Launch day!
What a difference five months makes. It was the end of January when the revamped Western Skiff kit was delivered by Jordan Boats to Jeremy Butler’s house overlooking the River Dart in Devon.
This was the first Nigel Irens-designed Western Skiff kit to be built for 20 years and there was a certain amount of apprehension mixed with excitement as we carried the sheets of ply into Jeremy’s garage. The pictures show everyone dressed warmly for winter, wearing hats and gloves and with slightly forced smiles. In the background, the trees are bare and the river deserted.
Cut to the beginning of July, and the scene was transformed. Jeremy is in T-shirt and shorts; the sun is sparkling on the water, boats of all kinds are trundling up and down the river, and a line of tourists is crowding the edge of the dam, fishing for crabs. Instead of an awkward pile of plywood we now have an immaculate new boat, complete with removable thwarts, polished brass rowlocks and an interesting pair of wheels fitted on the keel. This time Jeremy’s smile is wide and very real.
In between these two points Jeremy has put in nearly 150 hours of work, in his spare time outside work and caring for his young children. There have been
