Drascombe

       by Churchouse Boats

THE DRASCOMBE QUIRKY PAGE

This is my personal page where I indulge myself, reminisce over past Drascombe moments and pass on idiosyncratic snippets of information - most definitely on a ‘without prejudice basis’!!!!

I originally bought a Drascombe, from a non-sailing tradition, because I wanted to learn to sail and indulge in the ‘Swallows & Amazons’ type of sailing and perhaps even a ‘Toad’ element of messing about in boats.

This was a second-hand Lugger - a very early Mark 1. I pottered around the Solent and, with the guidance of a friend, taught myself to sail.

It fulfilled every one of my expectations and a few that I hadn’t even thought of. Not least of the ‘ones I hadn’t thought about’ has been the Drascombe Association. Through it, I have been encouraged to use my boat far more than I would have thought. I have travelled to sailing waters I would not otherwise have ventured upon and I have met a wide number of people that I now count as close friends. This has even influenced my career. I quit construction from a senior position to acquire & grow Churchouse Boats & now I also have the sole licence to build  new Drascombe boats - it sure puts the Smirnoff advert in the shade!!

As soon as the Drascombe Association was formed, I signed up. This led to ‘The Rally’ - a weekend of Drascombing and the need to sleep somewhere. The B&B option did not appeal, camping on the beach was fun, at times, but the real way was to sleep on the boat. I soon designed and home-made a boom-tent (yes, a boom - but that’s another story). I did it on the cheap. Saved £100, used my wife’s sewing machine, buggered it up big time and had to buy her a new one for £250!! Just because you chose a Drascombe doesn’t mean you get it right every time! Ten year’s of enormous fun followed. Two of us slept on the floor boards of the Lugger. Many wonderful nights of beach barbecues, star-lit evenings, good friends & good crack fill the memory and nights under the stars are unbeatable.

Eventually, of course, the desire for a more comfortable berth, dry clothes & sleeping bags, and additional facilities meant an up-grade to a Coaster - sound move.

The Coaster does not have the cockpit space of the others in the range, the side-decks abeam of the cabin are rather narrow, and the forward visibility is not as good. Nevertheless it has been a superb boat to own. It has all the shallow water versatility of the Lugger, is perfectly safe in a strong blow off-shore, and has the wonderful protection of the cabin and it’s associated spray-hood to minimise the effect of the green ones coming over the bow.

On several occasions, in company with Drascombe friends, we have been rafted up or on a beach, having a beer or two and a BBQ, and been approached by envious owners of otherwise desirable large craft, such as the Freedom 40, who recognise the Drascombe way as a high-pleasure, low-stress way of sailing. They are not wrong! I love it!!

There really is nothing to beat a good sail in a Drascombe and, at the end of the day, to nose into a creek or backwater inaccessible to 90% of other craft (& the Harbourmaster seeking dues!), break out the beer and the grub, and watch the sun go down while the sea-birds and waders eat their fill, comfortable with your non-threatening company.

It has been said (by me, at least, on many occasions) that sailing is the ultimate environment-friendly activity. We are powered by the wind, consume nothing and, five minutes after we have passed, there is no evidence that we have ever been there. If you want to live in harmony with nature, enjoy life but harm neither sacred planet nor person, buy a Drascombe.

Dawn on quiet waters is one of life’s ecstatic pleasures second only to the smell of bacon being cooked in the open air. The ‘full English’ is another feature of my personal sailing ethos.

On one occasion, I was sailing with the Chairman of the Drascombe Association, Jim Hopwood, in his well-used Longboat Cruiser on the Dart. We had overnighted up Dittisham Mill Creek at the mouth of which was an absolutely superb thatched cottage. Real chocolate box material & worth an absolute mint - we had met the wealthy owner on the previous evening. After bacon & eggs at 6.00am, the morning was too quiet and magical to shatter with an outboard motor so we hoisted the jib & ghosted down the creek. As we passed the photogenic cottage, the inhabitants rushed out with cameras - and took pictures of us! Tells you something, doesn’t it?

