The boat was completed in 15 months from scratch by the writer with a little help from the firm where I work in the fabrication of keels and metal parts. The building of a 16 ft. sloop was easier than previous dinghies, partly due to experience gained and partly to the extra size of each component. Any handy man could confidently set out to build such a boat.

The boat is 16ft. OA x 6ft.0½” x 1ft.3” with ballast keel and twin oak bilge keels. This is the Mark II version and is self-righting when laid flat. She carries 125 sq.ft. of blue terylene in Bermuda rig. The mast is mounted in a tabernacle for ease of lowering. The cockpit has lockers under the thwarts for outboard and fuel etc. and a watertight bulkhead aft and forward. Cabin slides are fitted to door to bridge-deck level and a large swing hatch is fitted to the coach roof. The cabin is full width and provides sitting headroom over a raised sleeping platform forward. This takes two air beds in comfort (I am 6ft. and have ample room). Under the coachroof to port is a large locker for clothes. The top of this forms a chart table. To starboard a food locker with opening doors takes food, pots and pans, crockery etc. A primus is fixed to the locker top leaving room for food preparations and a washing-up bowl. Sail bag, anchor, warps and gear are stowed in the fore peak and a hurricane lamp was used for lighting, plus the usual large torch.

Dealing first with living accommodation, this is excellent for the size of boat. On this year's main cruise of 12 days round northern inland waterways my wife and I were comfortable and dry in very poor weather. She has shown willing to come again which I take as the highest recommendation since my wife is not prepared for hardship as a pleasure. Cooking was easy, but the procedure for turning in was too lengthy and is to be improved.

Sailing performance should be viewed in the light of the waters in which she was sailed. This was, apart from the spell on the rivers and canals mentioned above, all in the North Sea based upon Hartlepool where she was moored. She was sailed almost every weekend from Easter to November in conditions from flat calm to force 6 and made passages from (at different times) Holy Island in the north to Whitby in the south. She was raced without much success in two races of the Offshore Group of Hartlepool Y.C. I will deal below with the aspects of performance which were important to me without drawing too many conclusions. I would say that next season I shall know how to overcome many of the little difficulties of a new boat.

Range and Fatigue

We have sailed (two men) some 30 miles in rough conditions on passage and return in 10 hours including anchoring for a meal at destination and have reached our mooring dry, warm and not distressed in any way. This is a great advance on dinghy comfort.

In easy conditions there is no limit to the range for average people. In very bad conditions — force 5-6 to windward in a short sea — we took a beating after 6 hours. The motion was sharp with a good deal of slamming and the effort of driving her in those conditions was a bit too much. Had we not been racing we could have reduced sail further and improved conditions. Reaching and running is easy in most conditions. Sitting out is unnecessary except in force 5 with plain sail. By comparison with a dinghy, there is no doubt that the ballast keel and covered accommodation add a great advantage. In short, I am now quite confident of making offshore passages within the limitations of the boat, and expect to finish in good fettle.

Reaching

This is the best point of sailing. On a close or broad reach the boat will sail level with a GP14 in easy conditions. In a blow or a sea we will leave it well astern. At around maximum speeds in force 5 the Senior will surf on the crests and is a most exhilarating sail.

Close Hauled

In calm water I have no criticism of the windward performance. It is not as good as a centreplate boat, but quite adequate for cruising and handicap races, since a lot of ground can be made up on the reaching legs. However in a short sea in strong winds there is not sufficient grip in the keels to prevent her being knocked sideways and making an excessive amount of leeway. It has been found that this can be reduced to some extent by using the small headsail when the tendency to overpress is reduced. I have also found that the jib requires to be sheeted very flat and the sheets need to be taken inboard of the shrouds. Further experiment will be carried out on this, and the possibility of carrying some internal ballast considered. The fault is sufficiently serious as to make it not worthwhile to consider trying to beat to windward for any great distance in a short sea such as produced off our coast by a south east blow.

Running

She runs very free with no vices. The ½” toe-in of the bilge keels seems to act as a check in light airs. In a good blow this is overcome by the tendency to surf on the crests. I think that a spinnaker of moderate size is the answer, and, when funds allow, I propose to buy one.

Cruising Techniques

With a small cruiser it seems that passages should be planned to take a “soldier’s wind” whenever possible. This season I have gradually got over the shame of using the Seagull Century to get me up the wind when time is important. I have no hesitation in using motor and sail to make a long windward leg which will allow me to lay my course at about 50º to the wind. This sounds like defeat to the purist, but one has to sail within the capability of the boat and 6ft. beam on 15’6” WL with only about 1ft. draft does not make for slicing upwind in a chop.

I tend to plan my passages to suit the wind and conditions of the day and so I quite often find myself heading north for Seaham and Sunderland when I had in mind lunching in Staithes to the south. I find that I can cover about three miles per hour in comfort in light breezes and have made passages average in excess of five miles per hour. I have considered converting to a centreplate through the ballast keel, but the other factors such as a roomy unobstructed cabin, shallow draft, and upright position on drying out outweigh the windward disadvantages to my mind.

Handling

Piccolo is the handiest boat I have ever had. She will go about in a second and way comes off quickly when put head to wind. As a result one can sail onto moorings at an impressive speed with no fuss. If by chance the buoy is not picked up first go there is no trouble about making a second run even amongst other boats in the harbour.

Alterations for this season

(1) A 10 lb. Danforth and another 100 ft. warp. (2) My RAF compass mounted on a thwart across the cockpit seats. The compass thwart will lift out, being located only by a dowel into a hole in the seat edge at each side. (3) Electric lighting to cabin, and a small masthead light to hoist on the burgee halyard. Electric light to the compass in cockpit. (4) Snubbing winches have been fitted to the cockpit side decks to take the mainsheet load, and yet to allow the running end to be in hand in heavy weather. (5) Two 3’10” x 1’10” airbeds in the cabin. By day they will be rigged to form a bench seat, at night they will be positioned for sleeping. (6) Fairleads to bow and stern to make mooring simpler. Stern warps can be made fast to the snubbing winches. (7) Shorten the boom by 6” so that it will fit into the cabin when left on moorings and during road transit. (8) Make a new 12 cwt. tailor-made trailer (in the works) having keel guides, guide poles (removable) and winch built in. (9) Purchase an ex WD jeep with low ratio box and four wheel drive for towing. This vehicle has had towing hitches fitted fore and aft. The front hitch is used for launching and recovery.

1964 Season

She has been going very well this season in cruising and offshore races on the North Sea. Over Whitsun we sailed with a crew of three 60 miles in 30 hours including two overnight passages. The start was at Hartlepool and the course was Staithes (resting from midnight to dawn) — Whitby; Whitby — Runswick Bay (beached for four hours for resting, bathing and eating) — Hartlepool by midnight. Winds variable from light airs to force 5. Sea variable from flat to lumpy. The crew were all in good shape at the finish.

Am off tomorrow to Dover with hopes of France.