was the mirror dingy the best little ship ever built?

[Praxinoscope]

As Neeves points out in #53 the world of the 50's and early 60's was a totally different world, we lived in a house that backed on to the river Gippin in Ipswich which was just wide enough for for dinghy sailing, but never saw anyone on the water in any sort of boat, we also had an inland 'lake' created by gravel extraction just off Spraughton Road, very suitable for dinghy sailing, again never saw anyone sailing on it but we did go swimming there.
I don't recall any of my friends from those days either having a boat, using one, or even talking about one.
Describing the Mirror as the 'Best little ship ever built' is perhaps a bit OTT, but it certainly helped to introduce many who may never have discovered sailing to the joys of mucking about on the water.
The stitch and glue construction meant that anyone with a modicum of DIY skills could build a perfectly acceptable dinghy at a fraction of the cost of the ready built boat.

 

[Refueler]

The teachers strikes in the 80’s killed off a lot of extra curricular activity and I don’t think the government at the time (or indeed those since) really appreciated what they were losing. Covid and the new strikes will be destroying the stuff that was rebuild and without a concerted effort it will take about 30 yrs to recover.

But a friend who works at an outdoor centre with a flotilla of dinghies that rarely get used says that the sailing is quite hard work and labour intensive compared to other outdoor activities - the learning curve is pretty steep compared to abseiling, coasteering/gorge walking, canoeing, tree climbing, etc. the kit also needs more maintenance; the instructor ratios are poorer; the weather dependence higher etc.

When I bought my Snap 23 .... I was a 'helper' for Scouts. I offered my Alacrity 19 to them FoC .... without any req't that I be skipper or anything ... completely free.

The District Comm'tee when they were told of the offer turned it down. Explaining that such activities were so full of rules and regs, insurance ... HS&E as well as the large list of safety gear that would near sink the finances ....

A far cry from when I was a Sea Cadet in Whalers etc. years before.

 

[JerryRhum]

No one has mentioned the Mirror Offshore yet (Oh! they just have ) A wierd little craft & I think that I can only ever recall seeing one.That might have been in the Boating on a Buget hall in the "gods" at the London Boat show. Has anyone got memories of one? Were many built?

Not sure about memories. I was out in mine at the weekend!

 

[ylop]

The District Comm'tee when they were told of the offer turned it down. Explaining that such activities were so full of rules and regs, insurance ... HS&E as well as the large list of safety gear that would near sink the finances ....

I can completely believe that. They are probably at least partly right - some of it will be their fears of those things rather than any detailed understanding of the requirements, but of course its absolutely right that the Scouts should make sure that their young people are properly protected if something was to go wrong (and cynically their reputation protected!) and also that insurance for damage etc was understood in advance. Rightly or wrongly its much easier to ask parents to pay £30 twice a year for a trip to the local sailing school, than it is to say to the same parents we'd like £1 more per week for the costs of making sure Refueler's yacht is available for us to use.

A far cry from when I was a Sea Cadet in Whalers etc. years before.

I'll bet the Sea Cadets are just the same. Being more marine focussed they probably have a better understanding than a general scout group, but sometimes kind offers actually have more headaches than just doing what you've always done.

None of those problems gets solved by the Mirror dinghy. A Scout/Sea Cadet group could decide to build a ply stitch and glue dinghy (and it would be a great project for them) but they still need the skills, processes, approvals etc to actually use it on the water!

 

[Praxinoscope]

When I bought my Snap 23 .... I was a 'helper' for Scouts. I offered my Alacrity 19 to them FoC .... without any req't that I be skipper or anything ... completely free.

The District Comm'tee when they were told of the offer turned it down. Explaining that such activities were so full of rules and regs, insurance ... HS&E as well as the large list of safety gear that would near sink the finances ....

A far cry from when I was a Sea Cadet in Whalers etc. years before.

Regretably we have become a 'risk averse' society, forget taking any physical risk it now seems you have to warn someone that they may just find a bid of blood & guts in Shakespeare upsetting, or the next speaker may just say something some poor mite may not agree with.
When we were kids back in the 50's (8 or 9 years old) our 'gang' (which did include girls) would be out all day climbing trees, swimming in the local gravel pit and generally risking life and limb, I still have a couple of scars from that time, true we didn't have the heavy traffic to contend with, but living on the edge of a town it wasn't traffic free.

