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Malcolm Goram's Plugger, complete with pre-war Stuart Turner inboard, one of the OGA fleet at last June's Beale Park Boat Show. IN THE WET MID-WINTER Mike Stevens of the Old Gaffers Association looks forward to two new events in the small boat calendar. This is the time of the year when nothing much is happening in the small boat world and bored journalists content themselves with writing reams about varnishing blocks, turning halliards end for end, touching up the varnish and so on. The trouble is that Editors know about these tricks and only allow the most senior writers to indulge themselves So, what exactly is the OGA doing this winter? In beautiful Scotland, on Loch Long to be exact, Dave Hart is already busy organising a new OGA Small Boat Rally to be held on 25-28 June 2010. He promises a fine time and has offered free anti midge cream! Just watch out for the odd nuclear submarine from the Faslane base. Further south, in Cardigan, a small estuary on the west coast of Wales, Nick Newland of Swallow Boats – see page 11 – is part of a civic group organising the Cardigan Quays Festival for 20-22 August. The OGA will be there and it is hoped that members of other small boat organisations will come as well. They’re offering a mix of sheltered estuary cruising, river rowing, electric boating and whatever takes your fancy. Should be a great rally, with a firework show on the Saturday night. The organising of even a modest rally is quite a task and it is not unusual to find in the wet mid-winter, an OGA stalwart miles from home and a warm fireside, looking for a venue to hold a new rally, braving the weather to examine a slip, trying to find a suitable camp site and choosing just the right pub for the OGA after-race dinner. But, come balmy summer – well, when the rain gets warmer – all that misery is soon forgotten as friends and boats gather together for a weekend of sailing and good fun. And this, I suppose, is what small boating is all about. For more information about the Trailer Section of the OGA, please see www.oldgaffersassociation.org or call Mike Stevens on +44 (0)1792 297445 THE PUFFIN PROJECT There are restoration projects and Restoration Projects. Steam Boat Association member James Carstairs and his team have taken on just about the biggest yet, writes Richard Havard. HSL 256 or Puffin as she has been known since 1950 was one of a batch of six 52’ (15.8m) steam-powered Harbour Service Launches ordered by the Admiralty in 1918 from J T Crampton Shipbuilders in Plymouth. She was in Naval service from 1919 to 1950, based at 62 www.watercraft-magazine.com
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Scapa Flow from 1947. She was sold out of service in 1950 to Captain J Hay who used her as a fishing boat for 3 years and then sold to Brian Marriage who duplicated the engine controls in the wheelhouse so that he and his wife could operate a coalfired vessel designed for a 4-man Naval crew. She was acquired by Bob Partis in 1970 and over the next 15 years made voyages to Dartmouth, York, Newlyn, Holy Island and Oxford. In 1980, a replacement boiler was fitted which came from Queen Of The Broads, Norfolk’s last steam pleasure cruiser. In 1985, Alan Gurner of Cardiff bought her and again, a replacement boiler was fitted. She was steamed in the upper Bristol Channel until Alan passed away suddenly in 2005 and James Carstairs, who was one of a crew of enthusiasts who helped run her, bought her from the family. This was the beginning of a major rebuild for Puffin. Though the original compound steam engine by Plenty & Sons of Newbury was in very good condition, both the hull and 6’ (2m) diameter coal-fired boiler were in need of major work. So the boiler was removed and the hull lifted ashore, where she is currently being restored by James and his crew of volunteers. A complete new transom is being fitted and repairs to the double diagonal planking are underway. Already much work has been done but the amount still to be done is enormous. All the original parts are there and James’ team is enthusiastic; Puffin will steam again! If you would like to help James and his crew bring this historic vessel back to life, see www.hsl256.co.uk or use the link from the SBA site www.steamboat.org.uk www.watercraft-magazine.com 63

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Malcolm Goram's Plugger, complete with pre-war Stuart Turner inboard, one of the OGA fleet at last June's Beale Park Boat Show.

IN

THE

WET

MID-WINTER

Mike Stevens of the Old Gaffers Association looks forward to two new events in the small boat calendar.

This is the time of the year when nothing much is happening in the small boat world and bored journalists content themselves with writing reams about varnishing blocks, turning halliards end for end, touching up the varnish and so on. The trouble is that Editors know about these tricks and only allow the most senior writers to indulge themselves So, what exactly is the OGA doing this winter?

In beautiful Scotland, on Loch Long to be exact, Dave Hart is already busy organising a new OGA Small Boat Rally to be held on 25-28 June 2010. He promises a fine time and has offered free anti midge cream!

Just watch out for the odd nuclear submarine from the Faslane base.

Further south, in Cardigan, a small estuary on the west coast of Wales, Nick Newland of Swallow Boats – see page 11 – is part of a civic group organising the Cardigan Quays Festival for 20-22 August. The OGA will be there and it is hoped that members of other small boat organisations will come as well. They’re offering a mix of sheltered estuary cruising, river rowing, electric boating and whatever takes your fancy. Should be a great rally, with a firework show on the Saturday night.

The organising of even a modest rally is quite a task and it is not unusual to find in the wet mid-winter, an OGA stalwart miles from home and a warm fireside, looking for a venue to hold a new rally, braving the weather to examine a slip, trying to find a suitable camp site and choosing just the right pub for the OGA after-race dinner. But, come balmy summer – well, when the rain gets warmer – all that misery is soon forgotten as friends and boats gather together for a weekend of sailing and good fun. And this, I suppose, is what small boating is all about. For more information about the Trailer Section of the OGA, please see www.oldgaffersassociation.org or call Mike Stevens on +44 (0)1792 297445

THE PUFFIN

PROJECT

There are restoration projects and Restoration Projects. Steam Boat Association member James Carstairs and his team have taken on just about the biggest yet, writes Richard Havard.

HSL 256 or Puffin as she has been known since 1950 was one of a batch of six 52’ (15.8m) steam-powered Harbour Service Launches ordered by the Admiralty in 1918 from J T Crampton Shipbuilders in Plymouth.

She was in Naval service from 1919 to 1950, based at

62

www.watercraft-magazine.com

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