HBBR @ Portsoy Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

Last weekend saw the annual Trad Boat Festival at Portsoy , Scotland. The UK-HBBR has made a small impression here. Osbert Lancaster  brought his newly launched Welsford Walkabout up from the Forth to mix it with his colleagues from RowPorty with ‘Icebreaker’, their St Ayles Skiff for the Skiff racing Regatta. A good-looking boat the Walkabout showed a clean pair of heels whether under oar or sail. Unfortunately the sailing was so good Osbert stayed well offshore so that even with the big lens capturing him was difficult. Some of the snaps below are heavy crops so quality is shameful. A longstanding attendee was Roddy Hill with his Stevenson Weekender ‘Grey Goose’. Roddy had also been involved in the resuscitation of ‘Marret’, a small flat-bottomed skiff originally built as a garden ornament, now enjoying a life on the ocean wave in the hands of her young crew, a far better fate than the intended container for pelargoniums. A labour of love on somebody’s part she is traditionally built with ‘real’ wood and copper rivets. I suppose that since I had a hand in assembling a couple of the St Ayles skiffs I can justify including a snap of the pair,‘Ulla’ beating the prototype – the only occasion when ‘Ulla’  was victorious – close examination of the steerboard might suggest one possible reason.

click on the thumbnail for the bigger picture

Welsford Walkabout – 1

Welsford Walkabout – 2

Welsford Walkabout – 3

Welsford Walkabout – 4

Welsford Walkabout – 5

Welsford Walkabout – 6

Welsford Walkabout – 7

Welsford Walkabout & ‘Bien Trouve’ (Bantry Bay Gig)

Welsford Walkabout sailing – 1

Welsford Walkabout sailing – 2

Welsford Walkabout sailing – 3

Welsford Walkabout – 8

Welsford Walkabout – 9

Welsford Walkabout – 10

Welsford Walkabout – 11

Welsford Walkabout – 12

Welsford Walkabout – 13

Welsford Walkabout and ‘Swan’

Welsford Walkabout and ‘Swan’ – 2

‘Grey Goose’ leaving harbour

‘Grey Goose’ heading out

‘Grey Goose’ sailing – 1

‘Grey Goose’ sailing – 2

‘Grey Goose’ returning

‘Marret’

‘Ulla’, No 3 and No1