{"id":14684,"date":"2017-03-07T08:18:02","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T08:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coastandcountry.co.uk\/?p=14684"},"modified":"2022-08-01T14:22:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T13:22:05","slug":"salcombe-yawl-interview-scratch-hitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coastandcountry.co.uk\/blog\/salcombe-yawl-interview-scratch-hitchen","title":{"rendered":"The Salcombe yawl: Q&A with Scratch Hitchen | Coast & Country Cottages"},"content":{"rendered":"

The much-loved Salcombe yawl is famed for its craftsmanship, fine balance and manoeuvrability. These unique sailing boats can be seen on Saturdays racing around Salcombe harbour. They gather in far greater numbers during the regattas, with up to 20 racing at a time.<\/p>\n

Who better to tell us more about the Salcombe yawl than local legend Bill \u2018Scratch\u2019 Hitchen, a man with 45 years experience on the water?<\/p>\n

Raised in East Portlemouth, Scratch sailed out of Salcombe harbour as a 14-year-old cabin boy, and had navigated the world five times by the age of 19. After leaving the merchant navy, he returned to Salcombe and spent 17 years as a shell fisherman.<\/p>\n

\"Scratch<\/p>\n

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These days, Scratch spends his time taking people out on his own Salcombe yawl, teaching them the basics of sailing as well as sharing some of his deep knowledge of the area.<\/p>\n

\"Scratch'sYou can also hire a 18 ft launch from Scratch. Its licensed for up to eight people and dogs are welcome too.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Understanding the Salcombe yawl<\/h2>\n

At the start of our conversation, I asked Scratch to describe the Salcombe yawl and what makes it distinctive.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Salcombe yawl is absolutely unique to Salcombe,\u2019 he said. \u2018It\u2019s derived from old fishing boats from the turn of the 20th century, and if you see the old sailing trawlers, they\u2019ve got three sails: they have a bowsprit on one end and a mizzen on the other, and the bowsprit supports the jib. The reason to have a yawl rig is that it makes it so manoeuvrable. It\u2019s like a big lever on each end of the boat.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The yawls that they race now were designed by a man called Jim Stone from East Portlemouth, and in 1936 he designed the first racing Salcombe yawl as we see today. There have been 189 of them built. They\u2019re made of mahogany on elm predominantly. A few have been built of spruce but that\u2019s quite rare. Spruce is a lot lighter so it\u2019s good for racing, although there is a minimum weight for entering races and the rules are quite strict on that.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018On a Saturday we have about 12 or 14 in a race. During a regatta, there\u2019ll be as many as 60 racing and they have to split them into them into three different fleets \u2013 60 is too many to have them on the start line.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Salcombe yawls for sale<\/h2>\n

Interested in buying a Salcombe yawl? Scratch says he\u2019s seen plenty of people tempted into making a purchase after going out on one \u2013 so if you\u2019re prone to impulse purchases, best beware before booking a lesson!<\/p>\n

The Salcombe Yawl Owners\u2019 Association<\/a> has lots of information for those interested in purchasing a Salcombe yawl, and Scratch had some advice too:<\/p>\n

\u2018A few years ago, Salcombe yawls were selling for up to \u00a350,000. These days you can buy a nice racing yawl in good condition for \u00a38,000 to \u00a310,000 or maybe a bit less than that now.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The first rule of the Salcombe yawl is that they\u2019re predominantly a family day boat. Their secondary use should be for racing.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s so special about Salcombe yawls?<\/h2>\n

The Salcombe Yawl inspires huge affection from its owners. I asked Scratch why he thought that was.<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019re such beautiful boats to sail. Sailing dinghies are usually quite \u2018tippy\u2019 \u2013 they\u2019re over-canvassed like a car with too big an engine. When they\u2019re sailed in a force 2-3 wind, about 12 notts, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a nicer boat to sail than the Salcombe yawl. They\u2019re so well balanced \u2013 you can have one finger on the tiller and one on the mainsail.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019re made of mahogany which is actually not the best of woods, especially in Salcombe. We have a type of worm called a gribble and it does like mahogany. It doesn\u2019t like pine, it doesn\u2019t like spruce or anything that\u2019s got resin in it. Mahogany\u2019s not got resin in it, so they\u2019re very vulnerable to a bit of gribble and rot.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Salcombe yawls need taking care of \u2013 you\u2019ve got to keep mahogany boats away from fresh water, watch out for gribble and make sure they\u2019re well painted and kept dry. A lot of the yawls here are only put into race for two hours on a Saturday and then they come out and go on the boat park.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2018Living, breathing animals\u2019<\/h2>\n

