We survived. A bland & mediocre offering but nonetheless sufficient. Much like rationing.
It is strange to start a day’s log talking about events that happened yesterday however some things are worthy of note… as ‘Vintage Broadsman’ appeared on Salhouse Broad last night, blasting out a cheesy disco soundtrack, it was promptly drowned out by the Mozart from HB’s sound-system. How proper.
We can also report that the ‘Fur & Feathers’ is still a fine establishment serving much tasty ale… In fact the only fly in the ointment is that there was a troupe of Morris dancers outside who asked for requests; apparently ‘piss off’ wasn’t the correct answer. So we left swiftly after clearing that misunderstanding up!
Evening at Salhouse
Besides ensuring that we stayed until we had used all of our £6 mooring fee, there was little available to keep us at Salhouse so we headed for Wroxham amid more rain (lovely!) – in fact it was so unpleasant that we lowered the mast & motored the whole way as quickly as possible.
Wroxham itself had a variety of temptation to offer us, mostly fish & chips, some overly large waterproof trousers and an exceedingly flamboyant umbrella for the skipper. Also, there was a whistle-stop tour of Roy’s food department.
The world’s largest trousers…
And, for no reason at all, its worth nothing that when you throw the mudweight overboard, ALWAYS check if it is on a short line, and whether or not it’s only on a small cleat with short screws… I mention this for no reason.
Post fish & chips, we departed the moorings & motored under Hoveton viaduct toward Belaugh. Despite HB taking a shortcut through bridge broad – ‘Corsair’ maintained the lead.
It was the 1st time ‘Corsair’ had been to Coltishall in my ownership & despite the weather (torrential rain) the navigation was very pretty. I saw a Kingfisher & several shoals of fish in the very clear water.
I might add, those weren’t the only highlights of the trip. ‘HB’ had the sliding roof open going through Wroxham bridge, soaking the Judas aboard… Sadly it was nothing to the sogginess of ‘Corsair’ – the awning was laid over the cabin, the umbrella was up… not a jot of bloody difference it made!
We spotted the ‘Death & Glory’ and ‘Troutbridge’ moored at Belaugh. No loveable Lesley however.
Much later, we found ourselves at Coltishall with the Tilley lamp valiantly drying out the contents of our cabin, with our new crew member languishing aboard ‘HB’ in the saloon. Weakness of character if you ask me!
Today we started lazily if I’m honest, the Skipper began with attempting to steal a TE20 tractor from the boatyard & in a fit of benevolance we offered the crew of a ‘Leander’ to moor alongside us so they could access the freshwater hose.
It was quite strange really to compare the 2, considering that ‘Corsair’ came from the same yard – they really are completely different!
Our C&H ‘sister’; freshly re-watered.
(This was years before I understood the role A.L. Braithwaite had with the clippers – versus the reality of Alfred Yaxley from Belaugh, the postwar foreman of Chumley&Hawke who did however build ‘Corsair’ with Tim Whelpton, albeit with an extra plank)
Anyway, in a strange reversal of our now familiar daily routine, we took all reefs out – bunged the big jib on (!) & set full rig after 4 days!! We soon departed & headed for a wild-mooring opposite St. Benet’s abbey to perform housework. (Binky cleaned the cabin windows)
Enjoying full-rig, we set off again & navigated onto South Walsham Broad where we sailed well into the inner broad, circumnavigated the island & spotted RCC S/N70 ‘Don’ at mudweight. Coming out of Fleet Dyke, we engaged in some informal racing with a Devon yawl, with Mr Jalil proving himself quite competitive (surprising)
S/N70 ‘Don’ & assembled fleet!
HB was spotted on the St Benet’s moorings, where Theo promptly (and quite literally) jumped ship. The prospect of a warm & dry berth proving too tempting for his weak-willed traitorous ways!
Despite this treachery Binky & I enjoyed the gentle tack upto Ranworth, where to be fair ‘HB’ did tow us onto Malthouse broad, where we mudweighted close to the wherry ‘Albion’ where we then all unwisely leapt into a tiny dinghy for the passage to the Maltsers P.H.
The tack to Ranworth.
(At this point, a certain Judas displayed all the grace of a baby rhino on acid to get in/out of the said dinghy, nearly tipping us all in!)
After a reasonably boozy lunch, we motored upriver to the surprisingly expensive Salhouse Broad for the night. D is cooking, only tomorrow will tell if we survive…
Dear readers… this morning we managed to wake slowly, with no hysterics from Jalil… our temporary waterproofing HAS WORKED!
