12′ Racing Dinghy ‘Curlew’

Introduction

‘Curlew’ is a very finely built twelve foot Bermudian rigged sailing dinghy of fine and light construction. She bears a builder’s plate of ‘Bone Brothers, Gosport’. She has a beam of five feet and a neat pear-section mast of nearly 23 feet length.

What a pretty little dinghy! I can’t wait to start work on her refurbishment.

Here are a few more pictures of ‘Curlew’. She looks a bit like an early National 12 but it is not thought that ‘Bone Brothers, Gosport’ ever built any 12s. ‘Curlew’ appears also to pre-date the introduction of the N12 as a class in 1936.

The history as we know was she was purchased from owners in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, in the 1950s by the Boutcher family in Tenby for their teenage sons Nick and Kit to sail. Later, she ended up in Newport, Pembrokeshire where she apparently lay afloat. Then, offered to her current owner she was brought back to Tenby.

‘Curlew’ sailing at Tenby in the mid 1950s.

Some more photographs of ‘Curlew’ on the evening we lifted her out of the barn where she’s been stored in the dry for many years.

Fine and delicate scantlings on all her timbers, risers, and beautiful grown knees.

Nice bronze work all present and neatly made.

Some of her strakes have doublers owing to splits.

Builder’s plate on inside face of her transom.

At the beginning of October we went with an empty trailer and loaded ‘Curlew’ and trailed her back to my workshop in Pembroke.

‘Curlew’ tucked into a spare space in the workshop

I have other projects to workshop that need my attention before I can make a start on ‘Curlew’ but she’s in a good spot out of the weather where everyone can admire her sweet lines.