Useful Links
This is a list of miscellaneous links
to other websites likely to be of interest to the average Drascomber. All these
links open a new window so that you don't lose your place here.
Please tell us about any
other links you think should be on this page. Please let us know also if
you find any of these links are broken. While we offer these links in good faith,
the Drascombe Association is not responsible for the content of other websites.
Weather, etc
- Inshore
Waters Forecast
- From the Met Office. A good, up-to-the-minute
summary available online.
- The
Shipping Forecast
- The one and only, from the Met
Office.
- Tidal
Predictions
- Admiralty EasyTide tidal curves
and data for up to a week ahead.
- InfoMet
- Spanish site with links to Met
Office, Deutsche Wetterdienst, and USAF surface charts for up to 6 days ahead,
plus satellite pictures.
- Eumetsat
- Click on Meteosat Images for the
latest Eumetsat IR & visual imagery and slideshows
- ECMRWF
- European Centre for Medium Range
Weather Forecasting charts for up to to 6 days ahead.
- Boatlaunch
- An online guide to slipways around
the UK (and some in Ireland).
- WeatherOnline
- A useful site giving
marine weather information, including wind charts. This link takes you straight
to the marine weather page.
- Weather
Underground
- An American
site giving actual and forecast weather worldwide. This link takes you straight
to the UK weather page. Like a lot of free sites, it has rather a lot of advertising
banners and pop-ups.
- BrambleMet
- Bramblemet
is a comprehensive weather information system, recording weather conditions
in the Central Solent , both in real-time and historically. It also has
links to similar sites for Southampton and Chichester Bar and Harbour.
- Theyr
-
Theyr is
a professional weather forecasting site aimed at sailors among others. It
provides pictorial forecasts of wind, cloud, temperature, precipitation,
etc. This site now charges a fee to use it, but you can register for a 14-day
free trial.
- Magic Seaweed
- This site is aimed
at surfers, but it gives a good wind forecast for 7 days ahead.
It has good clear graphics and is free to use.
- GB
Wind Map - XC Weather
- Current
and forecast wind data for the British Isles and Western Europe.
- Findafishingboat.com
- The weather page on this site provides free access to traditional weather charts as well as useful links to other weather websites.
- AIS-live
- Provides 'live' data on shipping in the Solent area. Interesting to look at even if you don't sail there.
- Ports and Harbours of the UK
- This web site has a photograph, details and contacts for over 900 ports, harbours, jetties and piers around the coastline of the UK NEW
Webcams
- Falmouth Harbour webcam
- Sited on top of a harbourfront building, this rotates and updates every 5 seconds. Gives a good idea of conditions inside the harbour.
- Plymouth Harbour
- Updates every few seconds. Plymouth Sound from Staddon Heights. Courtesy of Plymouth Central Ambulance Service
- Brest, France
- If you are heading to the Brest festival, then this is the webcam to look at. (Though not currently reliable)
As this is a new section, please feel free to make suggestions of other useful webcams
Seamanship
- RNLI
SEA Check
- SEA Check
is a free service offered by the RNLI to owners of boats under 13.7 metres.
At the owner's invitation, a highly trained volunteer will check relevant
levels of safety equipment.
Drascombe Association member and Lugger owner Peter Ainsworth is a SEA Check
advisor. If anyone in the North Wales or Shropshire area would like a check
he would be happy to oblige. Contact him directly by Email.
-
- Drascombe Storm Tactics
- Excellent
photos of Michel Maartens sailing out of Oudeschild to Den Oever in the
Drifter Joanna. Photos by Rob Lutke Schipholt, owner of Joanna, from Texel.
- Grog's
Boating Knots
- Animated photos showing how to tie common boating knots (and some less
common ones too).
- SailSafe
- A website design for young sailers, with fun ways to learn about safety at sea. Made in conjection with NMM, RYA and RNLI.
Drascombe
Links
- Drascombe
Association in Ireland
- Our members
in Ireland have their own website with news and reports of activities in
the Emerald Isle.
- Churchouse
Boats Ltd
- The Drascombe Specialists - new
boats, refurbished boats, brokerage, repairs, spares, accessories, trailers,
advice, anecdotes... Essential.
-
Drascombe Owners Association of North America
- An excellent site produced by
a band of like-minded souls in the US and Canada. Well worth a visit.
- NKDE
Nederlandse Kring van Drascombe Eigenaren
- Website of the Association of
Dutch Drascombe Owners.
- Je
Navigue Sympa
- Website for French Drascombe sailors.
- Niall's
Sailing Page
- Lots of nice pictures of Drascombe
cruising on the West Coast of Scotland
- Andrei
Fedorov's Drascombe Page
- Fascinating account of Andrei's
project to homebuild a wooden lugger
- Club
de Voile dans le Var
- Gigs at a Sailing School in the
South of France - gorgeous pictures!
- Don't
Play Misty for Me
- Peter Duggan's account of a single-handed
cruise to the Outer Hebrides
- Lugger
repair & maintenance
- Tim Pettigrew's site based on
personal (hard-won!) experience.
- Wooden Drascombes
- Colin Watt's register of wooden Drascombes and their builders.
- The
Drascombe List
- A mailing list for anyone interested
in Drascombes, with participants from all round the world.
- The
20-knot Drascombe - A Design Study
- Naval Architect Stuart
Roy asks "Can it be done......... and would anyone want one anyway?"
