The Winklebrig Forum

Hi Tim. I have WB48 with the topsail rig. I am not an experienced sailor and find the topsail a bit of a handful. I would be interested in converting to high peaked gaff. If you were interested in swapping the relevant bits and pieces, we could talk. I am aware that it would mean swapping the sails which are numbered, but there must be a solution to that. My sails are in good condition. The main is a bit faded and has a slight abrasion in one spot near the foot. It was like that when I bought her and has never been a problem.

Hello everyone. I have been quiet on the forum for a while, but I am still here and still have Partan. We have not used her much recently due to illness, but I am on the mend now, so I am hoping to get her wet again this year. Would be interested in meeting other owners and their cruising grounds.
We have taken her to the Broads many times, using Swallowtail yard facilities, which I find friendly and central to the Northern Broads. My wife does not come with me any more, so my daughter has stepped in and on our most recent trip we made a point of mud weighting on several Broads overnight. We used Salhouse Broad, although on the second occasion moved off because a large noisy mb parked too close for comfort. Black Horse Broad was nice and is signed as 'no mooring' so the mbs don't bother you. Barton Broad is quiet in the evening and more sheltered than Hickling or Horsey. Hickling is becoming silted, but is still OK for a WB in most places. I have yet to explore Catfield dyke for overnight opportunities, mainly because there is no pub there. If you go to Horsey Mere, I recommend the Waxham New Cut. If you are motoring it may be a bit weedy, but it opens out a bit when you get past Bograve Mill. The other popular places are described elsewhere on here. Hunters Yard is a good place to stop and has good showers. They will tell you about all the Arthur Ransome stuff they have in the shed from when they made the tv series. It is worth having nav lights so you can use the river in the evening when you will have it all to yourself.
There is a good shop in Ludham opposite the pub, and a garage if you need petrol. Much nearer to the water is Latham's shop at Potter Heigham which you can reach by mooring between the two bridges. You could overnight here and there are several dining options, but the best pub is the Falgate Inn about  half a mile up the road. I would be quite interested to explore the Southern Waters if anyone can suggest a suitable launch point with parking. I am told the southern rivers are better for sailing.

Hello Guys,

I always read these posts with interest, but you have me puzzled.  The boat is kept either in the water or on the trailer.  How do you access the bilge boards for maintenance/removal?

Sorry I must have had another concentration glitch.

http://larkins.ie/Kite_in_Ireland.pdf

Despite the claim in the sales blurb that the WB would dry out upright, this is clearly not the case as the keel is several inches deeper than the bilge boards.  Has anyone addressed this issue?  Has anyone fitted legs, and if so where and how?  Dinghy cruisers simply pop a fender under the bilges to keep their boats upright, but I'm not sure I could lift her up to do that.

Why do gaff rigs normally use jaws on the boom? 

Hi,

This looks like a great place for a WB.  I gleaned this info online, but I don't know which issue of Watercraft it was published in or when.  There are some sources listed at the end of the article as well as what you can find in the text.  Let me know how you get on, I might try to come with you.

Paul

David,  It was good to see you, albeit briefly at Coniston in August.  You will be amused to hear that I lost my anchor while there.  I will email you with the location in case you fancy fishing for it.

I have been following your modifications with interest and thoroughly approve of them all.  I think your decisions are vindicated by their obvious success.

Regarding the new high peaked mainsail.  I have read recently that this can cause problems with the gaff saddle twisting once the angle of the gaff exceeds 45 degrees.  Using the original saddle may lead to problems with angle of the halyard stirrup and when you bend on the sail.  The article is by classicmarine.co.uk and I will email you the link.

Paul Thomas

My measurements are the same as Phil's.  I will say that my mast overhangs in addition by nearly 2 feet at the back, so 24 feet would be the absolute minimum required.  It would be possible to shift the mast forward of course to overhang at the front. 

After observing photos of Partan sailing, she seems to sit a bit low at the stern.  Now it could be that I painted the waterline in the wrong place, but I think not, and anyway she looks perfect on a mooring.  There is also a  little weather helm that I would like to eliminate.  No doubt I could remove some weight from the aft lockers, but I have been considering adding a little removable ballast further forward to help the trim and reduce weather helm.  I have read all the posts so far with interest, and while there is a little nagging voice saying 'remove weight from the stern' I think this is the way ahead.  Is it possible that there is water in the bilge that runs aft when the crew board and forward when we go ashore?  The bilge pump is always dry. 

The question is where to put the extra ballast and what to use?  I don't want to increase the towing weight so water ballast would be handy, and I do want to improve the handling.  Should it be forward or aft of the mast?  As low as possible obviously, but would it be dangerous to replace foam with ballast?  Am I barking up the wrong tree?  Thoughts please anyone.

Mike is probably correct, but I suspect that will not wash with the German authorities.  Some years ago a colleague of mine was trying to register a car in Germany which had been imported from the US via Italy where it had been registered with NATO.  The car was quite old and not worth much, certainly not all the trouble it caused. Eventually, Chrysler were persuaded to provide a certificate of conformity which was sufficient.  It was very much a bureaucratic 'box ticking' exercise.  It seems unlikely that the same service is going to be available in this case, so is there a boating equivalent of 'single vehicle approval' or Boat Safety Scheme?  If I was bringing my boat to Germany I would brandish its 'Small Ship's Registration' which should be sufficient.  Different rules apply in the UK to vessels entering waterways from the sea.  There are several other owners in Germany who may be able to help.

Winkle Brig 48 Partan is for sale.  She has a blue hull, Mariner 4 engine and Rollercoaster trailer.  She is located in the South West.  Please pm me with your email or other contact details and I will send a full spec and photos.  Paul
 
Winkle Brigs are tough to separate from their owners and I have now decided to keep her for the time being.  Thanks for all the recent interest.  I live a long way from my preferred sailing areas, and should really exchange her for something I can keep on a mud berth and sail in the Bristol Channel, but I do like her.

Wow!  Great shot of Winkle Martin.

Our 'Winkle Brigs' are named for a style of East coast open fishing boat which they resemble.  You sometimes see this type of boat advertised for sale, as in this case.  I can't help with the sail number though.

I think the Tohatsu is the same engine as well.  Some of the Yamahas look identical, some seem to have some differences.  These are quite simple robust engines, what seems to be stopping them from keeping going is the price of spare parts.  I have the Mariner 4 that came with WB48 and it is in very good condition, but I also have an old Seagull for which I can obtain any parts easily and cheaply.  The Seagull is even more solid and robust and will probably  run for another 50 years.