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.