Canoe Corner

Down in canoe corner Peter Taylor readies his Swallow Boats sandpiper "Ariel" for a quick turn around the bay.
Barry O'Hara, and crew setting off in his Selway Fisher Petit Breeze.

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And here is that intrepid explorer himself, about to brave the elements and set of for foreign shores in Jackson's Cracker. Alex Jordan, the man, the myth, the legend, who started all of this shows a fine pair of calves, a healthy disdain for the fickle fashion of sailing attire, and can barely contain his excitement at the prospect

Introducing Gem and her Faithfull Companion.

Doing what they do best, Phil Oxborrow and his sometimes reluctant but allways faithfull companion Gem cruising along in Phil's Prospector canoe.

Wideawake, Catlin & Jackson's Cracker.

Phil Humphries at the helm of his Ness Yawl "Wideawake" sails past her wee sister "Caitlin" a Whilly Tern. Both boats were designed by Iain Oughtred.





Reflected in the glassy surface of the water Adam Claridge sets off in "Jackson's Cracker" an absolutely stunning Mallard by Andrew Wolstenholm. The reader will have gathered by now that there wasn't much wind at this stage on the Saturday. As happens so often on these occasions by the time we all had to leave on Sunday afternoon it was blowing up good style.

Sweet Mist

Ken da Silva using the auxilliary power on his stevenson weekender "Sweet Mist" pretty much sums up what the HBBR meetings are all about. No corporate stands, no blazers, no sweat, just a relaxed get together of like minded people talking about and sharing their boating experiences.

Rowing at the HBBR

Am I letting my rowing enthusiasm cloud my judgement, or was there a lot more rowing going on in 2007 than last year?
There were three rowing boats, an Oughtred Mole, a Woods Linnet and a Wolstenholme Sprite on the water.
Here is Talpa, Graham Davies's lovely Thames skiff, and Graham himself setting out for a brisk scull in the Linnet.

On the artificial beach, here are (from the top) Linnet, Talpa and my own boats Nessy (a Conrad Natzio-designed Sandpiper) and
Snarleyow (an Andrew Wolstenholme-designed Sprite).

Graham looks deservedly happy taking Talpa out for her maiden row.





And here I am, fiddling with the experimental square rig on Nessy. I am considering buying a downwind rig for a canoe to see if that works better. It did seem to give extra oomph when rowing, but having one's back to the sail was a little unsettling. Chris Perkins took this pic.

HBBR Entry Requirements

Some boats did not meet the strict HBBR entry requirements, so the organisers took appropriate action.