 

[Daydream believer]

When we were kids back in the 50's (8 or 9 years old) our 'gang' (which did include girls) would be out all day climbing trees, swimming in the local gravel pit and generally risking life and limb,

Unfortunately, quite a lot of kids have drowned in gravel pits over the years

 

[ylop]

Regretably we have become a 'risk averse' society, forget taking any physical risk it now seems you have to warn someone that they may just find a bid of blood & guts in Shakespeare upsetting, or the next speaker may just say something some poor mite may not agree with.
When we were kids back in the 50's (8 or 9 years old) our 'gang' (which did include girls) would be out all day climbing trees, swimming in the local gravel pit and generally risking life and limb, I still have a couple of scars from that time, true we didn't have the heavy traffic to contend with, but living on the edge of a town it wasn't traffic free.

You sound like my father in law. But HE freaks out at the idea of his grand daughter climbing trees or swimming in the local lake (much cleaner that the docks he learned to swim in!).

 

[Neeves]

Really? You don't know a lot about the gaming industry, do you? There are people commentating on games that earn $1M/year let alone playing them. Plenty to aspire to in gaming if you take the time to understand the industry.

And exactly why do you think I know nothing about computer games?

There should be more to life than earning money (and then more money), especially with your eyes glued to a computer screen. Money does not guarantee health nor happiness. People earn money in a variety of ways - some ways 'just seem better', to me, than others.

I'd rather my grandchildren spent time on a yacht, climbing a rock wall, playing with a bat and ball, even reading a book (but then I'm old fashioned) than playing a computer game.

It takes all sorts

Jonathan

 

[lustyd]

And exactly why do you think I know nothing about computer games?

You demonstrated a complete lack of understanding in the sentence I quoted.

There should be more to life than earning money (and then more money), especially with your eyes glued to a computer screen. Money does not guarantee health nor happiness. People earn money in a variety of ways - some ways 'just seem better', to me, than others.

Agree, but some people aspire to being great gamers. It's not different than aspiring to sail around the world solo and pissing in your oilskins having not spoken to another human for a month. Both have their pros and cons.

I'd rather my grandchildren spent time on a yacht, climbing a rock wall, playing with a bat and ball, even reading a book (but then I'm old fashioned) than playing a computer game.

You don't want your grand kids to make their own choices and enjoy what they want to enjoy? Way to go grandpa!

It takes all sorts

Apparently you're not ok with that though, you want people to be like you

 

[Neeves]

You demonstrated a complete lack of understanding in the sentence I quoted.

Agree, but some people aspire to being great gamers. It's not different than aspiring to sail around the world solo and pissing in your oilskins having not spoken to another human for a month. Both have their pros and cons.

You don't want your grand kids to make their own choices and enjoy what they want to enjoy? Way to go grandpa!

Apparently you're not ok with that though, you want people to be like you

Again wrong



But your thread drift is really off topic.....

Jonathan

 

[Close hauled]

Yes. My dad and I built one and it started us sailing.

 

[Rum Run]

I think some here have lost sight of the original intention of the Daily Mirror and its sponsoring of the design .... it was to introduce boating to as many different people as possible ... which it certainly did.

If anyone had a Mirror sitting around and I was still in UK ... I'd grab it ... In fact I have even thought about getting hold of plans and maybe build one. But over here Marine or even WBP ply is hard to find.

I'd use Finnish Birch Ply (if available)and epoxy. It won't rot any faster than the bogus BS1088 sold nowadays. Keep the boat under cover when not in use. Job done.

 

[Rum Run]

it was aspirational and something bob ferris would have bought into at the disgust or our hero, terry collier.

This is undoubtedly true, but it would have been an opportunity to see Thelma wearing shorts.
I need to go and have a lie down now.

 

[viago]

I first sailed at 5yrs old in Fathers Enterprise of Hill Head beach in Solent ..... later sailed a number of Enterprise dinghys.
GP14 - raced for Plymouth Maritime School

To try remember all the dinghys I've sailed ?? But I have fond memories of Enterprise.

The GP14 I had in Plymouth ... reckon they had sense of humour ... they were all named after stars ... and I was given Pollux !

good god.

the plymouth maritime school.

i've never heard of it and i've lived here most my life.

tell me more.

 

[Refueler]

good god.

the plymouth maritime school.

i've never heard of it and i've lived here most my life.

tell me more.

North Hill ...... Locally named RNC - Residential Nautical College. It has the Planetarium ...... it was next building on from the Polytechnic.

The Seamanship Centre was in Cattedown - but I noted that a big warehouse style building now stands where it was.

