Morwenna

I promised to show you some of the nicer boats and friendlier people at the Boat Show.

Out on the pontoons, amongst all the white plastic, nestled into a corner, sat Morwenna. 

She is a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter. 

Morwenna is run as a Charter business mainly around the south coast, so of course the guys were drumming up interest, hoping for business but they did it in such a friendly and open way it seemed rude not to have a look round. 

As you can see here, although the boat is traditionally built and rigged she has all the modern conveniences. 

Down below there is plenty of room with the paid crew in the stern and the paying crew up forward in their cosy bunks.

"Guests" are expected to get involved in sailing her, supervised by Skipper Stewart.  It must be very confusing at first getting used to all those ropes.  I thought my little Gaff Rigged Coot had too many lines on her, look at this lot!

So the mainsail throat halyard will be the buff coloured one, no not that buff one, that buff one! 

I know at least one HBBR member who would just love it, eh Wayne? 

You can find out more about Morwenna on their site

traditional-sailing.com

Crisis What Crisis?

The world may be heading off to hell in a handcart financially speaking but the the great white boat building industry seems to be carrying on as normal. 

I spent a couple of hours at The Southampton Boat Show today. Such is my enthusiasm for this festival of all things decadent that I normally don't go near the place unless there are free tickets around, I really do have better things to do with £20. But once again my mate Peter came up with the goods and so there we were rubbing shoulders with lots of other folk who couldn't afford the boats either. 

However it seems some could afford them, show tittle tattle has it that a Russian chap turned up the other day and ordered three Gin Palaces at 14 million quid each.  Well you wouldn't want just one would you?  Probably means the wholesale price of gas is about to go up again.

It does seem a bit crazy to have boat salesmen wearing suits, but I suppose it does differentiate them from the proper sailors.   Of course none of us poor people are allowed anywhere near these boats. If you should be daft enough to try to board you are politely but firmly fended off by the hired muscle. If your credit card is inspected for spare cash and found to be either sufficiently in credit or dare I say sufficiently in debt only then may you approach.  However there doesn't seem to be any requirement for taste. I would love to turn up at the Ancient and Venerable in this, but it wouldn't go under the bridge at any state of the tide.

There are of course some more down to earth boats on show, with real sailors who positively encourage you to come on board and look around. You'll have to wait for the next fun filled instalment for that though...............................................................But here's a sneak preview

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