The Flying Cloud is the last known example of the type.
This boat has a salt water rig, with a much larger one used for river sailing.
These boats were sailed largely on the upper Thames at Oxford and just below Oxford in the period 1885 - about 1905-8. She was designed and built by Theo Smith of Oxford, a very well known designer and builder of fast sailing canoes, small raters and small cruising yachts.
The Flying Cloud was restored from a wreck by David Leather during 1979-82 at his boat building business in Fingringhoe. He is no longer in business. The rig was made for the boat after much research on the 0.3 Rater type. It is the salt water rig and a larger one was used for river sailing. This was of course, not made for her by David as she was to be used on salt water.
David sold the boat to a man who did not understand her and she was last known of lying on a trailer in Middlesex and likely to be damaged and probably broken up. The boat was restored very carefully to make her usable again.
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