The Kestrel is an Ian Proctor design — the first boat intended from the first to be built in fibreglass. It appeared for the first time at the 1956 Boat Show and took some time to gain popularity; in fact it has never caught on like the Wayfarer, though it is almost the same size. In terms of character and performance it sits midway between the larger Osprey — which is of course an out and out performance dinghy with an enormous sail area and a trapeze — and the Wayfarer. It shares the round bilges of the Osprey, but class rules forbid the use of a trapeze. It has a metal centreplate — mine is Duralumin; a plate is also available in galvanised steel. It is available with centre or aft mainsheet, and is rigged as a Bermudan sloop with spinnaker. It is 15’ 8” long and of 5’ 6” beam, with a Portsmouth Yardstick of 109.

I acquired my Kestrel for £500 in 1991. Even a mediocre Wayfarer was beyond my reach at the time, with prices for a boat comparable to my Kestrel of around £1,500. I thought any Ian Proctor design could not be all bad, and a number of people suggested the Kestrel as being a good idea. There aren’t so very many around, though I believe the class is gaining popularity, but I eventually ran one to earth in Stamford. My boat was built and used — until I got it — principally for racing, and lacked several cruising requirements and had several features that I have since dispensed with. The first thing to go was the centre mainsheet: I was never so close to capsizing as when I got into a tangle when going about first time out! I have removed all the appurtenances of the spinnaker — I find the 152 square feet of plain sail more than enough most of the time! I have found places for oars and of course fitted rowlocks, compass and anchor, fitted roller reefing to the foresail, and bought a smaller mainsail with reef points. I built a new rudder — permitted by the way in the class rules — with a broader shallower blade, and, as I have said, an aft mainsheet, for which I had to construct a mount for the traveller track. I was greatly helped in the process by advice from DCA member Tony Miller, and by Martin Services who are now the firm that produce Kestrels.

What is she like to sail? This is the important point. In brief — very nice. Responsive, fast and light. She will outsail a Wayfarer in light to moderate winds, but is less stable and demands more effort as the winds increase. In a seaway she handles well — not that I’ve been to sea, but I’ve been out in waves up to 3’ and in very choppy water — and very little water comes inboard… if you’re the crew and hiking out in strongish winds, you’re likely to get wet as the forefoot hits waves. On one occasion, acting as crew at Rutland Water, my fears of ending in the ‘oggin rather than on it were eclipsed by the distraction of the faceful of water I received from every other wave! In my experience it is a mistake to try to go about unless the centreplate is fully down, as she tends to miss stays, especially in strong winds. It took some time and some nasty moments before I worked that one out. The ‘Book’ recommends raising the plate somewhat in strong winds… it does make the boat easier to handle. However, with my smaller cruising mainsail, and in view of the above, I would not recommend it. With plate fully down she is utterly reliable in stays, even with an unbalanced sail plan. The Kestrel is one boat that will beat to windward under genoa alone. In fact if the wind pipes up it is quite viable to drop the main and manage very well with the genoa — I will do this especially if approaching a lee landing. The genoa is a very powerful sail indeed. However, as a general rule I prefer to reduce the size of the main, as even without a jib altogether she handles better that way. Because of the boat’s racing history — mine apparently was National Champion in 1979 — she can be tuned very finely for optimum performance. I spent some time experimenting, but in the end I don’t know that I achieved very much. For cruising, of course, handling is more important than speed.

It is, I am told, possible to sleep two adults in the Kestrel. Because of my young family I only day-sail. However, my boat lacks bottom boards, which are essential to permit sleep even with the recommended air-beds: there is certainly room for them, and ample space under the foredeck for equipment My foredeck has a chute for a spinnaker, but I have covered it and the space stays dry. I have also filled the two circular holes in the transom as I found the two plastic funnels(!) never really sealed them, and I don’t intend to race, so don’t need to empty the boat very rapidly after a capsize. I prefer dry space for stowage. I am considering enclosing the space under the aft deck now I’ve got rid of the inherent leak.

As a cruising boat, I suppose she is not ideal, in view of the lack if stability compared to, say, a Wayfarer, but I like her. I don’t intend passage sailing, there’s plenty of room, and I’ve avoided a capsize even when water has lapped over the gunwales. And I avoid sailing — except on lakes with a rescue boat around — if the conditions are worse that I’m sure I can cope with. In the hands of a more experienced skipper, she might go anywhere!