I first sighted this lovely varnished clinker approaching the entrance to the river in the fresh morning conditions, by the time I'd taken pics of a few other interesting boats it had settled into a downwind run up the river past the harbour office in Warsash.
I paddled over to ask a few details but only got that she's a one off
Guessing around 18 feet with a wonderful sheerline.
Really nice example of a Nordic folk boat looking great in the early morning sun.
At just over 25 feet this would make a really nice day boat for the Solent fun and rewarding to sail, relatively shallow draft which is good for getting into some of the more interesting places and very capable when the afternoon sea breeze kicks up wind over tide chop.
I keep thinking that one of these would be a really good part of the upcoming retirement plan, except for that short coach roof which stops aft of the mast and gives a clear, uncluttered fore deck. But it also speaks of very limited space below deck the fore peak might be fine for stowing sails and spinnaker, but not a walk in toilet which Mrs BB demands.
Passed by this classic racer on an early morning kayak up the river, unfortunately the wind was kicking up quite a chop at the river mouth and I hadn't noticed the splashes on the lens, (good jobs it's an underwater camera)
Long and lean with a towering mast and that dramatic counter stern, like to see it under sail.
This looks like an 8 meter Firebird catamaran, although the wrap around windows are unusual, very dramatic and striking, but unusual
The Firebirds are a west country class catamaran historically sailing from from Flushing Sailing Club in Falmouth harbour.
The boats are described as a revolutionary design, with carbon and GRP construction making them very light and (before the foiling era!) one of the fastest sailing craft in the Cornish waters and I'm sure an absolute blast to sail
Weston SC recently held an International Canoe meeting recently, on what was a a breezy weekend, so great to see these fast and interesting boats out in strong conditions.
This could easily be the obvious consequence of sailing a narrow bean canoe while balancing out on a plank, but in reality these guys had just come up to the club slipway and were holding the boat in deep water while someone brought the trolley down.
Close at the start line, after the 1 minute gun, pretty sure the laser was in the second fleet not leading the IC's.
The writer here at BB may be one of the few people who still remember the warnings broadcast by the robot in the 1960's sci fi series Lost in Space, but in fact the latest dire warning has recently been issued by Eastleigh Council. of the potential for blue green algae
The announcement advises to avoid contact with the water in the river over fears it could contain toxic blue-green algae. The Environment Agency (EA), external has warned that the algae can be fatal to animals if ingested, and people are being urged not to allow their dogs to enter the water.
The BB reporter bravely risked approaching the now toxic lagoon opposite Bunny Meadows to take the above photograph, which looks much like it has in many past warm summers
When you know the really big fish are just off the end of the spit and you just have to cast one more tine.
Hopefully he noticed soon, the waves breaking around his feet maybe were a clue.
Really nice example of what I'm sure is a Finesse 24, cutter rigged shallow draft cruiser.
The 24 was the middle size and most popular of the range of clinker constructed boats built for the shallow waters of the Thames estuary by Alan Platt at his yard in Thundersley, Essex. the others being the original Finesse 21 and later a 27 version.
The 24 apparently had very generous accommodation both below decks and in the cockpit for her overall size and while not a racing machine had power and weight to make reasonable passage speeds.
The owners of this example have been very busy with sandpaper, varnish and paint, to keep her looking absolutely fabulous.
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