Tideways and the CDB at Bosham
Published 09:43 on 13 May 2025
Tideways and the CDB at Bosham
By Chris Hitchings, current class captain, Tideways at BSC
The 12 foot Tideway Dinghy, clinker-built in mahogany on oak with wooden spars, was the most popular of various designs produced from the mid-1950s by Lew Walker's yard in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. In 1979, when Walker's yard shut, a mould was taken and GRP versions have been produced by a variety of firms, up to the present day. The Tideway was built for pottering round the mud-flats of Essex and emphasised stability, with a broad beam and heavy metal plate; and ease of towing, with the sliding gunter rig accounting for almost all boats sold. As such, while very pretty looking as though they have sailed off the pages of Swallows & Amazons they are an improbable racing fleet for a serious sailing club. However, with 28 boats, over half of which race, they are one of the three largest fleets at BSC with an extensive and enthusiastically supported racing programme.
The reason was the 1985 launch of the Classic Dayboat programme. Such was the fun and bonhomie that the CDB races generated on the water and in the bar afterwards that many members of the club wanted to join in, which meant they needed to acquire a boat that conformed to the rules. While there was an influx of Yachting World Dayboats, National 18s and Devon Yawls (which became the "fast" division), there was a desire for boats that were capable of being moved, launched and sailed alone. Initially, the Scow was the solution. Paul Dewing, a club member and local boat builder, made three Chichester Scows in wood and, when they proved popular, set up production of a GRP version, which sold well in the 1990s. The late Sandy Woodward (of Falklands fame) was an enthusiastic leader of this fleet.
In 2001, however, club member Chris Welland, under pressure to allow his wife to sail her Scow, spotted Tideway 215, then called Taurus, for sale and bought it, entering it in the 2002 CDB series. This was not the first Tideway in the club: Richard Evans had owned 88 Dicul (named after the monk who founded the abbey in Bosham on which site Richard's house stands) since the mid-90s but he had not raced it. Encouraged by Chris, Richard joined in for 2002 and the next two years saw the arrival of 100 Kandy, 238 Whimbrel, 249 Puffin and 352 Mouse. The recommencement of new Tideway building in 2003 saw four members order these and the 2005 CDB series included 10 Tideways, 40% of the active participants in the slow fleet. Indeed, so happy was Tim South with his sales that he presented a trophy to the club the "Glass Tideway" which goes to the fastest GRP boat.
Over the following decade, the fleet continued to grow and, by 2017, there were 40 Tideways owned by Club members, of which 26 participated in the racing programme. This had been extended in 2016 to include not only the Saturday CDB series but also a two series class programme on Sundays, a Friday evening series and separate class status in the Regatta and the Bosham Masters. Local sail-maker Dick Batt found a template and now supplies many of the fleet. Early on, most believed that the wooden boats were faster than the GRP ones and many "traded up" to get more competitive. There was also a trend to swap the rig from sliding gunter to Bermudan, which had less windage (and was easier to rig, while trickier to trail). However, ex Olympic Finn sailor Richard Wilde managed to win the series three years running in a gunter-rigged GRP boat. He gave regular teach-ins on how to make Tideways go faster, which improved everyone's performance, albeit still confirming that it is the sailor rather than the boat which wins races. Anno domini and some sailors moving to other fleets and Clubs have seen numbers shrink since 2019 but our 2025 fleet list still has 28 boats owned by Club members, of which 16 are actively racing.
The key attraction of the Tideway at BSC is that it is a stable, pretty boat which can be moved and sailed alone or can take grandchildren out for a potter; it copes well with the tides and mud-banks of Chichester harbour; an example can be acquired for a modest sum; and it is a ticket to participate in the most sociable fleet in our Club. What is there not to like?
Last updated 16:23 on 14 May 2025
