LATEST NEWS:
- HADRON gets a mention in the January 2012 edition of Yachts and Yachting Magazine, with (hopefully) a full boat test article to follow in the Spring.
- September 2011. BLUEEYES-20 is exhibited at the Cape Town International Boat Show, albeit in part-completed form.
- June 2011.HADRON is launched at Wroxham Broad.
- January 2011. I have started building a new singlehander for my own use - HADRON.
- March 2009.
The part finished boat (named WICKED (MR3708))was on display at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace.
- January 2009. A new Merlin Rocket design has been commissioned - HAZARDOUS Zero-9. The boat is being built by Laurie Smart, one of the top UK dinghy builders.
In October 2006 I noted that my new boatshed was nearing completion. Now I am ready to start building my BLUEEYES 18. In order to optimise limited use of space, I plan to build all the components before building the hull. The build process will be documented on video and still images here.
- Summer 2008. Izivunguvungu Sailing School is progressing with the hull of their BlueEyes 20. Much local interest has been shown in the boat, and there is talk of further boats being built once the prototype has been put through her paces.
- August 2007. A set of BLUE LIGHTNING plans has gone to the north eastern seaboard of the USA, and the first set of BLUEEYES-20 plans has been sent to Izivunguvungu Sailing School, South Africa.
- July 2007. A BLUE SKIES (multichine version) is being built in Scotland - in the open.
- March 2007. Plans for HAZARDOUS170 and HAZE4000 dinghies have been sold to Italy and Brazil respectively.
- February 2007. The German magazine 'Yacht' has published a very positive boat test review of BLUESTORM.
- December 2006. After more than 2 years work, my BOATBUILDING SHED is nearing completion. In it I plan to build a small 2 berth design (BlueEyes) to replace my much loved but ageing 'Lively'.
- July 2006. Mike Hardie's HIGHLIGHT is launched. It took Mike 2 years to build, and he's made a super job of it. I was invited to the launching in North Wales, and the first sail in light winds indicated that she well-mannered and will perform well - see photographs on its web page.
- 4 February 2005. Several updates to this website: Bill Schmidt progresses with his Blue Lightning - the hull was turned in May 2004 and construction of superstructure and interior are now well under way - see photos here.
- 17 August 2004.I have just returned from an idyllic week of sailing with Heiner Forster and 'Antje' (BLUESTORM) in the Danish archipelago. Now I'm tackling the building of a new boatshed, so that I can build a new 5.5m design, to be called BLUEEYES
- 9 May 2004. BLUE LIGHTNING has been sold and will spend the season an a mooring on the Beaulieu River, near Southampton. I was quite ambivalent about selling her, but I am confident that her new owner will look after her and appreciate her remarkable sailing qualities.
- 6 May 2004. I've just returned from North Germany with Blue Lightning, where we sailed with 'Antje' in the beautiful area of coastal lagoons bordering the Baltic around Stralsund. Blue Lightning has at last met her match - Antje (the first boat to the BlueStorm design) was about 5% faster to windward in a moderate breeze, and as fast downwind. See some photographs of our Baltic trip at BLUESTORM.
- 15 March 2004. John Keeling is progressing with the planking of his Hazardous 170 Merlin Rocket. See photos here.
- 10 March 2004. Bill Schmidt has nearly completed the hull of his BLUE LIGHTNING . From the photographs he has sent me, he is making a superb job of it. See them here.
- 10 March 2004. After initial trials of the prototype, Heatwave dinghy plans are published today.
- 16 February 2004. My 1972 singlehander, the Harrier, is making a comeback at Whitby, N. Yorks, where a small fleet is developing. More boats are needed, so if you want to dispose of your old Harrier, contact Andy Martland.
- 30 January 2004. The first BlueStorm is launched. "Antje" is named after the builder's daughter, who launched the boat at a lake near Oldenburg. She is still minus her rig, which I will be taking over to Germany in March, when the weather will be a little more amenable for sailing.
- 2 December 2003. The prototype Heatwave singlehander was launched last Sunday. She slipped along nicely in the very light airs at Island Barn Reservoir S.C.. See the photographs on its web page.
Mike Hardie has finished erecting the frames for Highlight - see photographs on its web page.
- 17 October 2003. This summer has been very busy for me - dayboat and dinghy designs have been the main focus. I've been developing a 5.5m daysailer Highlight and a singlehander dinghy Heatwave. To my great pleasure, I have been commissioned to develop two new Merlin Rocket designs. One of the fascinating aspects of these boats is that they are both to be built abroad (USA and France).
- 30 May 2002. The first BLUESTORM hull shell was completed at the works of Tischlerei Förster GmbH in Wardenburg, Germany, at the end of May 2002. Click here to see photographs of the hull.
- 9 April 2002:A set of BLUESTORM plans have been sold to Yugoslavia.
- March 1st 2002: Australia is again the destination for the latest set of plans - this time it's a BLUE LIGHTNING. More info when building starts.
- I have videos of Blue Lightning on CD (mpeg1 format). UK residents please send me £1.00 in stamps to receive a copy (address at bottom of page); CD is free to anyone outside the UK. Video clips include the 2-sail reach mentioned below.
- Late 2001 I bought a fluorescent pink spinnaker from Arun Sails. I've found that the asymmetric is not really appropriate for cruising, but this pink thing pushes Blue Lightning's 1000kg along very well. So it should - we now set about 48 sq m. (530 sq ft) downwind.
- A mini-cruise in BLUE LIGHTNING gave my daughter Erin and I some fast sailing - in a NNE force 4 off the Essex coast, the boat averaged 9 knots over ten miles, with a maximum speed of 12.5 knots. We were on a 2-sail reach with the apparent wind just aft of the beam. (speeds verified by GPS). To see a clip from the video I took CLICK HERE
