Another Sprite in Chichester Harbour

I just finished work in time to get out rowing, so I went to Dell Quay with Snarleyow, my Chippendale Sprite.
On the hard, I saw another Sprite appear round the end of the wharf and disappear off. I parked the trailer and the car and set off after - I had to know who else had one. I caught him up off Birdham, and discovered it was a man called Doug who bought his boat ready-made from Ted Bird in Rye. What a lovely boat it is, in royal blue.
Then I went on to Bosham, where the ice cream van was on the foreshore yum yum.

A Sprite hits the River Dart

Back in February, Alan Harper emailed from Totnes on the lovely River Dart in Devon about a Chippendale Sprite he had seen on eBay. He is 6ft tall and was concerned it might be a bit small. I wrote confidently saying the design is superbly stable and quite able to support me at 6ft 5in.
Then the HBBR Thames raid got closer and I started to fear that perhaps the Sprite was a little on the titchy side for me plus a tent, sleeping bag and clothes+food for a week. Eventually I had to just travel as light as possible and hope for the best.
I needn't have worried. Snarleyow could have carried twice the load perfectly safely. Damn. Life would have been much more comfortable with a gas cooker - I packed a solid fuel stove and the pellets disolved away in the first day's rain despite being in a sealed plastic pack.
Anyway, while I was away Alan emailed with pictures of his restored and repainted Sprite, and what a smashing job he has made of her. More evidence that Andrew Wolstenholme and Jack Chippendale created a classic design - simple, practical, fast and lovely.

Another Sprite hits the water

Stewart Hendry has emailed some pictures of his Chippendale Sprite, the boat that has given me a huge amount of fun over the last few years and is pictured on my masthead. He writes:

Hi Chris
I've been reading your blog for some time now. I recently finished a Sprite and had her in the water for the first time two weekends ago. I was amazed at her turn of speed, though she requires some tuning. I will have to move the footrest forward (might need a mod). The oar handles were hitting each other, so I've moved the green and plastic stops, they are now nearly off the ends of the collars. Checked distance between rowlocks, comes out at 4ft 7in, according to the instructions should be 4ft 8in. I'll let you know how I get on and send you some better photos when the sun comes out up here.
There's a gent from Skye planning a transatlantic row. He was going to depart from New York this June however postponed it for a year due to financial problems.
All the best
Stewart

Thanks Stewart - it's great to see another example of one of my favourite boats on the water, and you have done a great job on her!
Many scullers, including myself, prefer to cross the handles - the conventional way is to pass the left hand over the right. I have set my blades so my hands cross on the return but the handles just miss each other on the power stroke, so it is easy to pull one oar past the other to change direction.
It is a shame Niall Iain has had to postpone his transatlantic row on the toughest route there is, but here's hoping he makes it next year.

HBBR Cotswold Water Park (Tailpiece)

My Chippendale Sprite Snarleyow only made it to Cotswold Water Park by the skin of her varnish. The strip of softwood in the middle of the gunwale had rotted at the ends, so I replaced it and took the opportunity of planing the ends down at bow and stern to make a rather elegant tapered effect. Now I have to put the extra coats of varnish on.

I have never seen a boat carried on an open-top car before. Chris Adeney brought his Selway Fisher Waterman canoe on top of his vintage Morgan. It was a pity he did not bring his Linnet rowing boat as well, as it is towed behind and the whole rig must look very impressive. The boats are even painted the same colour as the car. "That way, you only need one can of paint," Chris says.