- Drascombe
Coaster "Aquarius" Renovation Project
- Adrian Langford's fascinating account of restoring the Coaster "Aquarius".
- Drascombe Manual
- A copy of the 1979
Drascombe manual with rigging instructions and an intoduction by John Watkinson.
- In the Present Sea
- Lugger circumnavigator
Webb Chiles' personal website, with articles, poems, and photographs about
his life and voyages. You can now download his books THE OPEN BOAT and
THE OCEAN WAITS about his voyage in the Drascombe Lugger, CHIDIOCK TICHBORNE.
- Otterblog
-
Colin Watt's fascinating record of the renovation of the Wooden Drascombe
Longboat 'Otter'.
- East
West Custom Boats
- Licensed
builder of wooden Drascombes in Maine, USA, run by Ted Perry.
- Watercraft
Ltd
- Photos
of messing about in a Longboat based in Stonehaven.
- Sailing Koh Samui
- If you
ever find yourself in Koh Samui, Thailand, you can rent a Drascombe Lugger
for 400 baht/hour or 1500 baht/day (about £6 and £22 respectively).
- Drascombe Boats Insurance Scheme
- The Drascombe Boats Insurance
scheme has been specially negotiated for Drascombe Owners. It is operated
by the Padstow office of Aston Scott Ltd.
- Baltimore
Yacht Charters
- Drascombe
Lugger Sailboat Hire in Baltimore, West Cork, Ireland.
The boat can also be hired with a four star holiday home.
Organisations
- Royal
Yachting Association
- The UK's governing body for pleasure
boating. The RYA represents an ever growing constituency including 80,000
members.
- Dinghy
Cruising Association
- "The Dinghy Cruising Association
was formed in 1955 to encourage all forms of small boat sailing other than
racing. The membership comprises people from all walks of life, sharing the
same love of messing about in boats."
- The
Openboat List
- Openboat is dedicated to the cruising
of open boats in coastal or inland waters. It provides a forum for discussion
and the interchange of information and expertise on open boats and dinghies,
cruising grounds, technical and safety matters related to dinghy cruising,
supply of equipment suitable for such cruising, and a place to post information
about rallies and passages organised by associations and individuals.
- Maritime
and Coastguard Agency
- Information on the various services
provided by HMCG.
- Mariners
of Bewl
- An organisation concentrating
on sailing for the disabled.
- Marine Conservation Society
- The UK Charity dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its wildlife. The website also gives details of the Basking Shark and Turtle watch sightings scheme.
Equipment
- R&J
Sails
- New sails for the entire Drascombe
range.
- Book
Harbour
- Kelvin Hughes charts & books.
- The
Canvas Windmill
- Made-to-measure boat tents and
equipment.
- Bramber
Trailers
- Website for the manufacturers
of the object that more than likely resides under your boat.
- Peak
Trailers
- Peak Trailers can supply all
of the bits, notably suspension systems - even obscure and obsolete ones
- for
Bramber trailers as supplied with the majority of Drascombes. Several members
can vouch for their technical knowledge (outstripping even Bramber themselves!)
and quality of service.
- LifeJacketExchange.co.uk
- A free UK-based service
which offers to put people wishing to exchange children's lifejackets in touch
with each other.
- Classic
Marine
- Fittings for classic boats, including
Tufnol blocks.
- Seals + Direct
- Specialist suppliers of rubber and associated products for the marine industry.
- Bosun's
Locker
- Chandlery,
boat maintenance products, hardware, clothing and lots more.
- Marine lighting: revolution in progress
- An interesting article in the archives of the RINA on developments in LED
lighting for marine navigation lights.
Cruising Guides, etc
- Port
Edgar Yacht Club
- Observations
and comments on visiting harbours in the Firth of Forth.
- Ed
Winfield's Website
- Photos, sketch charts, and descriptions
of Holy Island, the Farne Islands, Amble, and the Firth of Forth, aimed
at the small boat sailor.
- Marina Info
- Listing of marinas throughout
the UK (and some other countries) showing location, contact details,
facilities, and local services.
- QHM
Portsmouth
- Notices
to Mariners, navigation warnings, traffic movements, and news for Portsmouth
Harbour.
- Southampton
VTS
- Everything
you could want to know about the port of Southampton and its approaches:
weather, tide, traffic movements, live radar, and much more.
Miscellaneous
Find
sailing books at the Amazon online bookstore
- Cruising
Dinghies and Trailer Sailers page
- A new site run by Bill Serjeant
dedicated to cruising and camping in small boats.
- Sailing
Now
- An
interesting miscellany of sailing-related information.
- Boating Team
- A specialist directory of boating-related websites.
- Openboat.co.nz
- Pretty pictures and video of open boat sailing in New Zealand.
- Holidays Argyll
- Offers self-catering accommodation in Tighnabruaich, on the Kyles of Bute, all within 1/2 a mile of a free slipway.
- Beale Park
Thames Boat Show
- Although
this show, to be held from Friday 10th June to Sunday 12th June 2005,
now has Thames in its title, it retains its emphasis on classic boats
for all environments. The builders of Drascombes will be exhibiting.
- Lantis
World
- Drascombe dayboat rental in
Greece.
- Blue
Box Sailing Gifts
- Blue
Box Sailing's online gift shop offers sailing and powerboat experiences,
direct from the supplier, all gift boxed and delivered to your door - ideal
Christmas or birthday presents!
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