Despite the sheltered nature of the staithe – it was apparent that it was bloomin’ windy, something we discovered when we ventured onto Barton Broad. We set the ever familiar 2 reefs & middle jib, before storming across the Broad enjoying ourselves, and ignoring the chaos in the cabin (!)
Whilst thundering around the Broad, we allowed ourselves a giggle at a hire-yacht branded with ‘TRY SAILING’ -which at times seemed a good suggestion for the helmsman to follow. (!)
This was said through gritted teeth!
Fun over, we decided that a tack down the Ant would be impossible – so we became tourist-esque. We motored to Stalham to wander around. It was at this point I bought a Tilley lamp, which turned out to be a complete lemon! (I think we were desperately trying to find ways of drying out the boat)
Sadly even the charms of Stalham weren’t enough to keep us there, despite a ‘en masse’ decision for hot showers at Richardson’s boatyard (behave! Not like that) So freshly laundered, we gave into the inevitable and motored downriver to Ludham Bridge, where we moored in half a bloody gale… holiday’s afloat eh?
The crew at this point abandoned me – choosing to sit in the cabin rather than endure another cold & wet slog into the rain. Can’t blame them! (but I will)
‘Enjoying’ ourselves in the summer weather.
The weather did moderate a little, which enabled us to stop at ‘How Hill’ (more tourism) – walking around & inspecting both Toad Hole cottage & Boardman’s pump. Boardman’s pump is a trestle open frame mill, complete with its turbine pump (dating from 1897) – it’s amazing what you’ll read on an information board when you’re soaked through & fed up!
Sensibly at this point, we sought refuge in the ‘Dog Inn’ for the evening. Highlights (or not) was how we ended up in conversation with a film crew who were filming a short film called ‘Jam Today’ – for the UK independent film council. The weather meant these lads were stuck on a boat with beautiful young women. Bastards.
Today started with a sense of deja vu… Although without such a vibrant soundtrack, Mr Jalil was nontheless forced to vacate his bunk in search of drier sanctuary in the cockpit…
(At the time, we ended up duct-taping bin bans to the cabin side & routing them behind the bunk-shelf – diverting water mostly away from the mattress and sleeping crewmate)
This was to prove a persistant issue – and it wasn’t until 2016 I was in a position to attempt a permanent repair.
After such inclemency, the weather did improve somewhat. However before I divule such metrological bumphf I should mention the nice lay who sold us eggs… It’s all in aid of ex-battery hens & extensive testing of the said eggs (with bacon & fried bread) revealed that they are DELICIOUS!
Tacking out of Hickling – note the small rig (Day 3 of double reef / No. 2 jib!)
Despite this usual ‘slog’ – we bravely carried on! (I suspect heads may have been sore after the Greyhound P.H) and began a long tack into Potter. There’s little which can be said about tacking against the tie, however if you add a narrow river, moored boats, bungalows and trees… suddenly it becomes a more ‘entertaining’ scene. One small piece of Willow was our only trophy for our endeavours!
Mooring at Potter Heigham proved to be quite eventful… The Hunter’s yacht ‘Luna’ who after several abortive attempts made a down-tide mooring which saw our harassed bowsprit bending most alarmingly. Full credit to the skipper who performed a leap worthy of a gymnast which Theo was dragged along the bank trying to tether same yacht with its bow-line. Still… it’s only varnish!
Such excitement behind us, we motored slowly out down the Thurne, before tacking up the Bure toward St. Benets, this 2nd bout of tacking proved to be the only sunny interlude of the day – something which we remembered fondly later on…
I can’t speak much for our trip up the Ant, except that I was busy repairing No. 1 jib (three repairs) and en-route we selected Neatishead as our destination for the evening.
Mooring & navigating to Neatishead requires care at the best of times, you dodge trees, motor-boats & other obstacles all the way up the dyke. So we went slowly…
… our unusual caution meant us getting caught in a viscous downpour which soaked us all to the skin. In such circumstances, we moored & ‘awned’ in record time. With both burners going on in the galley – we recreated a sauna whilst re-waterproofing Theo’s bunk with more bin bags.
Last night there was rain, not your average ‘oh dear it’ll do the garden good’ rain… but biblical, bouncing off the cabin roof deluge.
Still – could be worse!
Truthfully my first conscious memory of the day was to see Mr Jalil storming indignantly out of the cabin (whilst still in his sleeping bag) muttering something about “Mr Farrow & his so called waterproof boat” (!)
