I’m glad to see this guy, Lurch, posting Milgate duck punt videos once again. They’re very seldom exciting, but always soothing. I still like these little duck punts for their simplicity and honesty. No rudder. No centerboard. Just a hard chine and a reliance on body shifting. Oh yes, don’t forget that nifty pair of short oars to help in steering and to serve as a secondary means of propulsion. I like the whole ethos these little boats evoke of laying back and enjoying a slow sail, just ghosting along.
TTG
TTG, you have a knack for the timing of your posts on the great-big-sane-world-out-there outside of the usual madness we discuss here. This ultra-minimalist sailing (with your feet up!) is extremely therapeutic just to watch. This activity should be mandated for all persons who wield any kind of power. I think we’d have a lot less to talk about elsewhere on this blog if it was. Great aerial shots too. I looked up the location on Google’s satellite maps and you can clearly see that abandoned ketch on the island.
Barbara Ann,
I’m glad you and others enjoy these. It’s all a matter of where we choose to focus our attentions. I’m not familiar with Lurch’s sailing grounds, but I did manage to spend a little time north of there at Wells-Next-The-Sea. I was working as the Group Area Specialist Officer in the SFOB at RAF Sculthorpe in East Anglia during the 1984 Flintlock exercise. It was a welcome interlude after Lebanon. I brought my bike with me and enjoyed pub hopping during my off time. One day I made my way to the coast and discovered Wells-Next-The-Sea. I have some 35mm color slides of that trip. If I someday convert them to digital images, I’ll share them.
great video, thx!
so… it IS possible to enjoy sailing w/o blowing a huge amount of $… & the return is not quantifiable. sublime.
ked,
My first purpose-built boat was a small kayak from plans in a Popular Mechanics article. Built it from scrape wood, canvas snagged from the machine shop where I was working and left over house paint. Had a lot of fun on lakes, rivers and even Long Island Sound.
Always my favorite type of posts.
https://wavetrain.net/2011/10/17/wind-in-the-willows-best-boat-quote/
MJ,
Thanks for that. I think you’ll enjoy my perpetual musings on the Everglades Challenge. It’s only a little more than a month away. I’ve used the same Ratty and Mole illustration for years.