About
Hello, I am Capt. William (“Billy”) Blister III (ret.), and welcome to my website.
Over my life I have had many adventures, loved many boats, and visited many wonderful places. As a result, my shelf of “logs yet to be written” is depressingly long.
Now, as I enter my golden years, I feel the need to put pen to paper.
On this site you will find a collection of musings by myself and a few selected friends. They cover the ground, and provide insights of some value.
But why, I hear you whisper, is the site called “Pye End to Landemere”? Well, it’s simple enough.
[…]
Welcome aboard!
Your friend, Billy
Index of posts
- Did they really do that?The handsome Atalanta often draws a crowd, But dropping it from aircraft never was allowed.
- Married lifeBetty was a lovely lass who never ate raw meat, And then she met our Billy, who fed her pickled beet. He said to her “Oh Betty, please, please marry me today, I could show you my rear cabin and we could make some hay”. “Oh Billy Boy, Oh Billy Boy I really love you true, But you own an Atalanta, and hardly have a clew”. —– Billy took the
Read More - Land yacht with blisterA land yacht thought Billy-boy, could be just the thing, The freedom of the open road, should make the old heart sing. But such a shift from keels to wheels, was easier said than done, For sleeping in the pick-up bed, just didn’t look like fun. Then his sister saw a blister, that was really going cheap, And Billy had a vision, that might let him get some sleep. For
Read More - Swatchway RamblerA Swatchway Rambler, that’s the life for me, Listening to Beethoven and drinking pots and pots of tea. Waiting for the tide and following the breeze, There’s no stress on board, all is at ease. At the end of the day, with the boogie stove aglow, I sup on pot noodle (but, that, no one really needs to know).
- Four-sided tinsThe great man Pythagoras was also fond of food. That square meals into round tins could never go, Was what he did conclude. From this he surmised… That if his supper emerged from a four-sided tin, He could rest assured, all his RDAs would be found therein. Ergo, corn(er)ed beef and Spam must be the ultimate in square meals. Which only proves the limitations of logic, no matter how much
Read More - Rye & RotherRye Harbour is a lovely port, But make your stay there very short. —— Some sailors think the River Rother is hardly worth the bleeden bother, The tide is strong the mud is deep, best stay in Eastbourne and get some sleep! —— At Rye we tasted bread-based lasagna, Could this be what killed Melania?
- On approaching Chichester BarA Shrimper is a thing of beauty, so lovely with its gaff, But when you see a purple one, it’s really rather naff. A Contessa may be fast and wet, a gaffer rather scary, An Atalanta is the special one, designed and built by Fairey.
- Blister cosyWhen cruising in the ice, some think that coal is nice. But we are always dozy, under our blister cosy.
- ard ats in the ouseE lost is eart on the umber to a ealth and safety lass, She was from France, she dropped er aches, but she said e was too crass. So dear reader, I must ask you, which of them is lacking nous, After all, it isn’t Billy, who wears is ard at in the ouse.
- Rice cakesRice cakes are a culinary evil, But so much better than biscuit and weevil. —— Rice cake with Spam is like sourdough bread with Serrano ham, Only different.
- A change in the windBillie Blister was getting depressed,While he loved the old Atalanta, it gave him no rest.The constant epoxy and Agba veneer,Ruined his clothes and flavoured his beer. He remembered a boat of a different kind,A roomy Eastcoaster, the Golden Hind.MG had penned her workperson-like lines,With chines and multiple keels, like his other designs. Billy soon embarked on a X-country trip,And in Pembrokeshire he found her, a proper little ship.A deal was
Read More - Please come to BrightonPlease come to Brighton for the SpringtimeI’m stayin’ in that ugly marina and there is so much to doYou can sell your kimchi out on the pavementBy the office where I hope to be workin’ soonPlease come to BrightonBut she said “No – MG won’t you come home to me?” And she said, “Hey Swatchway guy now won’t cha settle down?”“Brighton ain’t your kinda town”“There ain’t no mud and nobody
Read More - 2023 Ore and Alde Cruise: The Unbelievable TruthThe cruising log is a unique literary genre, and can take many forms. Part fact and part fiction, a log can be as tedious as a week in the Horse Latitudes and/or as dramatic as a lee shore in a heavy gale. Here we have a log relating to the AOA July 2023 cruise to the Rivers Ore and Alde, on the East Anglian coast north of Felixstowe. However, the
Read More - The Kimchi CoastTo the uninitiated the landscape of the Essex coast,Is just as bland as a piece of toast.There are no mountains, and even the cliffs are few,Only swatchways and mud, but what is a sailor to do? Some say the even bigger shame,Is that Essex victuals are just as lame.Even MG, who so loved this coast,Described a tin of hot Spam as an Essex roast. A few weeks past we cruised
Read More - Two rivers diverge at a yellow markAfter spending the winter warming his weary bones on the white sands of Majorca, Billy Blister found himself propping up the bar at the Butt & Oyster. He told himself he was waiting for the tide, but his plans extended no further than closing time. Anyhow, he casually turned over the mat on which stood his pint, and low and behold, a little rhyme hove into sight… Shotley Spit is
Read More - Equally iconic perhaps, but a Fairey Atalanta is not a Morris MinorThe term iconic is commonly associated with products or designs regarded as particularly influential, or representative of a culture, movement or moment in time. Thus, in their own ways, both the Morris Minor and the Reliant Robin are iconic in the context of Britain’s post-war boom in private vehicle ownership. The unitary shell construction of the Minor was certainly innovative, and its ride quality and reliability were unrivalled. Even today,
Read More - Do small boat classes deserve to live forever?Have you ever wondered how many small cruising yachts were built in the UK over the last 100 years? I have no idea what the total might be, but it is surely a very large number. What we can be certain about is that these boats were constructed using a wide variety of materials — including timber, plywood, veneers, GRP, steel, aluminium and carbon fibre. They also reflect a beguiling
Read More - Fairey Marine – Disruptors?With the introduction of the Atalanta, was Fairey Marine a ‘disruptor’? Jim Sumberg and Nick PhillipsMARCH 2023 In today’s business world being recognised as a ‘disruptor’ is a badge of honour (and sometimes a ticket to riches). Disruptors see opportunities in mature markets, opportunities they seek to exploit by introducing new technology, new business models and/or new partnerships. Disruptors are not interested in incremental change, they are game-changers: if successful,
Read More - Fairey Atalanta – More than the sum of her parts?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 part in commercial and social development after the war. As part of celebrating the life and works of Uffa Fox this year the ideas have been developed. Seventy years ago Fairey Marine built an experimental 20’ sailing cruiser by
Read More - A New History of YachtingA few English aristocrats had pleasure yachts from as early as the mid 17th century and the hobby grew considerably in the following centuries, despite remaining the preserve of the wealthy. This history charts the evolution of yachting through the golden age before the First World War and into the era of affordable dinghies, plastic moulded hulls, and the record-breaking voyages of single-handed ocean sailors in recent decades. Review: Likely
Read More - Fairey Atalanta A124 HeleneHelene is a Mark II Atalanta 26 made by Fairey Marine in 1960. She is sound, well looked after and a pleasure to sail. Helene has an exceptionally comfortable cockpit. She has benefited from extensive work and improvements over the last 15 or so years, all of which are well documented. https://atalantaowners.org/boat-sn/a124