When talking to someone with Scratch\u2019s breadth and depth of knowledge, the temptation to digress is ever-present. He comes across as a natural teacher, perhaps not surprising given that his mother was the last headmistress of East Portlemouth school.<\/p>\n

Scratch talked me through the old way of forging frames for boats from wood, which involved entering the forest and finding branches that had fortuitously formed a workable shape. Later, the technique of steaming the wood and bending it into shape developed. Hearing about both these methods brings home the feeling that wooden boats are living animals, unlike their modern fibreglass or aluminium alternatives.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you\u2019ve got a fibreglass boat, it\u2019s dead, isn\u2019t it?\u2019 said Scratch. \u2018It\u2019s very practical \u2013 it\u2019s not going to get infected with gribble \u2013 but they say if God wanted fibreglass boats he\u2019d have bought fibreglass trees!\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sailing with Scratch<\/h2>\n

We moved on to talk more about the service Scratch provides in Salcombe.<\/p>\n

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10% OFF tuition, cruises and boat hire<\/h3>\n

\"ScratchMention Coast & Country Cottages when you get in touch with Scratch and you\u2019ll receive a 10% discount.
\nCall 01548 561619 or 07966 840436 or email scratchdevon@gmail.com.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2018I used to take a lot of people racing, but actually I found it a bit stressful. Everybody wants to win and not everyone can. If something goes wrong, you feel a bit guilty about it. I think I\u2019m going to race this summer with my youngest grandson, but that\u2019s just for pleasure.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Predominantly, I like taking people out for a really nice sail around the harbour. In doing that, I\u2019ll show\u00a0them little things that the guidebooks never would. I know when I\u2019ve done a good job because people are so appreciative and that gives me a lot of pleasure.\u2019<\/p>\n

I really like taking couples who want an introduction to sailing. It doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019ve never sailed before. I\u2019ll slowly introduce them to it and say simple things like \u2018Hold that\u2019. After half an hour or so, I\u2019ll say, \u2018Do you want to have a steer?\u2019 As opposed to learning about dozens of knots, which you can learn later, they\u2019ll just enjoy sailing and get a feel for it. You can learn the other stuff in a book over the winter if you want.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I even advertise that dogs are welcome. Last year a couple brought a lurcher and an Alsatian with them \u2013 the dogs took up almost as much space as they did, but it didn\u2019t matter.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\"Dog-friendly<\/h2>\n

Who can sail with Scratch?<\/h2>\n

Finally, I wanted to know more about the kinds of people Scratch is set up to serve.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll take anybody. The only exception is that I\u2019m not so keen on taking kids who are pushed into it. It\u2019s OK if the parents come with them, but I\u2019m not really set up for them by themselves \u2013 it tends to be better if they learn somewhere where there are other kids.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve also got a launch called Ibis that\u2019s for hire daily or weekly. I\u2019ll even take people for a cruise on the launch if they don\u2019t want to sail themselves. I can show them and tell them things about sailing and the harbour, and they\u2019ll be amazed at how much they can learn.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s certainly no pressure \u2013 I can usually quickly tell what people want to know and aren\u2019t interested in.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We ended our conversation there, but I for one could have easily continued chatting all day. Fitting for someone whose live has been filled with such adventure, Scratch has written an autobiography which will be published this year by Matador (title to be confirmed).<\/p>\n

\"SalcombeWhether you\u2019re interested in learning to sail, topping up your skills, enjoying a few river cruises or racing around the harbour, there are all the waterborne options you need in Salcombe, Dartmouth and the surrounding South Devon area.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why not book a well-deserved break today?<\/p>\n