converted Sussex punts, a Tideway, a leeboarded skiff, several small luggers, Winchelsea yawls and even a rare clinker-built Swampscott dory. These boats use a variety of rigs including lug, gunter, and spritsail. It is a delight to see more tan sails in the river and I am sure that the owners of these small craft get much more sailing in the bay and the river than do many of the owners of cruising yachts. Indeed, most of the owners of these small traditional craft had previously owned cruisers! The passage up river from Rye town to Newenden (and Bodiam if there is enough water) is delightful. It is necessary to lower your mast since there are a few bridges along the 15-mile rural journey up river. There is only one lock and it is likely that you will not see another boat under way during your passage beyond the lock. There are good pubs at Newenden and Bodiam and a National Trust restaurant at Bodiam Castle. My little Dabber is just 15ft 6in (4.7m) on deck and a little more than 20ft (6.1m) over her spars. She has a lifting steel centreplate and has two masts which enable the jib and mizzen to be carried mainly outboard, leaving plenty of space for the crew (much better than cramming them into a small cockpit or halfway down the hatch zas is the norm on small cabin cruisers). If it rains there is the option of a cuddy or tent. The main is a simple standing lugsail with no boom.
The Dabber and similar open boats are much easier to rig and launch than heavier trailable cruising sailboats and are an excellent way to explore Rye from the water’s edge. They are also pleasing to the eyes of those who look out from the hills of Rye across the river and bay.
CLASSIC BOAT MARCH 2012 65
PHOTOS BY MAURICE BURGESS AND CLIVE MARSH
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