Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: merseyferry on February 07, 2018, 10:25:21 pm
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while watching telly the normal me me me,s and body beautifuls i decided to go into bbc iplayer in the hope of finding something worth wile to watch and was very surprised to find on bbc4 a new program on the clyde puffer,vital spark very entertaining program and some beautiful models( mainly in back ground) david hayman gave a very interesting history of the puffer :-)) :-)) :-))
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I'm not taken with the narrator for other reasons but it's a good programme. But unfortunately it suffers the new BBC thing of being eternally repeated to justify air time on BBC4, rather than spending licence fees on making new programmes.
That said, it is a good programme though for anyone who has managed to evade it so far. VIC 32 is a reasonably regular passer-by on the canal in Inverness and my goal is to book a holiday if I can ever save enough now (had the cash before -couldn't commit to dates when I worked offshore. Now don't have the cash but can do any dates). VIC 52 and 96 I think are still steaming on the south coast. Spartan (ex-VIC18) in it's latest diesel incarnation was on the Clyde for years and awaiting restoration (think it started now).
Lots of videos on youtube. Lots of episodes of the original BnW comedy series and I also think that Gregor Fisher filled the role of "Parahandy" very well and it was a great set of more modern series -I watch them on youtube quite regularly.
I love puffers, a teeny tiny R/c model of one got me interested in ships when I was a kid on holiday in Cromer mpre than 30 years ago now. I was allowed to sail his model for 2 mins and crashed his pride and joy into a sailing boat (I was probably 6 or 7 years old). I will always remember that day!
...By the way, if youre interested in reading, there was a book called "Puffer Ahoy" which was pretty definitive on puffers years ago. I have a copy somewhere. It's a good read.
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Quick question / reminder as I haven't watched the show for a little while -did they explain what "VIC" meant?
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yes vic stands for victualling inshore craft
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Good, my memory of the programme was more it was about the "romanticism" associated with them rather than the boats themself.
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Spartan is now sitting outside the Scottish Mariritime museum at Irvine.
Jim
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Spartan is now sitting outside the Scottish Mariritime museum at Irvine.
Jim
Looks a lot tidier now than it did in the TV film....good! It's sad that in the UK we seem to struggle to preserve even the smallest pieces of our maritime heritage.
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Vic 27 Auld Reekie is under restoration at the Crinan boatyard https://vic27.co.uk/. This was the subject of a series of three programs on BBA Alba the Gaelic channel. It was once used as the Vital Spark for the TV series.A lot of work being done it restoring the hull which was badly corroded showing a lot of holes once the paint was removed. The engine is restored and a new boiler has been fitted.
Jim