Another gloriously sunny day for the BBA boat launch in Lyme Regis for the Class of September 2014. The students of The Boat Building Academy launched eight boats on Wednesday 10th June, each built as part of their intensive 38 week training, into Lyme Regis harbour.

The boats were walked from the Academy’s workshops on Monmouth Beach to the slipway at Lyme Regis harbour, where champagne corks popped as the boats slid into the water for the first time. Gail McGarva (BEM) was there in her waders, as were friends and family of the students, Academy graduates, representatives from the marine press and industries and the people of Lyme Regis.

Boats launched were a 22’ Nordlands boat, 20’ Seabird Half Rater (the oldest one-design class boat still sailing), 15’2 Iain Oughtred ‘Whilly Tern’, 14’ faering, 13’ Iain Oughtred ‘Acorn Skiff’, 12’ Andrew Wolstenholme ‘Mallard’ dinghy, 18’ Guillemot ‘Night Heron’ kayak and the restoration of a 10’ traditional clinker dinghy named ‘Swallow’, believed to have been originally built by Naval apprentices.

Here are some previews of my favourites from the day. and this is a link to the main Gallery: June 2015 Launch

The photographic build diaries of each boat can be viewed here: Students diaries