54
A SLOW BOAT TO SALCOMBE
H
OW QUINTESSENTIALLY ENGLISH - SIPPING TEA AND ENJOYING FRESH BAKED SCONES WITH HOME-MADE
JAM WHILST GENTLY PHUT-PHUTT- PHUTTING ALONG THE IDYLLIC KINGS- BRIDGE ESTUARY AT A LEISURELY 3 KNOTS. And what a perfect way to idle away a few hours with nothing to do save wave to fellow mariners, observe the wildlife above and below us - and shovel some coal to keep the fire burning and the steam pressure up. Oh, did I not mention we were aboard CLIO? A beau-
tiful, much loved (and much used by the family who have owned her for the last 20 years) steam launch. Regular attendees at Dartmouth Regatta would no doubt recognise her as CLIO has collected a clutch of awards there over the years, gently making her way to and from the event via Totnes. No trips ‘over the Bar’ for this old lady!
Enjoying afternoon tea aboard CLIO
Old she may be but still most definitely going strong, thanks to considerable TLC over the years from owners Rob and Fiona who rescued her back in 1998. “She was on the foreshore and full of holes, due to be burnt – it was the best £100 we ever spent!” The rowing boat hull was built originally by
Devonport Shipyard Apprentices and operated for many years as the Newton Ferrers-Noss Mayo Ferry. And her name derives from those early days – when auctioned at Devonport to become the Ferry, she was described as Clinker Launch 10! Now those aboard travel in comfort thanks to a mahogany seat created from a pub bar top found in East London and an oak seat back from a church organ’s bellows. “Our first steam boat was Priscilla, Queen of the
Owner Rob
Estuary but at only 11’ long, we soon outgrew her, especially with two young boys, so finding CLIO was a godsend. We ran her for the first year or so with an ancient Stuart Turner engine which was less than reliable so we went over to steam more than 15 years ago. The engine she has now was bought off the
by Amanda Bloomer
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