Wayfarer Dinghy

 

Steve Clarke-Lens

 

Simon Renton

 

Simon with his Wafarer at Salcombe

 

Simon's Wafarer with boom tent

Yesterday I visited Gavin Atkin’s weblog* which drew attention to a 44 minute video by Steve Clarke-Lens who sailed and rowed a Wayfarer on a 4,000 mile Mediterranean and River Nile cruise.** This is a super film, well worth seeing, which gives insight into what can be achieved with an open dinghy by an able and determined crew. Steve got into a few close shaves, not of his own making, but through unexpected circumstances, like being abandoned by a tow boat when exiting the Nile and finding himself alone to face three rows of enormous breaking seas.

Steve Clarke-Lens at Linkedin: http://gr.linkedin.com/pub/steve-clarke-lens/59/b4/2a4 .

Wayfarer dinghies have been around since 1957 when first built in plywood to the drawings of Ian Proctor. Subsequently the boat has undergone modifications and changes and more can be found out about her by visiting this Wikipedia page:

Wayfarer Dinghy : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayfarer_(dinghy)

I have added a few photos of Simon Renton whom I met at Salcombe in July 2010. He was attempting to sail around the UK by himself in a Wayfarer, but the weather was exceptionally stormy and he eventually had give up. (See the very last link at the bottom of the page.)

Gavin ’s  www.intheboatshed.net is a popular and informative weblog offering hours of enjoyable viewing to boating enthusiasts, particularly those who want to be informed about wooden boat restoration projects, traditional sailing craft such as smacks, luggers, barges, vintage sailing canoes and the like, including rowing and motorboats.  For those who have access to ‘SoundCloud’ Gavin’s weblog contains a section dedicated sea shanties and other such songs. There are also links to YouTube featuring singers, even Gavin himself with his rendering of John Connolly’s ‘Fiddler’s Green’. Here’s the direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w7bgDa9M00&feature=youtu.be   

Note

To discover more about SoundCloud visit: http://on.soundcloud.com/ .

Links

*In the Boat Shed.net

http://intheboatshed.net/2014/11/10/4000-miles-in-a-wayfarer-with-steve-clarke-lens/ 

**Wayfarer Dinghy Cruising. 4,000 miles in a Wayfarer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuy4goz3stI

UK Wayfarer Association

http://wayfarer.org.uk/  

United States Wayfarer Association

http://www.uswayfarer.org/  

Around Britain in a Wayfarer Dinghy – Ludo Bennett-Jones

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/around-britain-in-wayfarer-ludo-bennett.html

The Best Bits So Far by Ludo Bennett-Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnMEhx8FE9U

Wayfarer Sailing Plymouth October 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrhyYeLmORo&feature=youtu.be

Wayfarer Sailing Dinghy Video 2007 by Kate Mellor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=a7bb5xxcna0&hl=en-GB

Wayfer Sailing by Tom Bourke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXIuPAqpO-E

Autumn Sailing with a Wayfarer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_mZTerpb_U

Wayfarer Dinghy Cruise, Scotland 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofUBn15QGFs 

Wayfarer 28 around the Isle of Wight – 11^th June 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFUaayENfno

Wayfarer Sailing – Popular Wayfarer Videos (200 of them)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOlCTjKY8Gc&list=PL0mqz-ggNpgOuXhaWUF4Zl5RRxptba376

Simon Renton

http://simonrenton.co.uk/wp/ 

MG Spring 25 Cruiser Racer Yacht

 

Wing keel of a MG Spring 27, similar to the MG Spring 25

 

I noticed this colourful MG Spring 25 cruiser/racer at Rice and Cole. Aptly, she has the name ‘Spring Chicken’. By surfing the NET, I subsequently discovered she was owned by Giles and Lorna Alden who had her for 21 years since 1990.

What is interesting to me is not who owners her, but her wing keel which gives her a relatively shallow draught along with the ability to dry out on level ground. The twin rudders also help in this respect by giving a measure of support.

P.S. I've just updated the Small Sailboats links page to include The Winkle Brig and the Drascombe Coaster: http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/p/small-sailboats-here-are-links-to.html

Links

Home of MG Spring 25 Yachts

http://www.mgspring25.webs.com/  

Yachtsnet Archive – MG Spring 25 (Excellent Photos)

http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/mg-spring-25/mg-spring-25.htm

MG Spring for Sale at Clark and Carter, Burnham for £8,950

http://www.clarkeandcarter.co.uk/brokerage-boats/searchfullspecs.php?DocumentID=4250578

Six MG Spring 25s for Sale as at 10.11.14 between £7,000 and £15,000

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/boats.phtml?id=717&mi=1957

1989 MG Spring 25 (Sold, but excellent photos)

http://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1609

Tony Castro, Yacht Designs

http://www.tonycastro.co.uk/production-yachts/one-class-racing-yachts-home.html

Winged Keel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_keel

Keel Types

http://www.jordanyachts.com/archives/1554

Wing vs Fin Keel Forum

http://sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/9751-wing-vs-fin-keel.html

Memory 19 Class Gaffers – Part 3

 

'Lucy Louise'

 

'Lucy Louise' again

 

 

Roy Hart's 'Greensleeves'

Here we have two photos of ‘Lucy Louise’, a Memory 19, and one of 'Greensleeves'. If you look carefully, you can see where the seams between planks on the original wooden boat have been retained in the fibreglass moulding. This gives the hull an authentic look.

