FOR SAILING FUN IN CREEKS, LAGOONS & BACKWATERS
BUILT FROM THE BEST OF THE OLD WITH THE BEST OF THE NEW
"THIS
IS
POSSIBLY
THE
COOLEST
WOODEN
BOAT
EVER
BUILT" ​
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- Classic Boat Magazine
A
PLANING
LUG
RIGGER
CAPABLE
OF 12
KNOTS
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WELCOME TO WINDSONG...
The unique, hand crafted, high performance, sailing dinghy, with a powerful traditional lug rig on a light weight, low resistance hull form providing a sizzlingly fast sailing experience
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Within these pages you can discover everything about a Windsong, including rigging and sailing tips, events and photos.
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There is also our forum, where you can ask questions and discuss the delights and foibles of sailing these exciting ladies.
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LAZY SUNDAY SAILING
LAZY SUNDAY SAILING
SIZZLINGLY FAST
SIZZLINGLY FAST
As well as being pleasing to the eye, a boat should be functional, a pleasure to sail and, most importantly, getting on and off the water should not be a chore.
Being able to get your boat rigged and onto the water with the minimum of fuss and bother means that she is likely to be used more often and enjoyed to the full.
BOATS THAT DEMAND TO BE SAILED
TAKING TRADITIONAL SAIL TO A
NEW LEVEL
A 'planing lugger' is perhaps a contradiction in terms, it traditionally being the domain of heavy working boats, fishing craft and small tenders.
Given the raw power of the lugsail and the ease of rigging, it seemed a wild but logical step to turn the tractor into a racing car!
Aiming to produce something different, that was easy to rig, and that wasn’t “just another boat”, John Owles saw here the possibility of creating something new and exciting for the dinghy world.
While the lug rig is an almost forgotten rig in today's mainstream boats, it is not, as some say, “naught but a bed sheet hung from a broom stick”.
In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, the lugsail is a very powerful and efficient rig.
THE
BEAUTY
OF THE
LUGGER
THE LUGGER
After the advent of the gaff rig in the 1700s, the dipping lug continued to be developed by the fishing boats of West coast of Brittany and the Western Isles of Scotland, specifically Loch Fyne, where they had a long slog to windward before reaching the fishing grounds. The lugsail’s power and efficiency outweighed the ease of handling of the gaff rig. The peak was raised and mast rake increased. Some mast steps even allowed the mast rake to be adjusted while underway, to take advantage of weather conditions and/or wind direction.
In the early 1990s, Nigel Iren's fast, wave piercing cat fame, had seen the advantages of the lug and produced the successful yachts, Roxane and Romilly, with their twin, high peaked, fully battened lugsails.
John Owles’ designs have always looked to the “spirit of tradition” and following “Barinthus”, a 15ft gunter rigged boat based on a Grand Banks dory, he started playing with designs utilising the lugsail and was hooked.
“Summer”, a 15ft family expedition boat, inspired by a Finnish Post Boat from the Gulf of Finland.
SUMMER, 15FT
SUMMER, 15FT
Developed from a 8ft classic yacht tender that was commissioned in the 1990s, Owlet is a handy little dinghy for sailing, rowing or sculling or a small outboard motor could be carried.
WINDCHIME, 15FT
WINDCHIME, 15FT
Before the advent of the internal combustion engine, these boats could be seen under sail and oar, inshore fishing or tending to the needs of the harbour and their big cousins.
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OWLET, 10FT
OWLET, 10FT