The launch of Onawind Blue
Ben Crawshaw launched his Light Trow this weekend to wide acclaim – not least on the Tarragona beach where Onawind Blue first began to fulfill her destiny. Here’s a quotation from his excellent and entertaining weblog, The Invisible Workshop:
‘As the last wave of a big set broke we ran forward and into the surf, Onawind Blue’s bows skimmed over the sea and smashed through the white water. As we got out of our depth I hopped in and stood to the oars. OB responded immediately and her bow rose high over the next wave. She pulled away like a thoroughbred amid whooping and cheers from the beach and then we were on the outside and I evened up my stroke and headed out to sea.
‘She was a joy to row, comfortable, settled, surefooted and fast. Later people commented that they couldn’t believe how rapidly I was reduced to a speck. A smooth straight wake with no white water and no eddies spread behind us like a ribbon over the sea.’
It’s well worth visiting The Invisible Workshop, not least for the snatch of video, which clearly shows the kind of water Ben and his boat were so happy in, even on their first time out.
For more on the Light Trow and its ancestor the Fleet Trow:
‘Phwoar!’, says Light Trow builder Ben Crawshaw
Download the FREE BOAT PLANS for the Light Trow plans here:
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/gavin/lighttrow/trow.zip
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Wot, no comments yet! What a magnificent little design, beautifully executed, and not harmed at all on launch day by the beautiful location, gorgeous weather, and general air of a great time being had by all. You must be very proud of her!
Thanks Dick! Believe me, I am very pleased and proud. All designers should have builders like Ben – he's been resourceful, funny and a great advocate.
Despite the hull's simplicity, it's obviously a good form and one variation I've had very much in mind is a rowing-only version that would be used much in the way the Bolger Light Dory is used in the US – hence the 'Light' in the name.
I also think it might have some appeal as a cruising dinghy, perhaps with a raised floor for bouyancy and dry storage forward of the central transom and a small area for a little removable ballast just aft of it, though I notice that rowability does not seem to be high on many dinghy cruising enthusiasts' lists of wants.
The thing is, this boat has got me going – I want one too now! Julie tells me that if I do build one it has to be called 'de trop', though whether that's a hint about how many boats we have or a just because she likes French-inspired puns, I'm not sure. In a similar vein we have a dory called 'Doris'…
Gav