Roots

Snarleyow Too was born and raised on the Thames in Berkshire - so why is she known as a Hampshire punt?

Back in the 19th century wildfowlers wanted a way of bringing themselves, their guns and their bag home. The answer was a flat-bottomed boat that could be dragged out over the mudflats at low tide before dawn, ready for the birds to leave their roosts. After the shoot, they would return to the boat and row home as the tide came in. 

That's my understanding anyway. If you know better, hit the commets section.

The type became popular on the Thames as workboats for lock keepers and platforms for fishing, still known as Hampshire punts.

Today Snarleyow Too ventured for the first time from the Thames to her ancestral waters at Prinsted, on Chichester Harbour.

She took to it with aplomb, though of course I wasn't going to drag her over the mudflats at the crack of dawn. But her ultra shallow draft meant I could navigate over the variious mudbanks and bars in the area with confidence.