The King is in the all-together
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall is glad he did not travel to the Mediterranean A counter view of the never-ending summer of sport or, as the French once said, "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la voile!"
Posted on 11 Oct 2024 Make mine a Magnum
by Dougal Henshall
50 year old International Moth design gets a 21st century make-over In almost every respect, 'Magnum' was a 1970s classic, but 50 years on the Magnum Moth is about to get a 21st century make-over. Sailors wanting to join the growing Lowrider Moth fleet just have to ask themselves, "Do you feel lucky?"
Posted on 27 Jun 2024 100 Years of Jack Chippendale
by Dougal Henshall
One of the greats behind the golden era of the UK's domestic dinghy scene Regular readers will hopefully have enjoyed the recent 'Fine Lines' series of photos, times to coincide with the centenary of one of the greats behind the golden era of the UK's domestic dinghy scene, Jack Chippendale.
Posted on 13 May 2024 'Fine Lines' Top Ten part 10
by Dougal Henshall
With a full history of master boatbuilder Jack Chippendale This, the tenth and final Fine Lines in this series ends up with a real example of what the thinking is all about, that near perfect fusion of style and function. Plus a more detailed look at Jack's life and his boats.
Posted on 1 May 2024 The price of heritage
by Dougal Henshall
A tale of a city, three towns but one theme, from dinghy historian Dougal Henshall The meeting in question took place down at the National Maritime Museum at Falmouth and saw the 1968 Flying Dutchman Gold Medal winning trio of Rodney Pattisson, Iain MacDonald-Smith and their boat Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious brought back together.
Posted on 19 Apr 2024 Winning at last!
by Dougal Henshall
How did the Firefly class come to be at the 1948 Olympics in the first place? We'll get into detail on Firefly 503, Jacaranda, later on but maybe an even bigger story is how the Firefly Class came to be at the Olympics in the first place. To put things into perspective we first have to go back even further to the early 1930s.
Posted on 15 Mar 2024 The wisest Wise Man
by Dougal Henshall
Cliff Norbury's influence still extends across much of our sport today Cliff Norbury was a man whose influence still extends across much of our sport today and with the sad news of his passing, the time is right to look at the life and sailing career of a man who really does deserve the title of the 'Wisest Wise Man'.
Posted on 26 Jan 2024 The Wise Man of the Solent
by Dougal Henshall
Osprey and Moth champion Tony Blachford passed away in December Although nominally a single-hander, Tony Blachford was also known for going afloat with the family dog as crew, which must have been interesting in the cramped cockpit of a Moth.
Posted on 12 Jan 2024 It's all in the Name!
by Dougal Henshall
Racing Sailboats, an institution right at the very heart of the UK dinghy sailing scene It is a sad fact of life that the sailors who were drivers at the heart of the so called 'golden era' of dinghy racing are getting older, but their ability to get together for an afternoon of fun and laughter is as strong as ever.
Posted on 3 Nov 2023 The Morning Sun
by Dougal Henshall
...when it's in your face really shows your age Taking the positive feedback that was received as the main metric, it seems a pretty fair assessment that the recent article on the state of the domestic dinghy scene struck something of a chord with a number of classes and individuals.
Posted on 29 Oct 2023 Something so right
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall looks at what makes for a good championships attendance Jack Knights coldly set out that the golden age of dinghy racing had already had its day, and by the mid-1970s he felt that that all the signs were that activity levels had peaked. He claimed to see the first signs of a downward trend.
Posted on 13 Sep 2023 Designing the new orthodoxy
by Dougal Henshall
The design/racing career of a wise and radical man, Mike Jackson The post-war Jack Holt designs might struggle to be called 'radical'. That epithet will instead go to another Ranelagh member, a truly 'Wise and Radical' sailor, Mike Jackson.
Posted on 30 Jun 2023 Searching for a Sixpence on a Chelsea Morning
by Dougal Henshall
Lowrider Moths at Nantwich & Borders SC epitomise individuality and enjoyment One of the exciting aspects of the UK dinghy scene is its diversity, yet the Moths seem to celebrate this with an even wider range of boats that spread from what are in effect 'little' versions of bigger classes.
