Sailing fifty years ago

[TC Tuckton]

In 1963 age 11 my weekly pocket money covered a fortnightly half hour hire of a six foot sailing pram dinghy on Petersfield pond and the bus fare to get there. Duffel bag with sandwiches, thermos and an Arthur Ransome to read on the bus. Bliss.

 

[Minchsailor]

'Smash' instant dried potatoes, dehydrated peas and ham 'n egg pie with lashings of brown sauce to make it tolerable, and a can of Watneys beer for supper.

 

[NormanS]

'Smash' instant dried potatoes, dehydrated peas and ham 'n egg pie with lashings of brown sauce to make it tolerable, and a can of Watneys beer for supper.

Yes, meat balls and Smash, off a plate on your knees, day after day. I was a bit younger then though.

 

[DanTribe]

Thomas Foulkes in Leytonstone was the best chandlery.
Loads of ex WD surplus stuff that you didn't know what to do with, but it was cheap!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Thomas Foulkes in Leytonstone was the best chandlery.
Loads of ex WD surplus stuff that you didn't know what to do with, but it was cheap!

Yes, that place was a REAL Aladdin's cave!

 

[oldharry]

The biggest change I find is the challenge of keeping a DR position up dated. Nowadays without even the press of a button. We know where we are at a glance. We don't have to work it out even. We know where we are to within a boats length. Gone are the days when the cocked hat covered an uncomfortably large space on the chart. And while there is still a certain sense of relief that the next waypoint has appeared on time and where it should be, the thrill of seeing it appear out of the murk when and where it should and the satisfaction of knowing you got i right is largely missing nowadays. Also the increasing tension, and growing silence of the crew when the next buoy or headland continues to fail to materialise....

 

[Stemar]

The PBO(?) review of my Snapdragon 24, circa 1969 described her as a capable family cruiser. The height of luxury, having an inboard diesel with dynastart (more than adequate for the electrical requirements of the day) and separate heads.

Five berths in 24 feet, and I expect plenty of 5-up trips were made. What boat was it that Denny Desoutter described as taking two in comfort, four in discomfort and five in mortal emnity?

 

[Malabar]

Size of boat. Probably a lot smaller as an average

+1.
Fifty years ago the average "first family cruiser" was probably 18-25 ft. A Twister (28ft) was something to be aspired to and a Contessa 32 seemed huge. Today the average 1st boat for a couple new to sailing must be in the region of 40ft. No wonder the marinas are all full up and even Western Arm at Newtown is usually jammed solid with lifting keel southerlys etc.

 

[LittleSister]

the challenge of keeping a DR position up dated. Nowadays without even the press of a button. We know where we are at a glance. We don't have to work it out even. We know where we are to within a boats length. Gone are the days when the cocked hat on the chart covered an uncomfortably large space on the chart.

Reminds me of St. Thomas of Cunliffe's dictum that pilotage is the art of knowing where you are not!

 

[RobbieW]

Thomas Foulkes in Leytonstone was the best chandlery.
Loads of ex WD surplus stuff that you didn't know what to do with, but it was cheap!

Is that Foulkes related to the Foulkes's of Bursledon today ? I know they no longer own Aladdins Cave but there are quite a few about in the area, I had the idea they were one of the older families in the area.

 

[mjcoon]

The PBO(?) review of my Snapdragon 24, circa 1969 described her as a capable family cruiser. The height of luxury, having an inboard diesel with dynastart (more than adequate for the electrical requirements of the day) and separate heads.

Five berths in 24 feet, and I expect plenty of 5-up trips were made. What boat was it that Denny Desoutter described as taking two in comfort, four in discomfort and five in mortal emnity?

Snappies were the first flotilla yachts I sailed in. I think they were called 747 (despite that number meaning "jumbo" back then) but that calculates as ca 24 feet.

Mike.

 

[dunedin]

Don't forget to download PBO No 1 Jan 1967
http://www.pbo.co.uk/specials/pbo-issue-no1-4539

Fascinating thanks

Who would have thought that PBO 50years ago would include a wing sailed (Little) America’s Cup catamaran !

