I must confess right at the beginning that I am not a dinghy cruiser by conviction but of necessity.

My last boat was a 26ft Fairey Atalanta, and my dream ship is a Harrison Butler cutter of about 32ft. It is not therefore surprising that I chose a large heavy boat for dinghy cruising.

I took delivery of my Longboat in November 1975. My first impression was that, as boats go these days, she is sturdily built. My second impression was that owning a fibreglass boat would not make me like fibreglass as a method of construction. However, this is a criticism of me rather than of the boat.

During the winter of 1975/6 I set to work making locker fronts, a galley, a fitted shelf for books and radio, and a door for the main hatch. How do I get the centreplate out without removing the cabin top, and how do I replace the centreplate pin?

The next article I write for the Bulletin may be to explain how I managed these operations, of which the designer and builder clearly disapprove. The only external modifications to the hull so far have been to fit a ventilator over the galley and to fit chocks on the foredeck for the main anchor and on the afterdeck for the kedge.

I launched in April 1976, and the first thing I discovered was that either my mast is too short or the mainsail is cut too long on the luff. I suspect the latter, as my rigging fits. This problem was soon overcome by making fast the bottom of the mainsail luff to the mast tabernacle rather than to the eye provided about a foot up the mast.

I went for a week’s cruise down to Poole during the last week in April, which was very enjoyable as the weather was good with nice light breezes to help me settle down with the new boat. On the way home I met Jim Smith in Newtown, and we sailed in company to the DCA rally at Bursledon on May 1st.

Safely home, I set to work fitting a mizzen halyard and topping lift for the boom I made out of the bumkin. The disadvantage of a boomless mizzen is that, as you free the sheet, the sail just fills like a bag and is not therefore a lot of use off the wind. Also, it is not very convenient having a spar sticking out where you’ve been; they seem to get in the way more than one which sticks out where you’re going. I considered the halyard necessary because I don’t like leaving sails on spars on a mooring, as the sun does Terylene no good. Also, when under way it’s much easier to drop a sail by releasing the halyard than it is to start winding it round the mast. The next modification to the rig was to have a luff wire sewn into the foresail so that I could use Wykeham Martin furling gear. The final modification to the rig so far is to fit a running parrel line in place of the second set of parrel beads which are provided and which keep the yard parallel to the mast when the mainsail is reefed. This is not a very bright idea, as it means that when the mainsail is lowered the yard remains upright, and if, as I do, you sail singlehanded, you have to stop what you are doing, climb on the cabin top, and put a couple of ties round the sail and the mast. With a running parrel line, the yard comes down horizontal, which I consider to be an advantage.

Last but not least, I carry 56 lbs of lead ballast, which is to be increased to 1 cwt. next season. This would not normally be necessary if I did not sail singlehanded.

So far my Longboat has carried me 200 miles up and down the coast between Portsmouth and Poole and, fibreglass excepted, I am delighted with her. I am completely converted to the yawl rig for small boats. It’s a great luxury to be able to heave to and attend to warps, anchors etc. without hurrying, and so to have them all ready when required. I have a Seagull outboard, which I try to forget except when lack of wind or Solent congestion dictate otherwise. As all lovers of oil and noise will know, you can’t have a better motor. It never fails, and even I can maintain it, because every part is strictly necessary — there are no extras to confuse you.

For the devotee of heavy boats for dinghy cruising, I thoroughly recommend the Longboat. The great snag is that they are very expensive.