Once again, we were back in Lyme Regis in late July, staying in a cottage by the River Lym and its Mill Race. This time, for me to do a short course in sail making the Boat Building Academy, and to make the sail for my clinker dinghy project, Mischief.

Nearby Bere, with its beach huts, and boats – it still has an active Lugger fleet that race regularly.

Of course, we made the most of the local restaurants in Lyme Regis, and our visit coincided with the annual Morris Dance Festival. No, not tempted to join a local group!

But the main event was the sail making course. There were six of us (one had to leave early) and we made three sails over the five days. Mark was an excellent teacher and the sewing machine was only a little temperamental!

My sail is made of Clipper Canvas, which is a polyester cloth, but has a soft “handle” and suits traditional boats. Available in cream or tan, I chose tan. The panels are cut and sewn together with one of the adjoining edges straight and the other curved, so as to create an aerofoil shape in the sail. The corners have reinforcing patches, there is a set of reefing eyes, and a leech rope … for fine tuning!

A superb course, with a super sail made, and a lovely time in Lyme Regis. Here are some more photos from our time there:

Lastly, a caption competition (and, no, they are not having a builder’s pee):