Needless to say, he slept the rest of the evening in the cockpit – a miserable experience. ‘Corsair’s’ benches are just under 6ft long, and work ideally as seats – but not beds!
Sated with a cooked breakfast (these engineers are so very tempremental) we decided to keep our cut-down rig and sedately proceeded upriver to Potter Heigham, where with ice cream & burgers we lunched with CD & co.
The calming breakfast…
Having quanted through both bridges – we were treated at this juncture to the sight of several Hunter’s yachts scattering themselves across the river.
Evidently trying to ‘shoot’ the bridges, some had masts down, some halfway up, some just were a tangle of legs, string & quants… We noted all of them were ‘uptide’ of the new bridge (how brave!)
The Hunter fleet at Potter – with an interesting yacht below the bridge
Eventually, we set sail upriver toward Hickling, sliding along as we tacked through the bungalows to Kendal Dyke.
Here we were treated to a bit of champagne sailing, the wind had filled in to a steady sea breeze and ‘Corsair’ stormed across Hickling, narrowly beating local YBOD ‘Monarch’
By now we felt truly ‘on holiday’ – Jalil managed to dry his bunk mattress in the evening sunshine, and as we were moored in the aforementioned sun, we sipped at Cab. Sauv. whilst writing this.
Afterwards in the wake of a spectacular sun-set we ventured ‘up the road’ to the Grayhound P.H. The skies were fantastic, purple even!
For those of you who’re familiar, each year the reality of having an old wooden boat meant I also holidayed… aboard my old wooden boat. 2010 was no different!
Day 1
Today, as ever was quite hectic (this stands true now – no matter how prepared I think I am – I still end up pulling a superhuman effort to leave the house on time with all the gear I need for a sailing trip)
The precious/vital items you’ve forgotten, the last minute jobs etc. This year it was further compounded by ‘Boris’ a truculent 30yr old Land Rover;
The L/R
You get 2 choices at Oby – make several time-consuming trips, OR make one lung bursting, eyeball popping legs-bowed trudge – thinking stoic thoughts about pack mules. The path itself was also uneven, often muddy & with livestock to contend with…. Character building!
With ‘Corsair’ loaded – we then entered our usual underwater ploughing competition to leave the mooring. 3ft 8″ draft. Sigh.
(having just bought a L/R with a 2.6L straight six – I was resigned to sailing without the engine as I couldn’t afford petrol for both. Improves your sailing skills, but watching both quants bend like bananas as we forced ‘Corsair’ through the mud always was unnerving!)
Freed, we set two reefs & middle jib saw us storming up the Bure toward Thurne junction. Despite our efforts at reefing, control soon became marginal (!)
Situation ‘not ideal’
…and it was only the sterling work of Mr Jalil (who I note has been promoted for 2010?) that brought relative calm by scandalising the mainsail.
We ventured up Womack water for the evening, and sliding upriver we spotted ‘Pickin Jack’ looking quite forlorn outside Colin Buttifant’s yard. Evidently he has still yet to complete ‘Seabird’s’ new mast…
(nb ‘Seabird’ had sustained an injury whilst acting as start-boat for Reedham regatta. Colin B. being tasked with a new mast. ‘Seabird’s’ owners been reported as muttering “I wanted a new bloody windscreen not a new bloody mast” to much hilarity.)
Mooring at the staithe proved tricky but we slid into a little spot!! We adopted our usual trick of aiming at the gap – pushing in until the fenders sqweak, keep pushing then adjust the other boats mooring lines to make the space fit ‘Corsair’… works every time – especially with unsuspecting tourists.
In fact, my top-tip for mooring next to holiday-makers. First come alongside, then step aboard… Get a line on the nearest cleat. Then, and only then ask if its okay to moor alongside them. Got it?
(alas boat next door turned out to be noisy swines)
Later that night, we found ourselves in the King’s Arms, which for some inexplicable reason had a DJ and the music… more bloody noise!
Well peeling your eyelids with rusty nails would have been less painful. However later in the evening there was entertainment in the form of Laura (also a pub-goer) who had an issue with her dress zip(!)
(The logbook notes the skipper became all unnecessary at this point & ends abruptly)
‘Corsair’ was kept at South Walsham broad, moored in a private dyke under the ownership of a M.Doleac. I’m uncertain as to whether she was actively for sale, but as is the way with many old Broads yachts, there was someone looking – and ultimately most boats are for sale if you ask very nicely.
