Boating
The dream of a Victorian style boating lake on the river lea is born. A blueprint project that could provide an antidote to the corporate Olympic experience…
——————————————————————-VISION———————————————————————–
A vision and a location. We need boats then, like all good boats we should start with the flag. Important note… The flag should define the boat, a flag is not a finishing touch it should sit at the core of any boat design and be present in the mind of the boat builder as a symbolic representation of the aspirations and dreams of the craft under construction. I believe that you cannot have a boat without a flag.
——————————————————————-THE FLAG——————————————————————–
The boat project is an exploration of the concept of Britishnes, and how an event such as the Olympic games can be conducted on an international stage yet retain a defining sense of national identity. I want my boating lake to form part of that experience , a glimpse into a Britain past present and future. I want my flag to be the representation of these values. In developing the flag I have started with the royal ensign. The quintessentially British nautical accessory and must have for any sailor.
———————————————————————–THE BOAT————————————————————–
Like any construction it needs materials. A van filled of fencing panels would provide the solution. Donated by contractors on the 2012 site we are offering these select few boards of plywood a deviation form their inevitable path towards the chipper.
———————————————————–WORKSHOP—————————————————————
For the boat construction a workshop is required. We didn’t have one but we had access to a yard space in Hackney Wick that would form a temporary boat building workshop for the weekend beginning the 13th June 2009.
We had some vague guidance from a selection of plans from 1950s publications such as boat builders monthly DIY and practical mechanics. With the dream of an Armada of differing styles of row sail paddle and pedal boats it makes sense to start simple… Wheelie Willie will form the inspiration for my boys own dream.
A workshop formed and a design concept firmly embedded in my mind now we need to make it , for that we need man power and lots of it. Over the weekend a disparate bunch of local and invited guests formed the first Wick boat building academy. Pledging their allegaence to the flag that flew above construction begins…
Construction complete…
—————————————————————— NAME ————————————————————————-
Unlike the flag the naming of the boat should be done on completion. Define the making process and the aspiration with the flag. Allow the name to be a reflection of the making experiences laid out by that flag. Unbeknown to me the 13th of July was the Queens official birthday Work commenced to a fly past from the red arrows and a Lancaster bomber flanked by two spitfires. This seemed to embrace a post war British optimism that has inspired the project. With the project forming an exploration into concepts of Britishness it would be fitting that we name her Queenie. To be Embossed in gold leaf onto the transom I name her Queenie.
——————————————————————–SETTING SAIL————————————————————-
————————————————————–DUTCHY————————————————————————-
Paralleling the construction of the Queenie was a group led by captain Jones . His team managed to produce a craft that came to be known as The Dutchy.
Made in much the same fashion the two boats met on the canal amid torrential storms to form a mobile cinema screen for a program of films curated by Hilary Powell.
————————————————————A VOYAGE UP STREAM———————————————————-
Following an evening of storms, movies, cake and wine we had a taste for an adventure. With the fencing in our locality all but replaced we set sail with a mission to find the source of our raw material . With a 3 strong crew we headed North.
