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Boats and boating

Boat ownership has soared in recent years, not least along the southern coast of England.  A summer weekend will see thousands of craft afloat of every size and type, crewed by enthusiasts whose maritime abilities also vary pretty widely.  From simple open sailing boats to high-tech ocean racing yachts, this is a world where the members of the Royal Yacht Club at Cowes have to share the same crowded waters as first-time sailors who don't know their reef knots from their rollocks.  But whether the boating is purely for fun or taken more seriously, the boats themselves still need constant care and attention to avoid ending up, sad but picturesque, on some muddy bank or estuary.  The pictures in this set were taken in the Solent in June 2003 and in Cornwall, Dorset, Sussex and Guernsey in earlier years.

The captain and his parrot outside a sailing shop in Cowes in June 2003 (image 2351-9)

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Copyright © David Gray 2000-2004.  All rights reserved.