Racing Dinghies

International Canoe K26 - Zenith, current state

Zenith needs a major rebuild, there are at least six planks to replace and over 20 new ribs required…..and a new deck…..and a mast….ahhh, some sails would be useful as well.

[Read more →]

International Canoe K26 - Zenith 

Zenith is very much a winter project. I had been aware of Zenith for a year or so before being able to head up to Loch Lomond to collect both her and Rannoch. Andrew Eastwood, responsible for the excellent restoration of Rannoch, found Zenith in a field,. He recognised her as a sailing canoe and thus saved her from rotting away. She is a ‘B’ Class sailing canoe and was sailed as an International canoe from the mid 1930s.

[Read more →]

Spearhead 16 - Space Invader

The Spearhead was found on the ukdinghyracing website and was bought sight unseen where a envelope of cash was exchanged for the boat in a Motorway service station on the M4. My boat was number 16. The photos show number 6 - obviously the “1″ has fallen off.

Due to having too many boats I needed to make some space so I sold ‘Space Invader’ in early 2004 on eBay.

[Read more →]

International Canoe K119 - SCATT III

I have always wanted an International Canoe since flicking through dinghy books and magazines as a kid. So when I saw one advertised in a Adtrader paper for not alot I had to go and see.

[Read more →]

ToY 117  

Having sold our racing boat, Rocket Flare (a Flare 25), we ended up down sizing to a Flying Fifteen. I decided to get back into dinghy sailing after an absence of 15 years.

I looked at the crop of current single handers (and got confused with the choice) and decided I was too old for a trapeze boat such as the Contender, too heavy for a Laser, and to unfit to sail a Finn. Having always fancied an International Canoe (one day I promised myself) the idea of a sliding seat seemed to appeal.

[Read more →]

Flying 15 K2946 - Encounter

I’d always fancied a 15 so when I found a small fleet of them on the doorstep and one of them was for sale I ended up with one.

[Read more →]

Flare 25 GBR 1 - Rocket Flare

After a couple of years of home ownership we decided that it was time to buy a boat. As I had spent most of the 1980s sailing 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 Tonners and the odd spell grinding on Maxis I spent some time looking at old IOR boats.

The only boats in budget were old 1/4 tonners but old meant old and even though the boats we saw came loaded with sails the lack of interiors meant that an alternative had to be found.

[Read more →]

OK K896 - Knipa

I must have owned Knipa when I was 14 or 15. She was sailed at Horning for a couple of Winter Series then kept at Barton Broad for the summers.

She was sold to finance a set of white Henri Lloyd Ocean Racer Waterproofs (to keep me nice and dry racing offshore) when I moved to Falmouth. Needless to say they did not stay white for very long!