Saving Old Seagulls

This little engine has spent the past three weeks cruising in vile weather on the east coast of England. It has been relied on to get people ashore in full gales, including being driven onto muddy and shingly hards, it has explored narrow creeks (thanks be to the Seagull Spring!) and it has sucessfully rescued two boys in a sailing dinghy who had under-estimated the ebb tide out of Walton backwaters. Unlike a certain Honda four stroke, rain has not entered its fuel and crippled it, and unlike a certain Mariner 2.3, it has not failed to start. Owners of lesser outboards have been duly impressed, and its owner has developed such confidence in it that he has had to be reminded to take the oars and anchor with him.

What size boat are you running the Seagull on Andrew?

Two boats. An Avon Redstart inflatable and a 9ft clinker stem dinghy. When not in use, the Seagull hangs up on the inside of the lightboard on the port shrouds of the 37ft mother ship, a 69 year old gaff cutter. The retrieval of my 11 year old son Alex and his friend Josh involved both boats, as they were sailing the stem dinghy and we retrieved them with the Avon - but I shifted the Seagull to the hard dinghy for the tow back against the spring ebb tide![/img]