West Coast

[Henning 4148]

Now that Martin has posted a few beautiful East Coast pictures here are a few Bristol Channel pictures. Enjoy.

Can you tell me, how this place is called?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/pc0580e5c8eb45a14d95c69230f21de5c/f6d144fe.jpg

I thought only motorbikers did these, but apparently you can also do them by plane
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/pddcd0d52137ae2070596602913392f06/f6d148e5.jpg

Bristol channel
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p21ea42d3a2bc5e44cc157ac63842daa1/f6d148e0.jpg

pilot cutters
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/pf72bd25bacb542ed470d784f3c1850fc/f6d148e3.jpg

are beautifull boats, and very seaworthy
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p04d7743051479f827b9d93e88b57ae23/f6d148eb.jpg

The letter in the mainsail refers to the port that the pilots on board could pilot into, so if a ship came into the approaches of the Bristol Channel that wanted to go to Newport, it would look for a Pilot Cutter with an N in the mainsail. C would be Cardiff. Some pilot cutters had pilots that could guide into more than one harbour and therefore would have shown more than one big character in the mainsail.

[ 10-03-2004, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: Henning 4148 ]

[Stephen]

Those are of great interest to me. Got any more of the cutters?

[TimH]

http://www.workingsail.co.uk/yardnews/wsn_048.jpg
http://www.workingsail.co.uk/yardnews/wsn_058.jpg

http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/Subweb4/images/Eve%20of%20St%20Mawes/Maiden%20Voyage%20W.jpg
http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/Subweb4/images/Eve%20of%20St%20Mawes/Eve%20Autumn%201996%20F.gif

http://www.workingsail.co.uk/ws_pics/LizM.jpg

[ 10-05-2004, 10:51 PM: Message edited by: TimH ]

[Bruce Hooke]

Beautiful! Thanks.

[skuthorp]

Drop-dead georgeous lines, look at those curves!
Quite an example of beauty in function, thanks.
:cool:

[Henning 4148]

Stephan,

here is a book review.

http://www.swmaritime.org.uk/article.php?articleid=2 27&atype=r (http://www.swmaritime.org.uk/article.php?articleid=227&atype=r)

Perhaps the book is worth reading if you seek more information.

[ 10-08-2004, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: Henning 4148 ]

[Stephen]

Thanks Henning - I have a copy of that book, and always enjoy seeing new pictures of the old cutters. thanks again

[yorgie]

Thanks for the great photos Henning.Pilot cutters are indeed most beautiful boats.

Stephen,are you participating in the "Tall Ships" festival in Victoria next june.I'd love to go sailing on your cutter.Great website.

Liked seeing the cornish flag on Tim's photo of the Lizzzie May.Do those ships ever carry a lot of sail.

[ 10-09-2004, 03:42 PM: Message edited by: yorgie ]

[NormMessinger]

Henning if you are having trouble with a simple Welsh town name like Cwmystwyth how do ever expect to visit Llanfairpwllgwyngychgogerychwyrndrobwll
llantysiliogogogoch?

[ken mcclure]

I'm gonna guess that it's pronounced

ku mist with

Any Welsh-speaking people here?

[Stephen]

Yorgie - not sure about the Tallships festival yet. We're tentatively planning on being at the Gaffer's race in Sidney in May, and Port Townsend next September....

[Henning 4148]

Yes, kum-ist-with should be correct. Now, rumour has it, that the name of the place called ...gogogoch means something like "we gave this place this horrible long name so that no english person can pronounce it correctly", whether it's true or not I can not say, perhaps someone here knows.

On a second raid through my fotos I have come up with a few more that may be worth sharing. Most were taken during two bristol channel pilot cutter races in the 90's.

Waiting for the start in Barry harbour
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p219b62e379518d7d3b9b76fa98a2e505/f6a769a8.jpg

Getting ready
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/pf19b10f75061eff3933beeef72a96870/f6a769ad.jpg

There they go
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/pe8f366d733a0212fad532cdc6cdf137d/f6a765d6.jpg

Another, much brighter day of Porlock Weir. I have posted this before, but here it has a bit more resolution and hopefully a slightly better contrast and brightness to give more details
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p22f9e29d8439271f58dd1133080ce2b5/f6a76706.jpg

One more from the same day
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p917518e05763f7ca4dbebe04b98bf590/f6a766f8.jpg

And another one. The little cutter in the foreground is a converted Exmouth lugger.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p33158219ec3a6d2eb367a16afd022c18/f6a769b7.jpg

As the Bristol Channel has reasonable strong tidal currents of up to 4 knots in many areas, resulting in a bit of a chop in wind against tide conditions, combined with rocky shores in many areas which tend to reflect waves, giving cross seas in some areas, it does call for seaworthy but also comfortable boats. This is especially valid in pilot cutters who had to go out and stay out looking for customers, sometimes for a few days. If the worst weather came they could only hope to find shelter several hours away from where they were and also they were not able to enter harbours at all states of the tide in the Bristol Channel.

[ 10-13-2004, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: Henning 4148 ]

[Stephen]

Thanks again Henning - excellent pics!