Brightlingsea, West Mersea and Colchester smacks racing in the Blackwater & Colne estuary after 1930. [DW]
The race for smacks for the Mulhauser Cup. 5 of the 10 starters make a fine start. 80 smacks and yachts raced during the day in this East Coast event. [DW in BOXB5_070 copy of this photograph].
West Mersea and smacks come to the line for Mersea's annual Town Regatta tussle in 1930. BOADICEA, CK213, at the left, was built by Williamson and Durden at Maldon in 1809 and fished out of Tollesbury and West Mersea until bought for use as a smack-yacht by Michael Frost of Colchester in the mid-1930s. She retains the transom stern of the older Maldon smacks and was originally clinker planked, altered to carvel during rebuilding in the 1890s. During the 1960s the BOADICEA was completely rebuilt by her owner and emerged as a reincarnated early 19th century fishing smack, good for another century and a half of sailing. The other little pole masted cutters are good examples of the oyster fleet; bold with white jibs and big staysails as they surge down the Quarters in all the rivalry of workboats at play. From left to right these are the UNITY, KINGFISHER (broadside in the background), GRACIE and two Maldon smacks astern of the BOADICEA. [JL]
Plate.129 in SWW.
Used in The Sailor's Coast, page 49.
MN40 was the registration for FASHION from 1923 to 1938 and owned by Ted Pitt. Before 1923 she was registered as CK428. In 1938 she was reregistered as LO208.
Date: 1930s