..Boleh..

[ian Stanbury]

You may all have wondered what I was doing in Southsea yesterday..

Well we were paying a visit to see this old boat..

http://www.bolehproject.com/

After singlehandedly Swordfishing the Japanese navy in 1945, my Grandfathers great mate Robin Kilroy decided to get some r and r by building Boleh in Malaysia. He then sailed it back to Uk and in my distant youth we would sail around the Devon coast on her.

Sadly the unmarried Robin died in 60's and the boat passed to his nephew George Middleton, father of Kate Middleton, Prince Williams chum. After 10 years of ownership he sold her.

She then passed to a variety of owners and ended up in Rye where she was used as a hippy caravan and sadly was fire bombed on night and was almost destroyed. She was bought from the insurers for a pound by a carpenter Roger Angel who them spent years of his life rebuilding her with a plan to sail her back to Malaysia. He got to Spain and was taken ill and so got no further. 2 years ago George and his brother Henry now both retired placed an advert in Wooden Boats magazine asking if anyone knew when Boleh was and amazingly enough someone answered and said she was in Majorca.

Geroge contacted Roger A who was now really ill with cancer and bought her and had her transported back to Southsea where she is now being rebuilt.

And thats who we were with yesterday and we went to see her and what a job...I thought renovating a Renault 4 is a labour of love - Boleh is in a league by herself.

 

[malcolm]

Cool boat and great intentions. How have you become involved in it (or hear about it)?

I'd not manage a boat - far too much wood and Paradise is fairly central in our small country.

 

[ian Stanbury]

..Torpedoes I suppose..

..My Grandfather and Robin Kilroy were both Swordfish pilots in the Fleet Air Arm and were based in Ceylon during the war and would spend their days either attacking and sinking Japanese battleships, cruisers and aircraft carriers or flying Wren colleagues around Ceylon looking at the lovely scenery and secluded beaches!!.

After Japan surrendered my Grandfather took his latest Wren trophy (my Grandmother) back to sleepy Exeter to carry on with his family woolen merchant business. Robin Kilroy went off to Malaya to build Boleh.

When he got back to England he naturally took up with my Grandfather and Grandmother again and based Boleh at a place called Turf Lock near Exeter.

And when I was knee high to a grass hopper, when they sailed out of the River Exe past Exmouth where I lived, I was thrown on board as the cabin buoy!!

So the whole business is 'family' I suppose and Malcolm you can come on her maiden voyage, whenever that is...

 

[beagle]

Not any old junk..

Sounds like a really good cause. Nice craft, doesn't look too bad! Stern bearing looks a bit suspect. I want to restore a wooden International Dragon one day, however I better finish the R4 first and save up 30k.... Paint went on today, will be setting sail for the mot station soonio