LETTER OF THE MONTH
SUPPORTED BY OLD PULTENEY WHISKY(^94) CLASSIC BOAT NOVEMBER 2017
Letters
We enjoy Tom Cunli e’s writing in your magazine very much and his
column extolling the benefi ts of a simple oil lamp struck a chord.
We have owned two modern boats (two Moodys – perfect for the
family) and now in our retirement a wooden boat (a clinker Folkboat
built in Poland), and on each have insisted on an oil lamp as
illumination each evening at anchor. To be sitting in the cabin with
that glow, just in conversation or with a book to pass the quiet time
before bed, is a magical experience.
Stanley and Maureen Parkes, via email
I fi rst crewed on Maeve in 1952 as a 10-year-old, and
continued to do so until about 1964, when her then owner,
Graham Parsons of Westbury, Wilts, sold her to a young
couple with a baby who sailed her to the West Indies. Built
as a ga cutter for Solent sailing, she had been converted
to bermudan rig pre-war and was moored at Moody’s. She
was 48ft from bowsprit to counter stern and a wet boat to
sail. I believe that she may have returned to the UK and
would love to know more about her, if she is still extant.
John Morris, via email
Magic of an oil lamp
Do you know Maeve?
Nurturing a classic
Your article by Olle Neckman (October issue,
‘Sternpost’) about his Jac M Iversen motorboat, Maria,
underlines one aspect of owning an old wooden boat
that is often overlooked. The longer you keep her and
the more work you need to do to her, the greater the
enjoyment and appreciation of her whims.
People often decry classic yacht ownership for the
apparent ‘hard work’ it involves (and wouldn’t they
roll their eyes at all the varnish work needed for a
boat like Maria?), but that misses the point. The more
you put into it, the more you get out of it. To nurture
a classic boat through another few decades of life
afl oat really is, as Olle Neckman says, a lifetime’s joy.
Peter Waldroop, Edinburgh
Any more Harris Brothers boats?
Following your articles on Anne Marie, readers might be interested to
know that the late John Leather, the boatbuilder and yachting historian,
served his apprenticeship with Harris Brothers and was brought up in the
town of Rowhedge. He fi nished his mother’s book after she died, Salt
Water Village, a good read for anyone interested in Harris Bros.
John once said to me, of my
boat, Iolaire: “Mr Street, you must
remember that Iolaire was a cheap
boat built on spec by a good
fi shboat builder!”
The Harris family sold the yard to
Rowhedge Ironworks at the outbreak
of the First World War. I think there
may be a few other old Harris-built
boats still afl oat.
In 1975 we sailed Iolaire, engineless,
up the Colne River to the old Harris
yard. We dried out along the wall right
where she had been built.
Don Street, via email
CLAUDIA MYATT
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