Little Egret Construction Progress

Im sorry that it has been a few weeks since I last wrote a post, but Ive been very busy with a whole range of activities - not just boat related - which have prevented me from sitting down to write. In addition I been feeling a bit blocked for things to write about. It isnt that there is a shortage of subject matter - it is just that depending on mood, I sometimes find it difficult to write in a way that I think is interesting to readers. Ive been writing articles for every issue of a print magazine for the last twelve years, and now for this blog, and I can assure you that it isnt easy!

Anyway, here is a bit of what has been going on: -

Back in late October 2011, I mentioned that I was in the process of designing an "Egret-style" sharpie/dory for John Hockings in Brisbane, Australia. In early December 2011, I reported that John had commenced construction. Since then, John has been making very rapid progress and the boat is looking great. The photos have been taken with a relatively wide-angle lens so the boat looks smaller than she really is in the flesh.

Here is the hull viewed from the stern with gunwales, mast partners, mast steps, and centreboard case fitted. Side deck carlings are being sprung into place, with temporary cross-braces to hold them in against the twisting, bending, and edge-setting forces.

A photo from very early in the construction process which gives a good impression of the hull profile - bow is to the right of the picture.

A view of the interior during the application of a thinned epoxy (Norseal). The photo has been taken from the stern and you can see the mizzen mast location at the aft end of the centreboard case.  The floor timbers (transverse frames on the bottom) will carry floor-boards in the finished boat, allowing passengers to sleep above any bilge water, and to give a nicely textured footing during normal sailing and poling. Note the seat risers which allow positioning of thwarts in many locations.

One topside panel cut and material for the second one waiting to be worked on. The panel shapes are precomputed and dimensioned drawings are supplied with the plans, allowing the boat to be built without any sort of mold or strongback.

View from the bow, with the first undercoat applied. Mast step in the foreground is for the third mast location, which will take either the main mast or the mizzen mast, allowing the boat to be sailed with a single sail if desired.

Another photo of the boat being undercoated, this time viewed from the stern with the main mast partner visible in the background.

This boat is an exciting prospect as far as Im concerned. She will be rugged and yet is an easy project for any capable builder. John has been doing an exceptionally good job of building her and I really look forward to seeing how she handles the rough stuff as well as the thin water for which she is very well adapted.

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Punta de Mita to Isla Isabel

We were up well before dawn on Saturday, March 26th, the day the Honcho made its final departure from Punta de Mita. We got underway just in time to see one last spectacular sunrise over the bay, before we headed north to another storied bay, Bahia Mantanchen. Sailing conditions were excellent and we made good time, getting the anchor down in Mantanchen Bay in mid afternoon. This bay is famous for its great surf and its Jejenes, otherwise known as noseeums, nonos,  or sand fleas. All of those appellations are often preceded by a rather forceful adjective because of their ability to inflict an itching, bleeding, scratching kind of misery on everyone they come in contact with. We were well prepared, with fine mesh bug screens on the hatches, DEET laced sunscreen and bug repellent, and a take-no-prisoners attitude. We passed a peaceful and bug free night and got the anchor up early to head for our next destination, Isla Isabel.

Punta de Mita Sunrise

Isla Isabel has been described as the Galapagos of Mexico because of its remoteness and isolation. Consequently it is the nesting and breeding ground for vast numbers of sea birds, particularly blue-footed boobies and the magnificent frigate birds. The island is a Mexican National Park and a World Heritage Site, so its unique flora and fauna are well protected. It was truly a spectacular place to visit.

We anchored on the east side of the island, just south of Isleo Mona Menor, about a hundred yards off the beach. Eager to explore the place, we pumped up the inflatable kayak and paddled ashore. There we were confronted by a couple of Mexican naturalists who informed us that it was illegal to land there and advised us to go around to the south side of the island and land at the fish camp that was located there. It was too far for our flimsy kayak so we went back to the boat and launched the dinghy and motored around to the spot we were supposed to land. Our entire experience there was fascinating, but instead of trying to put it all in words, Ill let the photos do most of the talking.

The Honcho at Anchor, Isleo Mona Menor in the background

Fish camp on the south side of the island, our dinghy is at left. Notice the hundreds of birds above the hill.

Booby chick on the beach. There were thousands of these babies on the beaches of Isla Isabel. Below, an adult blue footed booby

These birds will grow up to be incredible flyers and fishermen. The boobies appeared to nest mostly on the beaches and rocks, while the frigates built their nests in the trees or grassy areas inland.

Frigate nest in a tree. Notice the chick. These birds showed no fear of humans, we were literally within an arms length of this mother and chick. Below, a frigate chick stares back at the camera

Isla Isabel is an extinct volcano and therefore has a crater lake in the middle of it.  With very little impact from man, it looks wild and primitive, and beautiful in an eerie way,

The following day we got the anchor up and, punching into a 15 knot headwind, the Honcho began the long beat to Mazatlan, 85 miles distant.

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Three Days in Puerto Balandra

Puerto Balandra sunset.

With a big Manson anchor and 100 of chain set, we were ready for a windy first night in Puerto Balandra, and the Coromuel did not disappoint. The gusty southwest wind blew 20-26 knots all night and the next morning, but all was safe and secure aboard the Honcho. The Coromuel blew each of the three nights we were in Balandra. Every morning we lazed around the boat waiting for conditions to ease enough to take the dink and go exploring and snorkeling, which was usually around 1100. We spent afternoons in the water and evenings  aboard the Honcho or on other boats in the bay. Puerto Balandra is nearly perfect, with crystal clear water, warm sun, brisk breezes and fabulous sunsets.