The someone being Steve Sanderson, a local boatbuilder from Reedham.
The Sanderson family – 1981; Steve Sanderson far right.
He’d been tasked with finding a Broads yacht for Joe Kilner (from whom I bought ‘Corsair’) – although Steve & his family also deserve a mention…
The Sanderson family bought their boatyard in 1932, the site being known as ‘Hall’s yard’, wherry builders who’d built some absolute beauties.
Hall’s yard – Reedham. At least 2 wherries on the slip.
2 Halls built wherries survive, ‘Hathor’ (with her own rich & varied history) – and ‘Maud’, the last surviving clinker built trading wherry. A grandson of the Hall family worked for the Sanderson’s until the 1950’s.
The Sanderson’s lived aboard a sizeable ex-RAF launch ‘Astral’ for 28years, with brothers Colin & Steve joining the family business as they were able to. So when Steve was asked to source a suitable Broads yacht for Joe K. – he duly pointed him in the direction of ‘Corsair’.
Astral – moored outside Sanderson’s.
(Later I was to learn that ‘Corsair’ had transferred ownership via circuititous routes more than once!)
At this point, it’s very hard not to digress but in the mid-late 1980’s there was a huge resurgence of interest in old Broads yachts, their sailing & racing. The Broads legend (s) Maidie & M.Barnes in 1984 found themselves at Sanderson’s – the beginning of an ownership/story which is still ongoing today; 84_maidieeastored.jpg (600×1463) (broadlandmemories.co.uk).
As part of this resurgence, in 1985 a proposal to re-form the Yare Sailing Club was made – which caught the interest of Joe. ‘Corsair’ was purchased, and arrangements made to bring her south to Reedham – to a mooring in Sanderson’s Dyke.
Joe & Julia both lived out of Norfolk at this point, Julia recalls on her 1st trip down, her Mini clubman broke down outside of King’s Lynn, making a long journey to Reedham even longer. Salvation came in the form of a friend couple who drove Julia to their house nearby, enabling the RAC to be called (life before mobile phones!). The car was resurrected & after several hours the Ferry Inn lit up in the headlights, and an indroctrination in Broads sailing started.
(what a beginning!)
Despite the breakdown, the Mini was pressed into service almost immediately – with the mast counterweight being loaded into the back (!), something which I’m certain made the steering a lot lighter!!
After an early start ‘Corsair’ was fastened alongside the motorboat ‘Tinga’, owned by Brian Holden of the GWYC – and towed through Yarmouth. Tidally it’s always worth getting to Breydon at the right time, as wind over tide can create abit of a ‘slop’.
One of ‘Corsair’s’ many quirks came to light at this point… the forrad cabin ports will only close if the roof is raised! And, like all boats being towed alongside in even mild wind over tide conditions – torrents of water begun to fling about – especially as the towing boat bounces to a different ‘sync’ than the towed vessel. Cue lots of water flooding past those open cabin ports!
Julia at this point resorted to crouching in the cabin, holding both panes of glass in an attempt to keep the cabin dry! I’m not sure of the success of this tactic, but a ‘pit stop’ at the Berney Arms Inn restored spirits (or should that read restorative spirits?) for ‘Corsair’ to motor to Reedham & slip into Sanderson’s Dyke.
Joe & Julia’s ownership of ‘Corsair’ brought well-needed stability & care to the boat. When you own a boat for a long time you’re able to properly invest in its future. Joe set about a comprehensive programme of modifications / structural works to ‘Corsair’, which included a new rig. Since 1961, she’d carried a neat gunter rig which Joe replaced with a gaff-topsail set-up from ‘Sabrina’, then in the ownership of another GWYC member, Robin Stewart.
In the early days of Joe’s ownership – ‘Corsair’ had a tendency not to respond to the helm, this was solved with an extension to the rudder, and eventually alterations to the position of the keel. Many, many years later when rebuilding ‘Corsair’ we were able to utilise one of the original floors, which at the time was not fitted with a keelbolt – such was the distance the keel was repositioned!
Joe oversaw the replacement of many planks, fitment of a gas locker & deck hatch in the aft deck, repositioning the winches from the cabin roof onto the deck (their previous location on the roof can still be seen today). Interestingly, although the mast & bowsprit were extended – fittings were added to enable the original ‘small’ rig to be set on the same spars.
