After its appearance at the Ullswater Rally, Joan has asked me to write a few words about the new boat.

• Name: Arwen
• Type: modified Mark II Lune Longboat
• Length over deck (excluding bowsprit and rudder): 18ft 3in
• Beam: 5ft 11in
• Draught, plate raised: 1ft 2in
• Draught, plate lowered: 4ft 6in

As I understand it ... the original glass fibre shell was built by Bill Bailiff of Character Boats shortly before his death in 1995. It then passed to a Kent cabinetmaker with a view to completion. The latter suffered troubles of his own however and eventually asked Adrian Denye, Bill's successor at Character Boats, to advertise it to any interested parties: which is where I came in.

The boat was finally completed in October 2004. Launch day was in July this year.

It has a ketch rig of 139 sq.ft, with a gaff mainsail and a Bermudan mizzen. Displacement in sailing trim without engine etc. is about 640 kg.

When I bought the shell I was warned that it would need more, both of freeboard and depth of keel. Character Boats' designs feature the traditional long keel but I'm afraid I went for a centre plate: 39 kg of 9 mm galvanised steel. The boat has enough expanded polystyrene buoyancy to float it and large dry storage lockers in addition: mostly disposed in the raised ends of the hull with a view to making it as near self-righting as possible. The low freeboard problem was tackled by the addition of an extra plank (white in the photographs), and broad side decks which also serve as seats.

It is early days to see how well it will perform ... but so far the results have been encouraging. DC