Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on May 23, 2005 at 14:23:43 from 217.137.108.32 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Re: Did really meet 'Peggy'? posted by andyb on May 23, 2005 at 13:04:32:
Peter Duck was ordered by AR immediately after the War as a 'sort of Marine Bathchair' She is 28 foot in length, fairly shallow draught, ketch rigges, that is with two masts, the one at the back being the smaller. Inside she had two good berths. The engine was an 8 hp Stuart Turner.
AR found that the headroom at the after end of his bunk was less than he had expected (although clearly shown on the plans he had approved) From his logs he also had regular trouble with the engine. He was so dissatisfied that he sold the boat back to the designer, changed his mind and bought her back again for a substantial loss, and thgen sold her again.
It all seems rather odd. Peter Duck class boats sail well (faster than Nancy Blackett in the race organised a few years ago) and look attractive. Evgenia didn't like her either, but it wasn't because she and AR had got fed up with sailing because they subsequently bought two other boats and sailed them extensively. Perhaps it was the engine. Perhaps it was because this had been meant to be the ship of AR's dreams - and no ship is ever perfect, whereas the later two were bought off the peg and AR couldn't blame anybody but himself if he did not foresee. their faults