Many of those who cruise in dinghies must at times feel they would like to explore further up rivers, or even canals, than they can reach on account of their rig being too tall to pass under bridges.

I have suffered this experience up the Tamar and also on the Thames, where I keep my dinghy at Henley; not far from where I see members of a certain sailing club sailing up and down the same stretch of the river, rather like animals in their cages at the zoo.

I have found the answer in what is known as ‘Norfolk Dinghy Rig’. This is a gunter rig (with single main halyard and topping lift), the mast being housed in a tabernacle, swivelling on a pin and with a securing pin lower down.

The jib halyard acts also as forestay and further serves to raise and lower the mast. It is attached to one side of the mast, just below the head, comes through a small block which can be attached either to the stem head or the head of the jib, back up to the other side of the mast head, round a sheave there and down to a cleat on one side of the tabernacle.

To raise the mast the small block is attached to the stem head and the halyard hauled down till the mast is home in the tabernacle, when the securing pin is inserted.

The small block is then removed from the stem head and attached to the head of the jib, and the tack of the jib is attached to the stem head. The halyard now serves to haul up the jib and then acts as forestay.

When coming to a bridge it is a matter of seconds to withdraw the securing pin and lower the mast with sails set, and when through the bridge, to raise the entire rig again.

Perhaps this type of jib halyard-cum-forestay could be used with a Bermudan rig, but I have not yet tried with mine, being well satisfied with my gunter rig whose spars all stow within the hull of my old fifteen-foot, clinker built, varnished mahogany dinghy.

No doubt this rig has its origin in those picturesque old Norfolk Broads craft, the Wherries, whose mast, with sails set, can be lowered to enable them to pass beneath the innumerable bridges on the stretches of river between the Broads. These Wherries carry a long quant pole to maintain way against wind, tide or current when their sail is lowered, but a scull will be sufficient for this purpose in a dinghy. I think all good dinghy sailors should be able to ‘scull’ over the transom too.

I hope these notes will be of interest to members, and if we have a summer this year and anyone would like to try out my rig, or ask questions about it, they are welcome to contact me at the address below. Balshaw Farm Potten End Berkhamsted Herts.