The Junk Rig Association

Welcome to the Junk Rig Association (JRA)

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Search engines can seem to track our entire lives. They can also trawl the web for junk images. Here are some that it found on 30th November 2013. Click the mosaic for an update - there are lots to explore.

Formed in 1979 at the Southampton Boat Show by a group of junk rig enthusiasts, the JRA (Junk Rig Association) is for its members and about their boats and their rigs. We aim to: promote the use of the junk rig by encouraging members to organise 'rallies' and 'junkets' (see About Us) and via our tri-annual Magazine and this site; encourage the development of junk and related rigs, the building or conversion of boats to the junk rig, and the use of vessels with the rig or its derivatives; create an international community of people who've already 'junked' their boat, are thinking of doing so, or are just interested in learning what it's all about.

Summing that up, our main job is to get the rig talked about. Former Chairman David Tyler certainly helped with that: the Ocean Cruising Club recently awarded him their Rose Medal "for the most meritorious short handed ...and exceptional voyage on board Tystie [from the UK to New Zealand]. You will have inspired many others, some of whom may well adopt a junk rig."

David's follow-up voyage to and around Alaska is tracked here.

We were formed in the UK, and although our 'office' (ie bank) remains in the UK we are run by an increasingly international Committee via the internet. A number of posts become vacant in 2014 so if you choose to join you could also put your name forward to help run the 'club'. It doesn't run itself.

Our membership is now more than 50% outside the UK. Click the chart below for detail.

Via this page you can, as a non-member, access some of our resources and explore our services. To get full access you'll need to become a member - click JOIN US in the menu on the left. Some of the things you can do as a non-member include:

watch on YouTube a presentation we created as a junk rig intro for yacht clubs. Or download the pdf
download Arne Kverneland's pdf [987 Kb] 'Junk Rig for Beginners' in English or French. Arne has put much thought and energy into developing cambered panel rigs. This article - one of many which you can find here - goes back to basics. It's a great read before you tackle something just as essential - Hasler/McLeods' 'junk bible' Practical Junk Rig
explore membership benefits in About Us - scroll up until you see the menu on the left
find out about junks in Junk Information
browse some of the latest forum posts below
check out photographs of members' boats in our own ever-expanding Photo Gallery
watch these Google videos or see some stills by clicking on the mosaic at the top of the page
use the search box below to explore the public pages of the siite
ask questions in our fora
get answers from 'junkies' all over the world, including many ocean sailors.

So lower your sails (easy in a junk) and join us. We're great value. Converting your boat to a junk is the best thing you can do to improve its safety and efficiency!

Usually we wait for a sailing shot, but this month we've bent the rules to make Ashiki our Christmas 'Boat of the Month'. Six years ago Gary and Susan King decided that some day they wanted to cruise SE Asia - and they still do. But why did they choose to build rather than buy? Gary says:

"At that time the market for cheaper boats didn't really exist in Western Australia, so we settled on a 'Badger', partly because of Annie's book, and partly for it being an easy build. I didn't want to work with either steel or pure fibreglass, so plywood it was. Ashiki was constructed in our backyard, and took 5½ years to complete. We launched her in October this year in Mandurah. Since the launch we've sold the car, liquidated our 'stuff' in garage sales, quit the house and moved aboard. I have office space onboard (the nav station), so continue to work while afloat. So far Ashiki has only sailed about 30 nm, because most the time we've been completing projects on her. We look forward to some local cruising this summer."

A great story, Gary, and thanks for responding so fast to our request for it - and for launching the dinghy for the first time to take this image! Couples that build put their hearts and souls into it, and you two clearly have. Congratulations.

Click here for previous BOTM.

RALLIES AND GET-TOGETHERS

The 'Rallies and get-togethers (junkets)' panel that used to be here has migrated to the JOIN IN > EVENTS CALENDAR page.
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Note: Only members can post on this site. On members' pages they are attributed by name, but in 'open' fora such as those from which the above extracts come they may be shown as 'Anonymous' for reasons of privacy and security.

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