LOA 18’ Draught 7”/ 2’ LOD 13’ 2” Weight 350 lbs including 60 lbs of lead ballast Beam 4’ 8” Sail 109 sq ft Built by David Moss

For the past seven years I have been happily cruising in my Wayfarer Restless — still a DCA boat I am pleased to say. In 1986 Restless had a very good cruise round the islands in the north of the Bay of Biscay. This cruise proved to be her last, as I moved from Bournemouth to Liverpool six months later and lost my regular crew. Having moved, it soon became clear that a Wayfarer is too big for me to sail singlehanded.

I weigh just over 13 stone, and so, working on the principle suggested by AG Earl in Dinghy Cruising that ‘as a rough guide the length of the boat in feet should equal the weight of the crew in stone’, I began looking for a new boat about 13’ long. On the front cover of Classic Boat in May 1988 there was a photograph of a small canoe yawl. It was not love at first sight as far as the boat was concerned, but when I read the article about her I decided that David Moss was probably the person to build my new boat. My first choice was a ‘cat’ boat because I thought that the simple rig would be good for singlehanded sailing. When I visited David to talk about a new boat he had a yawl under construction in his shed. He had very little trouble persuading me that this was the next boat for me.

The original design for Skippet was by George Holmes of the Humber Yawl Club in 1888. Holmes’ boat was called Ethel. She was a great success and there is an account of a cruise she made in Holland in John Leather’s book Sail and Oar.

When David Moss came to build his first yawl he gave her 2” more beam that Holmes’ boat and she came out 2” longer. Also, she has more deadrise in the midships section. The hull is strip planked in Douglas fir with a diagonal mahogany veneer on the outside, minimum thickness ½”. Holmes’ Ethel was rigged with a large balanced lug mainsail and a sprit mizzen. The new boats are rigged with a standing lug main and mizzen and a small jib.

Skippet is named after George Holmes’ last yawl and she was launched in June this year. The first thing that struck me and a number of other people about my new boat was that it seemed a shame to get her wet! Skippet’s maiden voyage was three days on the Norfolk Broads as that seemed a safe place to try a new boat. Since then, I have had three day sails on the Menai Straits in strong winds and five days cruising in the Solent in very light airs.

The great advantage of having a boat built is that you can easily have modifications made. I asked for a lifting rudder blade and after my first sail had seats put on the outside of the coaming. Skippet is a boat you sit in rather than on and the helmsman’s seat is very comfortable, but on long trips it helps to be able to change your position and I like to perch on the gunwale from time to time. The sails and the tent were made by the Fleetwood Trawler Supply Co and are excellent. The only modification was a second window in the tent to make it lighter. I plan to have a larger jib made for use in very light conditions. The only problem still unresolved is the relationship of my hip to the knee supporting the centreboard case during the night.

My reaction to Skippet is pure delight. She carries her canvas well in a breeze and yet she skips along well in light airs. She is not a light boat, especially when loaded with cruising gear. But with such fine lines and her long straight keel, she cuts through the water without effort. During my cruise in the Solent, I rowed a total of 24 miles with no trouble at all. You just lean on the oars and off she goes as straight as an arrow. Also, I am totally converted to the yawl rig. If anyone tells you that a mizzen is a waste of time on a small boat, don’t believe it. The yawl’s greatest bonus is the ability to lie still, hove to, with the mizzen sheeted tight and the jib slack. Like this, Skippet sits still and upright whilst I reef or look at a chart, or prepare the anchor or fenders and warps or just have a break and a snack. She also sails well under jib and mizzen. I like a boat that will sail slowly and yet fully under control when entering a strange harbour or anchorage. During my visit to the Solent, I was beating slowly and surely under jib and mizzen through the many yachts anchored in the Newtown River. Before I had made three tacks admiring heads began popping up through the hatches.

Wherever she goes, Skippet provokes admiring looks and flattering comments. Nice as this is, it has become a nuisance especially when launching or hauling out after a sail. I usually manage to respond politely to questions and comments, but I really feel like saying, “Stop wasting my time; go and buy one if you are so impressed.” I cannot think of any better advice for anyone wanting a boat for singlehanded cruising — there’s a 15 footer available if you sail with a crew.

I have just read Keith Muscott’s article ‘Further sailing around Mull’ in the autumn Bulletin. His suggestion that the sound of Mull is a good place for a cruise in company seems a good one. I plan to sail Skippet there from 17-25 June 1990 — anyone else interested?