Wagtail brings back the fun!

If the Swallows and Amazons were around today, this is what they’d be sailing, says David Harding.

To my mind, there’s nothing to beat simply messing about on the river in a dinghy. And that’s exactly what I found myself doing one sunny May afternoon on the Hamble, in a 12ft 6in Wagtail built by Greg Dalrymple of Salterns Boatbuilders at Bursledon. My original diary entry for the day we chose simply read ‘Salterns’ dinghy’, because the design had still to be given a name. But Greg told me that a wagtail then started roosting in the yard’s rafters and dropping messages into the hull. Even though a robin moved in just before I went sailing, his predecessor’s name (though thankfully nothing else) had stuck. So Wagtail it was. That’s the way things happen at Salterns, which is about as far removed from the hustle and bustle of the big marinas as you could get on the Hamble. It’s a 100-year-old boathouse tucked away at the top of a drying creek in the salt marshes on the western bank, with doors that open directly on the waterfront. Here, Greg and his small team build exactly the sort of traditional-looking boats you’d expect to find in such a setting dinghy and a classic-lined rowing shiff, to the Memory 19 which we’ll also be testing in a future issue. The Wagtail’s mould was taken from an original clinker sailing dinghy built some time between 1930 and 1950. Having no drawings to go on, Greg designed the rest himself – and, as I found, made an excellent job of it.

Simple sailing.

In a wind ranging from almost nothing to around 15 knots, the boat was a delight to sail both singlehanded and with a crew. A deep, 40lb galvanised centreplate means she feels reassuringly stable even when gibing, but there’s a reef in the mainsail if you want a more sedate ride. Alternatively you can simply drop the jib, because she’s still beautifully balanced under main only. Another feauture I was pleased to see is a good-sized rudder, which keeps her on track at any angle of heel. She also spins on a sixpence without stalling, nad sails backwards as weel as any boat I’ve tried. In short, a bettermannered or more forgiving dinghy would be hard to imagine. I’d have felt more at home with a kicking strap and tillter extension, but since Salterns build each boat to order they can incorporate any additions or variations you want. With enough room for four people, she’d make an excellent little family explorer which you can sail, row, or power with a small outboard. Her stability would also make her ideal for tuition. I’d like to think she could even tempt some ex-dinghy sailors back who may have moved on to bigger boats. There’s nothing like sailing something this size to sharpen up your boat-handling skills – and, with the Wagtail, you’ve little chance of being tipped in. But above all, she’s tremendous fun. And isn’t that what sailing should be all about?