The life of N443 Cygnet. Design: Uffa King, designed by: Uffa Fox in 1936
Restored and racing again at Brightlingsea,Essex and on vintage circuit
"Cygnet was bought for me in 1947. I must have been 14. The previous owner was Van Swannenberg who lived at Cape Farewell where the Loddon joins the Thames at Wargrave. She had been kept in this particular water and had a hard limescale inside and out which was terrible to remove. By then the oak ribs had blackened in the bilge. We paddled her down to Townsends at Bourne End whence the Cookham Reach Sailing Club was spawned. I raced her at Cookham and Tamesis Club at Teddington. In Sept 49 Guy Pearce trailed her to Burnham Week on the Crouch for me. We raced in class D handicap, the smallest boat in the regatta. This was just before I joined Royal Naval College Dartmouth. In summer 1950 she followed me by rail and sailed on the Dart. She returned by rail to Cookham and I raced her there and at Tamesis for one or two more seasons. She was sold and then kept at Minima S.C."I am wondering if Mr Van Swannenberg was maybe MrVan Zwannenboug who was an Olympic canoeist in the British team in 1948. Further information would be welcome.
Not all of above post got posted. The preamble was I had made progress to find prevoius onwner, Mr Mark Tilley who wrote the following:
Cygnet at Cookham early 1950's
Cygnet sailing 2008
Photo of Mark Tilley sailing her on the River Dart in 1950 whilst at the College doing his Navy Service.
Here are some photos of Cygnet taken by Howard Chadwick during the Vintage Event at Norfolk Broads Yacht Club (where the sun invariably shines) in 2004
And another for good measure to show off all Jonathan Reubin's hard work...