Page 66 - Salcombe Masthead 2020

64 Book Reviews
MASTHEAD 2020: BOOK REVIEWS All book reviews by Roger Barrett
Two Hundred Years of Salcombe Yachting
by Tim Street,
published by Salcombe Maritime Museum, 2019, £17.99, 109 pages.
Well-known international helmsman Tim Street, first sailed in the Salcombe Regatta in 1939 and last raced there
in 2011. Tim’s new book tells the story of Salcombe’s rise
as a yachting centre and its distinctive racing classes, which beside Salcombe Yawls included the Salcombe A, B, Cs, Saints and Stars. Lavishly illustrated and packed with information about the yachts, their builders and the men
and women who raced them, this book is a must for anyone interested in the local yachting scene.
Salcombe and Hope Cove Lifeboat Stations. Celebrating 150 Years
by Roger Barrett, published by the RNLI, 2019,
£8.95, 161 pages
The fascinating history of Salcombe and Hope Cove Lifeboat Stations has been brought to life in a fully- illustrated book by Roger Barrett and published by the RNLI in its Station History series. Timed to coincide
with the 150th anniversary
of the RNLI’s presence in Salcombe, the book is a testament to the courage, skill and determination of the brave volunteers who have, since 1869, launched on service over 1600 times and battled against the elements to save hundreds of lives.
‘Scratch’ A
Salcombe Boy
An autobiography by Billy ‘Scratch Hitchen, published by Matador, 2018,
£9.99, 329 pages
Yachtsmen will enjoy
reading Scratch’s accounts
of his sailing background, yacht delivery exploits and unconventional navigation. The writing is expressive, the style free flowing, unique and as natural as conversation among seafarers at the end of a voyage. Anyone acquainted with Salcombe’s heyday of fishing, cruising and vibrant social life will recognise the colourful characters and dramas of the period.
Salcombe:
Schooner Port
A Maritime History of Salcombe & its Merchant Sailing Vessels in the Nineteenth Century by Roger Barrett, published by Salcombe Maritime Museum, 2018,
£19.99, 222 pages
This award-winning book by Roger Barrett, the curator of Salcombe Maritime Museum, is the first comprehensive account of Salcombe’s heyday as a shipbuilding and shipowning port, famed for its clipper
fruit schooners. Packed with illustrations, including 30 colour plates of the beautiful ship portraits in museum’s collection, the book tells the story of the town’s maritime community
in the nineteenth century and describes the ships, their trades and the men who built, owned and sailed them.