Group Captain F.H.L. 'Crab' Searl

A long (long 😏) time ago I learnt to sail at Emsworth Sailing School, run by an exotically named gentleman known as Crab Searl - there's no Wikipedia entry for this gentlemen - so the following will act as a data dump for a possible Wikipedia article - if you have information feel free to post a comment - with your sources....

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Group Captain F.H.L. (Francis Henry Louis) 'Crab' Searl

Nicknamed "Crab"; nothing to do with the water variety; it had to do with him flying aircraft sideways.

Was with 211 Group [clicky] RAF, Middle East Forces (letter signed 8 Jan 1943 (5))

Started the first (date?? earliest I have is 1959(4) ) sailing school in Britain after the Second World War in Emsworth (at 59 Bath Road) where he was Chief Instructor.

Sailing School was incorporated on the 16 April 1962(1), but went into liquidation in 1978 (3)

He was Race Coordinator for the inaugural, Daily Telegraph and BP sponsored, ‘Round Britain Powerboat Race’ in 1969 (2)

Owned PR company Pronautica (went into liquidation December 1977) (6)

Books:

 

• The Pan Book of Sailing (Published by Pan Books Ltd, London (1964) - reissued 2nd Edition 1967 ISBN:???????) The Handbook for the ABC Television Series 'Plain Sailing'
• Inshore Dinghy Sailing (Published by NEWNES 1965 ISBN: ????????)
• "Learn Through Strips" - a series of three books compiled from the long running Evening News feature "Plain Sailing":
• Plain Sailing - Dinghy (Published by Rigby,1975 ISBN: 0727000128)
• Plain Sailing - Cruising (Published by Chancerel, 1973 ISBN: ???????)
• Plain Sailing - Power Boat (Published by Chancerel,1975 ISBN: 2854290127)

==References==
(1) https://www.opencompany.co.uk/company/00721553/emsworth-sailing-school-limited
(2) http://powerboatarchive2.co.uk/galleries/Library/Media-Reports-1960-2013/1969/Round_Britain_Dt.pdf
(3) LONDON GAZETTE , 7TH MARCH 1978 (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47481/supplement/2927/data.pdf)
(4) http://new.lookandlearn.com/childrens-newspaper/CN590516-004.pdf
(5) http://www.kingscollections.org/catalogues/lhcma/collection/l/li30-001/lh9-11-21-military-writings/li0913
(6)  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47428/page/83/data.pdf

Out!

So the morning of the lift out dawned grey, damp and chilly - albeit dry for the time being...

Popped into Wilkes (other large anonymous DIY supermarkets are available) and picked up a couple of large fence posts for Sparrow to spend the winter sitting on - I was going to go railway type sleepers, but thought it was overkill. Also got hacksaw blades for a different job I had in mind....

Got down to the club at about 10:30 (HT 14:30), checked I was on the list for the day (yes there actually is one, but to paraphrase the words of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, I'm not sure the plan ever survives the first boat ashore... 😏), and then headed for the boat, stopping for a quick chat to arrange with "Coral" Paul getting his mast down...

Once on the boat I winched up the mooring so I could get to my mooring strop/chain - as I suspected the shackle attaching swivel and chain to buoy had rusted solid, but I didn't want to leave the chain/swivel etc on the mooring all winter so 20 minutes later and I'd hacksawed it off - so new shackle next year (and possibly a new swivel as well, as its five or six years old now)...  slipped a line through the mooring, attached boat, and removed mooring gear...  job done...

Slipped into the tender and rowed over to Paul's boat where with the help of one of the shore crew we dropped the mast safely... agreed that the best plan with a tide the height we were expecting was to go under the bridge soonest as it would be impossible (even with masts down) for an hour either side of high and by now it was already 1'ish...  once on the other side of the bridge we could pick up a mooring on Langstone side until the lifting guys were ready for us...

Forgot my camera so this is off the phone....  taken while enjoying a coffee and waiting my turn - this is Coral being lifted...

..and carted away...

Fired up the trusty mechanical donkey (and it really was easier manoeuvring the outboard with the mast crutch on the rear deck) and motored under the bridge and was soon sat on a spare mooring waiting my turn..  cup of coffee later and I was the second or third one out...  lifting this year involved putting four people on board with boat hooks - amazing how low a Hurley 20 floats with five blokes on board!

Position this year is opposite the clubhouse - power and water about 20 yards away, bar about the same - it's going to be a good winter!

Too busy yesterday to pressure wash the hull (I know it seems keen, but I've found unless I do it soon the weed just case hardens and it takes five times as long) so popped down the club early this morning before work and pressure washed the vegetation off....  very weird weed this year, most of the boats show the same, like a very fine garden lawn....  usual crop of barnacles under the nose (where she settles when tide drops) and bottom of the keels, but it all came off fairly easily with the assist of a wall paper scraper....

Popped the engine into the tank for a fresh water run through and once all done, legged it to work - quite a constructive morning....

Job #19 - Genoa sheet cam-cleats

Never too early to start ...  just bought two of these.. 

They didn't cost that much by the way......