'Retire', said my osteopath -'your back won't last for more than two years if you continue to work!' Easier said than done, for what would I do in retirement? The habit of work was ingrained! I'd started at the bench aged 15 and was now a pressured Director in a FT100 Company - but my osteopath was right.

Analysis of my work habit showed that making something or achieving something was what motivated me. I also wanted to continue my lifelong love affair with the sea and started to look for ploys to ginger up this relationship.

A keen reader of 'The Boatman' (a one minute silence for its demise), I had been interested in Ian Oughtred's designs for traditional dinghies like 'Wren', 'Robin' and 'Grebe', but when a picture of 'Ptarmigan' appeared in the magazine I lost my heart. Here was an 11'6" lapstrake ply sailing and rowing dinghy which met all my criteria - and was even suitable for the grandchildren, I told myself.

I chatted to Ian Oughtred at the Wooden Boat Show whilst searching for 'Ptarmigan' and finally saw her in three quarter finished form on the Devon Dinghy Workshop stand.

Building two GP 14’s 35 years ago was not really in the same league, I thought to myself. After all, the hard chine method was easy and only spiling the washboards had defeated me. But the 'Ptarmigan' idea had taken hold.

Later that year, my wife and I spent two days at the Bristol Festival of the Sea and right at the end of the second day, almost when we had given up hope, we discovered Anton Fitzpatrick and his wife on the Devon Dinghy Workshop stand in a tent off the beaten track, and - I could scarcely believe it - a beautiful little 'Ptarmigan' hull painted white with a varnished interior and a pretty sheerstrake. I just gazed and drooled 'Wow'! What a beauty!

Bobbin, my wife, disappeared and re-appeared with Anton. She had placed a deposit on a course in 1997 to build 'Ptarmigan' as a birthday present. The whole thing had come together in an instant! I could hear my osteopath saying 'make sure the building moulds are high enough so you don’t have to bend over and strain your back!' They were!

The Course in Devon

Confidence stems from lots of input on how to do things. Anton took enormous pains to do this without us realising the process was taking place. His workshop had several benches, all equipped with every tool you could want and each with a big window above. There were five of us on the planking course - a caterer, a tank regiment officer, an RSM, a civil servant and a farmer - and as we started to build the boat each new point and instruction was discussed at length. The atmosphere was light and we had lots of coffee /tea breaks and laughs.

Anton's approach was to check that we could sharpen our own tools before we got going and then to proceed from technique explained to technique put into practice, done and discussed until we could do it again any time in the future. All the tricks of the trade were revealed such as getting the mould true - avoiding gluing the boat to the moulds - measuring the first plank and cutting it out (heart in one's mouth) to the basic scarfing together of huge sheets of ply and how to manage them subsequently.

In tribute to Anton I must admit I enjoyed the technical discussions as much as the jokes. The food was good too! Each day we got out the trestles, old door and tablecloth and sat down to a fresh hot dish, salad and fruit.

I had booked for two weeks as the boat under construction was to be mine. During that first week we all set up the frame and laminated the stem, fitted the keelson and cut out the transom and, after much care and re-checking, fitted two planks on either side. These were busy days and we took great pains over each step so it was well learned. I was there each morning at 8.30am and often didn't leave until 1800 hrs. Whatever you did, Anton was always there to see you got it right, or took off the 'mistake' and started again!

The second week was even more hectic as I had to do the rest of the planking alone and there were 12 planks to go! Even after I had learnt to do them quickly, there were still four planks left to be put on over two days later in the week. To achieve this, I had to turn up the heating around lunchtime until the glue was set then put the next two on just before I left for them to cure overnight.

I enjoyed the two weeks immensely, was intellectually challenged all the time and my newly learnt techniques left me feeling very confident about the next stages. I also felt well equipped since Anton says 'you only need hand tools to do all of the jobs on your boat' and I especially love my new little jewel of a block plane. I have rung Anton over difficult moments since and would be happy to go back. The Devon Dinghy Workshop gave me a good start - and my Ptarmigan has given me a pretty, light and fast sloop and ten months of happy retirement. Now what shall I build next?

Ian Oughtred's plans cost £35, material costs vary depending on the quality of wood you use and Ian can give you an instruction book covering every single step of your boat as you build it.