Returning desperately to my original concept of trying to write in the order in which I’ve learnt about ‘Corsair’ forces a return to 2009.
The 2009 season passed relatively smoothly. ‘Corsair’ stayed on the Northern Rivers aside from the Perryman memorial race that May, and I was in the enviable position of being able to sail with Joe & Julia aboard ‘The Only Girl’ when on the southern rivers, and on the north rivers with ‘Corsair’.
At the end of the season – I finished my sailing as I do now, with the YSC’s Turkey Race. Essentially we keep the boats in the water until December, and you race with 3rd prize being a brace of pheasant, 2nd Duck, and 1st prize is a Christmas Turkey.
As you can see, 2009 saw me aboard ‘TOG’ – on a particularly cold & calm day!
During that winter – I was staying with friends in West Norfolk, and once ensconced in the spare room, I exercised one of my character traits… I just have to look at the books on other people’s bookshelves!! You will learn a lot that way, I recommend it, when you next get the chance.
I don’t know what singled this book out to me, I assume it was that latent tie to that word ‘Clipper’. I know it was late, cold, and VERY quiet, so I didn’t waste time getting back into bed with the book. Within pages I was hooked.
This WAS a book about the Broads… More significantly – it WAS about Chumley & Hawke in Horning, and it featured three young men, who’d hired Clipper.
The book centres on 3 young men, who decide upon a September sailing holiday, and in the early pages even references the discomfort of the 3rd person sleeping on the cabin floor (some things never change!)
By page 21, I’d realised that Derham has used Broads landscapes and features – aside from ‘Brackley Hall’, which if the illustration is anything to go by, I’d say is ‘Burefields’ – the house adjacent to Horning vicarage;
Sleep forgotten, I read on – it’s a reasonably cheerful little book, until I reached page 54. Where I must admit I had to stop! Roman numerals had never been my strong point… I knew what I was reading.
Clipper VI. CLIPPER VI! THAT’S MY BOAT! Even now, writing this I’m smiling. It forms one of many ‘awe struck’ moments that have happened to me in my ownership of ‘Corsair’.
I mean – I didn’t own this book, I routinely wouldn’t have access to this book – it’s not even in my house! Here I am, with 100’s of choices, and I select this book. The centre of the story, well it’s my little boat!
Needless to say – I now own 2 copies of ‘Cruise of the Clipper’, which coincidently was published in 1952. I can only guess that Arthur Morgan Derham was a very early hirer of ‘Clipper VI’, given her built completed in 1951.
Interestingly – A.M. Derham must have had some close links with Chumley & Hawke, as he also hired their yacht ‘Viking’. She is the star of his book ‘On the Trail of the Windward’ (circa 1949/1950).
The ‘Windward’ is I believe a substitute name for a large Broads ex-hire yacht, the ‘Westwards’ – which were built by Jack Powles in Wroxham.
From what I can tell – Arthur Morgan Derham was born in 1915, in Hertfordshire. By age 14 he had converted to an Evangelist, something which he later embraced quite fully.
As a young man, he was given warrant number 123990 in the Metropolitan police force, serving as a Constable between 1935 & 1938. It was during 1938 that he took on the role of Pastor, at the West Ham Baptist Tabernacle – which itself is a quite imposing 1903 chapel; https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3104634
West Ham was (is?) – a densely populated part of London, which took some awful damage in WW2. It’s noted that Derham continued his services, but underground until 1944. At this point, his writing increased and he was known to travel to churches in England.
Potentially, this may be the link to Horning… I know there’s a Baptist church in Neatishead, potentially Derham spent some time there. There is no doubt that he had sailed on the Broads, and definitely knew the area. He captures details sufficiently well to have been there himself.
A.M. Derham later rose to the position of General Secretary of the Evangelist Alliance. I’m not sure if they found out about his other published works… including “Love, Sex & Marriage (A Christian Guide)”…… !!!!!!!!!!
His earlier book, ‘On the trail of the Windward” I didn’t actually own until 2017. Although inside the cover of that book, I notice that it was presented to Peter Hamment, of Tunstead Chapel – so maybe Derham was there?
The publishers are C.S.S.M – the Children’s Special Service Mission, so maybe that’s just co-incidence it was awarded as a church prize (46 attendances in 1949)
I’m delighted to have found both books – as for my friends Damien & Julian who own ‘Viking’, it was lovely to introduce them to their boat, in print so to speak. Like ‘Cruise of the Clipper’ – “On the trail of the Westward’ has some excellent cover artwork.
Isn’t it great? Very much of the 1950’s, and if you can overlook the strong Christian subtexts with the stories – they are cracking little books about 2 very cherished C&H boats!
So yes. ‘Corsair’ is in a book. A book I only found, by chance, over 40 miles from where I live, in someone else’s house. Still amazes me, 10 years later.
Goodnight.
A Broadsman 