Page 9 - Folk Boat Year Book 2023

Sailing on Windemere by Andrew Severn

I discovered the boat a few weeks before storm Desmond hit in December 2015,
moored behind Belle Isle on Lake Windermere. She had been rescued from a
scrapyard in about 2010 and restored to workable condition by the owner. My son,
with whom I had done a bit of sailing in hire day boats a few years before,
encouraged me to buy it as a suitable project and sanctuary for retirement. I waited
for the storm and its aftermath to pass before I committed - the bilge remained free
of any standing water. The price was unbelievably low and the owner threw in the
tender and the mooring for ‘free’ and emigrated.

I had no experience of maintaining boats, nor did I know what to look for in a wooden
boat that had been on fresh water for three consecutive seasons.

A couple of years later a major
refit was needed and David Moss
at Skippool near Fleetwood did the
honours for me. The beam shelf
was rotted through, the decks
unsalvageable and the dog house
needed replacing with a more
elegant cabin . I had been lucky
not to get into trouble as the chain
plates were attached to failing
planks, also the Johnson 2 stroke
was a major cause of irritation to
the lake wardens who regularly
had to rescue me, the final straw
being when some flames erupted
from the engine cover.

She was built on Lake Windermere
in about 1960 and is clearly suited
to it. She is forgiving to the novice,
beautifully balanced - I can take
my hand off the tiller at almost

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