gaffer sloop, built 1909 (with no guns) which they keep trim by their own efforts. Every year they take shore leave to head off for a yard at Martham to set about their vessel with the greatest enthusiasm. In fact, when I have visited their yard, I have witnessed many other people toiling long and hard, with their ship's carpenters working late into the night fashioning timbers of all kinds to get their vessel
ready for the coming season.

They are not millionaires, yet they scrimp and save their palty navy pay to keep their ships trim and handy. No doubt there are many more like 'em.


I have read Classic Boat for many a year and reckon it pitches a balance between the rich and the famous and these gallant ordinary folk who, love their ships and love working on them. Long may it continue.


Surprises for ever

Aubrey
 
A magazine can only publish the articles which are sent to them and which are in usable english. The staff writers cannot go around every little mudhole looking for interesting stories to write on obscure restoration projects. Give them a fair go, for goodness' sake! Yes, I know that a millionaire's rstoration project may seem to be an "ego-trip", but I know one or two of these folk, and they get the same kick out of it as you do; often because of business committments they have to go about it in a different way. If you want to see the story of your boat in print, write the words, take the photos and submit them. The story that did not require modification would be very rare indeed, so be prepared for that. Ask Dan what he needs. I've been restoring an old gaff ketch for the last 11 years, and when I get it a bit closer to completion I'll write a story to accompany the photos which I have been taking along the way. Until I write it, I don't expect it to appear.
Peter
 
Most people who are doing up there own boats are too busy to start writing articles for a magazine, or taking professional pictures, do you think the owners of theese super yachts take there own pictures or write about them? No, the journalists do so, It's much nicer for them to go to St. Trop for a few days than down a mud berth in essex, and much more rewarding. It's us that buy the magazine, I also love to see the big boys with all there wondrous sails up and salute these people who do the work and those who pay for it, we would lose them otherwise, but remember it's the vast majority of the magazines buyers who are struggling to re-build classic boats. If it was only the people with the money to do the super yachts who bought the magazine, there wouldn't be one. Wise up Classic boat, your losing your roots, but then when it was sold on it lost it's roots anyway!
 
I would be very interested to read about the construction of a replica 32 gun frigate.
 
Me too! is that in there? Didn't see it, mind you haven't got the magazine. You can see one being built in the flesh, so to speak, in Holland, Lelystad I beleive, using the old techiniques, even down to making all the rope rigging.
 
Perhaps there is scope for more historical articles, particularly on ships from the days of Nelson's Navy.

Captain Houston might be persuaded to carry articles on the different ships of the Navy, the Indiamen, the Whalers and how they were variously rigged and handled.
There are many great adventures from the period and many well-known and not so well-known sea battles and prize takings that would make excellent stories. The life of Lord Cochrane could fill many editions of the magazine, but there are many other captains who were involved in gallant actions which are worth recalling in this modern age.

Aubrey
 
Sorry CC

I should have made myself more clear. What I meant was that Britain ought to finance the building of a fine 32 gun frigate, along the lines of the Rose in the United States. Such a project would be very worthy of the pages of Classic Boat.

I am afraid it has not happened just yet, but I live in hope.

Aubrey
 
Thing is Jack, you and I may be interested, in old naval battles etc. but would the general classic boatie, not sure, but serialised in the magazine would be a good idea, although I would certainly buy a bookm about such things. Thw whalers etc, would be an excellent article or four!
 
Is it true, Captain, that you and Cochrane are one and the same?

"Whoops... I'm falling in love with narrowboating..."
 
You must have picked up several copies of the same magazine PQ. Looking back over the past few issues I can't find the same articles repeated, nor can I find the same boat - unless it's a story like the Thames skiff, which has been in build; March, April and May. Not really a superyacht either.
I agree that our Yanks in Europe feature in March was about superyachts, the 12Ms like Gleam and Onawa are money-no-object restorations. But I'd rather rich people spend their money on wooden boats than buy plastic fantastic. At least they are keeping valuable skills going and I think people in those spheres go through all the same things we do. Just if you find rot in the transom then it's a case of throwing money at it rather than taking it off and doing it yourself - it still queers your sailing season.
But the two lead features in March, the Sole Bay gaffer and Thalia, are both builds by normal blokes, and the story about Ziska is the same - Ashley Butler rebuilt that boat himself.
April: I see no superyachts. We went out on a limb with the racing boat Australia II and we explain why in the mag. Again it's workboats - cheap workboats that you can have built for around $30,000, in the Windies. There's a story on Nakomis - a 27ft skipjack that an old boy built himself, to sail around the world. No millionaires.
May: I see no superyachts. It's a strange little family boat that has been kept going on luck and fudge, and the Perrymans are celebrating ten years of being able to live together on Siandra, the people who built Duyfken are historians, mad carpenters.. whatever. And the Flensburg regatta is really interesting because we haven't covered it before. I agree that the Germans keep their boats looking like they are all millionaires, but that's just them, don't take offence; I like smart boats, wish I had one myself.
If people have to give up something like a Dunkirk Little Ship because they can't afford it then I would love to hear about it. We have two pages very month with interesting boats for sale, or to go to a good home; it's a free advert. We have recently asked readers to submit information on interesting old boats going to mould in their area. Sadly it's all too often the owner that won't let the boat go, until she's too rotten to economically repair.
But thanks for the criticism; maybe readers will be inspired to write up what it's like for them in their mud berth. If we hear good stories, believe me we do try to run them, and from most of my mail I think we have had the odd thing of interest. So maybe you did pick up another title...
 
See the above. CB has been to Essex several times in the last year, and there are several projects in the pipeline. If you are not a writer it doesn't matter. You can tell us about the story and someone can be found to do it. We rely (cos there's only three of us full time in the office); we rely on a network of support from freelancers and readers themselves.
Best time to call us is in the first week of the month - when we have a little more time to talk. We would like more practical stuff on sorting out the 30 footer by the way, and there are some projects again in the pipeline. Just let us know.
We have not lost our roots, people.
 
Just as a matter of interest, I sent Dan Houston a private message on April 27 offering to write something for him and so far he hasn't responded.

A reply along the lines of 'no thanks, that's not the kind of thing we're looking for' would have been perfectly understandable and of course acceptable, but it didn't happen like that...

"Whoops... I'm falling in love with narrowboating..."
 
And the latest is...

Now he has responded, very generously I thought since I had taken the above pot shot at him. So I was sniping unfairly - it was an overlooked private message, not a lack of interest, as I had assumed.

Apologies, Dan...

Fair blows the breeze for Horning... <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by The_Fruitbat on Mon May 20 18:07:40 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
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