Silhouettes

CLIVE MARSH discovered small boats whilst working for Canadian Pacific Steamships and is a past Commodore of the Merchant Navy Association Boat Club. In this series he shares tales from his 50 years of boat ownership.

Robert Tucker designed many pocket cruisers that were built mainly in the 1950s to 1970s. I have owned three of his designs and my absolute favourites are the little Silhouette Marks 2 and 3 with bilge keels.

I first saw one of these charming craft on the hard at Bosham. The owners had gone to the Anchor Bleu for dinner to return for the night on their little ship before departing with the tide at dawn. Their boat sat comfortably upright, unlike my