Steve Turnell

Willow - 17ft Seahawk at Reedham

Hello, my name is Steve Turnell and I purchased 'Willow' last year from Danny who is a sailing instructor at Beccles sailing club. Danny had purchased Willow in a bad conditon having been sunk, and he restored her before enjoing a few years sailing and racing her locally. My wife and I are beginners to sailing with only a few lessons at the Beccles sailing club so it was a bit scary to actually wave goodbye to Danny as we sailed away towards her new home back in Reedham where she was actually built somewhere in the early 1970's. We spent most of last summer taking Willow onto the river between Reedham and the sugar beet factory at Cantley where along the way the river is quite wide and therefore ideal to practice our sailing skills. We have learned how to sail and rig Willow by practically doing it as opposed to someone showing us and gradually we have become reasonably competent. We are really pleased that this Seahawk website exists and we have already learned a great deal from the various sections. The main challenge for us this year is getting Willow out of the water and getting her jet washed, antifouled and repainted and knowing what rigging needs replacing to keep everything safe and trustworthy. We are keen to know of any boatyards close to Reedham that would be recommended to carry out this task for us before the easter break and a rough idea on the cost. We will take some photos and start to contribute going forward. Many thanks Steve