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This is Simon Harrisons's "Poppy" Simon sails her out of Poole, UK. Poppy is one of the first Alacrities, built out of plywood.
This is how Simon writes about his boat:
"We purchased a ¼ share in Poppy in 1999. The
idea was to have an easy transition from dinghy
sailing to cruising for all the family for which the
Alacrity proved ideal. She proved to be strong,
safe and easy to sail. She sails like a big dinghy,
tacking easily and manoeuvring with ease but very
stable due to the twin keels and good ballast ratio.
At first we were based at Christchurch harbour on
a sheltered trot on the River Stour. For two years
we sailed around the Christchurch and
Bournemouth Bay areas, the shallow draught
being ideal for exploring the rivers and harbours."
"In March 2001 we took Poppy out of the water for a repaint. The topsides in the
starboard cockpit area were found to be damaged by rainwater running off the seat
and being trapped behind an epoxy fillet on the locker bulkhead. This was a poor
quality ‘repair’ carried out by a previous owner. This was rectified using Khaya
mahogany laminated into the hull and progressively overlapped onto the sound hull to
form a strong bond. The job turned into a full repaint of the boat including epoxy
coating the entire surface of the hull inside and out to fully protect the boat against
future water damage. All major equipment was either replaced or refurbished at this
time-see inventory, and I became the full owner due to the other owner moving
overseas.
When we re-launched we took a swinging mooring at Davis’s boat yard in Poole from
which we have enjoyed three seasons sailing around Poole, Swanage and
Christchurch. We have also been on two summer holiday cruises around the Solent,
staying on board for 12 days each time, visiting Christchurch, Yarmouth, Keyhaven,
Cowes, Bembridge and Port Solent."
Poppy’s trailer is custom made from a German Al-Ko caravan chassis and separate
launching/recovery dolly. This means that the trailer with its delicate brakes and
wheel bearings never has to enter the water. There are ramps on the trailer and a
winch, which allow the boat to be rolled into the water and pulled out under full
control.
Read more about the refurbishing of "Poppy" and see amazing pictures here.
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