Random Pictures from Cowes Week

The number of boats might be down form previous years but there was still plenty going on, the sports boats and SB20's seemed to be having a lot of action.

Taken at a distance from the ferry on the way over, guessing these are Redwing Class designed in 1937 by Nicholson.

Start and finish guns outside the Royal Yacht Squadron

Dragon returning to Cowes after the race

Beating towards Gurnard

Modern classics off Egypt Point

Don't know the class but they appear to be cruiser type boats reefed for the beat westward.

Heading across the Solent for a long beat to the northwest,

More of the same as the sun comes out

Toffino running back to the finish

As the late, great and lamented Ian Dury would say.

 

Car Night

 We dropped by the local "first Thursday" car night, and being a spectacular summer evening loads of people were out showing off their cars and motorbikes.

This Citroen DS convertible was undoubtedly one of the stars of the show, elegant, sophisticated, like driving around in a luxury armchair.

If understated luxury isn't your thing then maybe the interior of this 60's Ford Thunderbird would definitively be both wild and comfortable.

This lovely Austin Seven, presumably a special and I'm guessing maybe done in the 60's or 50's was really cute.  Unrated with hydraulic front brakes and what looks like a home made independent front suspension

For an amateur boat builder the construction was interesting, door panels and much of the body in ply, with cut outs to reduce weight and then skinned with aluminum sheet. Withsuch a small engine it would need to be light.

Fowey Bus Stop

I've reported on the Fowey Bus Stop previously, and for 2022 it's had a rather fun, literarary makeover

I esepcially like the seagulls which give it a nice coastal twist.

 

I might have mentioned

In an earlier post that there were some interesting cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

For carburettor fans everywhere, the British spelling of carburettor to go with the British Racing Green, actually I think that's such drab colour it's a wonder we won anything, thanks goodness for sponsors paint schemes.

I think is a DS4 or 5 and I think its a Zagoto design, either way fantastic.

1935 Delahaye 135 MS, just beautiful, a car just for showing off in, you can imagine it being used in an old black and white Hollywood spectactular with the star and starlet driving along a moonlit coats road.

I can't remember is this was a pre or post war Fiat, it looks like a go faster version of the Topolini, just lovely.

 

 

The new Lotus looking purposeful, but so sure about the banana livery though.

 How about a road legal racing Porsche? I walked thourgh teh car park and then realised it has number plates, on the door it names  Brit Derek Bell, Takahashi and Okada from Japan and Giacomelli of Italy, so it's clearly had an interesting history and probably not a daily driver.

If you're going to drive something wild why not go the whole way, Mrss BB asked if she could have her car wrapped this this.

 And finally I'm pretty sure this was a lightweight Zagato bodied Aston from the early 1960s .

Jacob's Ladder

 I spotted this flight of stone steps in Falmouth and was intrigued to know where they led. Some research reveals that they are known as Jacob's Ladder and comprise 111 steps.

After a brisk climb they ascend to a terraced lane which runs parallel to and above the main shopping street with fantastic views aover the harbour and right across Carric Roads.

On the decent back down to the town, above the Church of King Charles the Martyr was this stone crypt, adjacent to what was once the old town mortuary, now converted to a family home.

There's a nice tour of the town including the steps on Youtube by Cornish Walking Tours which includes teh same route and lots more history, worth a watch.
 

Holiday

A week away watching the boats go by.

Cowes week numbers were down compared to pre Covid years, we heard around 450 boats compared to around 750 in the better years. Most notably absent were the big boats, but plenty of action non the less.

 Also absent were the Red Arrows and fireworks, although there was a short display on Friday evening. But who cares when you get sunsets like this.

Cliffs and Coves

 One of the delights about the Cornish coast are the cliffs and coves. The Solent being largely flat and low lying we just don't get these dramatic rocks and clear water.

Aboce Readymoney cove, with fambulous mansion on top of the rocks was apparently former home to Dawn french and Lenny Henry.

Fowey River sailing through the steep harbourentrance.

Looking down from above, doesn't really give the scale, at low water there's a tiny beach which is only accessable by boat.

Pilot Cutters

 A group of Pilot Cutters gathered in Fowey while we were there recently,  stopping off on their way down to Falmouth for races at St Mawes.

The pictures probably say enough, it was great to see so many gathered together, with a grand stand view from our balconey.

Close up shots taken from kayak.

 

Moto Guzzi

Not the usual Moto Guzzi S3 750 le Mans that I normally lust over, but just as I like old boats, I also seem to have a thing about old motorbikes.

This particual example was strangely on display in a furniture shop window in Fareham and makes quite a nice display piece. I was puzzled as to why it features a picture  of a chicken, or rather a cockrell which is actually the explaination.  It's a Moto Guzzi Galletto (Cockerel )scooter circa 1950s, they had a 192cc engine.

With the post war rebuilding boom but money still very tight, Carlo Guzzi saw the potential for cheap and popular transport and the success of Verspa and Lambretta and launched his own innovative, not quite a scooter, not quite a motorcycle - Galletto at the 1950 Generva Motor Show.

The transverse spare wheel is unusual, I'd say innovative but I'm sure someone will point to previous machines with similar arrangement.