There really is something special about Drascombe owners. As a breed, they are comfortable, independent people, self confident & with nothing to prove. The French have a saying that someone is 'comfortable in their skin' & that sums up the Drascombe person. As a result, they are generally easy going, gregarious and damned good company. We had a monster 10/30 Rally at Calshot, in the Solent, in July 1997 to celebrate 10 years of the Association and 30 years of the production of Drascombes. Some 90 boats attended including a major Dutch contingent & another from Ireland. The comment of the weekend was from the Manager of the Calshot Centre who, as a keen observer of events and get-togethers, said that he was amazed how smoothly things had gone. "As soon as any incident began, the Drascombe people gathered  round and helped sort it out. No fuss, no gloating, no egos. Just great." And it was.

The boats are fantastic. John Watkinson started it all with a very personal mission to produce a boat that would keep his wife, Kate, sailing with him. The Lugger that he produced met his personal need and went on to meet the same needs of thousands of others. The evolution of the other designs has, each in it’s own way, filled a void in the market need. It is now the most comprehensive range of low-stress, high fulfilment sailing boats available.

The Barbecue. This small piece of essential kit features large in the Drascombe weekend. The conventional items from your B&Q are not compatible with a BBQ afloat. The cool art of effective BBQ afloat evolved through the following DIY application:

1. For simplicity of use and no cleaning afterwards, the disposable BBQ is the business. Packs of 3 or 5 from Tesco - cheap & convenient.

2. The holder. Your average kitchen shop (or Woolworths) will sell you a turkey tin for about £6. A foil contained disposable BBQ fits a treat. Buy one.

3. Cut two plywood brackets to bolt to the sides of said turkey tin, shape the ends to clip over the gunwhale capping.

4. Cut some aluminium plate (or whatever comes to hand) and make a wind shield. This is essential. You expect wind to go sailing - it will still be there when you stop for food.

5. Hang BBQ tray over gunwhale. Erect windshield. Install BBQ. Light & bask in smug self satisfaction while you imbibe the beer and cook the pork chops & vegetable kebabs to perfection.

Many a pleasant evening has been spent BBQing with Drascombe friends - absolutely marvellous.

Eventually, of course, I found the single disposable BBQ too limiting for the full meal for self & friends. This lead to a purpose built, stainless steel fabrication that takes two disposables at a time - the Party Animal model! We can now cope, simultaneously, with the prawn kebab starters, meats, vegetable kebabs, corn cobs, naan bread (with garlic, of course) & large, flat mushrooms with Stilton in them. This still leaves enough heat for the Banana with coffee liquer puds!

I am only a limited wordsmith and cannot properly convey the elation & pleasure that Drascombe sailing has brought to my life. Within this web-site I have quoted, frequently, from the Drascombe sticker:

                                                ‘The Sail that becomes a way of life!’ 

Buy a Drascombe,  join the Drascombe Association, and it will happen!

Now that it is my business as well as my hobby, I am forced to devote many hours to product testing. For example, testing Drifter side benches:                                                              

Size & fit 100%, comfort 70%! (Courtesy of Des Bennett, Drifter Intrepid.)

As it is my business, I have also had the opportunity for a massive self-indulgence - the Drascombe Drifter 22! Whilst sailing & enjoying my Coasters, I kept thinking of the boat I really wanted. The idea germinated, was cultivated & grew. Once I had joined McNulty Boats & convinced David McNulty that the Drascombe range needed a new boat at its top end, the idea ripened. When I took over the building of new Drascombes in 2002, I naturally took over my pet project as well. It took a while to bring it to fruition, but it did in 2007. It has exceeded my expectations & is a really beautiful boat to sail & enjoy. Fortunately, a lot of other people also think it is their ideal boat!

For more Drascombe-chat and anecdotes, ring me on 01256 896292. If I don't have much time on the day you ring, please remember that I am also trying to earn my corn and keep a small but well motivated work force productive.

Alternatively, send me an e.mail on:  stewart@drascombe.org.uk

    Drascombe

       The Sail that becomes a Way of Life!