Wednesday 21 January 2015

Another Boat Show edition

It's January, so time to go to the Boat Show and assist Swallow Boats with the sales campaign by stunning potential customers with my tales of sailing with Vagabond. Also to pick up a small container of gel coat to repair a few blemishes on Vagabonds hull.......but that will have to wait for some warmer weather.

Having spent the 3 months before Christmas with my head down in text books, writing mediocre academic essays and (after Christmas) preparing for my first academic examination for about 47 years*, it was a welcome break (or reconnection with reality, depending on your point of view) to spend two days talking boats and drinking coffee.

Swallow Boats had a BRE 20 and 4 models on the stand. Not the type of model that has just been banned from page 3 (topical tip) but 3D printed scale models of the current Swallow Fleet. Customers and potential customers visited the stand, small boys climbed in an out of the cabin and (as I understand) an order or two was taken.

Matt and I were both intrigued by the hydrojet powered canoe (http://www.hydraride.com/jet-propelled-watercrafts/). I wonder if you could fit one of the pump motor combinations in the outboard well?

I was also intrigued by the video that Swallow have of a BC23 running down wind with a sort of spinnaker / cruising chute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AY49ChHN4

More research required.

Meanwhile, it's head down for the MSc course again for the next 3 months.


* In case my reader has forgotten (or perhaps I didn't tell you), I've resorted to more education to keep Alzhiemers at bay. I was going to attempt the MSc on a full time basis but, on looking at the required work load, have opted to "do" it over two years. I can't read fast enough to do it in one!