Open Day Success

By News

Another successful open day with over 100 visitors, many of which were returning visitors interested in watching the progress of both the restoration and the apprentices.

It was lovely to see so many returning faces and have the opportunity to share our project with you.

With the restoration progressing well, there will be only 1 more open day (October 27th) to see the work before we open again when this historic junk yacht, Boleh is complete and ready to be returned to the water.

Open Day Sunday 25th August 2013

By News

The workshop will be open from 1pm on Sunday 25th August ready to welcome everyone to come and see how the restoration is progressing.

This is a rare chance to see the restoration as it is happening, of a historic junk yacht.

There will also be a gallery of Robin Kilroy’s artwork.

Please get in touch for more info.

See you on the day

FREE ADMISSION

Boleh Apprentice Try New Skills

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As part of their apprenticeship with the Boleh Project, we are offering all of our apprentices the opportunity to carry out short courses to learn new skills and find out what other opportunities are available.

This week our apprentices spent the day with a local Blacksmiths, where they learnt how to use new materials and tools. For further information on becoming a Blacksmith for the day follow the link below.

http://www.louisconsulting.co.uk/littleduckforge/

Further pictures can be found on our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/bolehproject

University of Southampton Students Complete Research

By News

Undergraduate engineering students from the University of Southampton undertake an Individual Research Project as part of their third year studies, which counts for 25% of that year’s degree credit.

The projects normally revolve around the research interests of your academic supervisor, and can range from the material composition of a biomedical implant to the wave loads on an offshore platform, and from the optimization of a kayak’s seat position to feasibility studies for a Martian lander.

I have always loved sailing vessels, yachts and other small craft, and was keen to find a project in that area. With my friend Matt Slater, who has similar interests, I approached academics in the faculty to see if anything was available, and as a result we were put in touch with the Boleh Trust.

We were fortunate in being allowed to put forward our own ideas for projects, and in conjunction with the Trust and University put forward proposals for some amazing projects; fascinating, challenging, and engaging, and answering important questions for the Trust in their ongoing restoration of the Junk Yacht Boleh.

I was able to develop my lifelong love of sailing by researching the mechanics of sails, and experimenting with a model of Boleh to find out how her performance compared with other vessels. This gave me the opportunity to learn a huge amount about commercial testing for ships, sail design and myriad other things that will be invaluable to me as an engineer in the future.

In particular, my research into sail mechanics complimented some taught modules, which really helped my learning, and has also made a big difference to my sailing outside of study: I feel like I understand what I’m doing now!
The opportunity to work with the Trust on a ‘real world’ project has been amazing, a lot of my course-mates are quite envious! The work was all the more interesting and rewarding for the knowledge that my work would really make an impact, that what I was doing would hopefully help the Trust with its work. I think my studies have directly benefited from that taste of the ‘real world’.

Looking forward to next year, I think the benefit will be even greater. During fourth year we undertake a group design project, and the lessons I have learnt during this project will be enormously useful in getting the most out of that part of the course.

I’d really like to thank the Boleh Trust for giving me this wonderful opportunity, and also for their generosity and helpfulness throughout, which was really appreciated. It has been great to work with you all, I wish you the very best of luck with the project and luck forward to seeing Boleh back on the water where she belongs!

My GDP next year is for another charity, designing a human-powered vessel for an endurance fundraiser around the west coast of Scotland. I hope working for them is as much a pleasure as it’s been working for the Boleh Trust.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Happs,
(3rd Year Undergraduate in Ship Science, Yacht and Small Craft MEng Program, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton.)

Open Day Success!

By News

As the project progresses and the cabin structure is developing, it was fantastic to share another open day with so many supporting members of the public.

The team enjoyed showcasing the work that they have achieved since joining the project.

Another big thanks to Southsea Choir for your support.

Open Day Sunday 30th June 2013

By News

The workshop will be open from 1pm on Sunday 30th June ready to welcome everyone to come and see how the restoration is progressing.

This is a rare chance to see the restoration as it is happening, of a historic junk yacht.

There will also be a gallery of Robin Kilroy’s artwork.

We will again be supported by the fantastic Southsea Choir and their sea shanties.

Please get in touch for more info.

See you on the day

FREE ADMISSION

Boleh on the Radio

By News

If you missed our interview on BBC Radio Solent on Friday 27th June 2013 you can listen to it again here.

Chris Austin, Boleh Trust Trustee, updates us on what we have achieved since the last open day, including the launch of our new website, the work that Charter Academy students have completed and what the apprentices have achieved on the restoration.

Boleh Project features in Longest Day Celebrations

By News

The News, Portsmouth have launched a short video showing a day in the life of The News and the communities it serves.

The News have put together clips of their own events, as well as contributions by readers who helped us show the rich variety of life around the area.

From the christening of a ship to the finishing of an art project, from the visit of a Government minister to an appearance by Katie Price, all are included in the video.

It was one of many produced by Johnston Press newspapers around the country to mark June 21 – the longest day of the year – in celebration of our Summer of Love campaign, launched to try to try to reflect a new mood of optimism, create a renewed sense of confidence, celebrate what’s great about local life and boost business across our communities.

Editor Mark Waldron said: ‘The video is a great celebration of day-to-day life in this area.’

You can see the video here

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/the-longest-day-our-celebration-video-1-5214919