This article was written by Phillip Chesterfield in 1960 and
appeared in the Christmas issue of ECCpress
"Messing About in
Boats”
I started writing this article on the day
after the Laying-Up Supper of the local Sailing Club and I, like all the other
members of that Club, had but one thought "Roll on next Summer.
Let's get the boats in the water again."
Sailing, you see, is my hobby and I hope
to show you how easily it could be yours also.
Pure and simple sailing is my interest.
Of course, you may be attracted by one of the other water sports, motor
boating, canoeing or hydroplaning, but for me· a small racing boat, 100 to 120
square feet of Terylene sail (the modem equivalent of
canvas), an agile and enthusiastic crew, and wind in any of its reasonable
moods are my simple requisites.
I first sailed in the R.A.F. as third
crew on a converted airborne lifeboat. Like most beginners I was first taken as
ballast. On leaving the services I joined the Porthpean Sailing Club in St.
Austell Bay as a spare crew and was taught dinghy sailing in a West Country
Redwing.
My first boat was a 12ft hard-chine,
knock-about dinghy purchased for only £17. She was a jolly little boat and with
her I made all the mistakes and learnt the rudiments of the sport. She was of
no particular design but she was safe, reasonably fast and very cheap to
maintain. No frills; just a boat with a sail. In fact, a
beginner's tub.
My next dinghy was a 16ft
"Wildcat" Racing dinghy and did she live up to her name! First time
out I found myself standing on her bottom being towed home by the "Peace
and Plenty", a fishing boat from
This past summer I have crewed in a 16ft
National "Hornet", which is an out-and-out racing machine. No
comfort on this contraption. It was my job to operate the jib (the smaller triangle
sail) and the spinnaker and to sit on a plank of wood called a sliding seat
which is suspended over the windward side for some 3ft 6in. I sat on the end
and hung on like grim death whilst the helmsman did his best to balance me
there. Sailing such a boat as this throws you completely on to your own
resources if you are to return to the shore with any sense of achievement. And
there is a terrific sense of achievement to return safely to shore, after a
first rate battle with the wind and sea, and your friends.
The spirit of competition in dinghy
racing is probably more keen than in any other sport and there are very few
sports which offer complete equality of conditions and opportunity as are found
in sailing, and yet such variety in the choice which the competitor can make in
his use of them.
A word here concerning sailing clubs may
be of interest. Sailing Clubs, as with all other types of Associations, vary
the whole world over. Generally you will find them to be reserved in the first
instance, being by experience wary of the noisy know all, especially if he is dressed
in white flannels and peaked cap. But complete beginners and persons genuinely
interested in sailing can be certain of a warm 'Welcome from all members, who
are only too pleased to help all they can.
It is a belief among some members of the
general public that sailing and sailing clubs are for the idle rich. This is a
completely erroneous idea. Everyone is welcomed in sailing clubs, and there is
no need at all to have a boat of your own, although obviously you might be
expected to get one when you have learnt to sail. It is normal for non-boat
owners to outnumber owners by four or five to one.
The companionship and the ever willing
assistance to be found in sailing clubs makes the actual sailing so much more
enjoyable. Often it is only this assistance that makes sailing possible, as on
days when there are big waves coming on to the beach or other hazards threaten
to thwart your outing.
Racing is, of course, one of the
functions of clubs and this provides the most exciting sailing. Competitive
sailing teaches helmsmen and crews more of the art than pottering or cruising
ever will and there is more to racing than just sailing around a course. At
least one leg of its course will be into wind, and to get a boat to go
effectively against the direction of the wind (which on face value is contrary
to the laws of nature) is the most difficult and yet satisfying part of the
sport.
Planing is the most exciting part of sailing.
This occurs when the wind comes at you roughly broadside on, and it is then
your boat raises her bow, in similar fashion to a motor boat, and leaps away
like an unleashed greyhound.
And a Boat for You?
What is your idea of a day's thorough
pleasure and enjoyment? Mine is to do something, anything, with a boat. Doesn't
matter what it is, just messing, but preferably with a sailing dinghy. Dinghies
have a fascination for me like dust for a black car. Boating in any of its
various forms has a habit of becoming almost preoccupation. I
know of several "sailing widows" in this Company of ours, and several
wives who have also been bitten.
The recent increase in the popularity of
sailing can be seen in the growth of the size of two of the most popular
classes of dinghy, the "G.P.14" (a General Purpose 14ft. dinghy) and
the "National Enterprise" (the 13ft. 9in. dinghy which was sponsored
by the News Chronicle), both of which number over 4,000 in each class. And
these are only two out of scores of types of dinghy.
Men and 'Women, in this country, have
been building boats, big and small, professional and amateur, ever since wood
could float. But, thanks to recent innovations in design and materials, it is
now possible for anyone to build a first-class dinghy, comparable with any of
the best craftsman-built products.
There are at present many types of
sailing dinghy on the market but as no doubt, you, like me, are very restricted
in what you can afford to spend, it is perhaps best to tell you about some
classes you can build yourself and kits that are available.
Dinghies generally are classified by size
and it is popularly thought that a small boat is easier to manage than a larger
craft. In fact, for a youth or an adult, anything less than a 12ft. dinghy is
most unsuitable. 14 footers have long been proved the best general size for the
current conception of a sailing dinghy. That is, one that can be trailed behind
your car from place to place and taken with you on holiday.
