Early season sail away

Actually not that early given that it's the end end of April, but with the weather this year it felt like the start of the season for HRSC cadets first sail-away of the season.

The intended course was upriver to Swanwick hard, but given the northerly wind the fleet was towed up to "shipwreck bay" so there was a reasonable beat up the final reach to Swanwick where drinks and chocolate biscuits were waiting.

After which there was a pleasant downwind sail back to the club, during which the fleet got spread out, but everyone was having lots of fun.

The cadets were under strict instructions that no pizza and chips were being served utill all the boats were put away, which clearly worked as by the time I got back from putting the safety boat back on it's mooring, everything was cleared up in record time and the clubhouse was buzzing with kids enjoying a well earned lunch.

Nifty, Small and Jake

Great names spotted during a walk through Emsworth recently.

Nifty is a great name for a harbour launch.

I think the Hunter Liberty is 23 feet LoA so not that small.

Perhaps the owner also has a car called Jake?

On the hard at Dolphin Quay

Seen at Dolphin quay, what I presume is a small centre board yacht awaiting restoration or perhaps someone with the enthusiasm to embark on a restoration.

The Finess21 designed and built by Alan Platt was a popular clinker built centre board yacht, but the bows here seem more raked and perhaps with a finer entry, so if anyone has more information I'd be pleased to hear from you,

The planking is very nicely laid out and really shows the volume midships, compared to the fine ends

I didn't really get a good look around, but she didn't look in too bad a shape, hopefully we might see her looking newly painted and varnished soon.

Cycle lanes and pains

We were up in the Rothaar Mountainsm of Germany over Easter, which are some low mountains and the source of the Seig river, running past the village where we were staying and down to the Rhine.

 There was a fantastic cycle track alongside the Seig, which running along the valley was more or less flat. We rode interrupted for 20KM along the beautiful river,  safely away from traffic, on a smooth tarmac cycle way and foot path which put's our local cycle paths to shame.

We had a good collection of bikes to choose from, unfortunately I didn't read the "No Compression" label until well into the ride. The German's tend to be very factual and this was no exception - ouch!

Fortunately recovery didn't take too long aided by the local Weissbier in the local beer garden.

With apologies to those at home who had rather more rain over the Easter holiday, I guess it all comes down to land mass, there were a few cold days and it was COLD but when the sun came out it was 22 degrees plus even in the mountains, lovely.

Grumpy

I wonder if this is a comment about the owner or maybe that he's had 6 other boats?

Gotta love motorboat names.

Comfort

In early or late season, and certainly the day the photos were taken, the warm comfy cabin of a motorboat really appeals, even more so if the cabin of surrounded by the varnished teak of this classic and immaculately kept and presumably restored motor launch.

I got distracted and didn't make a note of the name. The stern was classic boat tail which suggests a slippery displacement hull.

Seen at Port Solent on a cold day in March.

Boleh

One of those coincidences, I was watching My Classic Boat about an unusually rigged yacht Boleh one evening and a couple of days later cycling through the Chichester marina noticed the very distinctive quadruple mast.

The story of Bole is very interesting, designed and built after the war in Singapore the unusual design was influenced by the dhows, junks and intended to be at her best in ocean trade winds.

A sliding gunter rig is supported by a sort of pylon and uses a wishbone boom. There's a lot of information on the Boleh Trust website .

Try and make it out on the water this weekend

Sadly we're on our way back from the low mountains to the east of Bonn in Germany so won't be following that advice.

March has been a frustrating month with some nice sunny, if very cold days during the week and then snow or rain or high winds at the weekends, lets hope April is better.

Aeolus

She looks like shes going flat out just carefully pottering up the river, although with an 8 foot draft I think I'd be proceeding rather cautiously.

Aeolus is an extreme plank on edge gaff topsail cutter similar in concept to the designs of GL Watson at the beginning of the 20th century, narrow beam, deep draft with slack bilges, long keel, internal lead ballast  and an excessive sail plan.