 Crystal clear water and blue sky in Balandra.

The famous El Hongo rock, located on the north shore of the bay.  Carved into this shape by the sea, this rock stood for  thousands of years. Then a few years ago, it fell over, a victim of time, weather and overeager tourists. But the locals got together and put it back together again.

The Honcho was boarded by this Mexican Navy patrol. These guys were all wearing flak jackets and carrying M-16s, except for the guy in black, who carried only a pistol. Always polite and courteous, their job is to keep tabs on the boats in their jurisdiction. Weve been approached by Mexican Navy patrols several times, and boarded twice.

We spent three wonderful days in Puerto Balandra but were running low on supplies,so on Sunday, April 24th we weighed anchor and motored about seven miles to Marina Palmira, just outside of downtown La Paz. Well spend a week or so here, exploring the city and provisioning for a month of sailing in the more remote parts of the Sea of Cortez.

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Didi 40cr Day Dream

Every now and then a boat catches my attention and I think "Hmm, I wouldnt mind owning that boat myself". Such a thought crossed my mind when I saw photos of "Day Dream". She is a Didi 40cr, essentially the same as the Didi 38 "Black Cat" that I built and sailed for so many thousands of miles, but with extended stern and a bit more accommodation space.

Fast as "Black Cat" is, "Day Dream" has the potential to be still faster. She has the same very slippery hull but her extended stern increases her speed potential. She has the same powerful but easily-handled rig, with a bit less draft, for better access to shallower cruising grounds.

"Day Dream" in the slings, showing off her clean lines

She was professionally-built in Antalya, Turkey, with CE certification. She has a radius chine plywood hull with fibreglass deck. She was a custom build, so the builder has made a few styling changes from my design but overall the boat looks really nice. I see European influences and features that are fine for local cruising in the Med. With my own preference for ocean voyages, I would modify the navigation and galley areas to better suit my own needs.

Nicely fitted out, with clean and comfortable saloon

Clean galley, styled for local cruising.

The asking price for "Day Dream" is not much more than the material cost of building such a boat, at US$60,000. If I had the cash available, I would be sorely tempted. If she rattles your cage enough to want to investigate further, contact me by email. I will put you in contact with the owner for more information.

Not the greatest sailing photo but the best that I have.

To view this and our other designs, visit http://dixdesign.com/.

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Fowey River Class

The Fowey River Class is a 14 foot traditional dinghy which is actively sailed in the Cornish harbour town.



Based on a knockabout day boat by Reg Freeman in the late 1940’s, the design of which was published in Yachting World. In the early 1950’s a local dentist commissioned a boat to be built by Hunkins Boatyard across the river at Polruan, after that the fleet quickly grew and by the mid 1960’s had reached 36 boats.



Inevitably with the introduction of modern plastic boats the class declined throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, but there has been a resurgence of interest in the class and several new boats have been built including those by local wooden boat builder Marcus Lewis.



Racing on a evening in the summer, the Fowey River Class make a wonderful sight, their distinctive coloured sails and bright finished hulls look spectacular sailing in the steep wooded estuary. The current popularity of the Fowey River Class can be seen all along the town’s water front where well kept examples swing to their moorings when not sailing.



This boat was interesting, it seems to be a FR and certainly the coloured sails and sail number reflect that, but the boat is painted rather than varnished. The planking is also different to other examples, having fewer and broader topside planks and a more pronounced sheer. Whatever her origin she’s certainly a pretty boat.

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Didi 950 Keel Build by Howdy Bailey

Howdy Bailey Yacht Services in Norfolk, Virginia, is building the keel for the Didi 950 project in Ohio. This one has a fixed keel that is supported by a steel box on the inside of the hull and which is bolted to the grid structure. The box also forms the engine beds, to concentrate these major weights in a tight area for low pitching characteristics in lumpy water.

Howdy and his staff are doing a masterful job of building this keel, which is assembled over a rigid skeleton of schedule pipes between end plates. The side plates are wrapped over the skeleton and plug welded.

One of Howdys staff welding the keel structure.

Completed keel skeleton with pre-formed side plates awaiting fitting.

Same stage, looking at the top plate.

The tubular internal skeleton, instead of transverse plate spacers, has multiple benefits. The pipes make the skeleton very rigid to resist twisting when fitting the side plates, they have soft surfaces to minimise hard spots that can distort the side plates, they present broad surfaces for plug welding the side plates and they serve as efficient heat sinks to draw heat away from the plug welds, minimising heat distortion.

The keel bolts bear on the keel box inside the hull, sandwiching the hull skin between the the two. Howdy Bailey Yacht Services fabricated the box as well, then shipped it to the builder. He has test-fitted the Beta 15hp motor on the beds ahead of installing the box into the boat. The following photos show the box with engine standing on the integral engine beds.

Didi 950 keel support box front view.

Beta 15 being test-fitted on the engine beds.

Aft view. The holes are for shaft, exhaust and ventilation.

Finding a suitably qualified engineering company to make the keel is often a worry for people considering building an offshore boat. Howdy and his staff have the experience and are available for this work.

To see more of our designs, visit our website at http://dixdesign.com/.

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Growing this Blog

Ive always liked black backgrounds to websites...the pictures really pop. But the lettering is not great. Ill be trying different looks.

Note the tabs along top. The boat pages from my website will be going up here.

As I make changes here and add pages, please give me feedback. Thanks!

Jewell is coming along nicely at French & Webb.

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