A lateener from the drawing board of Antonio Dias

Antonio Dias lateener

This intriguing drawing from the Antonio Dias Design weblog is of a trailer-sailing lateener he’s working up for a customer who intends to sail the boat around the Channel Islands of Southern California. Read all about it here.

I think this very cute little boat has a great deal in common with Mr Dias’ long standing interest in canoe yawls – read all about that here: Boats I’d like to design: canoe yawl. Those who have spent some time dreaming about canoe yawls as I have will be interested to know that the interior is along the lines of L Francis Herresshoff’s canoe yawl design Rozinante.

I must say I felt better when I realised the boat was bound for California – the idea of managing that big yard in a strong wind in the area of the British Channel Islands made me feel a tad queasy. But I guess we should temper that with the knowledge that lateen sails were all the rage among Barbary pirates in the same area of sea just a few centuries ago.

If it worked for those pirates of long ago, perhaps lateen rigged boats could work for us – I’d certainly like to try sailing one some day.