After two or three years’ planning, it took “about three hours” to decide that this year – the 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo – the little ships would not sail to Dunirk in May for their five-yearly commemorative return. “It was a very easy decision – easy, but horrible,” is how Simon Palmer, commodore of the Association of Dunkirk Litte Ships (ADLS) describes it. “The French were banning groups of 100 or over, and many of our members [boat owners] are in the vulnerable group. But it’s a postponement, not a cancellation. Subject to everyone agreeing, we’re going to go back in 2021 instead.”
The five-yearly Dunkirk return is a really big deal for owners of the surviving little ships. It is the biggest driving factor in restoring them, often from the brink, so that they may once again, and in company, make that short, fabled trip over the Channel. You only need see pages 78-82 in this magazine to see the amount of work that goes into getting the boats ready – never mind the event itself. And five years would be an awfully long time to wait for another bite at that cherry.
Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Classic Boat.
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Denne historien er fra June 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.
