Fête du Flobart

Prolific boat owner Clive Marsh sings the praises of Sussex beach boats and their French sisters, the Normandy Flobarts

- CLIVE MARSH

Clive's boats

CLIVE MARSH discovered small boats whilst working for Canadian Pacific Steamships and is a past Commodore of the Merchant Navy Association Boat Club. In this series he shares tales from his 50 years of boat ownership.

There is something reassuring about Sussex beach boats with their lute or counter sterns and also their French sisters, the Flobarts of Normandy.

They look just right and if you’ve ever had the opportunity to go to sea in one you’ll know how well they handle the conditions of the English Channel, or la Manche as the French call it. In France their boats are celebrated in the annual Fête du Flobart.

One of the best places to see Sussex beach boats is on the fisherman’s beach, The Stade, at Hastings where a fleet of working boats operate along the coast to Eastbourne, Brighton and Worthing.

Most are now power boats with inboard engines or outboard motors. The smaller boats of around 16ft are known as punts by the locals.

For a fine example of a sailing version visit Hastings Fishermen’s Museum where it is possible to walk on the deck of a large sailing lugger kept inside the museum.

Neat design

Several other craft including a sailing punt made by Phillips of Rye are kept outside on the beach. These vessels tend to have a full-length keel with a tow eye at the point where it joins the stem post. This is so the boat can be pulled up the beach more easily without pulling the bow into the shingle – most of this coast is shingle.