I have just returned from an excellent weeks sailng in Falmouth Roads and and while rigging my boat at Mylor Yacht harbour I met Peter Chesworth who commented on the qualities of the Winklebrig as a Trailer sailer. This reminded me that I had often intended to write an article promoting the delights of owning such a boat. Several modifications have been made over the 8years I have owned the boat and the aim of this article is to explain what has been achieved. Some of these ideas will be applicable to other trailer sailers. I also hope that it may encourage others to share their experiences.

The Winkle Brig is 2 berth trailer sailer , designed and built by Eric Bergqvist at Ferry Boatyard in Cheshire. My boat is no 48,named Partan (Scottish for crab) and there were 122 built over the period 1985-2001. It is of GRP construction and has plenty of wood trim to give it a pleasing traditional appearance. Although only 16ft on deck (20ft LOA) it provides very acceptable live aboard facilities for two people. The original design claimed to sleep three and a half, this could only be true until the crew decided it was time to get up! The boat was available with a high peak gaff sail or traditional gaff with topsail. I am pleased that mine is the latter as it looks better and provides for flexibility in use of sail area. The twin drop bilge boards and a long ballasted keel gives good directional stability and allows it to dry out upright. It is easily rigged, launched and recovered, and sails very well. Auxilary power is provided by a 4Hp long shaft outboard situated inboard in a well.

Early reviews carried out by Practical Boatowner and Classic Boat magazines both acknowledged that the concept was well thought out and this is confirmed by the number of boats sold and the high resale values. Never the less there is always room for improvement and several minor changes have been made to Partan with the aim of improving the comfort of living aboard, improving sailng performance, improving safety and making launching and recovery easier.

The benefits of trailing and sailing are obvious with no high marina storage costs, extended cruising grounds( Norfolk Broads at Easter and Falmouth in May), safe storage on the trailer when not in use and easier maintenance of the oufit at home. However, many will fear the towing ,launching and recovery. It must be accepted that the trailer is as important as the boat, road worthy and well thought out if the sailing experience is not to be spoilt by an embarressing session on the slipway! Be wary of suppliers providing unsuitatble and underrated trailers which can never be roadworthy. The bare boat becomes much heavier when loaded with outboard, ground tackle.and all your other sailing gear. My trailer was originally rated at 850Kgs so imagine my dissappointment when the oufit weighed in at 1100Kgs. It has since been uprated to 1300Kgs and it tows much better

The trailer supplied with the earlier Winklebrigs was a Roller Coaster 1. Later boats were suppled on a RC2/3 presumably because of the overloading problem. With the rollers and swinging arms properly set then launching and recovery is fairly easy. Some device for centering the boat on the trailer will prevent the need, in strong cross winds or tides to 're- dunk' the boat. This has been achieved in Partans case by adding rubber bump stops to the insides of the swinging arms. On shallow slips it is useful to be able to winch the boat off the trailer. After all you winch it on! I have added a seperate reverse acting winch the action of which can be more easily understood by looking at the picture. Leaving the winch on strap attached gives a more controlled launch. Access boards have now been fitted along the trailer draw bar. This was cribbed from another trailer sailer design which actually used galvanised cable trays as walkways. I rarely put my wellies on these days! Whether you put the road wheels in the water or you prefer a piggy back or breakback trailer is debateable. I know of one Roller Coaster1 which has been successfully converted to a breakback trailer. I prefer the simple arrangement and rely on bearing savers, regular maintenance and a good wash down if it has been immersed in salt water.

Improvements to the accommodation keeps the crew happy!. The forepeak is now used for storage with the galley moved from the port side to athwartships and this gives two generous quarter berths. Kit bags are pushed down the trotter boxes having first tied on a recovery
line.

The opportunity was also taken to replace the gas burner with a spirit stove, removing a potential hazard and making it easier to meet the demands of the Boat Safety Scheme.

To get extra light into the cabin, oval portlights were cut into the originalsolid mahogany wash boards. Very practical and I think enhance the appearance of the boat
The wooden cockpit seats were made from cedar wood and epoxy coated. Warmer than the GRP but slippery!
The boom/mast gallows is the latest modification, replacing the cross trees which had to be erected to support the mast. The mark2 Winkle brigs were fitted with boom gallows on the transom line and which collapsed into the stern lockers. Mine is fixed and as well as being readily available when dropping the mast to negotiate bridges on the Norfolk rivers also provides an excellent backrest when sailing, a geriatric support when getting on and off the boat and is useful to snug the boom down on to when motoring in very choppy seas. One of my more successful additions!
The wooden bulwarks which enhance the appearance of the boat were originally fitted at the same time as the portholes. They could not therefore be removed for maintenance or over winter storage without breaking the porthole seal. This has now been changed and the boards are independently fixed.
The port side stern locker which is now used for storage of fuel and other liquids has been fitted with a false floor and fibreglassed lined and a drain hole provided overboard. The original design allowed liquids and odours to enter the bilges! This modification is not adequate to meet the fire resistance requirements of the Boat Safety Scheme, but the simplest solution would be to store fuel containers on the foredeck or in a basket over the stern.

The excellent article by Murray Mcphail (Watercraft No37 Jan/Feb 2003) was an inspiration to do something about reducing the weight of the rig aloft. The cost of using carbon fibre to replace the solid douglas fir mast was too expensive and I was not sure about the appearance. I settled for a compromise and ordered a blank hollow spar from Noble masts to shape and finnish myself. At the same time I made a lighter gaff and manufactured the new mast fittings and gaff saddle. This reduced the rig weight by about 25%. I retained the rather heavy boom which is essential with no kicker facility.

The topsail as suplied has to be bent on to a spar and is then rigged and hoisted on deck standing at the foot of the mast. Not easy on a small boat and therefore unlikely to be regularly used. An easier way , on a small boat is to use a fixed topsail mast. Fix the topsail to the gaff arm at tack and clew and then hoist the topsail with one halyard which can be done from the safety of the cockpit. If the wind does blow up the the halyard can be released and the topsail drops down behind the mainsail. Two lengths of shock chord fixed to each side of the gaff are used to gather and tie the main down to the underside of the gaff arm and the same lines are used to secure the topsail over the top of the gaff when not in use.

It is not possible to lift the outboard when sailing although drag is probably small as it is situated immediately behind the long keel. The turbulence in the outboard well was considerable and has been eliminated by fitting closure boards around the outboard leg. The turbulence is eliminated but the benefits to sailing performance are difficult to assess. the boards are held in place by a shockcord around the outboard clamp and can easily be removed allowing access to the engine while afloat.

The 4HP mariner has adequate power to propel the boat at 5 Knots over ground against moderate winds. When going astern it has proved next to useless! The "experts" have advised that it was the wrong propeller design. The problem was cavitaion as the exhaust was ejected over the rear of the prop. Two solutions have been tried with success. Either drill a hole each side or the outboard leg just above the bottom flange (as found on the sail drive outboards), or use a deflector (pipe) to eject the gas horizontally. Steerage in reverse will never be positive because of the long keel. I am now considering the use of a Yuloh or Chinese sculling oar for when the wind dies! ( See article in Water Craft No 54 Nov/Dec 2005 ) The increased registration charges on Windermere for powered craft are dictating that I leave the motor at home!