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Search engines seem to track our entire lives. Some also trawl the web for images. Here are some that Google found on 14th March 2015. Click the mosaic for today's 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 there: 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 was tracked here. 

The final version of the Junk Rig Glossary is now available and can be found under the Junk Information menu, or directly here.  This Glossary lists all the terms related to the junk rig, its implementation and use.

We were formed in the UK, and although our 'office' address and banking remains in the UK we are run by an increasingly international Committee via the Internet. A number of posts become vacant every year, at the AGM, 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 for detail.

Sep 2016 - Henry Pigott Glory II

Around the world in a 19.5 footer

Henry Pigott started his sailing career as a Royal Marine DUKW driver. These amphibious craft so impressed him that after the war he bought one, used it as a land vehicle then took it to Sweden. DUKWs were such a novelty in this neutral country that he got a very good price for it. This enabled him to buy an extremely elegant Dragon-like, 22 square metre - his first boat to be called Glory. After being held by the Russians for a while he sailed her home. Several more adventures followed in various craft, until he crossed the Atlantic in a 18.9ft Mirror Offshore (see PBO 87).

Henry had always dreamed of sailing around the world - so at 60 he fitted out a 19.5 ft Colvic Watson hull. He reckoned, this was the smallest practical size for a solo circumnavigation. 

Glory II is loosely based on Blondie Hasler's Jester, with a nearly full-length cabin and simple junk rig. Being such a tubby little boat he found a wind vane steering system didn't work well. Large waves would sometimes turn her around and she'd start to sail for home on a reciprocal course, so he settled for an electronic autopilot which was still working after thousands of miles. He put this down to being grossly oversized and working down below in the dry.

To generate electricity Henry had five separate systems; a 75A alternator on the three cylinder Yanmar diesel engine, a 175A horizontal Kabuto diesel generator, a 6A Honda petrol generator, 4A wind generator and a 3A Solar panel. These all fed the six 100A/hr batteries via a smart regulator system.

Nearly 100 gallons of diesel carried in specially moulded plastic tanks under the bunks fuel the generators, gave Glory a range of 1800 miles under engine alone. Henry preferred to motorsail as Glory went best like this - and he slept better with the engine thumping away.

The Watson hull was reinforced with a 7in oak stem piece backed up by a collision bulkhead. This created a watertight anchor compartment right forward and gave Henry confidence when sailing past huge whales and numerous containers - all much bigger than Glory.

Moulded stringers ran fore and aft and foam reinforcement ran from the gunwale up to the deck. Huge deck beams, massive bulkheads and a thick plywood deck all absorbed the considerable loads of the unstayed mast. To help keep her upright, there were 2.5 tons of metal punchings set in resin in the bilge, giving her an all up cruising displacement of 4.5 tons and a draught of 3.5 ft.

Somewhat in contrast with his simplicity of his rig, Henry had the latest electronics onboard: 2 GPS sets (plus an inverter to recharge his hand-held's batteries), electronic chart plotter, radar, Watchman radar detector, SSB and VHF radios, television, stereo sound system plus a watermaker, central heating, refrigerator, powered windlass and a sheet winch.

Henry's circumnavigation took about three years and earned him a place in the Guiness Book of Records (for a while) as the smallest boat to do it.

He had a wonderful time and averaged about 3.9 knots under sail and power. Since then, he has crossed the Atlantic six times, the Bay of Biscay fourteen times and because the mast drops so easily he was able to explore the canals of France and the more exotic forgotten ones in Surinam, South America.

Not bad for a man in his 90's who reckons he was a terrible navigator!

*DUKW = TECHNICALDESIGNATION: D= YEAR 1942, U=UTILITY, K=ALLWHEEL-DRIVE, W= DUAL REARAXLES. KNOWN AS A 'DUCK".

Our Boat of the Month Archive is here.