Melon Seed Nancy Lee

Roger Rodibaugh of Lafayette, Indiana kindly sent us pictures of his delightful Melon Seed skiff Nancy Lee named after Rogers wife. The Mellon Seed has been a favourite ever since I first discovered the lines in Howard Chappelles book American Small Craft.



Roger tells the story - In the 1880s, in the bays and backwaters of New Jersey (USA), there developed a shapely gunning skiff called a Melon Seed. H.I. Chapelle imortalized the type in his American Small Sailing Craft. He and other historians suggest that the Melon Seed was a developmental improvement on the Sneakbox, better able to handle the open, choppy waters of the Jersey Bays by virtue of its more complex shape. Others argue that the Sneakbox, being easier to build, and therefore less costly, came after the Melon Seed. Whichever the case, it remains indisputable that this little skiff is a right virtuous craft, suitable today for easy singlehanding or a crew of two and a picnic.





Roger Crawford builds a version of the Chapelle skiff in fiberglass and teak in his two-man shop. Largely thanks to him and the over 450 boats he has built, the type has become more widely known. http://www.melonseed.com/ There are also a number of professional and amateur builders who have built carvel, plywood lapstrake, and strip plank boats to various plans.



I have sailed a Crawford Melonseed for nearly 20 years and can attest to her virtues. I live 50 miles from my sailing waters, so easy trailering and quick rigging are important to me. The 235 pound boat is effortless to trailer, and the sprit rig sets up instantly. She relishes a breeze, but takes well to the oars in a calm. Her diminutive size belies her toughness -- shes very capable, and seems to know just how to step through a chop -- and the side decks keep the green water out. All this, and pretty, too, with her hollow bow and saucy sheer.



Melonseed particulars:

length overall: 138"
beam 43"
draft 6" to 26"
displacement 235 lbs.
sail area 62 sq. ft.

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Vertue Sally

Sally II is the second of the so-called Vertue class, not that the name was given to this Laurent Giles 5 tonner until after the war when she won the Little Ship Club Vertue trophy for an extraordinary voyage in and around the Western Approaches.



Since then Vertues have crossed oceans and circumnavigated a number of times.



Sally II is in the care of Adrian Morgan who can be found building boats and blogging about boats. he comments "however more modest in her achievements, having circumnavigated the Isle of Wight, (sally has) cruised Brittany and the Western Isles. She is best in a gale of wind..."

Thanks Adrian she is lovely and we miss her on the Hamble.

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Itchen Ferry

Up until the 1970s there was a ferry crossing connecting Southampton to Woolston over the Itchen river, the small village on the banks of the river became known as Itchen Ferry as did the inshore fishing boats which were built there in the later 19th century and fished the waters of the Solent.

Typically transom stern gaff cutters of around 20 feet, characterised by a broad beam as much as eight feet. Despite their beam the boats had fair lines and were known for their speed and the ability to run straight in difficult sea conditions.

Several local boat builders were making this type of fishing boat around the 1850s and 1860s but perhaps the most famous was Dan Hatcher of which SU120 Wonder is a surviving example of his work.

Several other builders including Luke, Alfred Payne, Stockham & Pickett and Fays built boats of the type which probably more correctly should be called Solent Fishing Cutters.

A good few other examples survive to this day, although recognisable as an Itchen Ferry, this grey boat was spotted a long way from her home waters, in the east coast town of Woodbridge.

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Isle of Wight Ferry

"Whats brown and steaming and comes out of Cowes?"

The Isle of Wight Ferry

Clearly theyve changed the paint scheme since that joke was first told.

The Isle of Wight Ferry is something of an English institution linking the holiday island with points on the mainland. In fact there are several this one is the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry at the western end of the Solent.



To the east Wight Link ferries from Portsmouth land Ryde and Fishbourne, plus theres still a hovercraft service from Southsea to Ryde. In the central Solent Red Funnel connects Southampton and Cowes with a car ferry and a fast cat service

One urban myth suggests that its the most expensive ferry journey on a mile per mile basis, who knows

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