Early in their ownership (1988) ‘Corsair’ won the Turkey race, an annual event originally sponsored by Steve Sanderson, 1st prize. Celebrations post-race also included the Reedham Ferry, where interestingly enough, there’s a link to another story…
My favourite recollection of Joe & Julia’s ownership – is one from a very early sail… Whilst running down the Yare – Joe advised Julia not to let the tiller come up, as to avoid a gybe.
This advice duly given – Joe was gathering fenders in on the sidedeck, when a crash gybe flung him (and the fenders) straight into the river Yare! When questioned why she’d tell the tiller ‘up’ Julia calmly responded that it only moved from side to side… (!)
Although another good tale, is the day ‘Corsair’ was in the strops of Sanderson’s big crane;
The infamous ‘big crane’ – seen here in 1984 lifting the Broads racer Maidie S/N52.
This crane has personality… with ‘Corsair’ hanging just above the barrels – it took off slewing with no input at the controls – boat conkers! Although I think the planks & ribs which suffered have now all been replaced thankfully.
Living in Holly Farm Dyke, wintering in Holly Farm barn, Reedham was home for ‘Corair’ the next 20 years, truly becoming a ‘southern rivers’ boat.
Corsair & her friends – Holly Farm Dyke, late 1980’s.
Next time we’ll re-visit 2010’s sailing holiday, and start to unpick the trail of Corsair’s designer, A.L. Braithwaite.
I mentioned the white painted transom previously as an indication of an older yacht needing TLC… this perhaps was reflected in the price, £450!
The Bown family duly put ‘Privateer’ to use, often sailing as a family. Compare this photograph from the early 1960’s to Privateer in 1936.
Privateer – early 1960’s
Alas this proved to be quite true, as Mr Bown senior undertook a significant amount of work in 1965 on ‘Privateer’. At that time, much of the planking & many of the ribs were replaced.
Paul Bown (Mr B’s son) recounted that there was little evidence of Privateer’s hire-career, aside from a repair to a cabin-side, which was a legacy of the Royal (!) cock up on Breydon in ’48.
Interestingly – Paul also discovered evidence that ‘Privateer’ had been altered throughout her hire career at C&H, there were multiple holes in the hog, indicating that the keel had been moved on at least two occasions (!)
I suspect, that Privateer when built was almost entirely balanced, and that the re-positioning of the keel was an attempt to bring some weather helm into play for safety reasons.
(most Broads hire cruisers had enormous weather helm, which meant if a hirer panicked, they just luffed themselves and stopped)
Unfortunately the 1965 rebuild cost £720 (!), which reflects the nature of the bargain price.
During the 1965 rebuild – ‘Privateer’ underwent a significant change in physical appearance. Many C&H yachts have cockpits which are ‘snug’, ‘Privateer’ being no exception. Hence the tiller linkage during her early years.
To provide useful additional space, Mr Bown senior re cut the coamings, raised the benches & splayed the short coamings ‘outboard’ to give a little extra space, as seen here.
Privateer with new windows & an enlarged cockpit. Moored at NBYC, Wroxham Broad.
The external sliding windows & their frames also disappeared at this point, apparently they could be opened by a jib-sheet – resulting in VERY wet bunks!
The final addition during Mr Bown senior’s ownership was the addition of a bowsprit, added in 1970. Paul Bown can be seen here – attaching the new jib!
The new bowsprit.
Mr Brittain had purchased new sails in 1956, aside from the larger jib for the bowsprit, that suit soldiered on until early 1990’s, another long-lived Jeckells suit. (not quite as long-lived as ‘Corsair’s’)
Privateer was sold in 1979, to Peter Dunham, who kept her in a boatshed at South Walsham (it appears S.Walsham has a ‘draw’ for C&H boats!). He didn’t keep her long however, as in 1983 she changed hands again…
… to Paul Bown! Mr Bown’s son. Evidently despite having sold her 1st time round because she was ‘abit much to handle’ -she was bought again!
Following a similar pattern, after 2 years of family-sailing, Paul took the opportunity to undertake some signficant works to ‘Privateer’ during 1985;
Paul managed to squeeze her into his front garden for this work!
So, in 1985, with a new deck, and a new rudder – Paul was able to enjoy racing ‘Privateer’, predominantly at Wroxham Broad;
Privateer – racing – Paul Bown helming. S/N 52 ‘Maidie’ & S/N 119 ‘ButterCup’ also photo’d.
In 1990 though, Paul had another project lined up, and ‘Privateer’ soon changed hands again, this time going to Jean Vaughan & Terry Secker.
