Sunday, 15 December 2013

Sea-Boats, Oars and Sails

The Cornstore in Hegarty's houses the 1926 AK Ilen. The Ilen was designed by circumnavigator
Conor O Brien based on his own boat the Saoirse which he sailed around the world via the Great Capes in 1925. One of  only a handful of small boats to have completed that voyage at that time.
He wrote a number of books on sailing, one of which "Sea-boats, Oars and sails" has just been rereleased by lodestar books. The new edition contains new illustrations and photographs from local man
Tim Cooke's blog http://ilur.tumblr.com/ of his François Vivier-designed Ilur. 
There is more about it here on http://intheboatshed.net. Its certainly not expensive and I want a copy.

The Ilens story can be found at http://bigboatbuild.com/big-boat-build-auxiliary-ketch-ilen-beginnings.php
You can also get involved with the project in a series of workshops at Hegartys yard.
Unfortunately the Saoirse was lost in a hurricane while anchored off Jamaica in 1979, I'm sure she would
have been a much sought after vessel today.


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