Wonder - Itchen Ferry for Sale

Wonder is a genuine Itchen Ferry, a Solent boat built by the locally renowned shipwright Dan Hatcher around1860.

She was owned by the Nicholay family for many years and two generations, and in total she has passed through only six owners in her long life. Wonder underwent some major restorations at the Newport Classic Boat Museum on the Isle of Wight a few years ago.


About five years ago, we were able to lend a hand caulking, painting and pumping out for a few days, as the planking took up, while she was in a local boat yard . Sadly we didn’t get to sail her, as before she was rigged, she was moved to a berth at the Dolphin Quay Boatyard in Emsworth.

During her 140 years, Wonder has sailed the Solent, only recently having been fitted with an engine. She is now up for sale for at £14,000, I just hope a new and committed owner can be found.

Wonder revisted

I've written about Wonder the Dan Hatcher built Itchen Ferry, one of a very few still in existence. Last heard she had another major restoration including fitting of an engine if I recall correctly and was in the Medway.

So it was a bit of a surprise to her on a mooring in Fowey recently.

I was having a kayak around the harbour on a grey day checking out boats when I saw an interesting day boat, it wasn't until I paddled around the stern that I realised it was Wonder.

It was great to see her in such good condition, if not in her local waters of the Solent.

Apologies for the poor images, I was a bit unprepared and had stuffed the my camera in the sleeve pocket of my new waterproof , clearly getting my wet fingers on the lens.

Fond memories calking her seams and then pumping her out daily for a couple of weeks while she "took up" all those years ago.

Another Itchen Ferry

Following my post about Wonder, Tom Armstrong who blogs at 70.8% kindly sent me details of another Itchen ferry for sale. This one is is located in Bristol, Maine and is a 1999 replica based on the lines of Wonder

Broker's comments - "This is a historically accurate reproduction of an 1860 Itchen Ferry Cutter. The builder was able to obtain the plans and offsets for the famous "Wonder" and built "Blackjack" to those specs. We sailed her briefly around Maine and I could not believe the interest in her by gold plate wooden boat owners. This is truly a fun boat and stood up very well to 25 knot winds and a 2' chop!"

Her dimensions are 19'2" LOA, 8'3" Beam, 3'6" Draft, with a displacement of 6,500lbs (ballast 1500lbs) Blackjack is offered for sale at $17,500 which makes her good value even at current exchange rates!!

Wonder sailing

Wonder featured in one of my earliest posts back in 2009, before that I was involved with her about 20 years ago including going down every night for a bout 3 weeks, pumping her bilges while the planks took up after a spell ashore.

She's had a few owners since then including a spell over on the East coast and had an engine fitted along the way. While kayaking across the harbour at Fowey she came sailing lazily past and the owner stopped for a chat.

 He moved her down to Fowey about four or five years ago and enjoys day sailing out in the bay and even further afield. She looks really nice with her light coloured topsides instead of the original black, which although authentic rather disguised her hull lines which show up much better now. I believe he said that he's had another engine fitted, either way having auxiliary motor power makes a lot of sense and a more practical boat to sail, hopefully for another 100 years or so.

 

 

Icebreaker

The new owner of  our First 21 Matilda Emilie  (now renamed Valkyre) sent me some pictures of her first race from her new base in Scarborough.

In Roger's own words "It was b****y cold", not exactly a surprise racing out in the North Sea during January, all credit to him and his and crew.

Apart from the temperature the conditions look good for some nice sailing and she looks to be sailing well.

Locally the Royal Southampton YC run a Frostbite Series of races starting in January, with Scarborough being located about 300 miles to the north I wonder if they call it "the Brass Monkey Series"?

Sail Training Ship

Spotted this adapted dinghy recently, it looks like a Pico with stabiliser floats added.

I'm guessing from their shape that the floats are there for stability and to prevent capsize, either way it makes a neat, beach-able trimaran out of a Pico, which let's be honest are a little small for those of us of advancing age and waistline, while retaining most of the performance.

Wonder if you could do something similar to a laser?

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 .

Festive Cars

The Boxing Day meeting of Locksheath classic cars was cold but very well attended, with some very interesting cars out in the dry winter weather.

Below camper based on what looks like a Mk1 Ford Escort van, the car and especially the "Pop top" in absolutely authentic 70's colour scheme.

Huge variety of cars on display, quite a contract between this Benford van and what looks like a 57 Chevy, both immaculate.

By now this must be very rare, a late 1980's pickup, complete with "tender" in the bed.

Little Red Corvette, no wonder Price wrote a song about one.

Baja bug conversion on this 1969/70 VW Beetle, complete with rear "lookout" long before the days of reversing cameras.

Probably the best Bugatti ever, I forget but probably Type 35, this one has a supercharged grand prix engine

 Our local YouTube celebrity hot rod builder - Oak Swamp made a good video of the event and also at nearby Wickham, well worth watching, in fact if you watch the ending you can just catch a glimpse of him following Mrs BB's bright GREEN Skoda.

