LETTER OF THE MONTH SUPPORTED
BY OLD PULTENEY WHISKYLetters
Stepped planks coble Expert guidance
I had to read the sentence twice
that named Dr William Collier, able
though he is no doubt, as the “one
man” to go to in order to learn
about the history of yachting at
the turn of the last century. Neither
is William Colllier the only person
with a doctorate in this field – far
from it. He’d surely concur!
Ian Menzies, via emailOn a recent holiday in Northumberland, we saw an old fishing
boat laid up for the winter in Beadnell and two things struck
me about her construction. Firstly, she’s double ended, so not
a local coble, with the typical transom stern and twin keels for
beaching. Secondly, I have not seen before the step in her
clinker planks at the stem and stern. Was it just a way of
getting thicker planks to bend nearer the ends?
I would like to know if Classic Boat readers could provide
the reason for this technique.
Graham Lamond, Thirsk, North YorkshireWho is the Huffest?
Flying Pegasus
As an Uffa Fox fan and Flying Fifteen owner, I greatly
enjoyed your article on Huff of Arklow and it is
great to see her in such fine form.
In your review of Uffa’s ‘Flying’ series of
boats, you mentioned the Flying 20s and that
one was around a few years ago. This is true, as
I met John Negus, the owner of F20 No 1
Pegasus who had restored her and kept her at
Walton-on-the-Naze. This was in 2009. I’m not sure
what happened to Pegasus or John, but he sent me
many photos of her under restoration and also sailing, of
which I have included one here. I have no idea when she
was built, but you can see up close that she is plank on rib
with copper fastenings, so I would guess in the 1950s.
My Flying Fifteens are from the 1960s and both are cold
moulded. John confirmed that the boat was very fast and
also very wet, with her speed tending to drive her through
waves rather than over them!
Graham Lamond, North Yorkshire, via emailAs an Irish yachtsman I greatly enjoyed the articles
about Tern and Huff of Arklow, indeed the January issue
had a strong Irish flavour. The four Douglas Heard
International 14s designed and, I believe, also built, by
Uffa Fox were named Huff, Huffer, Huffest and Huffinis.
Huff was sold to a Dr Porteous and both Huff and
Huffinis competed in the 1938 Prince of Wales Cup,
which was won by Peter Scott’s Thunder and Lightning.
Also designed and built by Uffa, she was helmed by
Peter and crewed by John Winter. I crewed on Huff of
Arklow with Douglas Heard, racing in Dublin Bay, and
cruising with her subsequent owner Jack McKeown.
Rory O’Hanlon never owned Huff of Arklow but Jack
McKeown, like Rory, also became Commodore of the
Royal St George YC. At the time Jack owned Huff of
Arklow, Rory was racing and cruising the Peter Brett
designed Tjaldur, a close sister ship of the Tomlinson-
owned Dee Class yacht Pellegrina, and I crewed aboard
Tjaldur in the 1965 Fastnet Race. Nigel Sharp is to be
congratulated on this interesting article.
David Whitehead, Glebe, Kinvara, Co. GalwayI enjoyed your article on Huff of Arklow (Jan issue). During the winter of
1960/61 I lived on my 40ft catamaran Rongo in Dun Laoghaire harbour and
became friends with her owner Douglas Heard and spent time with him
yarning aboard the Huff. Around that time I also first visited John
Tyrrell’s yard, which built Huff.
My vague memory is that he was not too happy with the
design; he had wanted it to plane like the Uffa Fox dinghies he
had previously owned and sailed. It was probably too much to
expect with the design options available at that time. The
high-tech complex rigs and double rudders of present day
planing designs were far into the future. One of his other
complaints was that when sailing there was always someone sitting/
standing in the hatch blocking his forward vision. However, from your
article, he did love his vessel and made some fine voyages aboard her.
Douglas Heard’s own company made some of the first small portable
‘suitcase’ valve radios and he gave me one for my third Atlantic crossing. I
remember my visits to Huff with affection.
After reading about Huff of Arklow, reading further in the same issue I
found to my great surprise I was nominated in your Classic Boat Awards for
Yachtsman of the Year! Thanks. Whatever the outcome I do appreciate it.
James Wharram, James Wharram Designs, CornwallMemories of Uffa’s Huff
The only Flying 30 ever built and a milestone in yacht design, Uffa Fox’s Huff
of Arklow is in better shape than ever
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS NIGEL SHARPTAKING
A FLYER