Posted on 18 Apr 2023 Simply the Best: 5o5 celebration at Hayling Island
by Dougal Henshall
The last great 'untold' narrative of dinghy development It is one of those sadder facts for our long established 'senior' classes, that when they were first developed, no one could have envisaged that they would still be at the forefront of our sport a lifetime later.
Posted on 7 Mar 2023 The Wise Man of the West
by Dougal Henshall
Another of our first generation 'greats' has left us - Alec Stone Another of our first generation 'greats' has left us. The name of Alec Stone is hardly an oft featured favourite, yet he should not be forgotten as he had become one of the great links to an era of sailing and boatbuilding that is now long past.
Posted on 5 Mar 2023 Finn de siècle
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall digs through early historic photos and stories on the Finn class We look at the Finn, the boat that had already cemented its position as the Olympic singlehander in the 50s, although the DNA of the boat was rooted in events leading back even before the war years....
Posted on 8 Sep 2022 Something So Right
by Dougal Henshall
What's the secret of Salcombe? asks dinghy historian Dougal Henshall As early as the mid-1970s, worried articles were appearing in Yachts & Yachting magazine that highlighted the concerns that - after 20 years of unbroken growth - participation numbers hadn't just plateaued, but were already starting a downward trend.
Posted on 3 Aug 2022 14s Forever
by Dougal Henshall
Nothing lasts forever.... unless you're an International 14 The International 14 would bring the giants of 'between the wars' dinghy design, Morgan-Giles, Thornycroft and Fox, to the fore whilst at the same time laying the foundations of sailing competition on the international stage.
Posted on 1 Jul 2022 A Fine Line
by Dougal Henshall
Dinghy historian Dougal Henshall looks at race officers and start lines As the world around us reblooms after the constraints of lockdown, there is plenty of food for thought surrounding the debate as to something of a reset for dinghy racing. Older sailors talk in nostalgic terms of the delights of the 'golden era'.
Posted on 22 Jun 2022 Welsh Moths
by Dougal Henshall
The quintessential English boat at the quintessential English Club 90 years ago, just as now, the UK was being gripped by a financial crisis. A group of sailors based in Central London had been looking for a new one design dinghy to replace their collection of disparate boats that they raced on Regent's Park Lake.
Posted on 6 May 2022 What price in taking the P...
by Dougal Henshall
Does the best in quality and performance comes with the highest price? Does it follow that the best in quality and performance comes with the highest price? In recent weeks there has been something of a debate bouncing around online, about the cost of the dinghy sailing scene and in one class in particular.
Posted on 24 Mar 2022 The Twelve Days of FiveO Christmas
by Dougal Henshall
It is time to vote for your favourite 505 photo The 5o5 class grabbed the media spotlight with the '12 days of 5o5 Christmas'. The premise was simple, for instead of calling birds, pipers a piping and French hens, there were twelve superb Christophe Favreau photographs.
Posted on 7 Jan 2022 Arrested development
by Dougal Henshall
Has the restricted development genre had its day? Let's start with a little Christmas Quiz and play spot the odd one out. Numerically, the Merlin Rockets are our most successful development class, but in this classic shot from a crowded Salcombe, can you recognise the one boat that ISN'T a Winder?
Posted on 23 Dec 2021 The Twelve Days of FiveO Christmas
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall wants to pick the best 505 photo for his book cover For the 12 Days of FiveO Christmas, each day will see one of Christophe's pictures posted, then at the end readers will be allowed to comment with suggestions as to which picture they think should grace the book cover.
Posted on 10 Dec 2021 70 years of going Dutch
by Dougal Henshall
The UK's part in the history of the Flying Dutchman Since the early 1950s the Flying Dutchman has been one of the pinnacles of performance sailing. What though is the secret behind this amazing and often ground-breaking boat?
