Barge Yachts

As you say, a hull shape like that only needs enough sail to get it close to hull speed, and be kept reasonably upright like a dinghy - any more and it will probably tend to dig in without going much faster - although MG did say he got his to plane (Swatchways & Little Ships P50) although a bit hairy.
 
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Thanks Ian for solving the two Growlers mystery. Odd that there should have been two barge yachts with this curious name. I believe a growler is a small iceberg, which would have more of its form below the waterline than above. This doesn't seem to fit with a barge yacht's configuration?
Anyway, for those interested in the sailing qualities of barge yachts I am posting some pages from Alker Tripp's book Under the Cabin Lamp. He is describing his Growler, of whom he was clearly very fond. The first page is illustrated with one of Tripp's own line drawings.

Growler's Sore Offences p.1.jpeg

Sore Offences p.2.jpeg

Growler Her Smiling Virtues.jpeg

Her Smiling Virtues p.2.jpeg
 
There are a number of meanings of "growler". Having read the report of trying to gybe I suspect the very very rude one is where the boat got her name
 
The recently rebuilt Growler spent many years at Benfleet yacht club owned by a lovely gentleman known as "Guvvy" , later she was sold away & languished at Woodbridge for many years. I have recently found some more photos of her at Benfleet, scanning time!
 
I applied for a job 40 years ago at a little yard in Faversham, Kent owned by a fine gentleman called Paul Winch.
He had designed and was building a range of steel barge yachts which he called the Eastcountryman series, and he was looking for additional help.
I did not get the job, but he very decently refunded me the cost of my train ticket to get to his yard for my interview, despite obviously operating on a shoestring budget.
I just tried googling Paul Winch, and I found this nice article -
OGA - The Association for Gaff Rig Sailing | Sunlight OGA no 1118 | Facebook

Also this one, about a larger 19 metre barge yacht called Gloriana which he built a couple of years later.
"Gloriana of Faversham": workboat becomes Wadden cruiser

And a year later he moved back up north to Newcastle (his home port) - I saw this in this Old Gaffers newsletter -
https://oga.org.uk/_documents/[923073]Old_Gaffers_Association_Newsletter_1990-1.pdf#:~:text=●(0621)76257.,He moved ayear ago to

And this newsletter has a photo of White Moth on it's cover - she was built in 1903, and she was still sailing and in good condition in the mid 80's when she was based at Marchwood Sailing Club opposite the container docks in Southampton (I used to sail on a friend's GK 24, and later an Impala, from there).
 
ianc1200 said:
My favourite period was when MG was editor of the Yachting Monthly, in their art deco period about 1930 - 39, with paintings on the front cover, many by Fid Harnack.

Eg, April 1932

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I was sent Yachts & Yachting when at school in the 60s. They used to put in a nice full page of a buxam Mermaid, which would not have been popular at an RC school... Did cheer up my friends tho.
 
DownWest said:
I was sent Yachts & Yachting when at school in the 60s. They used to put in a nice full page of a buxam Mermaid, which would not have been popular at an RC school... Did cheer up my friends tho.
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The infamous Y&Y mermaids were painted by commercial artist Colin Grierson. They would be totally unacceptable these days and indeed after one controversially appeared on the front cover, I think while Peter Milne was editor, they were dropped.
Colin Grierson was the owner of “Scoter” for many years from the 1930s onwards. She was originally built as a bawley-rigged wildfowling boat, with a centreplate, by Howard of Maldon in 1894. It is said that Maurice Griffiths based the first “Lone Gull” on “Scoter’s” lines, which had been given to him by Grierson.
Another artist whose work was regularly used in those days by Y&Y was Keith Shackleton whose beautiful paintings and drawings, often of dinghies racing, were more acceptable than the mermaids. Keith was a friend of fellow painter Peter Scott, was involved in the early days of Slimbridge snd also crewed in International Fourteens for him.
 
Jan Harber said:
The infamous Y&Y mermaids were painted by commercial artist Colin Grierson. They would be totally unacceptable these days and indeed after one controversially appeared on the front cover, I think while Peter Milne was editor, they were dropped.
Colin Grierson was the owner of “Scoter” for many years from the 1930s onwards. She was originally built as a bawley-rigged wildfowling boat, with a centreplate, by Howard of Maldon in 1894. It is said that Maurice Griffiths based the first “Lone Gull” on “Scoter’s” lines, which had been given to him by Grierson.
Another artist whose work was regularly used in those days by Y&Y was Keith Shackleton whose beautiful paintings and drawings, often of dinghies racing, were more acceptable than the mermaids. Keith was a friend of fellow painter Peter Scott, was involved in the early days of Slimbridge snd also crewed in International Fourteens for him.
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Please write more ,being a Griffiths fan that peiriod of yachting and commercial craft is interesting.
 
Jan Harber said:
The infamous Y&Y mermaids were painted by commercial artist Colin Grierson. They would be totally unacceptable these days and indeed after one controversially appeared on the front cover, I think while Peter Milne was editor, they were dropped.
Colin Grierson was the owner of “Scoter” for many years from the 1930s onwards. She was originally built as a bawley-rigged wildfowling boat, with a centreplate, by Howard of Maldon in 1894. It is said that Maurice Griffiths based the first “Lone Gull” on “Scoter’s” lines, which had been given to him by Grierson.
Another artist whose work was regularly used in those days by Y&Y was Keith Shackleton whose beautiful paintings and drawings, often of dinghies racing, were more acceptable than the mermaids. Keith was a friend of fellow painter Peter Scott, was involved in the early days of Slimbridge snd also crewed in International Fourteens for him.
Click to expand...
There is a bit more to the history of Grierson and Scoter. After the war MG designed a new boat for Grierson based loosely on the lines of Scoter although essentially a big centreboard development of the Lone Gull type. Called Idle Duck she was built by Millers of St Monance. She is featured in the MG book "Fifty years a yacht designer" with an illustrated description and photos. She is still around and is currently for sale in Kent. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view she has been extensively rebuilt so looks in good nick. However, not sure that either Grierson or MG would find it an improvement on the original! Details here apolloduck.co.uk/boat/maurice-griffiths-for-sale/800652

The Grierson mermaids caused problems with the ASA for a company that used one of the paintings in an advert. As usual, st one complaint was enough to get a banning order!
 
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