Brightlingsea One Design

On the eve of the Centenary of the class in 2027, and as Class President, I am honoured to record the State of the Class (precedent acknowledged!).

Boats aside for a moment, undoubtedly our principal asset, whether the Class is in full flourish or poised ready to regain momentum – is ourselves.

All the sailors and friends, Committee Members, Treasurers, boatbuilders, sailmakers, measurers, photographers, webmasters, etc, etc – who together have raced, cruised, sweated, discussed, agreed, disagreed, and won and lost, and still carried on.

And so, one hundred years after Robbie Stone launched his boat and called her “Jean” after his four-year-old daughter, and my predecessor as President – and seventy-five years after the BOD Association was founded and took over the copyright and running of the Class – a resounding thank you to everyone who has contributed.

An overall tally of the boats shows the following:-

Boats Built:
Pre-War (Douglas Stone)		14
Post-War Wooden
James & Stone	14
TC White	3
Aldous Successors	1
J Mullins	1
G Bligh	2
Other Mersea Builders	2
M Goodwin	1	24
Glass fibre since 2006		7
Total Boats Built		45

Of those 37 remain today. Numbers 2, 3, 10, 12, 13, 19, 22 and 41 no longer exist, although I have the centreplate from the 1939 C10 “Lapwing”.

Two boats are in the Netherlands, C52 (GRP) from new, and C42 “Sabrina” was sold there. The remaining 35 boats are local to Brightlingsea or the Essex Coast in one way or another and I note just today that “Edwina”, No 7, is on her mooring at Wivenhoe, still looking beautiful with her original “old” rig after 92 years.

That so many have survived, and that for example the 100-year-old “Jean” is still one of the top boats is due to the original design and build – to pride of ownership in what is undoubtedly a nationally significant 18-footer – and also to the conserving effect of our calm saltwater moorings.

And then there is the extra stimulus of our racing tradition. If you are going to win then your boat needs to be maintained in tip-top condition – and it also needs to comply with the rules and so you need a Class Association. With all of that comes the potential for durable boats, watchful updating, and periods of snowballing growth.

The Class was (and remains) adopted by the Brightlingsea Sailing Club at their AGM in March 1927, and the early racing with the original rig is epitomised in the wonderful Freddie Armes photo which now forms the President’s Trophy and hangs in the Sailing Club.

My own first memory of BODs is of a fleet of around a dozen at the Wivenhoe Regatta in 1960.  At that time the number of new classes was only just beginning to grow, and for most of the sixties and seventies the local regattas and the CYC/BSC Joint Racing Programme enjoyed good fleets with little need for promotion. But by the end of the eighties the popularity of other classes was growing, and the annual maintenance of sixty-year-old open clinker hulls, by ever busier people, and still with oil-based products, was beginning to tell.

Typically though, hard work and persistence by owners and Association Officers kept the fleet going and avoided any overwhelming loss of boats through neglect or due to storage costs.

Two main factors then exerted a positive influence – the existence of GRP and the invention of the WEST Epoxy System by the Gougeon brothers in America.

Around that time, I bought C8 “Egret” as a 60 year old non-fleet wreck which almost sank towing from Rowhedge to Wivenhoe. She was re-built using the original frames (shams) and keel jig given to me by Tom Sargeant Senior, and with all joints glued and then epoxy coated. “Egret” was the first full epoxy restoration and remains a top boat with full structural integrity after nearly 40 years. The same applies to the new-build C32 “Avocet” which followed soon after.

The GRP boats, long talked about, were eventually brought to reality by John Mullins who built the mould. Robust and weatherproof, seven have so far been built and so they almost replace the wooden boats that have been lost.

Steady momentum built, and between 2005 and 2015 the Pyefleet Week entry rose from three in the handicap class to a fleet of twenty-three. The total entry for the twelve years before covid was 205 at an average of 17 boats. At around £120 a throw?, that’s £2040 a year or £24,480.

Since the intervention of Covid, and perhaps with the ageing of an uncomfortable proportion of owners, the Pyefleet Week average has settled to around twelve. In fact, this compares well with the historical averages, but now with a “fleet stock” of rather more durable boats in hand.

Here is a look at the physical state of the boats now, and a comparison from 1990:-

Boats as at March 2026		1990	2026
A* Ready to sail GRP		0	6
B* Ready to sail, full epoxy rebuilt		2	14
C* Ready to sail “maintained/well maintained”		26	10
D* Static boats/hulls required serious restoration (from repair/fit out to full Epoxy rebuild)		5	5
		____	____
Totals		33	35

Although six local GRP boats were built between the two dates, three boats (10, 13, 22) were lost/wrecked during the period and one (42) exported. So the total only rose by two.