Loads more can be found out about this class by visiting websites featured in the Links below.

Links

Memory 19 Class Gaffers – Part 1

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/memory-19-class-gaffers.html

Memory 19 Class Gaffers – Part 2

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/memory-19-class-gaffers-part-2.html

Galion 22

 

A Galion at Rice and Cole

 

A Trotter designed by E. G. van de Stadt

I always thought the Galion 22 was a creation of E. G. van de Stadt, because her cabin top is similar to that of his Trotter 22, but she was from the board of Ian Hannay. Galion 22s were built at Deacon’s Boat Yard in the late 1960s and by Robert Ives Boatyard.

Ian also designed the Galion 28 and the Kent Class Motor Sailer.

Dimensions etc

Loa: 6.70m 22ft 0in.

Lwl: 5.50m 18ft 0in.

Beam: 2.20m 7ft 3in.

Draft: 1.00m 3ft 3in.

Displacement: 1,600kgs 3,400lbs.

 

Links

East Coast Cruise – The Remaining Bits (Galion)

http://galion22.tk/

Sailboat Data.com – Galion 22

 http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?CLASS_ID=4991

Yachting Monthly Galion Review

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/reviews/boats/1/27184/galion-22

Galion 22 Project

http://igytomas.tk/galion-22-project-courage-i/

Ian Hannay

http://www.sailingnetworks.com/organisation/view/9527

Ian Hannay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hannay

Deacon’s Boat Yard Ltd (Builders of the Galion 22 and 28)

http://sailboatdata.com/view_builder_by_class.asp?builder_id=235

Sailboat Specifications for a Galion 22

 http://www.sailingjoy.com/sailboat_specs/view/4544/galion-22

Dimensions of Galion 22

http://l-36.com/boat_dimensions_boat.php?boat=GALION%2022&i=22.25&j=8.67&p=22.86&e=9&isp=&jsp=&py=&ey=&sail=&draft=3.25&disp=3400&wll=18

Ice Kool Lady, Galion 22. 5.1 Knots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo3z5fvpuDM

Galion 22 for Sale £2,950

http://uk.boats.com/sailing-boats/galion-22-14617332/

1973 Galion 22 for Sale - Euros 6,950

http://www.luxuryatch.com/1973-galion-22/

http://www.boatwizardwebsolutions.co.uk/pls/searchcrosshaven.php?rPage=/privatelabel/listing/pl_ts_boat_full_detail.jsp?slim=pp259421&boat_id=2368689&checked_boats=2368689&ybw=&access=Public&listing_id=74807&ur=  

Galion 22 Sold, but good photos

http://wales.boatshed.com/galion_22-boat-126763.html  

Kent Class Motor Sailer (Also designed by Ian Hannay)

http://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1621

Trotter 22 for Sale

http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=391244

Seafarer Day Sailer/Trailer Sailer

 

'Seamonster'

 

GRP version at Burnham

 

Again

 

And again

 

Original Wooden Cuddy Version

 

And again

 

Alan Buchanan

The Seafarer ‘Seamonster’ took part in the 2013 la Semaine du Golfe held on the Morbihan in southern Brittany.  Designed by Alan Buchanan, she was built in 1967. Unlike the earlier version with a fibreglass hull, wooden deck and cuddy, her upper structure was moulded in fibreglass.

Her hull has a shallow keel and a heavy mild steel retractable centreplate. She is rigged as a Marconi sloop with a slab reefing mainsail and a furling Genoa. Designed as a day boat she has minimal accommodation for overnight camping. A boom tent vastly increases usable space for gear that is normally stowed under the cuddy, making room for a crew of two to bunk down.

With a generous sail area and a slippery hull, she has a good turn of speed and above average windward ability, in part due to her masthead Genoa and an efficient centreplate. Her transom hung rudder gives positive and sensitive steering. Auxiliary power comes in the form of an outboard motor.

Very few of these early GRP ‘classic’ day boats have survived until today. I have photographed two I found at Burnham-on-Crouch. The fully moulded fibreglass Seafarer at Rice and Cole is redeemable, but I think the older one with the wooden superstructure has probably had its day.

