The Midshipman has not been tested by members of the DCA and anyone desiring to purchase one of these boats should first ask for a trial sail. She is designed purely for cruising and is particularly suitable for single handed sailing. Her generous beam, low rig and heavy bilge keels give her margin of safety which, as far as I know, is not equalled by any other modern design.

Details :— L.O.A. 14’0” L.W.L. 11’3” Beam 6’0” Draft 1’2” Sail area 90 sq ft Displacement 820 lbs Engine 2½ hp Vincent Designer Robert Tucker Agents Imray & Wilson (Yachting) Ltd

Extract from a letter received from Mr WD Waterhouse, Manager, Imray & Wilson:

‘Last week-end, having earlier sailed the Midshipman from Cowes to Newhaven, I set out to sail her across to France. We started under full main and Genoa with a pleasant SW breeze and continued thus right into the main shipping lanes off Beachy Head. Before dusk we had crossed the shipping lane and were running in to rather heavier weather. The wind went round to the NE and the sea rose considerably. About 10.30 pm, by this time we were sailing under reefed mainsail only, the state of the sea and strength of the wind became such that it was necessary to lay to a sea anchor. The wind direction was now NE and heavy seas of 10-14 feet were being driven from the NE through the Straits of Dover and were breaking badly. Wind force was approximately 6-7. We remained at sea anchor throughout the night until 4.30 in the morning, during which time the wind increased to a further peak and then subdued slightly. At no time during the night did we take more than spray on board. At 4.30 am we again hoisted the reefed mainsail and set course just SE of E towards the French coast. At 8.30 am, we came in sight of the French coast and were in the French shipping lane. By this time we were not at all sure of our exact position and so we put in to the first town we could see and found that we were 19 miles west of Dieppe. The seas were still very heavy and still breaking but the wind had dropped to about force 5, so rather than put to windward against these seas, we ran down the coast with following seas and following wind to Fecamp, where we arrived at 4.15 pm on the Sunday.

‘During the whole of the passage we took no green seas and whilst running we did not once broach to, nor did we take as much as a cupful of water over the stern.’

Criticisms by the DCA Committee :—

1. The thickness of the planking, particularly the underwater planking, is inadequate — 5/16” is a minimum. 2. No provision for rowing. 3. Bilge water may swamp the engine. 4. It appears difficult to get to the foredeck when the awning is rigged. 5. There is little advantage in roller reefing when only one halyard is fitted as the sail will still have to be lowered to shift the point of attachment to the yard.

Conclusion :— The Midshipman should prove very safe and easy on the crew but care should be taken when exploring the upper reaches of rivers and creeks as underwater obstructions may damage the thin planking. EGC