But twenty of the current 2026 boats in rows A and B are a great deal more weatherproof, and require far less maintenance than even a brand new traditionally maintained boat, and this has most definitely helped the upward momentum.

Taking a look at row D – the “wreck-line” – what is not immediately apparent is that only one boat has languished there for nearly 30 years!

Reg White’s first BOD C5 “Sybil” which he called “Tiller Girl” (and is now “Oxbird”) has clocked up a record time surviving on the brink, and is currently in a shed in Alresford “ready to rebuild” – anyone?

But investigation shows an otherwise extremely encouraging rotation out of the wreck-line and at least half of the fourteen full Epoxy rebuilds once qualified. “Egret”, “Jean” and “Cormorant” for example were all extreme cases in any sane person’s assessment requiring at least 1000 hours each; they, and all the rebuilds, are now competitive and durable.

The steady boosting of the fleet has not been cheap, and the Association has born the considerable expense and has continued liabilities. Despite the generosity of the builder with his time, the GRP mould eventually had to be bought from the firm housing the project for a considerable sum. And from time-to-time boats have been either bought or donated and have to be stored. At one time at least two were insured for sailing and loaned free. But while this contributed to Pyefleet Week and other entries, whether or not it was attracting future owners became irrelevant because it was financially unsustainable.

Currently, and whether or not you regard them as assets, stock in anticipation of future benefits, or just plain liabilities, the Association owns six BODs, some of which incur storage costs at any given time.

Two of them, 24 “Nan” and 43 “Endeavour” are in sailing condition or very near it and stored in the Colne Yacht Club Tower Street yard.

Two more are in storage with me at Wivenhoe, C15 “Merlin”, 1953 Vergemere Trophy winner with John Patridge and just rescued by David Chivers in January 2026, has just been ridge poled, sheeted and “yard proofed”. She can be accommodated with me for free for another six months or so.

“Merlin” was stored inside at Alresford for ten years and although she would require re-shaping on the keel jig to be “full race”, she would sail very well with just one or two minor repairs and a thorough fit out. I can see her at the local upriver regattas or showing her speed at the Semain du Golf Classic Boat Regatta in the Morbihan, Brittany, as several of our intrepid owners have already done.

The remaining three Association boats are all full “wreck-liners” requiring sheltered storage pending thousand hour rebuilds.

Multiple winner C21 “Viking”, ex Victor Lees, Geoff Payne and Graham Adams, can remain with me free of charge for the time being.

C5 “Oxbird”, ex Reg White, has already been mentioned.

The sixth boat in the Association ownership is C28 “Brunette” which was built by James & Stone in 1956, but still with the “old” bowsprit rig. She has never sailed at Brightlingsea, and the Association re-imported her from Ireland in 1991. I acquired her some years ago and dismantled the wooden deck which was a mistake. She is currently stored with Simon Hipkin at Walton as a bare shell on the keel jig, and I have all her equipment. If she is to survive then the hull will need to be otherwise accommodated soon.

If you have been counting, then the remaining two wreck-liners are in private hands – both boat builders I am pleased to say.

As well as the boats a large number of cost-free assets exist. The Association owns the GRP hull mould and casting pattern for the iron centreplate. Under Keith Clubb’s guidance I made casting patterns for the bronze centreplate winch and bracket, the rudder fitting and the traditional backstay slider. These will belong to the Association as soon as the agreed resin copies are made.

I also have the previously mentioned original building shams and keel jig, and a full set of plywood templates for planks, transom, centre case, floors and deck beams, ex C32 “Avocet”. In addition, on the same safe storage shelf are drawings for hull, mast and fittings, launching trolley with underneath centreplate loading, centreplate trolley, bending jig for mainsheet horse, a fully illustrated Epoxy Rebuilding Manual, and a Race Tuning Guide.

I also have an archive box containing Association records and mailings, Race Programmes, Racing Courses, Clase Rules and rule changes and newsletters.

Lots of essential, useful, or just interesting information. Thanks to Fiona Brown a great deal of this printed and photographic material is available on our own BOD website (brightlingseaonedesign.com), and there are lots more photographs and articles both there, and on the Yachts and Yachting website and several others.

I should say here, on the topic of Class Rules and rule changes, that we can take a pride in the fact that the steady revision and modernisation of our rules has (so far!) gone through in an amazingly civilised and democratic way! With David Chivers as back-stop, the construction, weight, mast, spinnaker, boom height and a host of minor details have been painlessly updated.