Dimensions

LOA                        5.2 m

Beam                    2.2 m

Draught               1.6 m (Plate down)

Links

Expired Auction at Ebay.co.uk for a Seafarer

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Seafarer-18ft-sailing-boat-yacht-excellent-road-trailer-storage-till-SeMarch-/330652722365

La Semaine du Golfe

http://www.semainedugolfe.com/Home-1074-0-0-0.html

Gulf of Morbinan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Morbihan

Buchanan Owners Association

http://www.buchananownersassociation.org/  

Mount Gay 30 Racing Yacht

I am not normally attracted to racing boats. However, I could not but help be intrigued by this yacht that is for sale at Burnham Yacht Harbour. There is no way I could afford her, nor would I want her. My curiosity was aroused purely because she looks like a flyer with her deep fin keel and streamlined rudder. Not only is she beyond the depth of my pocket, but she is far beyond my comfort zone.

There is no way I would want to be her helmsman with half a dozen crew sitting up to windward while other competitive yachts are in close proximity, tacking to and fro, engrossed in the deadly, cutthroat business of winning at all costs. Now and again one hears shouts of aggression: “Keep clear!” and “Starboard!” and “Water!” – Even unfriendly and unwelcome expletives. Finally, at the end of the race, if there was any joy, the protest committee rules you have been disqualified because of some tiny infringement of the rules of which you were unaware. Deflated, you sheepishly go home and determine to have another shot at being first – egocentric to the core.

Maybe when I was younger I would have relished the challenge of being first. I would have enjoyed making my crew work like hungry slaves, tweaking here, hauling there, or in calm conditions moving like mice so as to not disturb the flow of wind over the sails and water around the hull. Now, things are different. I have acquiesced. I have given up.  I’m no longer competitive. There is no desire to be first, for there are far more important priorities, such as losing self and being last. This is by far more rewarding, as there’s no competition, no aggression, no hassle, no nastiness, no jealousy - only love and selflessness. The depth of my pocket is of no account, and I’m the richer for it.

Philippians 1:5-7 ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the lowliness of men.’

Links

First One

http://www.first-one.nl/

VG Mount Gay 30

 http://www.vgyd.com/VG30.html

VG Mount Gay 30

http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2000/08/vg-mount-gay-30/ 

Building a Mount Gay 30

http://www.concordia.matav.hu/hajo/index_e.htm

Dudley Dix Yacht Design Didi MG 30

http://dixdesign.com/mgay30.htm

Green Flash Mount Gay 30

http://www.yachtdesign.com.br/ingles/projetos/gf30/gflash30.php

Didi Mount Gay 30 Sailing Video 1 (Lift keel version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4I3VnsuQS4

Didi Mount Gay 30 Sailing Video 2 (Lift keel version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoQwW8mN0U

Mount Gay 30 20091003

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV-FNmnL2Oc

Mount Gay Around Barbados Race 2015

 http://www.mountgayrumroundbarbadosrace.com/

 Mount Gay 30 For Sale AU Dollars 65,000

http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/mount-gay-30/125791

1998 Mount Gay 30 For Sale US $65,000 (Fibreglass version)

http://www.boats.com/boat-details/Mount-Gay-30/152442041

Bowman Yacht Sales – Mount Gay 30

http://www.bowmanyachtsales.co.za/id75.htm

For Sale: 1996 Whitbread 30 £19,950 (Identical to a Mount Gay 30)

http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=331219

Mount Gay Rum (The real stuff)

http://www.mountgayrum.com/  

Albin Vega 27 ft Yacht

 

Matt Rutherford finishing his around the Americas venture

Altogether over 3,000 Albin Vegas were built since being designed by the Swede Per Brohäll in 1964. Like most boats they have their strengths and weaknesses, but a Vega 27 has been sailed around the Americas* via the North West Passage which is a testimony not only to her solo skipper, Matt Rutherford, but to the boat.

The first two links below take you to very informative articles describing these popular yachts. The one featured here, and lying at Burnham-on-Crouch, sports a very short bowsprit. Matt Rutherford’s is standard, without a bowsprit.

Details

LOA 27' 1" 8.25 m

LWL 23' 2" 7.20 m

Beam 8' 1" 2.46m

Draught 3' 10" 1.17m

Displacement 5070 lb 2.3 tonnes

Ballast 2020 lbs 915 kg

Sail Area (IOR) 341 sq ft 31.7 sq m

 

Links

Albin Vega: Modest but Tough (Review by Timothy Gill)

http://www.bluemoment.com/boatreviews/vegareview.html

Albin Vega Overview

http://bluewaterboats.org/albin-vega-27/

Albin Vega Wikipedia

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albin_Vega

The Albin Vega 27

http://www.albinvega.com/vegadescription.html

Vega Association of Great Britain

http://www.albinvega.co.uk/

The American Vega Association

 http://www.americanvega.org/

*Matt Rutherford – Solo around the Americas

 http://www.solotheamericas.org/?page_id=2

Albin Vega 27 ft Sailboat for Sale (Sold - advertised at £7,750)

