1965 - 2020 Dinghies at Tighnabruaich

As in all walks of life, technology moves forward at a pace and dinghy sailing is no exception. Over the years our dinghies have considerably changed from wooden, heavy, and maintenance nightmares to light, thermal plastic or composites, a dream to maintain and handle ashore.

The sailing school originally taught on traditional boats local to the Clyde area and the west coast of Scotland. The Loch Long was a solid keelboat capable of carrying a crew of four and crucially keeping them dry. Particularly special to the sailing school was the ‘Kyles of Bute’ dinghy, ‘Midge’, built by Smith’s Boatyard in Tighnabruaich. It was a less forgiving dinghy, something instructors would often find out too late; standing on the foredeck frequently resulted in a capsize! Lastly, the Loch Fyne Skiff, called Iolaire, a boat popular with the herring fleet on Loch Fyne, is very different from todays modern dinghies. The dipping lugsails definitely made learning the ropes more interesting.

Iolaire still sails today. Fiona’s Dad rescued it from the boatyard and did a fantastic job renovating her and making her sound again. She is now moored in the shallows in Tarbert Harbour and has become a welcome landmark in the village. She last sailed in the Kyles of Bute in 2005 during our 40th anniversary celebrations.

The dinghy perhaps used the most for teaching sailing was the Wayfarer. It’s stability and seaworthiness was the perfect combination for beginners. Robin’s favourite was ‘Iaro’, but with a fleet of 8, there were plenty to choose from. Who remembers Mathew, Rhum, Islay, Jura, Kay, Jasmine, Pirate, Zenith, Snoopy and Jess? Obviously islands were a popular choice to name the dinghies, but who would have thought a Dulux colour card would inspire some names!

When you progressed from the basic course, and the reassurance of the Wayfarer, fibreglass Enterprises were the norm. With a large blue sail and a small hull they were arguably more difficult to sail than the advanced 420 dinghy!

In time, a fleet of Toppers were purchased for the young sailors. The small single handed polypropolene boats are still popular today and our local Kyles of Bute Sailing Club use them to train our local children. The sailing school replaced the Toppers with Picos, a fantastic and versatile dinghy to teach sailing and build confidence with those new to the sport.

As replacements boats were required over the years, performance dinghies with spinnakers, asymetrics and trapeze were introduced. Laser 1 and 2’s, followed by the Laser 3000, 4000, RS Feva, RS 600, Dart 16 and Ovington 49er.

Instructors of a certain era (think 1980’s) will remember ‘The Wildfire’, a locally built unusual design. She was almost a miniature yacht with a keel capable of being removed and two separate cockpits. How many were built is unknown, however in Tighnabruaich she was legendary,  popular with some and a punishment for others, and with a name like ‘Jeopardy’, no wonder!