A River Deben special issue?

The issue dates for glossy magazines never fail to confuse me - and I even work for one. Many’s the week I look in my diary for the next book review deadline and say Gasp! It can’t be July already! (if you’re interested it has already been July in Yachting Monthly deadline terms. Currently I am working towards something called ‘summer issue’ which must be delivered by May 4, then on we scamper to June 1st when it will be ‘August’.)

I shouldn’t therefore have been at all surprised when I saw an announcement over Easter that Classic Boat’s May issue was in the shops. I hurried to buy a copy. First of the cover stories announced the award winners in this years CB competition - Yes! Woodbridge Boatyard’s ‘Falcon’ was runner up in the under 40’ restoration and ‘Firefly’ a beautiful Albert Strange-designed yawl who visits the Deben so frequently that we feel she is ours won Centenarian of the Year.

I was personally delighted with the space and quality devoted to Peter Poland’s article about Jack Francis Jones - ‘Uncle Jack’ to me. Then, as a bonus, an account by a Sole Bay owner of his (good) experience sailing one of Jack’s yachts to Scotland.

There was also a profile of River Deben Association President Robert Simper by Woodbridge journalist and booklover, Catherine Larner. It’s not been easy to buy Robert’s books in recent years unless armed with an address and old-fashioned cheque book. We’re delighted now to have a page on this site for Creekside Publishing. They’re not all there, but it’s a start.

And, as ever, Classic Boat is illustrated by by the amazingly versatile and hard-working … Claudia Myatt!