Three things often said to be unnecessary in a small boat are an umbrella, a wheelbarrow and a naval officer. The latter may be a tad unfair but my chum at the sailing club, a retired captain in the Royal Navy, would be the first to admit he struggled with little boats.
To be fair his responsibilities in the Navy had little direct involvement with boats. He seemed to be able to put up with leaking centreboard cases and as time passed, in my quest to try out all boats, I ended up owning his leaky boats. One of these was a delightful Avon Scow.
I am talking about the South Coast variety, little 11ft lug sail boats with a heavy galvanised steelScows come in a variety of styles such as the Avon, Keyhaven, Lymington, West Wight, Bembridge and Chichester Scow.