There is one boat, however, that I would
recommend to younger people and to fathers whose children are asking for a
dinghy and that is a Yachting World "Cadet". This is a potted version
of a full-blooded racing dinghy 'Which has been especially designed for persons
under 17 years of age. She is an international boat being sailed in most
countries and although only I0ft.6in. in length
carries a spinnaker in addition to her 55.5 sq. ft. of mainsail and jib. Cadets
are easily recognised by their blunt bow and several can be seen at Fowey where
they are skillfully and fearlessly sailed by 9 and 10 year olds. A
craftsman-built Cadet will cost £99 plus sails, whilst a kit from a reputable
manufacturer will cost £35 plus sails. Some local boys have, however, built a
Cadet from scratch for as little as £25 including sails, by scrounging and
using secondhand materials.
For the older beginners and the family
man there is the "Mayfly" Dinghy. She is 12ft. 9in. in length and,
having a modest 90 sq. ft. of sail, she has proved herself in St. Austell Bay
to be a very stable and safe little dinghy. She is suitable for racing and family
cruising and is available in two cockpit layouts, and a spinnaker if required.
She can be purchased complete for £125 plus terylene sails at about £25 according to maker or in
part-built kit form for £95 (ex-sails).
The construction of these boats, as
indeed most boats designed for home building, follows the general system of the
setting-up of frames each 3 to 4ft. high which are mounted on a ground bed, all
of which must be rigid, immovable and accurately set up vertically and
horizontally if a true hull is to be built. Most home built boats are of
hard-chine design (i.e. square sectioned with an almost flat bottom) as this
is the easiest and most adaptable design where large sheets of marine plywood
are to be used.
My example of a 14ft. dinghy is the
"Scorpion".
The Scorpion came on the market at the
Boat Show in January, 1960, although some general information leaked into the
yachting press late in 1959. The Porthpean Sailing Club were considering the
adoption of a dinghy to replace the West Country "Redwing" as the
club class and a "Scorpion" was brought to Porthpean for trials on
the 24th January, 1960. Mr. Stuart Hore, a joiner
employed by John Williams & Co. (
Dinghy racing in St. Austell Bay
During the summer the club has sailed
"Scorpions" in all conditions and they have been acclaimed up and
down the country and abroad as a first class dinghy.
Members of the Porthpean Club (myself
among them) are building "Scorpions" from kits this winter and anyone
wishing to know more about this is invited to get in touch with me.
The "Scorpion" is a hard-chine
racing boat, 14ft. long and 4ft. l0in. wide and she
weighs 200lbs. She carries 107 sq. ft. of sail. Complete boats and kits are
available from Honnor Marine Ltd. among other
companies, whose yard, you may be interested to know, is situated on Dart moor
north of Ivybridge. The complete boat costs £165 plus
sails at £27 10s. 0d. She is also available partly
built, leaving only decking and finishing to the amateur at £140 plus sails. A
Kit which costs £96 plus sails is available and it is
this kit that is referred to in the next part of this article.
Do
It Yourself.
It is this "Scorpion" design
that has changed the whole conception of the method of construction of sailing
dinghies. All temporary frames and setting-up has been dispensed with and only
three temporary battens are used in construction.
She has been designed with the aim of
being an easily constructed, easily transported, easily sailed and easily and
cheaply maintained racing dinghy. Her method of construction is revolutionary,
in that when building from the kit only one measurement requires to be taken
from the plans and its construction follows a very simple system.
The parts shown in figure 1 come in the
kit in the form illustrated. The stem, fore and aft bulkheads and skin are
mounted on the centre plate hog assembly in pre located slots. The thwart
(seat) is positioned on the centre plate case and the side tanks are joined to
the bulkheads and thwart all, again, in pre located slots. Next the chine
stringers and then the top sides (which are in four parts, two either side) are
fitted. The bottom panels again are in four pieces and require bending.
This is made easy by soaking with boiling
water before they are applied. The most difficult part of the whole
construction, a scarf joint, is required along the join between the bottom
panels and top sides for about 18 inches back from the bow on both sides. Deck
beams are now fitted and then the decking (in five pieces), and lastly rubbing
strakes.
The loose equipment, rudder, centre
plate, mast, boom, etc., require only finishing from kit form, all shaping
being done.
Painting and varnishing are a matter of
experience, plenty of light, a dust free atmosphere and good surface and
materials to work with.
The fittings on the boat go on last.
One of the features of the Scorpion is
that two people can manage her in all conditions, on shore and in the water.
This is an important consideration, especially if you wish to trail your boat
from place to place. Her safety on the water is ensured by the built in
buoyancy which, in the event of a capsize, keeps her
floating high in the water and she is easily righted and sailed on.
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
The
Second-hand Boat Perhaps!
There is a constant and speedy market for
secondhand dingj1ies, with sound boats always available at moderate prices.
An article of this scope does not allow much to be said in this respect so I
advise all who are considering the purchase of a second-hand dinghy to talk to
the members of sailing clubs who know what sort of boats are available locally
and whether they are a good buy.
Sailing, today, is well within the scope
of anyone and if this article has whetted your keenness to "get out there
on the boundin' billows" well, you've got the long winter months in which
to do something about it. Buy one. Build one. Join a club and learn. And then,
roll on summer! P. Chesterfield
Peter & Susan
Milne sailing at Porthpean 1960