Workers in Essex Boatyard circa 1970

LoneHort

LoneHort

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Hi folks,
This may be of interest to someone. While inspecting chainplates I came across this inside the trim piece of wood.
IMG_6413.jpg
Our boat a Salar 40 was built by Essex Boatyards and perhaps someone will know the names and the people who signed it.
BTW the chainplates were as good as new!
 
What a nice touch. In 1968 (IIRC) we were invited to attend the launch of the first Salar 40 by Sir Francis Chichester. The boat was great and my parents would have loved to buy one but alas they could not afford one. Cannot say the same about Chichester, he went from my hero to a nasty man with his condescending attitude in not signing my First Cover to commemorate his trip, but telling me to send it to the Daily Mail with 5 shillings and he would sign it.
 
Lovely.

My brother, a time served cabinet maker and go-to person for woodwork always insists on leaving his mark on work he has done.

Seems that the profession sees it as their right to leave a mark on their work. Suppose if you are not willing to put your name on a piece of work the question is why.
 
The practice of initialing or signing major builds goes back a long way.

The Oxford Section of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club had a special visit to the Science Museum back in the late 70's.

The late John Brown of Carterton, racer, co founder of Oxford Speedway, garage owner, local eccentric of some repute attended.

We were shown round during our private visit by the motoring Curator, He said " This is local to you boys - a 1923 MG, built at the Longwall Street premises. "

John Brown slipped underneath the car, torch in hand, slid out and replied " No - its a Cowley one, built in 1925.

The Curator said that he must be mistaken, their research and provenance of this particular MG was immaculate.

" Well " said John " If you look where I just did, you will see, next to the bolts of the gearbox crossmember some stamped letters and a number. They are my and Harry's initials and the number is the year we built that particular MG. They were still modified Bullnose Cowley's then and we did the modifications on each car. "

Collapse of stout party, who borrowed the torch, had a look and promised to change the details on the board relating to that particular car.

In 1976 I had another instance of a car builder leaving a memento of his involvement with the building of a special car.

A customer had a BMW 3.0 CSL - the lightweight coupe with alloy panels. It had a click on gassing it, and a far heavier clonk on braking hard.

Investigation found a German vending machine coca cola bottle behind the trim of the offside wheel arch. It was upside down and swinging back and forth using the bulge on the bottle as a bearing surface.

Barsteward.................................
 
I'm fairly sure that John Nicholls was my wife's cousin. We have a Deacon in our club who's relatives worked at Essex Boatyard, always known as Wallasea in those days. I will check with him this weekend.
 
I'm delighted with the response and links being made.It would be fantastic if one or more of these great craftsmen are still around and could see this years later.

A. Hutcheon R.King
M. Deacon Cannot make out this one
P.Deacon J. Nicholes
M. Bousfield


Would be my take on the names.
 
LoneHort said:
I'm delighted with the response and links being made.It would be fantastic if one or more of these great craftsmen are still around and could see this years later.

A. Hutcheon R.King
M. Deacon Cannot make out this one
P.Deacon J. Nicholes
M. Bousfield


Would be my take on the names.
Click to expand...

I think there's a third name on the first line:
D. S???. . .

The second name on the second line looks to me like:
P. (E or B)AS(I or E)(L?)(S?). . .

Second name on the third line looks to me like:
J. Nicholls
(not Nicholes, which would also fit with Dan Tribe's recollection)
 
I also knew two Hutcheon brothers Alastair and Anthony, still in touch with a nephew. Also possibly Mick Bowsfield?.
Most of those guys worked as shipwrights at Tucker Browns , Kings or Priors but left to earn more money at Wallasea Bay or on building sites.
 
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Concerto said:
about Chichester, he went from my hero to a nasty man with his condescending attitude in not signing my First Cover to commemorate his trip, but telling me to send it to the Daily Mail with 5 shillings and he would sign it.
Click to expand...
Why would he do such a horrible thing? Was is just to make money or something to do with sponsorship? He was rich enough already.
 
ltcom said:
Why would he do such a horrible thing? Was is just to make money or something to do with sponsorship? He was rich enough already.
Click to expand...

He had a deal with the Daily Mail that also included signed limited edition prints (which were also available as an unlimited edition). Many people I spoke to at the time said he could be a very grumpy man. What made it even worse was we had taken our boat out to find Gipsy Moth IV when he came into the Thames before he was knighted. We found him anchored off Minster on the Isle of Sheppey and we were the only boat to do this, we just gave him a wave and then left. He was told this by my father, with me at his side, at the launching. We waited until there was no one else nearby on the pontoon so nobody would have known. It still riles me today that someone could be that nasty. So now you can see how he stopped from being my sailing hero.
 
Concerto said:
He had a deal with the Daily Mail that also included signed limited edition prints (which were also available as an unlimited edition). Many people I spoke to at the time said he could be a very grumpy man. What made it even worse was we had taken our boat out to find Gipsy Moth IV when he came into the Thames before he was knighted. We found him anchored off Minster on the Isle of Sheppey and we were the only boat to do this, we just gave him a wave and then left. He was told this by my father, with me at his side, at the launching. We waited until there was no one else nearby on the pontoon so nobody would have known. It still riles me today that someone could be that nasty. So now you can see how he stopped from being my sailing hero.
Click to expand...

There's a reason why some people end up sailing around the world on their own...
 
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Concerto said:
He had a deal with the Daily Mail that also included signed limited edition prints (which were also available as an unlimited edition). Many people I spoke to at the time said he could be a very grumpy man. What made it even worse was we had taken our boat out to find Gipsy Moth IV when he came into the Thames before he was knighted. We found him anchored off Minster on the Isle of Sheppey and we were the only boat to do this, we just gave him a wave and then left. He was told this by my father, with me at his side, at the launching. We waited until there was no one else nearby on the pontoon so nobody would have known. It still riles me today that someone could be that nasty. So now you can see how he stopped from being my sailing hero.
Click to expand...

When I was a boy of about ten I went to a fundraising talk for the RNLI by Sir Alec Rose - the only celebrity I ever asked for an autograph, I still treasure it and as the saying goes ' didn't wash my hand for a week ' after shaking his - he was a true gentleman in every sense - but must have had a backbone of steel.

At the talk someone asked ' how do you and Sir Francis compare ? ' - he broke into a broad grin, " I think Francis might be a little more on the cantankerous side :) "

A couple of seasons ago I went with two great friends who are relatively new to sailing - they were delighted to see the newly restored ' Lively Lady ' at Port Solent.

I got them both secondhand ( out of print ) copies of ' My Lively Lady '

Maybe the bookseller didn't realize or didn't care, but one was a first edition, the other was signed by Sir Alec.

When one reads ' The Lonely Sea And The Sky ' about Sir Francis trying to fly around the world, inventing navigation methods like the bubble sextant, then his sailing it is very clear though that despite being a smallish man he had the strength and drive of a nuclear attack sub, amazing.
 
Seajet

When I was in my 20s I was on the bare bones of my backside (like everyone was in those days) when I became interested in yachting. My favorite book was Steve Dashew's The Circumnavigators Handbook. Of course I couldn't afford my own copy so every fortnight I'd go along to the Council Library and renew my loan. After renewing it four times I was told I couldn't renew it again as someone else wanted it. So I waited another fortnight to see if I could get the book again but no, the book was overdue and they were trying to contact the borrower. But we never saw the book again as the borrower had taken off with it overseas in his yacht.

A couple of month ago I saw secondhand copies on Amazon so I bought one. The copy I got was like new and it was signed by Linda and Steve Dashew (1984)!
 
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