Seagulls: a force of nature
Classic Boat|March 2020
What was the original purpose of these ancient contraptions, asks Dave Selby
Dave Selby
Seagulls: a force of nature

The outboard shed at Stone Sailing Club on the River Blackwater is a grotto of mystic wonder. Long, long ago, three and a half weeks before the beginning of time, locals began to refer to it, with hushed reverence, as the ‘Temple of Gloom’. That’s because ever since man discovered fire, the shed lights have been on the blink.

Yet for all I know it may be a Masonic lodge, for as you peer into the murky depths, the dim outlines of mysterious ceremonial objects gradually take form. And though I be unschooled in the ways of the brotherhood, the symbolism is plain. Here are 13 odd galoshes seemingly scattered randomly to avoid making a pentangle; there, the sacred left cup of a bikini, wellies, waders, innertubes, rubber gloves, a flip-flop, foot pump, a thong – all clearly instruments of ritual, perhaps even sacrifice. For an altar, the thwart of an ancient Avon Red Crest, bespattered with what in my innocence I once took to be red anti-fouling.

この記事は Classic Boat の March 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Classic Boat の March 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

CLASSIC BOATのその他の記事すべて表示
Classic Boat

The Need For Speed

Saving lives at sea has always been bound to the speed of rescue, from the first rowing boats to the 60-knot, all-weather motorboats of today

time-read
8 分  |
March 2021
ROW YOUR BOAT
Classic Boat

ROW YOUR BOAT

There has been a steady rise in recreational rowing over the past few years, and the choice can be bewildering. What’s the right boat for you?

time-read
8 分  |
March 2021
Traditional Tool
Classic Boat

Traditional Tool

JOINER’S NAME STAMP

time-read
2 分  |
March 2021
Classic misuse of a word
Classic Boat

Classic misuse of a word

Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward

time-read
3 分  |
March 2021
Classic Boat

SCUD MISSILE

Herreshoff’s newly-restored Bar Harbor 31 Scud lit up the classic racing scene in the Med in 2020 with a double win at Cannes and Saint-Tropez

time-read
10 分  |
March 2021
BOSUN'S BAG
Classic Boat

BOSUN'S BAG

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER

time-read
4 分  |
March 2021
DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man
Classic Boat

DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man

Vietnam vet, park ranger, dentist, small-craft conservator and tugboat skipper.... meet Ranger Doug!

time-read
4 分  |
March 2021
CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl
Classic Boat

CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl

Chances at Albert Strange ownership don’t come up often, and Sheila II is the quintessential Strange – and one with a great history, too

time-read
4 分  |
March 2021
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls
Classic Boat

AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls

A friend and I once decided that walking might make a change from sailing. So we set forth to walk from Branscombe to Bigbury, a 100-mile stretch of the south-west coastal path marked by knackering climbs and knee-wrenching descents.

time-read
3 分  |
March 2021
Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!
Classic Boat

Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!

A rare, 18th-century schooner replica, restored to the tune of around £1 million, could be abandoned if a buyer is not found soon.

time-read
2 分  |
February 2021