Jean Vaughan, was in fact Jean Oliver – whose family had regularly hired ‘Privateer’ in the 1950’s, the boat having made such an impact on Jean, she snatched her up given the opportunity!
Jean & Terry kept ‘Privateer’ at Oulton Broad for a further 8 years. During this time, the tan sails disappeared. She lived on a buoy in Oulton’s South Bay.
Privateer – Oulton Broad 1990’s
Their ownership wasn’t without the occasional excitement. One day having rowed out the buoy, the tiller was found lying on the deck… The rudder having detached itself & helpfully sunk!
A diver was summonsed, and with breathtaking luck, he jumped off the stern of ‘Privateer’, and stood straight on the rudder! Given that on a buoy, say about 40ft overall, that’s an 80ft diameter circle it could have been lost on the circumference, so 1st dive to find it is bloody amazing!!
In 1998, Jean & Terry sold ‘Privateer’ to Mr Child, who still owns her today – the longest period of single ownership ‘Privateer’ has had to date. Tim has continued to enhance her, starting with a jackyard topsail rig;
Privateer – Cantley Regatta 2006.
Undoubtedly the addition of a larger jib, and a topsail enhanced ‘Privateer’s’ sailing performance, and kept her a regular figure on the regatta circuit throughout the early 2000’s.
In fact, Tim further pushed for performance by introducing one of the first ‘integral’ topsail rigs to be seen on the Broads, seen here to good effect at another Yare Sailing Club event, Breydon Open Regatta;
Privateer – Breydon Regatta 2007
Aren’t they both fantastic photos? Really showing the A.L. Braithwaite ‘sleek’ look, with the added bonus of being a sunny day. Fantastic!
Which brings us upto now – Tim still owns ‘Privateer’, he was my next door neighbour for a prolonged period of time, re-enforcing that somehow, C&H boats are bizarrely never too far away from me or my life…
Next time, we go back to ‘Corsair’ – and how she came to be a ‘southern rivers’ boat…
Returning to the intended order of writing, it was early 2010 when I started looking into the fate of ‘Corsair’s’ sisters. In part this was spurred on by the C&H connection to Upton.
Of course the Clipper’s also have a bigger sister – ‘Privateer’, who I will write about next.
Having his head turned by ‘Loyalist’ – Stephen left ‘Corsair’ at a boat auction in Potter Heigham. This period of her life I don’t have many details about, save what’s printed in the class listings within the ‘Green Book’.
1978; sold at boat auction.
1979-1983; owned by K.T. Henson
1984-1987; owned by P. Willen
Bizarrely – during one change of ownership – the spelling of ‘Corsair’ was corrupted to ‘Coresair’ – which wasn’t corrected until 1986!
What I do know, is that for these 9 years, ‘Corsair’ lived on the Northern Rivers, with a prolong spell moored at South Walsham Broad. Given the proximity of S.W. Broad to Martham, it’s likely that she often saw her sisters, still hard at work in the business of hire.
The other C&H yachts went to a variety of owners, but sticking to the ‘Clipper’s’ – these found their way to Martham, where they became part of the Martham Boatbuilding & Dev. Co fleet.
Known locally as ‘Martham Boats’ – they still retain an extensive fleet of wooden sailing boats, and certainly they were the only yard who saved many beautiful yachts by keeping them working long enough that private owners could be found. More info on their fleet is available here; https://www.marthamboats.com/
In 1961, Martham bought I – V, bolstering their existing fleet of yachts with these small pre-war yachts. Clipper’s I-III were still engineless (!), credit to their reputation as immortalised by ‘Blakes’ the hire agency;
“a design giving distinctly superior sailing qualities”
Perhaps more objectively, this is an insight into the post-war attitudes at Chumley & Hawke. Knowing they intended to dispose of the fleet, it may well have been economic to limit the investment in R3M Stuart Turner engines to the newer (just) yachts.
During 2010, I went and spoke with Gordon Curtis, one of the founders of the Martham fleet, to learn more about how the ‘Clipper’s’ had turned out in their ownership.
By 1965 Clipper’s I-V all had inboard engines, but had had their rigs adapted slightly. Gone were the self-tacking jibs, and in their place a smart tan suit of sails changed their appearance considerably. Also, gone the pre-war varnished top-sides replaced with white gloss.
Clipper’s – MBBD Co.
Credibly, Martham kept these pre-war yachts active for a number of years. If it hadn’t been for their intervention, I am not sure that all 6 would have survived.
They did however remain very basic with optional extras limited to a wireless radio & a rowing dinghy!
