In the back garden of his home in south-east London on a chilly late October day, publisher Dick Wynne gave an insight into what it’s like to run a publishing firm which, in the absence of any grand profit, might be described as a rather grand hobby.
“The books came first” he remembers. “I was an armchair sailor from the age of about 12. I got to 50 before I did anything about it, and did my Competent Crew in the Solent in midwinter. If I can hack this, I thought, then sailing is for me.”
If books led Dick to boats, then it was boats that completed his circle back to books, through an Albert Strange connection. “I wanted a canoe yawl for my first boat, and ended up buying a David Moss-built 15-footer. Then I got involved with the Albert Strange Society [the yacht designer Strange was one of the early and great advocates of the type] and met Tony Watts, who was archivist of the Humber Yawl Society.”
The Humber Yawl Society is devoted to the life and designs of George Holmes, a contemporary of Strange, and the other great name in canoe yawl design from that era. “I said to Tony: why not write his biography? And I’ll produce the book.” Holmes of the Humber was released in 2009 and sold 350 copies. “I was deluded by the success of that first book into doing more.” There soon followed a re-issue of Albert Strange, by John Leather, with a new introduction.
Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Classic Boat.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Classic Boat.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
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?
Traditional Tool
JOINER’S NAME STAMP
Classic misuse of a word
Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward
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
BOSUN'S BAG
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER
DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man
Vietnam vet, park ranger, dentist, small-craft conservator and tugboat skipper.... meet Ranger Doug!
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
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.
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.
