I am enclosing a few notes for the discussion on yawl rigs, and refer to John Deacon p.13/14 No. 50 (see 050/13) where he discusses his experiments with all the sails on his yawl except the mizzen.

"Sailing Craft of the British Isles" by Roger Hinch shows many examples of yawl rigs on small working craft; also in "Last Days of Mast and Sail" by Alan Moore. Howard I. Chapell's "American Small Sailing Craft" shows an American preference for a two-masted rig with two fairly similar-sized sails "cat rigged ketches", used on a variety of river, harbour and beach boats. General practice was to utilise a third position and to reduce to a single mast for heavy conditions; smaller boats changed at sea. Sprit, gaff, leg-of-mutton and clubbed sails were allowed. R.D. Culler in his "Skiffs and Schooners" describes many of his designs built and rigged in this manner and one of his personal dorys had seven mast sail combinations!

The Falmouth Quay Punt demonstrates the rig in British working craft. For winter it had a leg-of-mutton mizzen, gaff main and staysail to short bumkin. For summer the mizzen was a standing lug and a bowsprit and jib were added. With one deep reef in the main five balanced sail plans are available. Substitute motor or oars for summer rig and there is still a versatile rig.

My 13 foot clinker is proving rather a handful launching and retrieving - usually single-handed, so I am seriously considering a lighter replacement with good rowing ability for inshore and calms. Culler describes several in his book, usually with a single sail. Wooden Boat 29 July/August ‘79 describes two boats from their competition for a simple explorer type able to cross open water and unpowered. 60 and 90 lb bare boats are shown, camping supplies for one week carried aboard. Also on p 56-59 is a description of flat-iron skiff characteristics and a series of prolonged tests with various rigs and the resulting handling difficulties etc., a very informative article. Bob McGregor