Sunday 10 January 2010

Punt gunning


Punt gunners today usually propel themselves by sculling over the transom, but they often used to sneak up to their prey by paddling with table-tennis bats, as this reconstruction by, of all people, Royal Armouries, shows. Listen to the commentator list the huge number of birds that a professional wildfowler in Essex bagged in one month 130 years ago. Nowadays, not only are the birds getting rarer but it is impossible to let off such an enormous piece in any estuary without shooting a birdwatcher.
Thanks to Martin Corrick on the Home Built Boat Rally forum for the headsup on this one. He suggests that racing gun punts would be fun, but the winner might be the one that came in last.....

2 comments:

O Docker said...

'Pun Gunning' (in the tags) suggests an entirely different competition.

Chris Partridge said...

Gunning for puns. Death to Punsters! This could be big on telly. That Simon Cowell seems to be at a loose end - I'll run the idea past him. We could call it Pun for Your Life.....