The Black Pig

Captain Horatio Pugwash and his crew; Master Mate, Pirates Barnabas, Willy and Tom the Cabin Boy may have given up their television career in 1967, but their notoriety continues, not least due to some dubious and totally false urban myths which originated in the 1990's claiming sexual connotations based on a risque distortion of the character's names.

 Of course the truth is that the good captain and crew retired to run a dredging operation in Christchurch harbour.

I wonder what happened to the Captain's mortal enemy Cut Throat Jake?

Tractor launching

Using a tractor to launch off the beach is a great idea and is quite popular along the Normandy coast, but I have to wonder about corrosion from the seawater and the associated maintenance required.

This old tractor was going strong and still in daily use at Arromanches, closer inspection revealed the extent of corrosion - which hopefully looks a lot worse than it is.

Studland Controversy

Controversy down at Studland bay, the National Trust for some reason want to demolish the Middle Beach Cafe,  the Sea School buildings and adjoining toilet block, to replace the latter with - can you believe it portaloo's.

The cafe has been a popular spot with visitors for as long as I can remember, housed in some old wooden buildings which have matured nicely and fit in with the unspoiled surroundings.

You have to wonder what's behind this plan by the National trust, the buildings are there, people like the facilities, why does it make any sense economically, environmental or aesthetically to start knocking them down?

Middle beach at Studland is  one of the nicest, unspoiled yet still accessible parts of our local coastline.

The old wooden beach huts also add to the character of the place.

IKEA?

You just can't not see it at first glance

 Wonder if it was flat pack home build?

Slipway Saturday -Itchenor

We were over at Itchenor recently at HW springs. A lot of the trailers which had been left on the foreshore had water way over their axles, including more than a few with brakes.

I'm mindful having just replaced a set of bearings which the local trailer shop told me had been changed and which have not been out of the garage since, yet when I opened them up contained a nasty mix of rusty grease and were completely shot.

Road wheels and salt water really don't mix, but I wonder how many of these folks took the time to pressure wash and re grease their bearings when they got home? One of the reasons I'm really fussy about buying second hand trailers.

Keyhaven Local?

This interesting dinghy has been out in the moorings at Keyhaven this year, I would guess the length at between 14 to 15 feet.

The raised decking is unusual and the deep coaming suggest that it will be fairly dry even in the steep chop that often comes up in the western Solent, which makes me wonder if it's a local boat?

Low down on barges

Low water, on a late autumn morning the view from a small rowing boat gives an interesting perspective on some of the barges on the river.

Unlike the east coast the Solent is not renowned for mud, but there was enough to leave these barge/houseboats high and dry in Saltern's creek.

Slightly down stream at Mercury this one was afloat a;ongside the pontoon, even with the bowsprit pulled up I hate to think what the mooring charges are.

One of the other nearby marina's have just cleared the last three houseboats from the pontoon, Currently the spaces are empty but I wonder if some redevelopment is planned.

Signs of Spring

Early March at St Mary the Virgin church  in the parish of Hound with daffodils coming into full bloom as they probably have for the past 1000 years.

The church was attached to Netley Abbey which was founded around 1239 but the church predates that. It's a always a  wonder  and a privilege to be so close to history.

Swanwick - a brids eye view

There's quite a lot of drone footage of our lovely river Hamble,  one of my favorites begins at Swanwick hard my nearest launching site and shows the contrast above and below Bursledon bridge.

Enjoy -thanks to DJI Phantom. I wonder if that was you I saw while out running a few weeks back?

Dear Santa.....

I've always liked the Tofinou boats built by Latitude 42 in France, but this one is my favorite, a 9.5 meter Tofinou designed by Phillipe Joubert as a high performance day sailer.

Long, with narrow beam and lifting bulb keel, she sports 41 Sq Meters of sail in main and jib, plus a huge asymmetric. With a displacement of 2300Kg the Tofinou is a flyer with looks to match.

I wonder if Santa could get one down my chimney?

Tall Ship

A tall ship making way up Southampton Water on Saturday afternoon, she looks like the STAVROS S NIARCHOS which according to Southampton Port arrivals web site, was due in a couple of days earlier.

I liked the juxtaposition of sailing ship and junior training dinghy, wonder if any of the junior sailors in the foreground will be inspired to sail in tall ships?

Waterside retreats

Walking along the foreshore by Hill Head a few of the houses have summerhouses or I guess you could call them cabanas on the edge of the shingle beach.

Above definitely a cabana, if it had palm roof it could almost be a tiki bar, then again if you look closely there's a wood stove to keep things warm which is probably just as well given our climate and the fact that all these huts face the prevailing wind.

Modern garden building design (above) meets North African inspired concrete (below)? There are two of these structures which apart from the decorative bricks over the door and windows made us wonder if they were wartime structures?

Any one of the above would be a great place to watch the sun setting over the western Solent with a beer or glass of wine and something cooking on the barbecue.