Steve Tomlin Crafts

Sunday was a gorgeous blue-skied day and perfect weather to take the curach out for it’s public launch at Bowness in the Lake District. Edward was already there when Ian, Susan and I arrived and we carried the curach down to the shore to wait for our small group of invited guests. With hardly a breath of wind the sailing crowd were keeping themselves busy with polishing and cleaning and the only boats on Windermere were other rowing boats and a few small motor boats.
We’d elected Edward to make the maiden voyage. He’s the most experienced curach-man among us, it will be his boat and I think he was the most excited to be finally getting on the water. He didn’t argue and, once the friends were gathered and cameras poised, he stepped nimbly in and was given a friendly push out onto the lake. We were fortunate to have Florence Acland to take these professional photos for us to capture the occasion.
What a glorious moment; the curach slid smoothly out, barely touching the water and Edward gave us a demonstration of quick and nimble the boat is by turning and spinning it almost on itself. I was surprised how much power the narrow oars provided and they were more than enough for the lightweight craft.
Of course we couldn’t get away from the ‘Three Men in a Boat’ tag so we called Edward back to let Ian and I join him for a photocall. On top of his reluctance to  stop playing, Edward was somewhat dubious about this venture; the curach is only 10ft long and not really designed to carry three men but we assured him it would be fine. We climbed carefully in and sat ourselves fore and aft as comfortably as possible on the hazel ribs.
I’m no sailor and much happier with my feet on dry land but there’s a special thrill in building a boat yourself and getting out on the water in it. The curach is wonderfully stable and even with all of us in barely drew any draft. Sitting low in the boat with just a sheet of canvas between me and the water gave a wonderful  feeling of closeness to the lake. Ian had had the forethought to bring a bottle of holy water (from the Bushmills distillery) which we used to toast our success.
The morning continued with people taking turns out on the water either as skipper or passenger. Edward’s daughter Florence announced she wants one for her birthday while Ian and I made plans for a 16ft model complete with sail and we all felt very proud of such a simple yet sophisticated craft.
As part of the day the curach was officially named: Chough II. This is part in tribute to Edward’s original curach Chough and partly for the Irish Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), a glossy black bird with long curved red bill, red legs, and a loud, ringing call. Also known as ‘sea-crow’, it is a buoyant and acrobatic bird which is under threat and makes a fitting emblem for the curach.
Today we took the curach to Farfield Mill, Sedbergh where it will be on display for the whole of April as part of the Coppice Association’s ‘Story of Coppice‘ exhibition. If you’re in the area, call in and have a look at her and all the other wonderful craft on display.

The day finally arrived last week to skin the curach. To be honest, this is one of the parts we’ve had some trepidation about; the instructions we’re working with get a bit vague at this stage and sewing isn’t a key skill within the team. Nevertheless we set to and, as you’ll see from the photos, did a pretty good job.
Between this and the last meeting, Edward had fitted the fixed seat so there was nothing to stop us. We’ve chosen a single layer of 12oz canvas for this 10ft curach. Many craft use a heavier canvas or double skin but we want to keep it as light as possible and, as a boat for the Lake District, it will never have the beating that a true sea-going curach would. Fortunately, the canvas is available in wide enough pieces to go right across our hull without seams. Starting from the centre we stretched the canvas across the hull and tacked it in place using roofing nails. It’s tough on your hands trying to pull a 6ft wide sheet tight but tapping the skin afterwards we got a very satisfying sound which we took to mean it was good enough.
From there it’s a case of sewing in some tucks at bow and stern to fit the skin around the curved shape. A perusal of Edward’s little curach made by Jack Robinson revealed that he’d somehow fitted the skin without a single tuck but we were definitely going to need them. Even Ian was drafted in to do some sewing and gradually it all came together – we can each identify our own tucks from ten paces.
Everything will be coated with several coats of bitumen paint to waterproof it then there’s a few bits and pieces still to fit but otherwise it’s all there. The excitement is mounting, especially as we’ve now set a date for an official launch and rashly invited the local press to attend.
Can’t finish without an ‘admiring’ photo of Ian and Edward with our handiwork.