In the late 90s I travelled the Aire & Calder from Goole to Castleford to visit the boatyard that built my boat back in 1930. The yard also owned a timber yard across the road so Lazy Days had oak beams and larch planking and a fine deck of teak. At 30ft she could sleep 5 and had a small galley and head. Powered by twin Penter engines and being a displacement hull she cruised at 8 knots. By 1940 she made her way down to the River Thames and was collected by Toughs boatyard and taken down river, where a Royal Navy crew took her across to Dunkirk, she spent three days taking troops off the beach to larger craft offshore. Holed at the waterline she returned to Blighty with 85 souls onboard. After repairs she patrolled the Thames Estuary looking for enemy parachute mines. We had a tour of the boatyard which then was servicing tugs and tubs used to move coal along the A&C. The tug would tow several tubs and us the walls of locks and rails fitted to embankment piling to help steer them round. The pub arranged and evening of free food to Dunkirk vets from Castleford and we had an evening at the British Legion. The local paper came along and did interview, the vets had rides and we even had a mention on BBC radio. A great week was spent there meeting people and researching the history of the boat. Several weeks later I was contacted by the daughter of the shipwright that built Lazy Days. On the return to Goole we were invited to moor at the waterways Museum's open day, The Yorkshire Post arrived with five Dunkirk vets, they had just been to a funeral of one of their mates so after photos were taken. We opened a bottle of Dunkirk Spirit and toasted the fallen and the present. Over the 15 years I owned Lazy Days I met lots of Vets who were very welcome onboard, I took part in three RETURNS to Dunkirk in 2000 shook hands with Prince Philip in Dover and Prince Charles in Dunkirk. Inter years the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships fleet of preserved boats would visit a southern port to celebrate the RETURN of troops. So in Laze Days case Smiths boatyard had built a boat that was hardly LAZY. Thank you for taking me back along the A&C and bringing back so many memories of that wonderful boat, I sold her in 2010 and see changed hands twice more having had a complete refit she looked wonderful at St Katharins Dock celebrating King Charles coronation. I was aboard a friends boat White Marlin which is another great story.
❤ nice to see you
In the late 90s I travelled the Aire & Calder from Goole to Castleford to visit the boatyard that built my boat back in 1930. The yard also owned a timber yard across the road so Lazy Days had oak beams and larch planking and a fine deck of teak. At 30ft she could sleep 5 and had a small galley and head. Powered by twin Penter engines and being a displacement hull she cruised at 8 knots. By 1940 she made her way down to the River Thames and was collected by Toughs boatyard and taken down river, where a Royal Navy crew took her across to Dunkirk, she spent three days taking troops off the beach to larger craft offshore. Holed at the waterline she returned to Blighty with 85 souls onboard. After repairs she patrolled the Thames Estuary looking for enemy parachute mines.
We had a tour of the boatyard which then was servicing tugs and tubs used to move coal along the A&C. The tug would tow several tubs and us the walls of locks and rails fitted to embankment piling to help steer them round. The pub arranged and evening of free food to Dunkirk vets from Castleford and we had an evening at the British Legion. The local paper came along and did interview, the vets had rides and we even had a mention on BBC radio. A great week was spent there meeting people and researching the history of the boat. Several weeks later I was contacted by the daughter of the shipwright that built Lazy Days.
On the return to Goole we were invited to moor at the waterways Museum's open day, The Yorkshire Post arrived with five Dunkirk vets, they had just been to a funeral of one of their mates so after photos were taken. We opened a bottle of Dunkirk Spirit and toasted the fallen and the present. Over the 15 years I owned Lazy Days I met lots of Vets who were very welcome onboard, I took part in three RETURNS to Dunkirk in 2000 shook hands with Prince Philip in Dover and Prince Charles in Dunkirk. Inter years the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships fleet of preserved boats would visit a southern port to celebrate the RETURN of troops. So in Laze Days case Smiths boatyard had built a boat that was hardly LAZY.
Thank you for taking me back along the A&C and bringing back so many memories of that wonderful boat, I sold her in 2010 and see changed hands twice more having had a complete refit she looked wonderful at St Katharins Dock celebrating King Charles coronation. I was aboard a friends boat White Marlin which is another great story.