I was there from 1973 till 1977 .... there were still RAF Launches on moorings from Mountbatten.

SY Tectona - was the College Yacht ... built on a beach in India and then after owner died - Widow donated to Plymouth Maritime College. She used to be moored just inside from the RAF launches.

Blimey to not know it was there ?? With all Phase 1 Cadets required to be in full Dress Uniform ???

Now its changed to General Maritime Studies instead of Merchant Navy Cadets.

 

[viago]

I taught dinghy sailing at an Outdoor Education Centre, usually dinghy courses were packaged with with other out door activities, rarely as full RYA courses. Specialist centres like Strathclyde Country Park offered full RYA courses and their own certificate courses and of course the various clubs that offered tuition as well. I think it was well meaning teachers and child fatalities that killed off well meaning teachers taking kids out on their yachts et cetera. Back then, no one thought much about risks to children, or assumed that risks were managed. The strike maybe contributed to the end, but legislation and rules is what really created barriers.

Like Neaves's early racing years, that is what my teacher usually did and I think we were useful crew for him to race. We had a right laugh as well, all the Clyde races, some Irish races and underaged drinking. No wonder rules and regulations developed.

a lovely post. not really on topic but we dont really expect that in here, threads wander wherever they will and it's always lovely to hear of other's experiences.

i'm not sure that as as a soft southerner i could have warmed to the cold waters of scotland but i take my hat off to those who did.

still, as a kid i did get clocked around the head a lot when the dingy jibed. probably explains a lot.

got clocked around the head when refusing to eat my veg too. i was a gobby git.

well done to you for giving people a new experience. how many were clocked around the head? all of them?

when around water there is always risk, whether on it, in it or under it. it cant be legislated away as we've seen recently.

we accept that risk and pray the the bloke with trident smiles on us.

i still maintain the mirror was the best little ship ever built. pig that it was.

 

[johnalison]

I don't imagine that anyone wants children to be exposed to danger unnecessarily, but the other side of the coin is that children have to learn about risk. We protected our children to a reasonable extent when sailing, providing life-jackets and harnesses when needed, but we also gave them plenty of freedom to go off on their own. From casual observation, it looks as if today's children are getting the worst of both worlds, living in a hazardous world with less chance to develop skills. I have two grouses from everyday life. The first is the lollipop persons who are keen to leap into the road to accompany adults with children at a zebra crossing, thus denying the parents the chance to teach the children how to use a road. The other thing that appals me is the local playground which is full of heavy moving machinery and in which a child can't be let free unsupervised, unlike the fine playgrounds I see abroad where children can clamber around and learn to judge how much height or risk they can cope with.

 

[viago]

North Hill ...... Locally named RNC - Residential Nautical College. It has the Planetarium ...... it was next building on from the Polytechnic.

The Seamanship Centre was in Cattedown - but I noted that a big warehouse style building now stands where it was.

I was there from 1973 till 1977 .... there were still RAF Launches on moorings from Mountbatten.

SY Tectona - was the College Yacht ... built on a beach in India and then after owner died - Widow donated to Plymouth Maritime College. She used to be moored just inside from the RAF launches.

Blimey to not know it was there ?? With all Phase 1 Cadets required to be in full Dress Uniform ???

Now its changed to General Maritime Studies instead of Merchant Navy Cadets.

thinking about it, i seem to remember the onedin line paying tribute to it as advisers on the end credits. yep, i know, what sort of geek watches the end credits and then remembers them a lifetime later.

i just loved james onedin. second only to casey jones in my list of heroes.

he would be top spot but he wasn't always on time.

do you know that he actually married the long suffering mrs onedin in real life and spent the rest of his life with her. what a story.

 

[viago]

This is undoubtedly true, but it would have been an opportunity to see Thelma wearing shorts.
I need to go and have a lie down now.

i think i do too.

are we allowed that sort of blatant heterosexuality in here?

 

[Nauti Fox]

In a time long, long ago I used to crew for my dad when he "raced" as a member of the BP yacht club on the Isle of Grain, he took it very seriously and woe betide me if I did something wrong, shame really but the Mirror was built by him in the house and extricated by taking out a window and knocking part of the wall down.
He was of the time and grew his own tobacco, distilled his own spirits and dyed his hair bright orange when attempting to colour it when using additives in some hair colouring.
His workshop was full of various things and lots of tins of Golden Virginia containing lots of things, we also kept chickens, geese and a couple of goats.
I had a strange childhood.....