Classic_Boat_2016-08

CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016 17

TELL TALES

CHRIS BOXER

J GREEN CHARLES HARRISON

C/O STEFFAN MEYRIC-HUGHES

YARMOUTH, IOW

Storm before calm at ‘not Yogaff’!

EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX

Boat models need home

The Revd David Mumford, 86, has spent the last 18 years building

models in the balsa wood bread-and-butter method, inspired by the

pages of Classic Boat. The walls of David's flat are lined with models of

all imaginable sorts but overwhelmingly, of the classic yachts that have

appeared in these pages over the years. David, largely self-taught,

started building model fishing boats aged 14, to sell to a toy shop in

Exeter. “It was good pocket money in the war.” He abandoned the

pursuit in adult life, but returned to it with a vengeance in retirement,

with most of his 291 models stemming from the last 18 years; each one

takes him about 40 hours. They are naïve and charming in style, with

plenty of detail. David builds boats to commission (for just £150 – “it’s

not really for the money”) as well as repairing damage to other models.

His collection includes 35 Dunkirk little ships. David would like to find

good homes for these and the main collection. Tel: +44 (0) 1323 730323.

Despite challenging weather before the event, Yarmouth this weekend saw the return of more

than 90 gaff-rigged classics to the Yarmouth Gaffers Regatta [2-5 June], organised by the

Solent Old Gaffers Association. Some, including the 17ft (5.2m) Willow Bay Boats Shilling

Margherita, had a lively five-hour beat across Poole Bay to get to Yarmouth. Provident, the mighty

Brixham trawler, had a great sail from Weymouth. Gwenili, from the east coast, delayed by weather,

arrived at 0500 on Saturday, yet still turned out to race at 1000. Steve Mitchell on his Cornish

Crabber 24 Black Jack won the passage race to reach the event by recording an average passage

speed of 6.9 knots. Members enjoyed music, dancing and barbecues. Fun on the water in the

harbour included racing model ‘log’ boats built by participants, as well as dinghy jousting! The

event raised over £500 for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. Racing took place every day, but the

wind was less obliging with boats struggling to complete the courses in light airs. With the

absence of the town element of the festival, the weekend proved to be pleasantly low key. Sue Lewis

OLD PULTENEY

Search for

Maritime Heroes

For the fifth consecutive year, the
search is on for maritime heroes.
In three categories: club service,
bravery and sailing achievement.
In September a shortlist of 30
will be announced (they will all
receive whisky!).
From that, three winners will
get substantial cash prizes
(£2,000 for the overall winner),
and the whisky gets older and
better as the finals approach.

Hannah McIntosh, 0131 243 6738

[email protected]

Oldpulteney.com/maritime-heroes

WORD OF THE

MONTH

Fo’c’s’le

From ‘forecastle’, these

days meaning the forward

part of the

accommodations of a

yacht. The term still retains

its three apostrophes

making it the most

complex, and perhaps

longstanding, elision in the

English language. It's easy

to remember how to spell

it though; just put an

apostrophe wherever there

is a letter or more missing.

Interestingly, even the

otherwise excellent Oxford

Companion to Ships and

the Sea misspells it as

‘fo’c’sle’, which omits the ‘t’

entirely. The Concise

Oxford Dictionary,

however, gets it right, with

all three apostrophes.

Lady Belle, Gwenili and

Mizpah in light airs

Provident moving

into her berth with

a little help

The 17ft Willow Bay

Boats Shilling

Margherita