Posted on 26 Nov 2021 When Flares Were in Fashion
by Dougal Henshall
The Magnum Moths were style icons that changed the shape of sailing The Magnum design of International Moth began a dynasty of increasingly skinny boats that would start out by rewriting the rule book for dinghy design whilst stretching the UK's PY system to the maximum.
Posted on 18 May 2021 The John Westell Centenary pt.5
by Dougal Henshall
FiveOs, fast multi-hulls and faster cars! This fifth and final programme in the series celebrating the centenary of John Westell kicks off with the 5o5, but now with John not so much as the designer but as the first volume builder of GRP FiveOs in the UK.
Posted on 9 Apr 2021 The John Westell Centenary pt.4
by Dougal Henshall
Happy One Hundred to John Westell Today will be a day of genuine celebration, not just for the 5o5 Class, but for the sport of sailing in the wider context, as we raise a glass to the memory of John Westell, who was born one hundred years ago today.
Posted on 11 Mar 2021 The John Westell Centenary pt.3
by Dougal Henshall
A crown made for sailing: The action out afloat and ashore hots up In this the third video charting the life and the boats of John Westell, the action out afloat and ashore hots up. However, at the same time, the timescales are getting compressed, with this video covering the period of just a year.
Posted on 18 Feb 2021 The John Westell Centenary pt.2: An eye for design
by Dougal Henshall
How his love of speed in dinghies would become increasingly strong factors behind his thinking In Part 2 of this series of videos telling the story of the life and boats of John Westell, we will see how his eye for a shapely design and his love of speed in a sailing dinghy would become increasingly strong factors behind his thinking.
Posted on 1 Feb 2021 Bob Fisher - The second Wise and Witty Man
by Dougal Henshall
A key influencer in the world of sailing Key influencers in the world of UK dinghy sailing, like London buses, can often come in twos, with the best example of this being how the development of the sport here was driven by the shared presence of not just Jack Holt, but Ian Proctor.
Posted on 14 Jan 2021 Jack Knights - Witty Wise Man
by Dougal Henshall
Sailing lost the sailor, innovator, journalist 40 years ago 40 years ago in early January, the sport of sailing lost one of its keenest and most observant commentators, when the UK magazine 'Yachts & Yachting' columnist Jack Knights died suddenly at just 51 years of age.
Posted on 7 Jan 2021 The John Westell Centenary pt.1: The early years
by Dougal Henshall
Exe marks the spot for Dougal Henshall! From the Bloody Mary, to the 50th Contender Worlds and now the Sydney-Hobart, the casualty list from Covid grows ever longer and for a while, it looked as if the next occasion to fall would be the centenary of the birth of John Westell.
Posted on 3 Jan 2021 The winningest Wise Man
by Dougal Henshall
Charles Currey, an incredible sailor and a clever and insightful innovator Up until now, with the exception of Jon Turner, the wise men that have been featured have all been innovators who sailed, whereas Charles Currey was an incredible sailor, who at the same time was also a clever and insightful innovator.
Posted on 18 Dec 2020 The John Westell Centenary
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall gives us an introduction to the upcoming video series! Whatever your favourite dinghy or boat may be, they all have one thing in common! At some point back in the past, someone sat down and drew the lines for the boat, normally with a particular purpose in mind!
Posted on 20 Nov 2020 Hot Wood...
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall charts the success of Fairey Marine's moulded dinghies The name of Fairey Marine, and their incredible range of hot moulded wooden dinghies, is central to the growth that marked that golden era of dinghy sailing in the UK. There was nothing like success to help sales.
Posted on 13 Nov 2020 The Best of Britannia
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall looks at the yachts which bore the name Britannia Although the UK has never won the America's Cup, the waters of the Solent, on the coast of Southern England, are richly intertwined with the romance that goes hand in hand with trying to win what many see as the 'toughest prize in sport'.
Posted on 2 Nov 2020 Crafty Keith - The definition of 'Legend'
by Dougal Henshall
Contender and 505 World Champion gracefully retires To describe someone as a 'legend' means that they really have to special, across a number of disciplines and a protracted period of time. One man who is special enough to be worthy of that term 'legend' is Weston SC's Keith Paul.
