The mooring pennant splashes into the kyle, the mainsail draws and the bristle of masts in the yard slides astern: not many of them now, as most boats are in the water. The ones that will launch this year, that is. Some, the dreams, will not.
There was the enormous object, 60ft long, 8ft beam, carvel built, mighty bulb on the bottom of the keel, built for a long-forgotten Round Somewhere race -obviously fast, but equally obviously soaking wet (the windscreen was a giveaway) and totally uncontrollable. It sat in a corner, tinkered with for the first few years, then visited occasionally and reluctantly, like a mad old relative; and all the while the paint fell off and the planking rotted, and finally the digger moved in, and all that remained were a few bronze cleats and the mighty lead keel, £1,400 a ton, which the scrapper hauled away in lieu of yard fees.
Esta historia es de la edición August 2023 de Practical Boat Owner.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2023 de Practical Boat Owner.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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A revolution in fabrics
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Shoestring voyage of adventure
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat
A fine day out with a visitor
Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills
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Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer
Boatyard life
The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work
Weather or not to go sailing
Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle
The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser
It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class
Best anchor types for varied cruising
Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget