Thames Traditional Boat Festival, Henley-On-Thames, 17/18/19 July 2020
About Thames Traditional Boat Festival, Henley-On-Thames, 17/18/19 July 2020
TTBF 2020 - FRIDAY 17th TO SUNDAY 19th JULY. FAWLEY MEADOWS, HENLEY ON THAMES.
The World's largest display of classic and vintage river craft.
Thames Traditional Boat Festival, Henley-On-Thames, 17/18/19 July 2020 Description
Following on from the highly acclaimed event in 2019, The Traditional Boat Festival returns on July 17-19 2020 with an even bigger and better range of attractions aimed at creating an exciting and fun filled weekend for families and traditional boat owners alike.
Highlights to be announced but it will include over 180 traditional boats that makes this the largest event of its type in the World plus all the quintessentially English eccentricity that makes it so utterly unique!
We have some special surprises planned with many beautiful, exciting, weird and wonderful (and very fast) boats planned to attend and display – keep checking our website and Facebook page.
There will be opportunities to go aboard some of the participating boats and the Thames Traditional Boat Society will be offering the chance to ‘have a go’ in their traditional rowing skiffs and canoes.
There will also be opportunities to take trips on vintage steam boats.
In addition to all the activity on the river, we have vintage flying displays, classic cars and bikes, wartime military hardware and a special amphibious vehicle display, traditional fairground attractions and a great selection of top quality places to eat and drink, including a pop-up Pub! There is interesting shopping too and we have entertainment throughout the Festival and run into the evening on Saturday with the illuminated boat parade.
It is located in the beautiful Oxfordshire town of Henley-on-Thames, as the finale of 3 weeks of special events there - following the Henley Royal Regatta & Henley music Festival.
There is easy access by car, with lots of free parking; by train to Henley-on-Thames station; and, of course, by boat. We’re even running a ferry shuttle service from the town either for people arriving by train or just wanting to arrive by boat!
So, save the dates 17-19 July 2020 and we look forward to seeing you there!
Tickets will be available on-line at a discounted rate at www. tradboatfestival.com
Reviews
Motoring folklore After the Second World War the German Messerschmitt aircraft factory had so many fighter cockpits left over that the company decided to make good use of them by designing a bubble care around them!
PPV 513 - History Purchased by me when I was 15 in 1970 for £15.00. Resprayed British Racing Green, with yellow wheels in readiness for my 16th birthday. Back in the 70’s you could drive a 3 wheeler (Tricycle) at 16 on a provisional motorbike licence so long as th...e reverse gear was disabled. I used the Messerschmitt daily for 1 year. At the age of 17 I progressed to a real car (Triumph Herald) She was then stored in various garages and barns for the next 20 years.
Restoration Restoration started in 1992; she was completely stripped down and had a bare metal respray. The engine needed a complete re-build as it was dismantled 20 years earlier to replace the little end which never happened. The perspex dome was damaged during storage; I managed to import a new dome from the German Messerschmitt club at a cost of 780 Deutsche Mark’s. These domes (if you can get them) are over £1,000 nowadays. Project finally completed in 1997 with upholstery refurbishment
Technical Data: Built: F.M.R. Regensburg. Germany Engine: 191cc Sachs single cylinder fan cooled two stroke, compression ratio 8:1. Claimed 10 bhp Gears: 4 forward, 4 reverse!!!!! Heater: Available as an option, not re-installed after restoration as fear keeps you warm Top Speed: 62 mph (if you dare) MPG: 65/70 Weight: 350Kg New Price: £339.13s.6d Inc. purchase tax UK Numbers: 6000 Messerschmitts were imported to the UK, 500 still remain with only 158 registered for the road.
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Meet Dunkirk Little Ship, Breda, previously known as Dab II. She was built in 1931, carvel, pitch pine on oak. She’s in new ownership, luckily for us with regular trad attendees, who are bringing her this year. Can’t wait to see her.
Colonel Hardy was incensed when the Royal Navy simply informed him by telephone that they had taken his motor yacht Dab II from the canal basin at Heybridge, on the river Blackwater in Essex, to take part in Operation Dynamo. His anger did not... stem from a lack of patriotic fervour, but from the understandable feeling that he should have been given a chance to go with her. In fact, few of the owners went with the Little Ships.
Most were commanded and manned by the Royal Navy. Dab II was taken to Dunkirk by Lieut. R. W. Thompson, RNVR, who crossed the Channel no less than three times in six days. On his last return journey, he brought back a load of Dutch soldiers, who came from Breda in Holland and had fought a gallant rearguard action westward to Dunkirk, driven by the weight of the German advance. Painted battleship grey, Dab II served as a patrol boat until she was returned to Col. Hardy, who then decided that her name was unsuitable for a ship of her size and distinguished war record. But he thought it might be unlucky to change a ship's name altogether. So he called her Breda, which ingeniously retained all the letters in her original name and commemorated the Dutch soldiers she had rescued.
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This year is the 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo. Come and visit many of the brave Little Ships at the trad. 17th-19th July. Fawley Meadows, Henley, RG9 2HY
Thank you Matthew Jarvis for these photos.
This 1966 Convertible Triumph Herald had a full restoration in 2001 with various upgrades and improvements since.
Get in there quickly if you think you might like to camp this year. We've had quite a chunk of bookings already! https://www.tradboatfestival.com/where-to -stay
We're up and running and raring to go! All set for another fabulous Thames Traditional Boat Festival. Don't miss it. Boat entries are open, tickets are available and already selling and the committee members have hit the ground running. Can't wait. Thanks to Geoff Walker of Amersham Photographic Society for this photo from 2019. https://www.tradboatfestival.com/
Photo credit: David Carter.
Photo credit: Charlie Ward