The following paper was conceived in the cabin of an Atalanta during the East Coast Cruise in 2021. New owner Jim Sumberg was reviewing the innovations within the Atalanta and its partRead More…
26Sep/22
Duckling Worlds 2022 – You should have been there
The first ever Duckling World Championships were held at Bosham Hoe after the Uffa Fox 50 event. The weather was kind and the Currey did a great job of organising the eventRead More…
26Sep/22
Uffa Fox 50 – three weeks of fun
All over a month ago now. Here are a selection of the photographs from the events in August based around the Uffa Fox 50 event. The highlight was undoubtedly seeing five Atalantas,Read More…
18Sep/22
Memories of A19 Valare
The boats travelling to the UF50 event in August stopped off at Brighton. They were spotted by Mark Whittle who sailed A19 Valare in the 1970’s as a young boy. Mark veryRead More…
01Sep/22
Zambra ongoing works
It’s been a busy few years so Zambra has had to take a bit of a backward step but this year, finally, I’ve managed to get her going forwards again. Thought IRead More…
15Aug/22
Uffa Fox 50 – Celebrating Uffa’s Legacy
The excitement is growing! Just 2 days to go. Check out the Uf50.org website for the latest including details of some of the interesting boats attending, including the Atalantas. The event isRead More…
06Aug/22
For sale Chamois A147, Masthead Rig , Offers of about £5,000, includes delivery
In commission and ready for new adventures Chamois has been in the present ownership for the last 48 years with regular cruising suspended only for most of the ten years we spentRead More…
01Jul/22
NEW – AOA Regalia in our Shop
Atalantas draw attention wherever they go. To add to the publicity the AOA is hoping that all attendees at the UF50 event will sport an AOA Polo shirt and that all theRead More…
26Jun/22
AOA Boat ‘Display Board’ Template
Atalantas attract attention wherever they go. To help publicise the boats and the AOA the Association have suggested a template to display boat details for use in Marinas and alongside. These areRead More…
14May/22
A124 Helene reaches new heights
I popped by to help ready Helene for final fitting out tasks – putting her ‘in the air’ for work inside the keelboxes on the new posts at the rear. It isRead More…
Christchurch A5
Title: A5 Diaphony a long time agoCaption: A5 Diaphony a long time ago
25Apr/22
A5 restoration
Have decided to fit the keel mechanism from Jack of London T4 as it was all made from stainless steel ,Problem is getting this lot to fit in the keel box asRead More…
13Apr/22
Uffa Fox Celebrations in Cowes – APRIL PRESS RELEASE
The organisers for this four day festival in August have issued and update (27th February). The event is growing with detailed plans for the sailing and a host of activities around theRead More…
02Apr/22
A89 with new Tiger stripes
I have always like the “Tiger design” NATO jets, so yesterday, I gave Colchide a “Tiger design” to her hull. Title: A89 Tiger Paint JobCaption: A89 Tiger Paint Job
31Mar/22
Old Atalanta Sails wanted
The Uffa Fox 50 celebrations are calling for old sails from Uffa boats, to be used in creating regalia for the event. If you have any hiding at the back of yourRead More…
2022 AGM Tamesis Sailing Club
20 Members and friends attend the 2022 AGM meeting and lunch. It was great to be holding another ‘In Person’ meeting after last year’s was ‘virtual’ due to Covid-19. Of course, Covid-19Read More…
27Feb/22
Uffa Fox Celebrations in Cowes – PRESS RELEASE
The organisers for this four day festival in August have issued and update (27th February). The event is growing with detailed plans for the sailing and a host of activities around theRead More…
21Jan/22
book reference – A21 ‘Chuff’
Mentioned in the book “The War That Never Was” by Duff Hart-Davis page 29 one page only. The boat, A21 ‘Chuff’, was flown to Aden in the early sixties or earlier byRead More…
20Jan/22
‘Out of Arklow’ – book added to Archive
We came across this book recently by Danny O’Neill. Danny owned A78 Marianda in the 1980s and 1990s. The book is about Danny’s life at sea on eighty different boats as aRead More…
10Nov/21
Elle moves to winter quarters
Elle is being stored in a barn this winter. Located in Dell Quay, Chichester Harbour – Apuldram Manor Farm. The storage allows the luxury of working on the boat throughout the winterRead More…
02Nov/21
A102 Atalanta Mary no longer for sale
It is time for me to pass on the ‘bateau’ on to a new owner. Work commitments, blah..de..blah.. But she deserves to be used and should never be neglected. She is aRead More…
24Oct/21
A49 seems to be in need of rescue
Just saw this on Boat Scrapyards site. The boat is in Cheshire
15Oct/21
A15 Artemis II – Unique and in fine condition – £4000 ono
Presently afloat and in commission in Chichester harbour. Artemis II is in good condition with a Sabb marine single diesel engine and a new under boom cockpit cover. All fresh painted thisRead More…
13Oct/21
Southampton Boatshow Success
Atalantas at a Boatshow? First there was one – the twenty four feet long Atalanta prototype, in 1955. Then, over the next decade, Fairey Marine built one hundred and eighty six AtalantaRead More…
13Oct/21
1966 – We nearly drowned
The AOA caught up with the son of an ex-owner at the Southampton Boastshow in 2021. This was great – it filled in an ownership gap in our records and provided theRead More…
03Oct/21
Cockpit renovation
Having decided that the cockpit seats need replacing . I set about ripping the old ones out the reason for this was cracking either side of frame work . Good thing IRead More…
