Dear Joan,

Thank you for your letter of 10 September. Yes, Pipedream is my Loch Broom Post Boat built by Bill Bailiff of Character Boats at Overton near Morecambe. She is built in GRP, is 14’ long plus about 4’ 6” of bowsprit, 6’ beam, draws about 1’ 6” and weighs about 6 cwt. She has a full length keel rather than a centreboard or dagger board and her builder’s claim that she will sail to windward in less than 2’ of water is fully justified. Having no centreboard, she has something just in excess of 6’ length by 4’ wide between mast and aft buoyancy tank at ceiling level. So the plan for next season is to perfect the tent I have for her and camp in her. Time will tell. Having to be in Brussels on some Mondays does not help with weekends!

I bought her as a standing lug-rigged sloop, decided that she could carry more sail in light weather and, with the builder, added a yard topsail. I have enclosed a photo to show this rig really does sail. Please keep it or throw it away as you think fit.

The re-rigging of Pipedream was something of an experiment but it has worked. I am convinced that the cutter rig for this hull is a distinct improvement on the sloop rig. The upshot is that Bill Bailiff now produces a gaff cutter rig as a standard option. There is very little difference in performance between the gaff rig and my lug rig (without topsail). The gaff cutter is probably a better bet when it comes to reefing on the water.

In a recent Bulletin, if I remember correctly, there was a suggestion that the DCA should do a road test of boats. If this idea is taken forward I would be happy for Pipedream to be road tested at some mutually convenient date — I assume she will he up at Glenridding Sailing School on Ullswater next year. There are also usually a number of other Character Boats there also, either privately owned or part of the sailing school’s fleet. I have put in with this letter a copy of an old catalogue of Character Boats in case it is of interest to the DCA. Again, keep it or throw it away as you think fit.

Publishers note — unfortunately the contrast of the photographs supplied was too low to allow reasonable reproduction.