Digressing slightly, it would have been an exhilerating time for any wooden boat enthusiast to walk the bank at Martham. Woods, Powles, Chumley & Hawke, Press, Pegg & numerous other pre-war pedigree craft lined the Upper Thurne. Gordon even bought a wherry (or two)!
In fact, as a complete aside – Gordon bought the wherry ‘Hathor’ from infamous Broads navigator – ‘Claud Hamilton’. His previous wherry – ‘Claudian’ had sadly broken her back during the 1953 floods. Seen here in 1950 at Barton Regatta looking quite spritely, sailed by ‘Claud’;
Claudian – 1950 Barton Regatta
Whilst chatting, Gordon recounted how he quickly learnt how to sail ‘Hathor’ using the original pre-war cotton mainsail, until this disintegrated. She then became a houseboat, until saved by Peter Bower – founder of the current Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust.
Hathor – Martham. pic; M. Gravener.
Anyway, yes. This is writing about Clipper’s not wherries. Sorry.
Over the years, Clipper II, IV & V gradually left Martham’s fleet, with Clipper I being the last to formally retire from hire, being sold in 1998.
1998? That’s 63 years work of hire, being sailed week in, week out from Easter through to October. I’m amazed at the resilience of these dainty yachts.
Clipper III remained in Martham’s ownership, and to my knowledge was withdrawn from hire at some point in the early 1990’s. I wasn’t allowed to photograph her, but by a bizarre turn of fate – my good friends Vince & Linda had hired her in the 1970’s!
Clipper III – Vince & Linda Perry aboard.
I’m confident in saying that Clipper III is the most original to how the Clipper’s would have been in hire, having now been sojourned at rest for 30 years in her barn.
However, what’s astonishing to me, is the way in which the ‘Clipper’s’ seemingly brushed past me closely, without me knowing about them. Clipper V was bought and owned by my primary school Headteacher for example!
Both Clipper IV & V are perhaps the most significantly altered from original. Both have had their cabin’s cut-down, cockpits extended and some very neat integral topsail rigs fitted. This has made them both extremely competitive!
As an aside, the modifications carried out also haven’t spoilt the aesthetic of the Clipper’s. They retain a very sleek look, as you can see here;
Clipper IV – racing rig!
Clipper V (S/N 290) – Barton Broad
Clipper II still lives close to Martham, in fact she spends much of her time in a wet boatshed at Potter Heigham. She was reverted to varnished topsides – and although she is seen here sailing with an outboard motor mounted (sacrilege), she provides the closest aesthetic to the pre-war Clipper’s. I suspect if given a self-tacking jib, she’d be a facsimile of a 1930’s Blakes photograph.
Clipper II – Horsey Mere
Finally – Clipper I. After her exhaustive career in hire – she was owned by Robert Harris as a private yacht, and then bought back into Martham’s fleet, circa 2015. They immediately treated her to a new suit of sails, giving her a VERY similar appearance to ‘Corsair’, early 1960’s.
Clipper I & VI
What is apparent when you compare Clipper’s I-V to ‘Corsair’ is the difference that extra plank makes in terms of internal volume. I’m VERY grateful that when ‘Corsair’ was built as Clipper VI, that extra plank was added!
In 2010, Clipper’s I & VI found themselves at rest, Horsey Dyke, which started this whole process.
Clipper I & Clipper VI at rest.
So yes, in a round about way that’s the fate of all the Clippers. One day I might be lucky to get all 6 in the same place.
Returning to writing, after a long absence. At the end of last season, my head was full, and I needed to focus on wrapping ‘Corsair’ up. As you can see its taken a few weeks for me to feel like writing. Anyway.
End of the 2019 season, 11th December.
I’ve previously stored ‘Corsair’ at Upton, during the 2009/2010 winter.
That year, I sailed ‘Corsair’ to Upton from her Oby mooring in late December, she was due to be lifted just before Christmas. It proved to be the only time I’ve sailed her in the SNOW, and to be honest it felt very intrepid (bl&%dy cold) when I’d reached Upton.
A few days after she’d been craned – Upton froze rather spectacularly!
Cold!
In 2009 – when I worked on the boat, I’d live on ‘Corsair’ at weekends. Luxury it wasn’t! Sleeping inside 2 sleeping bags, having first made the boat utterly disgusting by filling it with dust, etc!
It embarrasses me now, but looking back through notebooks I can see that during that winter a repair (!) was inflicted to the port side-deck which leaked.
