I like sailing. I want to spend as much of my free time as possible actually under way under sail. I live twelve miles from the sea at Maldon, a drying harbour. This gives me access to the Thames Estuary from Aldeburgh, to Ramsgate (or rather Sandwich) and the river through London. Most places are within fifty miles of my mooring. Therefore I need a boat which will cover one hundred miles in a weekend and get me back home under sail (none of this infernal combustion nonsense).

My solution is a large dinghy, in fact a Fairey Falcon built up with a tiny cabin and a cockpit, designed for comfort with an easily handled rig. In a given hour’s sailing I reckon to get 1½ minutes force 6/7, twenty minutes force 4/5, 36 minutes force 1/3 and 2½ minutes of flat calm. Thus I need sail area. The only way I can get this is gaff cutter with topsail. In fact I set 170 ft² and use a water sail and 90 ft² ghoster cum old fashioned spinnaker in light airs. She is sold as a heavy racing dinghy with 125 ft²! As I am a naturally lethargic sort of cove both headsails are on roller furling gear. A tiny spitfire jib replaces the staysail when needs be and I carry a storm trysail permanently on its own gaff that sets boomless. The fisherman anchor is on chain and I carry what I call psychological buoyancy, 280 pounds of lead. It doesn’t actually prevent you capsizing but at least you only do it once. In fact I believe the boat to be uncapsizable in smooth water. The wind spills off the gaff once she is over 35° or more. Of course she could capsize in heavy seas on the face of a wave. Reefing is by pennants and points. I am usually single-handed and find I can catch a few hours sleep between tides or in calms without wasting time putting up a tent. When I have company I rig a tent over the boom and we cruised the broads this year with four of us pitching a tent each evening.

The tiny cabin (just large enough to creep in, cook, kip and creep out again) has a Gaz stove for cooking and another with a radiant heater. There are two cushioned berths right forward and a seat to starboard. It lifts to provide a quarter berth with feet out under the cockpit seats. I use battery powered electric lights and carry a set of code flags. The compass is a huge brass affair bought for 3 shillings a pound (12 pounds = 36/-).

Continuous improvements have been made since she was launched in 1963. To date some 21000 miles have been covered between Whitby, Windsor and Ostend. In 1975 I set out to prove just how good the gaff cutter rig is in this area and covered well over 3000 miles getting home on time each Sunday evening. No engine is used, no tows are accepted. One oar is carried for the odd bit of poking, paddling or sculling. I work the tides and sail irrespective of daylight or darkness. The topsail was added as a fun sail some five years ago but I soon realised that it earns its keep and had a new one made. That is where the wind is. My tip is for members with Bermudian sails to check the class rules to see if there is anything to stop you hoisting the sail upside down. I know there will be snags but if the native in the Mullacas can do this sort of thing with primitive gear to hand, it should prove no problem to members who have had the exciting privilege of living through the white heat of Harold Wilson’s technicalogical revolution.

Shoal Waters doesn’t point high by any stretch of the imagination but she does keep moving and I always work the tide to windward. I don’t seem to get many converts to my way of thinking; rumours are spread around that I sail all night as well as all day to get along but she is my kind of boat and I am content with her for life. There are 48 or 50 hours of sailing time between Friday evening and Sunday evening. If one can average just over three knots (including tidal help) that means about 30 hours under way to cover one hundred miles which leaves nearly twenty hours for eating, sleeping or just lazing around. That’s my formula for sheer unashamed contentment and self satisfaction.

Cruising in Shoal Waters 1975

Launched 26th January 1975 miles

February 1/2 Shake down cruise to the river mouth 25 8/9 Colne Point 35 14/16 Battlesbridge 70 22/23 Rochford 70 March 1/2 Round Buxey Sand and West Mersea 63 7/9 Stow Maries Creek 67 15/16 Battlesbridge 84 21/24 Pin Mill, Manningtree, Walton and round E. Barrow 116 Easter holiday Rochester, Havengore by night and Clacton 130 April 4/6 NE Gunfleet and Burnham 90 19/20 Stow Maries and Havengore Creek 74 25/27 Hole Haven and round Isle of Sheppey 120 May 3/4 Roughs Tower, Fambridge and Rochford 120 10/12 River Colne and Brightlingsea 47 17/19 Walton, Harwich and Havengore 96 Spring Bank Holiday Chelmsford, sailing and towing by hand 30 May/June 31/1 Aldeburgh and Walton 101 June 7/8 Queenborough and Burnham 103 13/15 Woodbridge 100 21/22 Black Deep, Havengore and Fambridge 105 28/29 Ipswich, Walton and Colne 114 July 5/6 Fan Creek, Havengore, Barrow Deep and Alresford 121 11/12 Bridgemarsh and Rochford 88 26/27 Old Gaffers race 49 August 2/3 Sea Lavender cruise to Hoo Outfall (Dengie Flats) 32 8/10 West Mersea, BSC Regatta, Colne and Spitway 70 15/17 Havengore and Spitway 64 Holiday Clipper Regatta, Hampden Court, Rochester, Harwich 329 September 6/7 Havengore and return 65 13/14 Brightlingsea, Bradwell (gales Sunday) 42 19/21 Medway, Battlesbridge and Brightlingsea 130 26/28 Bradwell, club (gales). Spitway on Sunday 52 October 4/6 Round Rushley and Potton Islands 64 11/12 Battlesbridge 72 17/19 Walton, Harwich, Manningtree and Pyfleet 106 November 8/10 Colchester 45 14/16 West Mersea, Salcot cum Virley (fogs and storms) 35 22/23 Bridgemarsh Island and return 54 29/31 West Mersea and Stow Creek 64 December 13/17 Burnham, Brightlingsea and Mersea (frosty but clear) 65

3000 sea miles made good, no engine, home on time each weekend. Shoal Waters is a 16½ ft gaff cutter with 170 sq. ft. of sail. Designed and built by A C Stock from a Falcon hot moulded hull.