The process of graduating from dinghies to cruisers started with the launching of Piccolo, my self-built Y.M. Senior. This season sees me with a 3½ ton bilge keel sloop of the Mistress class, Strata by name.

In the seasons 1963, 1964 and 1965 in Piccolo we had some most excellent cruising and a little unsuccessful racing. During 1964 we cruised up and down the north east coast from Scarborough to Holy Island and entered a few offshore races of short duration. In the summer of 1963 our week’s annual cruise was spent on the north coast of France whence we had cruised from Dover.

On the 31st May my crew and I left the works at 3.30 p.m. and picked up the pre-loaded boat from my house in Richmond, Yorkshire. We motored the 300 miles via London (where a meal was eaten) to Dover in 12 hours.

By 9 a.m. we were launched down the Cinque Ports Yacht Club slipway and at 1300 we were on passage to Calais. We crossed the channel in thickish fog with a smooth sea and force 4 breeze in 5½ hrs, almost colliding with the Dyke lightship en route!

After a merry night in Calais we sailed for Boulogne after which the weather steadily worsened and blew a gale for the rest of the week. Having no time to wait we shipped back to Folkestone in the weekly cargo ship, Piccolo and all. The gale naturally blew out as soon as all was aboard, but we sailed the south coast until getting back to the north by road on Sunday.

In 1965 we raced and cruised our home waters, but for our week’s sailing that year towed to Bosham and sailed the Solent thoroughly and enjoyably. We had a date with club members for Cowes Week, as they were crewing Prospect of Whitby in the Fastnet race. Two boats from the north towed down, Alan Norris with his Silhouette and myself. We had one of the most enjoyable holidays even on the not so violent Solent in glorious sunshine. This mobility is the great feature of boats of 4 tons and under. The island was explored fairly thoroughly during the week and memories of Bembridge and Cowes will remain for a long time. Some trouble was met in extracting the boats from Bosham after a final sail of 30 miles in 5½ hours. However, a hired Landrover did the trick and we went north again leaving the Post Office to repair an overhead telephone line demolished by Alan’s mast. Local sailing completed 1965.

It was plain after this that something bigger and with a better performance to windward against a lumpy sea was required to enable longer distances to be covered. The winter 1965/66 was spent in refitting Piccolo but by March 1966 arrangements had been completed to sell Piccolo and buy Strata,

Strata is a 3½ ton sloop of the Mistress Class Mk.II. 19’6” overall she has a plywood hull of very good lines and is clinker built at the turn of the bilges. Her stub keel is deep and the bilge keels are steel with slots to allow the turbulent water trapped between the stub and the bilges to escape. She has a nice saloon with two berths and a third berth under the quarter. Tin spars and plastic coated stainless rigging complete the ship.

I have known Strata for years. She belonged to a clubmate who changed to a 9 ton East Coast O.D.. For two years she had been on charter at Sidmouth, Devon and had suffered accordingly. On March 19th we left Darlington at lunch time and midnight saw us cooking a meal on trailer on board Strata in Devon 350 miles away. On Saturday 20th we trailed to Poole where we launched and sailed until evening. In the evening we recovered, and set off north stopping for dinner and baths at Ringwood. Midnight Sunday 21st saw Strata in my workshop at Richmond. Hectic work ensued re-laying decks and doing major repairs above W/L externally to launch the week after Easter.

Since then she has been cruised and raced very hard and has been placed 3rd in two starts in NECRA offshore races against 16 boats of 5-14 tons. She sails equal with most 5 tonners and beats Folkboats on handicap. Why the design is not more popular I can’t think. At Whitsun we covered the 50 miles from Hartlepool to Scarborough in 12 hours including two hours with no wind at the end. I find that whereas crews were hard to find for Piccolo I now have a “Strata supporters club” to draw from. Also I can be at sea for long periods without fatigue. On the 22nd we tow to Woodbridge on the Deben and sail for Belgium and Holland as soon as the weather is right. Much as I loved dinghy cruising I can only think that more enjoyment is to be had from a well found cruiser provided she is small enough to be moved under one’s own steam.