Ice Boat Sara

Robert B. · June 4, 2017

Following on from the iceboat thread here, I have managed to scan some pictures of our boat Sara in the hope that someone may see something in her details that might shed light on her origins. The photographs were taken in 1961 at Cubbits yacht basin, Chiswick, and show John Mattey in the early stages of cleaning back the hull before priming and painting it (it can be seen that he started aft and worked forwards). He had purchased her earlier that year from Michael Street of Braunston, paying the sum of £100. There was a second 45 foot hull in the yard also, I don't suppose anyone knows what became of it?

We are told that she was built "around 1900" although I don't know if this is just hearsay - I wouldn't be surprised to learn she is a few decades earlier or later than this. Likewise we are told that she was built for the Oxford Canal Co. which would fit with where she ended up. The Oxford tended to have two rocking rails mounted each side of the vessel (the crew doing the rocking standing back to back), although it is clear in these photographs that any evidence for where they attached has already been removed (see the Thomas Holt at Foxton).

One surprise is that there is no indication of any towing mast having been present, presumably the forward cleat was used to bring her down to the Thames. The two large pintles for hanging the original rudder are evident, sadly these were lost during the subsequent fitting of her weed hatch and cavitation plates.

Any thoughts gratefully received! At present she is at N. Kilworth awaiting a replacement prop and shaft.

Regards, Robert.

jcgsgaston · October 24, 2017

Hello Robert, how fascinating to see your pictures of Sara. For some reason she came to my mind a few weeks ago and I wondered what had happened to her and if I could find anything on the web and here you are!

John Mattey was a friend of my parents and Sara was moored at Boxmoor on the Grand Union Canal when we met him. We were living there from about 1968 - 1973 and had our own boat Jessop moored not far away. John married my mother many years later and she and the boat moved to Market Harborough. John used to come to our house for a meal and a bath as he was basically camping out in her hull while he worked on her. Eventually she became the elegant vessel you know and my mother and Jon had many pleasant days of cruising. There is even a published account of one of their holidays a copy of which I may be able to find in the loft.

The strange thing is that we visited Ely this summer and I saw a boat on the river which put me in mind of Sara and probably prompted my search!

ditchcrawler · October 24, 2017

33 minutes ago, jcgsgaston said:

Hello Robert, how fascinating to see your pictures of Sara. For some reason she came to my mind a few weeks ago and I wondered what had happened to her and if I could find anything on the web and here you are!

John Mattey was a friend of my parents and Sara was moored at Boxmoor on the Grand Union Canal when we met him. We were living there from about 1968 - 1973 and had our own boat Jessop moored not far away. John married my mother many years later and she and the boat moved to Market Harborough. John used to come to our house for a meal and a bath as he was basically camping out in her hull while he worked on her. Eventually she became the elegant vessel you know and my mother and Jon had many pleasant days of cruising. There is even a published account of one of their holidays a copy of which I may be able to find in the loft.

The strange thing is that we visited Ely this summer and I saw a boat on the river which put me in mind of Sara and probably prompted my search!

I have some photos of the boat at Ely somewhere

Robert B. · October 24, 2017

3 hours ago, jcgsgaston said:

Hello Robert, how fascinating to see your pictures of Sara. For some reason she came to my mind a few weeks ago and I wondered what had happened to her and if I could find anything on the web and here you are!

John Mattey was a friend of my parents and Sara was moored at Boxmoor on the Grand Union Canal when we met him. We were living there from about 1968 - 1973 and had our own boat Jessop moored not far away. John married my mother many years later and she and the boat moved to Market Harborough. John used to come to our house for a meal and a bath as he was basically camping out in her hull while he worked on her. Eventually she became the elegant vessel you know and my mother and Jon had many pleasant days of cruising. There is even a published account of one of their holidays a copy of which I may be able to find in the loft.

The strange thing is that we visited Ely this summer and I saw a boat on the river which put me in mind of Sara and probably prompted my search!

It is lovely to hear from you, I am sitting in a cosy Sara as I type. I take it your mother was Jean? We have a copy of her book on board. It almost certainly was Sara you recently saw as we are now based in Ely. If you find yourself this way again do drop me a line - you'd be more than welcome to have a cuppa aboard.

She has a few changes sine John rebuilt her, primarily the addition of a stove and the swapping out of the old Coventry Victor for a twin cylinder Lister. I recently had to lift the floor panels to access the bilge and got to admire all his hidden joinery, as well as finding a few wood shavings that had undoubtedly lain there since the 1960's.

Regarding her origins, we now think the hull dates back to the 1870's.

Warmest regards,

Robert B.