One particular piece of foresight may well pay off soon, that is if the current Z-Spar mast section has gone from production? In anticipation of this eventuality the mast section is controlled by only three carefully chosen minimum dimensions, and I would be very surprised if a compliant and high-performance replacement section could not be found.

Skills like promotion, diplomacy and compromise are always handy. 

Throughout the history of the Class both our home clubs have been, and remain, extremely supportive. But they are both busy, and there are two of them! So organising race programmes and racecourses to suit everyone can be difficult. I can only say that in my experience around half the number of Class races you first thought of will get you the best turnouts. And then during any period when things need a boost (such as now), justify the fixtures by somehow getting five boats on the line.

Our racing courses involving a long lap followed by a short lap or laps was designed to always ensure a decent length of race even if shortened, and yet where the full course is set offer an acceptable second lap for anyone having a bad day! They are un-useable for average lap handicap races but remain for BODs in Pyefleet Week, and could perhaps be reinstated for weekends if BOD fleet racing returns.

One downside of the competitive nature of the fleet whilst kept on moorings is the frequent need for scrubbing. Especially so with the less effective modern anti-fouling coatings. But then the cost and/or time involved with the parking and launching facilities is high and continues to rise. As I understand it though, a scheme is afoot to enhance the ease of the CYC yard facility where commercial operations are either full up or expensive. Certainly, in the Wivenhoe OD fleet, currently at thirteen out of sixteen, convenient moorings are playing a significant part, and therefore maximum convenience of our park and launch arrangement could well pay similar dividends. Incidentally, moored boats are naturally kept cool, and with epoxied wooden boats ashore a pale or white cover has proved essential, especially on a dark coloured boat.

I suppose, before concluding, a brief look at factors outside our control which may be affecting our sport in general, and perhaps tough sports like sailing in particular, may be in order in case solutions materialise.

Certainly, there are ever more distractions and options available to occupy people’s time. And maybe even when (or because?) there is more housing, traffic, people and screen time there is less committed take-up of anything a bit challenging? And possibly the broad educational steer away from hand skills and competition has some bearing? Certainly, for anyone starting out in sailing the resilience inherent in an ability to win or lose and carry on regardless is a really good start. We can only be aware.

In conclusion what have we got – the “State of the Class” indeed! Let’s have a look.

First of all, boats – plenty of them and at extremely attractive prices, or no prices at all. And at the bottom end in the “wreck-line” they are coming out of our ears.

For goodness sake, the Manai Strait One Designs only have seventeen and one of those is in pieces, and they were on prime-time telly the other Sunday evening!!

Actually, while the Countryfile presenter Adam Henson was put through a thoroughly over dramatized mast lowering, the real story was of participation for all and sundry, in the health enhancing business of sailing and boat maintenance in a strongly social context.

I think the word charity featured and I was reminded of the good work Nick Readings was doing, on a more commercial basis, around twenty years ago. Given that we have several sound but “sub full race” BODs there may be some mileage in a similar idea and a look at the Menai OD website? (menaistraitsheritagesailing.com)

Secondly clubs, what haven’t I said? We have two excellent clubs. Busy, affordable, and I am sure approachable. Continuous convivial links with both Clubs are essential and, in my experience, good timing and communications is the key.

And then finally we have ourselves. People. BOD sailing is fun and the racing continues to attract our top sailors at both National and International level – because it’s close. But, everyone is busy and if numbers are down, it’s nothing new, and in any case the only thing you can do about it is to sit down on a Monday morning and prioritise.

That needs organisation and should our official structure have faltered it will be due to the same wearing exhaustion, among busy people, that befalls much larger organisations than ours.

If that is the case, we need fresh leadership to steady the ship and cover the priorities, which are communication with ourselves and with our clubs. In that connection many thanks to Derick Gentry who has stepped in to do the 2026 Race Programme which is on the website.

In ultra-final conclusion I would add the following:-

We need ourselves, and those around us with any influence, to see what is staring us all in the face. That what we have here is a gem, not only for the fun it gives now, but for the fact that it is a unique and beautiful part of the Brightlingsea waterfront, and that it holds a permanent place in any national or even international assessment of similar craft.

Stand away, and even the shipwright’s lines of the planking around the hull are a masterpiece, and how fortunate that such an elegant mast rake makes it sail so well!

Brightlingsea should be very proud – oh and the State of the Class? – all the above and “poised and optimistic”.

Malcolm Goodwin
President
Brightlingsea One Design Association
m.j.goodwin45@gmail.com

50 plus copies distributed to:
Commodores BSC & CYC
BOD Owners
Friends and others as appropriate