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/albin-vega-27-ft-sailboat-for-sale-yacht/1009269907

Selway-Fisher Lynx 14

Now and again people phone me or send emails wanting advice about small sailboats. I am always happy to help where I can. Yesterday a fellow said he had bought a Seawych 19, but when he attempted to rig the mast, he discovered the shrouds were too short. Was there a way he could overcome the problem without too much expense and hassle? I suggested he did what I had done with one of my boats, and that was to cut lengths of chain to fill the gaps. The chain could be taped or encased in hosepipe to allow free movement of the jib sheets. It worked with my boat; no doubt it would work with his.

This morning I received another request. Could I answer a few questions? “How long does is take to build a Paradox?” and did I know of another similar boat that might be suitable for him and his wife for sailing the Broads and the East Coast rivers. He would also want the boat for extended solo coastal cruising.

In my opinion Paradox is too small for a crew of two. I know that people have done it, even for up to a fortnight, but how that was achieved without tempers being frayed I can’t imagine. Each must have had a high degree of tolerance for the other. I took my grandson for an afternoon’s sail aboard ‘Faith’, my old Paradox, and I found that there was barely room to move around. It would be better with ‘Minnow’, my latest Paradox, because she has a removable washboard, allowing one person to sit on the aft deck. Another possibility would be to make a soft top to the coachroof so that it could be rolled away. This would allow the forward crew member to sit on a transverse seat, well clear of the aft one. Either person could steer the boat by using the tiller lines.

I would suggest that Paul Fisher’s Lynx 14* might be a better boat than a Paradox for someone who wants to sail the Broads and local rivers with a companion, plus do some solo coastal cruising.

The Lynx 14 is considerably beamier than Paradox, and therefore she will not so easily fit into an ordinary garage, and that is a factor when considering winter storage. One of the attractions of Paradox is that she will fit into a garage, and she can be built in one. This latter consideration will not be a limiting factor for the enquirer, because he has enrolled on a boatbuilding course at the IBTC Outlon Broad, and it is there he wishes to build his boat.

Dimensions of a Lynx 14

LOD	14'	4.26m
Beam	6'1"	1.86m
Hull Mid Depth	2'4"	0.72m
Draft	9"/4'	0.23/1.2m
Sail Area	106 sq.ft	9.84 sq.m
Approx. Dry Weight	425 lbs	193 kg
Ballast	None usually
Maximum Headroom	3'4"	1m

Note

All photos are copied from http://www.selway-fisher.com/index.htm

Links

*Plans for a Selway Fisher Lynx 14

http://www.selway-fisher.com/PCup16.htm#LYN

Lynx 14 Plans USA

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/sf/pocket/to16/lynx/index.htm

Building a Lynx 14

http://ianhurley20.wordpress.com/about/the-ongoing-diary-of-building-deux-chevaux/  

International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC)

http://www.ibtc.co.uk/  

Small Sailboat Articles

Yesterday I gave details of four major links pages at my blog, and today I have updated one of them, the ‘Small Sailboats’ portal*, by adding twelve more articles. Each article is illustrated with photos taken by me. You are free to use the photos in any way, except for commercial gain.

* http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/p/small-sailboats-here-are-links-to.html

I am really keen for more people to visit the above links page, as the articles represent a lot of effort on my part, but more so, because they can be used by those seeking information about a particular boat. So far, the portal has only received 113 hits.

Likewise, my Cruising Logs link page** has only had 245 hits.

** http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/p/cruising-logs.html

This is somewhat disappointing, not because of denting my own ego, but because I believe the accounts contain a lot of useful information for cruising folk, especially those who sail small boats around our coasts.

Bill’s Sailboat Cruising Logs, Small Sailboats and Web Links

My blog lacks a homepage that has links to portal pages within the blog. As I would like more visitors to be acquainted with them, I am providing a few here.

When you visit these pages, to follow a series, click the appropriate links on the right-hand side. They are dated in reverse order.

I suggest that you might like to make this page a favourite. By doing so, you will be able to return to it at any time.

Portal Links Pages

‘Photos of Boats I Have Owned – Part 1’ (The first of eight pages)

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/photos-of-boats-i-have-owned-part-1.html

‘Cruising Logs’ This gives access to articles I have written about my various sailboat adventures.

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/p/cruising-logs.html

‘Small Sailboats’ Here, there is a collection of links to my articles featuring small sailing boats.

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/p/small-sailboats-here-are-links-to.html

‘Web Links - Miscellaneous’ This takes you to a number of small sailboat websites.

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/web-links-miscellaneous-but-relevant-to.html

Note

Please let me know if you come across any broken links, so that I can attempt to repair them.

Happy reading,

Bill.