 

[oldharry]

Snappies were the first flotilla yachts I sailed in. I think they were called 747 (despite that number meaning "jumbo" back then) but that calculates as ca 24 feet.

Mike.

I remember seeing (and falling in love with) the Trident 24 at the LBS circa 1963, and wondering as a school leaver whether I could ever afford to buy and run such a big boat! Now I am retired I know the answer - and still love my Trident! Except she is no longer a 'big' boat. I took a mooring in a small estuary in north west Wales in 1980. My 22ft Westerley Nomad was one of the largest boats in the estuary. When we moved on 10 years later, most cruising boats there were in the range 26 - 32ft

 

[dancrane]

Don't forget to download PBO No 1 Jan 1967
http://www.pbo.co.uk/specials/pbo-issue-no1-4539

That really is brilliant, thanks very much!

 

[mjcoon]

That really is brilliant, thanks very much!

I didn't think we had real Post-It notes back then, let alone pretend ones painted onto covers!

Mike.

 

[HinewaisMan]

50 years ago, I was just taking my first tentative steps into sailing with the 1st Little Heath and Potters Bar Sea Scouts, GP14s and Coypus on a tiny gravel pit in Cheshunt.

Staggering back from the Boat Show with three carrier bags bulging with every brochure and slip of paper I'd been able to collect from the stands, freely given to a bratty 11 year old. (Somehow in those days a boat show was a real boat show, full of interesting boats and people and things).

And Giles cartoons. When living in Australia in later years, they were so useful to show other sailors what sailing back in the UK was like. Joyful amateurism.

http://www.gilescartoons.co.uk/cartoon.asp?cartoon=479
http://www.gilescartoons.co.uk/cartoon.asp?cartoon=411
http://www.gilescartoons.co.uk/cartoon.asp?cartoon=419
http://www.gilescartoons.co.uk/cartoon.asp?cartoon=30

 

[doug748]

I have an article from Yachting Monthly which I took in December 1973. I don't know why but I do. It is entitled "Where to Spend Your Money".

It splits things into those which are necessary, (heaving line, some sails, anchor and, after careful deliberation, a lock for the main hatch highly desirable (oilskins, interior lights, winches, sea boots, etc) cruising gear (cooker, berth cushions, toilet paper) and luxuries (RDF set, Sextant).

A special place was reserved for what they called the ultimate luxury: A VHF Radiotelephone.

 

[Stemar]

Snappies were the first flotilla yachts I sailed in. I think they were called 747 (despite that number meaning "jumbo" back then) but that calculates as ca 24 feet.

Mike.

The 747 was a development of the original 24, sharing, I believe, the hull, but different layout below and a slightly bigger rig. Mine is the original 24, with a very useful lazarette that doubled as an outboard well for those without the inboard 8hp diesel - an MD1, with a flywheel that weighed nearly as much as the rest od the engine put together (a LOT!). It didn't rev up, it just increased speed gently, so no chance of using a quick squirt of power to help you round without speeding up

 

[CondorAA5A]

Can only stretch back to early 70s but first exposure to all things boating was a week’s stay on board the HMS Foudroyant, moored in Portsmouth Harbour (now Trincomalee based on up Hartlepool) – when I was about 8.

I remember being let loose in Portsmouth harbour in a longboat and rowing it about the harbour with about six of us on board – all kids. We got close to the harbour entrance and found we didn’t have the strength to row against the ebbing tide, but managed to grab a buoy as we swept passed it – tied on and rested for quite a long time until we got our strength back and managed to make slow headway back! As far as remember no lifejackets and certainly no safety boat…

The other fun thing was sleeping in “real” hammocks which had to be rigged each night and stowed away each morning. On the first night at about 1am a fire alarm test was carried out with a klaxon sounding for abandon ship and it was over the side via scrambling nets into small boats!

 

[Seashoreman]

Do you chaps all have Sunseekers or something. I still have to drag my dinghy up a muddy slipway and only have 12v electrics. And have to use UHT milk as I haven't got a fridge. My wife was intrigued by the video of Cowes week as she crews on a Flying Fifteen most weeks albeit one with metal spars. Didn't the DoE and Uff Fox race a Dragon rather than an FF?

I do believe the Duke was a keen and skilled FF sailor.