CRUISING
38 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com APRIL 2016It was the biggest gathering of Folkboats on the Solent in living memory.
Bob Aylott joined the owners and racers of this legendary class as they
celebrated their 50th anniversary in a wet and windy Yarmouth
Folkboat Festival
PHOTOS: BOB AYLOTTT
here are some who believe
Folkboaters are floating hippies
left over from the 1970s pop
festivals. It’s an observation
that would bring a wry smile
to thousands of Folkboat owners around
the world. During the 50th annual Solent
Folkboat week, 57 of these vessels were
moored in Yarmouth Harbour. Hosted
by the Royal Solent Yacht Club, it’s a cult
gathering in which the small contingent of
ten old wooden cruisers was outnumbered
by the mass of glassfibre racers.
I hopped aboard one of the wooden
boats, Carlinetta, to meet her crew. There
was a shortage of space as skipper Dave
Jenkins manoeuvred his 6ft frame around
the cabin to prepare tea. His partner,
Karen, sat back as far as she could on
the bunk and waited for the opportunity
to find clear air to get up and join the
search for teabags. With less than five
feet of headroom, there’s an art to spacemanagement on a boat this size. After
years of practice, these two floated about
the cabin like a couple of well-tuned
ballroom dancers.
‘The Volkswagen Beetle was the people’s
car and these were originally the people’s
boats,’ Dave told me, before cursing as he
banged his head on the cabin top. ‘But,’ he
added with a smile, ‘whatever you think,
they are ideal for first-time buyers and
make great cruisers.’
Dave, 58, who keeps Carlinetta in
Fareham, continued: ‘This is our big cruise
of the year. We’re definitely not here for
serious racing. Most days our race turns
into a pleasant daysail around the Solent.
I’ll often do a little fishing.’
For the cruisers in the fleet, today’s
sailing hung in the balance. It was the
worst weather for regatta week in living
memory, with black skies dumping
torrential rain and a strong, gusty
southwesterly wind. Our spirits were
dampened but not extinguished.
Rob Wilks, 73, who used to own Britain’s
first Folkboat, Yo Ho, joined Dave and
Karen for a short, wet and wild cruise.
While they waited down below for the
green light, Dave told me how he found
and saved Carlinetta from the scrapyard.
After a few years of sharing a 9-tonne 34ft
Hillyard moored in Warsash, self-taught
sailor Dave decided to get his own boat
in 1995. He knew he wanted a wooden
cruiser, but admitted he had never heard
of Folkboats.
‘A friend who owned a 1964 Folkboat,
Ju Ju Too, mentioned Carlinetta was
up for sale,’ he recalled. ‘She had a good
sailing reputation and had previously
cruised and raced in the Solent, but now
she was rotting away in a corner of PMEBoatyard in Fareham and was in need of a
total restoration.’
With a top end budget of £12,000, he
was looking for a project and a change of
lifestyle. ‘Something to keep me busy and
out of the pub,’ he said. After viewing a
very sad-looking Carlinetta, Dave backed
off at the thought of the work involved.
But a year later, the desperate owner
contacted him and wanted a quick sale.
Dave offered £1,500, the deal was done
and Carlinetta was transported to his barn
in Titchfield for a refit that took three years
to complete.
Excluding personal man-hours, the
final restoration cost £4,000. ‘I’d got my
first cruising boat on the water for under
£6,000.’ Dave said. ‘These boats are
great for first-time buyers on a budget or
someone looking for a project. You can
pick up a second-hand one from around
£2,000. A British-built Folkboat in
Carlinetta is the right size for Dave and Karen excellent condition with a good pedigreeABOVE: The large
racing fleet relished
the lively conditionsRIGHT: Carlinetta’s
crew of cruisers took
things at a rather
more sedate pace