This lovely skiff came past as I was walking along the river and I was fortunate to catch up with them on the slipway at Swanwick hard. The owner built after reading up on ceder strip construction to an American design. It looks like it may be the Annapolis Wherry. Whatever the design he has made a great job of it.
Back in the mid 1970's, if you couldn't afford a Yamaha FS1E, then this (or a Puch Maxi ) were the transport of choice for a budding 16 year old wanting to get mobile.
Forty-nine cc's and mandatory pedals to give some sort of notional hint that it was a bicycle, no ears just a centrifugal clutch, twist the throttle and off you went. Cheap enough to go to school on.
An enterprising bicycle shop had these for rent and leisurely tours around the local hills and mountains, not sure how they would get on with some of the steeper inclines, maybe that's where the pedals come in handy?
Perhaps it's just me but I seem to see far too few boats that set my heart racing, or maybe there are just so many look alike white boats the ones that are described as "euro style" or less kindly "lozenge".
Interesting contrast tradition and modern on adjacent moorings, I'd be happy sailing either and both.
I've written previously that the southern parts of the Massif Central in France must have been a lawless place back in the old days as it seems like every village and town was fortified, many still survive intact today
There is probably no better area to visit than on the Route de Larzac in the Averyon region where we were staying during the summer. The route is world heritage site, a a series of villages which were owned and protected by the Knights Templar during the eleventh and twelfth centuries and the 100 years war.
Right at top is St Jean D'Alcas which was actually an authentic Cistercian village fort, built as a refuge in 1356 and completed in 1443.
Second photo down is the church at La Cavalerie which was, is part of the ramparts
Above La Couvertoirade, the most complete village which has survived without very much subsequent development, apart that is from the buildings being converted into cafe's and gift shops and thewhole place having the feel of a theme part rather than an ancient monument, such is the popularity of such places.
Storm Ami was still raging on Saturday morning when we went for breakfast in Lee on the Solent, the wind and waves coming down the length of the Solent from the west and breaking on the shingle beach, white caps everywhere.
Back in 2005 Bursledon Regatta suggested as part of the event a reenactment of the battle of Trafalgar, using dinghies which were made into "fighting ships" with the addition of wrap around hardboard or plywood panels. Actually one of the entries went a little further, it was pretty much a scale model with full rigging based on a mirror dinghy hull.
My effort was somewhat more modest with masts from PVC pipes and fully armed with plastic buckets and water pistols for full broadside.
My plywood panels are long gone, can't even remember what I used them for, but along the river is a nice reminder of that battle 20 years ago.
Great set of pics here in fact pictures of all the recent Burelsdon themed regattas.
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