Off To Dunkirk

Travels of the Yacht 'Elver' on the coast of South East England and trips to Dunkirk and Ostend.

One of a series of films recording the travels of the schooner Elver, her owner V.B. Harrison, crew and guests. Scenes are shot from the Elver including adjustment of sails, sea, waves, buoys, coastline and passing boats, sometimes close enough to see crew in detail. Scenes include: Buoys and light vessels during Channel crossings at night; ships and buildings beside beside the harbour at Dunkirk; paddle steamers; drinks on board at Ostend and scenes of buildings around the harbour; sailing off the Sussex coast including waves off Beachy Head; C.W.A. Scott in aeroplane G-A CCF flying over the yachts at West Mersea; a party of men and women enjoying drinks and cigarettes.

Keywords

Boats; Sailing; Sea; English Channel; Ferries; Travel abroad; Aviation

Intertitles

Spelling as it appears on the intertitles July 1932 Off to Dunkirk Spitway buoy Sunset off Kent Flash of the Gull light vessel The Dyck light vessel Entering Dunkirk Giving a tow to another yacht Going to our berth in the docks The “Elver” in Dunkirk July 1932 Moonlight off The Sunk The Flash of The Sunk The Sunk lightship Pleasure steamers off Harwich “Elver” at Ostend 1933 A merry cocktail party on board On “Elver” off Bognor August 1933 Off Beachy Head August 1933 South Foreland and lights of Dover 2 am Scott flying over the yachts at West Mersea The week-end party on “Elver”

Other Places

Dunkirk, France Harwich, Essex Ostend, Belgium Bognor Regis, West Sussex Beachy Head, East Sussex Dover, Kent

Background Information

Elver - “V.B. Harrison’s wishbone-rigged schooner Elver was built at Lymington in 1923 and was a familiar sight in the Blackwater, with moorings at West Mersea until the 1940s.” John Leather, The Salty Shore, Seafarer Books 2003. A published photograph of the yacht refers to Skipper Ron Pullen. Spitway buoy off Essex coast Gull light vessel off Thurrock Dyck light vessel off coast of France The Sunk lightship - lightvessel Thames Estuary The biplane G-ACCF was a De Havilland DH83 Fox Moth, a new design in 1932. I t was registered to Charles William Anderson Scott, celebrated aviator C.W.A. Scott, who with Tom Campbell Black won the won the London to Melbourne Centenary Air Race (MacRobertson Air Race) in 1934.