It involved removing the cant-rail, and then carefully peeling back the trac-mark. I hadn’t money to buy new! Then, very carefully I dug out the rot, and the soggy bits… being VERY careful not to go through the boards completely. Then I sprayed everything with cuprinol wood hardener, before literally trowling epoxy in and smoothing it out.
Inside the boat, a mixture of masking tape and playing cards were sacrificed to stop the epoxy from leaking through… (!!!)
I also had to complete my 1st replacement plank. I made about every mistake I could have made. The plank was short (about 4ft), was butt-jointed to the adjacent timber with some good old ‘prayer books’ on the inside, and I think I used a linseed based frame sealant to caulk up.
Also – in view of my ‘ahem’ limited budget – that plank was fashioned from a 5ft length of 7 inch wide skirting board… If you cut the moulding off, you can just about get a short plank out of it (!)
I can’t defend these repairs today, as they were short-lived. But at a time when I was struggling financially, they meant I kept the boat afloat and sailing.
Thankfully no pictures exist…
And, having suitably disgraced myself, I will try and explain the connection between Upton and Chumley & Hawke…
One of the post-war owners of Chumley & Hawke, Vic Harrison evidently supported Tim & Annie’s endeavour to run their own hire fleet. When they moved to Upton in 1958, it was in the midst of changes at Chumley & Hawke.
I understand that Vic was instrumental in Tim & Annie taking a number of the C & H yacht fleet with them;
– Reveries 1 – 6 (Press built)
– Brown Elf, Imp and Sprite (C&H built – ALB designed)
– Pixie (Press built)
R/e the builder’s notes above… I know they’re accurate in terms of ALB designs.
I’m not clear when the Reverie’s joined C&H, but given they are Press built boats, and Alfred Yaxley (the post-war foreman at C&H) came from the Press yard, I suspect the boats came with him post WW2, so to speak.
In fact, all these yachts were 2 berth, small yachts. Leading to the nickname that EW was the ‘honeymoon’ fleet!!
Design- wise, the Brown Elf class was the most interesting in the EW fleet at that time. They really show A.L Braithwaite’s tendency to experiment.
Originally these were ‘Una’ rigged, in the same way a ‘catboat’ is in the US. It certainly wouldn’t be the first instance of US design influencing boats on the Broads, its rumoured a local boatbuilder (from up Wroxham way!) used the ‘Rudder’ magazine as a source of inspiration!
Brown Elf, Imp & Sprite
They are diminutive – vital statistics; 20 LOA, 17ft 3″ LWL, 7ft 6″ beam, with 3ft draft and 223sq. ft of sail & 580lb of external ballast.
Interestingly, Braithwaite wrote to Yachting Monthly in 1949 about the Brown Elf class – they were designed by him in 1930, and must have been one of his 1st designs for C&H.
Their rig differed from a typical gaff Broads yacht, not just with the lack of jib, but also that they carried jaws on the boom, and a down-haul to tension the luff. Much like a lugsail dinghy, although you could argue given their size, Brown Elf, Imp & Sprite were little more than half-deckers (in the nicest possible way).
The Una rig would have made alot of sense for a Broads hire-boat, it locates the mast well out of the way of any accomodation. There’s minimal standing & running rigging. and of course in a moment of panic, if the helm is abandoned they should luff & come to a halt.
Most sailing yachts in hire operated on that same principle. A large mainsail with weather-helm was considered safer with inexperienced sailors.
Happily, unlike the ‘Clippers’ there are lines plans which have been replicated for the Brown Elf class, and you can really see the metacentric theory being applied, look at the area curves, and how uniform they are.
It certainly looks like the maximum underwater sectional area is absolutely 50% along the DWL.
Brown Elf – lines plan
Once the Brown Elves were rehomed at Upton, it wasn’t long before Tim also took to altering them. The cabin’s were extended forward, and the Una rig abandoned for a Bermudian sloop configuration.
As a nice circuitous touch, here’s a photo of Brown Elf in 1962, outside Horning Ferry, whose link to C&H was the tragic demise of Joseph Lejeune, foreman.
Brown Elf, Imp or Sprite – outside Horning Ferry 1962
I’ve no doubt that Lejeune oversaw the building of the Elf’s, at what must have been an exciting period in C&H’s history – a new owner, new designs and minor publicity in yachting press of time.
Anyway, I hope I’ve managed to narrate the link between Chumley & Hawke, Tim & Annie, Upton, and ‘Corsair’s’ history.
A Broadsman 