Posted on 15 Sep 2020 Fear of flying
by Dougal Henshall
Two other crucial Fs that apparently need their own article In the recent massive missive on having fun courtesy of the scow hull form, 'All the Fs in sailing' there were a few other Fs that were missing.
Posted on 31 Aug 2020 All the Fs in sailing
by Dougal Henshall
Fantastic full on fast, fun, and FLAT bottomed - the scow Is windward-leeward is the only true measure of a sailors prowess in a race? Some boats simply don't reach at all, but if there is one genre of boat that has 'reaching master-blaster' written into its DNA, then it has to be the scow.
Posted on 30 Jul 2020 Gregory's Ghost
by Dougal Henshall
David Henshall's search for a rare 1960s dinghy has a happy ending Hailing from the early 1960's, the Ghost was a stretched out development of designer Greg Gregory's race winning Cherubs that carried more than a touch of the southern hemisphere in the rig.
Posted on 3 Jun 2020 Yes I, am the Great Contender
by Dougal Henshall
David Henshall gets excited in an overgrown field One boat that is not so much of a barn find, but a 'back of the field' feature, is a Contender, which has lain undisturbed for enough years for the brambles to claim it as one of their own. Yet this is a class that surely is worthy of a second look.
Posted on 28 May 2020 The Greed for Speed
by Dougal Henshall
Has it taken away the fun of sailing? With dinghy racing being a competitive sport, there has always been a demand for more power and speed as getting to the finish line faster than the rest is what it is all about, so that in some ways, the 'Greed for Speed' is nothing new.
Posted on 24 Apr 2020 The Unsung Wise Man
by Dougal Henshall
Reg Bratt's remarkable contribution to British dinghy sailing exposed Today, nearly half a century after he was so very much hands on in the dinghy world, Weymouth's Reginald 'Reg' Bratt has a mind as sharp as ever. We look at his remarkable engineering breakthroughs, surprising designs, and speed records.
Posted on 13 Dec 2019 One Design or Two?
by Dougal Henshall
David Henshall looks at control (and abuse) of hull shapes over the years Science fiction and the Terminator movies introduced us to the notion of shape shifting, but in the real life of the sailing dinghy world, how IS a shape defined?
Posted on 9 Oct 2019 And now for something completely different
by Dougal Henshall
The smallest boat but the biggest story! Over the last year or so, there have been a couple of key themes that have kept reoccurring in the articles that I have written for your reading. One is on the fascinating topic of innovation and how it has driven – and been driven by dinghy development.
Posted on 7 Mar 2019 Who ate all the (mince) pies?
by Dougal Henshall
Has Santa delivered the Finn class the biggest stocking filler ever? With the festive holiday, the big question has to be if Santa delivered the Finn class the biggest stocking filler ever, a reprieve from their banishment to the wilderness outside of the Olympics.
Posted on 31 Dec 2018 Kindly Leave the Stage
by Dougal Henshall
What happens to ex-Olympic classes? The Carnival is over...but the Show must go on! These comparisons with a circus have never been stronger, all the more now that the Finn has been told to "kindly leave the stage", with the Olympic Regatta at Enoshima bringing an end to 72 years service.
Posted on 3 Dec 2018 Staying atop the Singles Chart
by Dougal Henshall
David Henshall looks at the future - and history - of the singlehander Singlehanders are such a part of the sailing scene today, but what does it take to stay at the top of the Singles Chart? If there is one bellwether that gives us a indication as to the health of the sport, it has to be the singlehanded scene.
Posted on 17 Oct 2018 Ghost Hunting
by Dougal Henshall
Have you seen this rare vintage dinghy? It is now many years since my first ever linked series of articles appeared in print, when I wrote for Dinghy Magazine about some of the dinghy classes that had been lost through time. The series opened with a question; "Have you seen a Ghost?".
Posted on 7 Oct 2018