The Wrabness tender mystery. Part 2
On taking over a boat it is common to inherit a certain number of “special” items. Dredged from the depths of locker or lazarette, damp and probably rusty, their identity andRead More…
23Sep/21
The Wrabness tender mystery. Part 1
The plan was for an overnight to Pin Mill or the Walton Backwaters. We left Manningtree under sail around 1130 anticipating the ebb, without even a cat’s paw of breeze. TheRead More…
09Sep/21
A1 Generating Chatter At Southampton
After a great deal of effort by Mike A1 is moored in the ‘Class Association’ area of the Southampton boatshow, alongside the Old Gaffers Association. She has already generated ‘chatter’ – sheRead More…
22Aug/21
Out of hibernation
I am really glad that I managed to find ‘hibernation’ for Mary over the lock-down. But it is time to get her back in the water enjoy a sail and make sureRead More…
20Aug/21
A117 Turtle project with trailer, free to be restored
Free for restoration. Turtle is currently sitting on a four wheel trailer in Truro. If someone out there will take her please do, just send a lorry we can pull her onRead More…
17Aug/21
Cockpit Corner Reinforcement and Repairs to Aft Bulkhead
Bluster has guard rail stanchions at the aft end of the cockpit. These were bolted through the stringer and the deck with a block beneath and above. Unfortunately, after being pushed aroundRead More…
12Aug/21
Honeymoon – In Bermuda from Boston, next stop Halifax, Nova Scotia
Title: Bermuda-2-67d5bf3d
11Aug/21
Do you Facebook? New Atalanta Group
There is a new ”Group’ on Facebook – Fairey Atalantas. Whilst not an AOA ‘official’ group we will be posting on it about the Association and the boats. We would really loveRead More…
30Jul/21
Cockpit comfort – orientation and curves
Since the mid-1990 I have owned a number of small boats including a Devon Yawl, Cornish Shrimper, Cornish Crabber (Mk 1), Kingfisher 22+ (jink rig), Anderson 26 (lifting keeI), Golden Hind andRead More…
24Jul/21
The times they are a changing, dear Maurice
To escape the worst of the expected heatwave I thought I would visit what has quickly become my favourite anchorage, and do some relaxed mud listening. After a beat down the StourRead More…
Website Updates July ’21
Triggered by some recent (unsuccessful) attacks on the site we have updated the way people can request an account. It is now more manual than before. This does not affect existing usersRead More…
07Jul/21
Fairey Marine Pixie Tender For Sale
Very rare Fairey Marine Pixie Tender for sale. Open to reasonable offers. The tender has a deck over one half and has been stored in a garage for forty years. It willRead More…
02Jul/21
Repairing the Split in the Topsides
As reported in Bluster’s last blog post, there was a worrying split in the topsides at the starboard aft end of the cockpit where the aft deck moulding is joined to theRead More…
30Jun/21
2021 Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta
A89 Colchide attended the 2021 Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta over the weekend 25-27 June. This Regatta encourages both motor and sail boats and this year was graced by half a dozenRead More…
12Jun/21
Repairs around the rubbing strake
The hot sunny weather we are having in Scotland at the moment is ideal for wood repairs as the exposed laminates are nice and dry before being sealed in with epoxy. WaterRead More…
10Jun/21
A184, Aquilo II, £5,500
Aquilo II is in a barn on her trailer near Bridport in Dorset. She is possibly the last ever 26ft Atalanta to be launched, which she was in 1969. She has beenRead More…
31May/21
A Dozen at The Two Keels
The AOA ‘Beer & Natter’ at ‘The Two Keels’ on Saturday 22 May 2021 at 6 PM was a great success and 12 members attended: Mike Dixon (Commodore A1), Jane Stearn (Vice-Commodore), Read More…
Website Spring Clean
While most of our thorough Spring Clean was about keeping the site working smoothly there have been some functional improvements too. The ‘Images’ page now includes the Boat sail number in theRead More…
A165 Sloeberry was Mavista pre 1996
My father Dr.Peter Ewart Burden re-named this boat. We nearly lost her and our lives once-sailing from Ramsgate on a halcyon day ,force 3 forecast to be caught in squall. My husbandRead More…
11May/21
Bluster Progress – Removing Rusty Iron and Making Good
Work on Bluster has continued in April and early May. Much of April was spent removing rusty bolts from the engine bay area and rudder skeg. The keel stops were removed withoutRead More…
02May/21
Keel bolt covers: “Sikaflex – Ugh!”
This will be my last post on Helene’s Boat Blog as owner. In fact although started before the sale it is being published after handover to Jim, the new owner. Due toRead More…
A passenger ride in an Atalanta aged 9 started me sailing
I was spring cleaning A89 Colchide yesterday, when I was approached by a gentleman. “Is that an Atalanta” “Oh, I had a passenger ride in an Atalanta, aged 9, in the earlyRead More…
05Apr/21
Stem capping strip repair- rot in forward part of keel
A177 Quinteffence has been laid up on her trailer for the last 8 years as life has not allowed time to spend sailing (and maintaining her). She has been stored under aRead More…
31Mar/21
A85 Kicky Wicky in the 1970s
I was delighted to welcome an ex-owner of Kicky Wicky as a website user last month. Having ‘conversations’ with ex-owners and their families is one of the delights of my job asRead More…