# Dead boats, Plymouth, July 2017



## HughieD (Jul 20, 2017)

*1. Introduction*

Found myself down in Plymouth for work with a bit of down-time. Really wanted to visit the infamous Drake Island but without my own canoe or a friend with a boat this place wasn't going to happen. Outside of Drakes there isn't an awful lot else to explore within easy reach of the town centre. However a Google Maps search threw up the hulks of some old fishing boats in Hooe Lake so off I set. Took the ferry from the Plymouth Landing Stage over to the Mount Batten Ferry landing point then walked along the SW Coast Path before turning left in the direction of Hooe Lake, which isn't really a lake but rather a tidal inlet.

Haven't been able to find much history about the 5 or six boats here. They are probably predominantly old fishing boats and vary from complete wrecks to being potentially seaworthy with a bit of work. Wasn't sure I was going to do a report but as the sun decided to come out these old seafaring hulks became incredibly photogenic.
*
2. The Pictures*

Handful of boats on the southern shore in various states of disrepair:


img1121 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1122 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1129 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1139 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This one's the baby of the ensemble:


img1125 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This one's pretty far gone:


img1131 by HughieDW, on Flickr

As is this one:

img1134 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Any dignity left for 'Dignity'?


img1140 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1142 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1143 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Bows on the beach!


img1145 by HughieDW, on Flickr

As we move anti-clockwise round the lake we get to this far gone wreck:


img1148 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This one's in better nick but still not going anywhere with a hole in it like this:


img1150 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1151 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1153 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This one in the lake is very much gone:


img1157bw by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1164 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1158 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1182 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And finally this one on the shore:


img1179 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1167 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1168 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1177 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1175 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img1184 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Overview:


img1180 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## Derelictheart (Jul 20, 2017)

A ship called Dignity!


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## Rubex (Jul 20, 2017)

Love this report HughieD! I'd be in my element looking at all of these. I may have to have a weekend in Plymouth!


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## Mikeymutt (Jul 20, 2017)

Nice one mate.love old boats.would love to get on one.saw a load at loch Ness but we were running late so never got time to stop.top notch report mate


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## thorfrun (Jul 21, 2017)

I too instantly thought of the song lol, excellent pics


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## theartist (Jul 22, 2017)

absolutely brilliant.


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## seansamurai1 (Jul 22, 2017)

Ah good old Radford Lake and Hooe estuary. The castle bridge divides the two from each other, Hooe is salt water, Radford side is fresh water.
There used to be a couple of very nice air raid shelters about a 5 minute walk from there, as well as a world war two oil storage facility, it's now a housing estate.
Did you go as far as the old boat house on the fresh water side?
Plenty of ghost stories from the area as well, the white lady being one.

As you may have guessed this was my old stomping ground as a kid and teenager.


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## prettyvacant71 (Jul 23, 2017)

Fantastic shots HD! The rotting wood makes some of the wrecks look like beached whales with there decaying ribs, you can see what I mean cant you lol

A really different explore I like it!

Lovely silhouette shot


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## HughieD (Jul 24, 2017)

Cheers folks.



Rubex said:


> Love this report HughieD! I'd be in my element looking at all of these. I may have to have a weekend in Plymouth!



Deffo worth a trip and trying to get on to Drake Island if you can Rubex!



Mikeymutt said:


> Nice one mate.love old boats.would love to get on one.saw a load at loch Ness but we were running late so never got time to stop.top notch report mate



Quite unique aren't they. At least they are easy to spot on Google Maps!



prettyvacant71 said:


> Fantastic shots HD! The rotting wood makes some of the wrecks look like beached whales with there decaying ribs, you can see what I mean cant you lol
> 
> A really different explore I like it!
> 
> Lovely silhouette shot



Cheers man. Yeah...getting that comparison.


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## Brewtal (Jul 24, 2017)

Some lovely shots there mate, looks like a great way to spend a bit of free time. Nice to see ones in different stages of decay as well.


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## AmositeMilitia93 (Jul 25, 2017)

I find wrecks like these hauntingly beautiful, great shots!


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## urban-dorset (Jul 26, 2017)

Good work. My old in-laws lived just up the road from here, so I know it quite well.


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## HughieD (Jul 26, 2017)

AmositeMilitia93 said:


> I find wrecks like these hauntingly beautiful, great shots!


Cheers man...



urban-dorset said:


> Good work. My old in-laws lived just up the road from here, so I know it quite well.



Small world innit!


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## rejiik (Jul 27, 2017)

I gonna quote Jaws ! "we gonna need a bigger boat !"

totally amazing pictures ! well done !


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