One thousand stainless steel screws and then more. That is what it took to restore Oliver Curran’s Wychcraft dinghy.
They’re used to building boats in strange locations on either side of the Strangford Narrows in Co Down, with Billy Brown’s Ruffian construction in a shed at the bottom of his Portaferry garden on the east side and Wychcraft opposite in Strangford in a modern (then) workshop built on the site of a former abattoir.
The Wychcraft caught the interest in the Fifties on both sides of the Narrows. It is a 14-foot strip plank dinghy based on the Royal Naval Sailing Association 14.
Wychcraft Oliver Curran showing the unusual construction of the Wychcraft. Most of the ribs needed to be replaced. They got some new oak and steamed in new ribs
So in 1957 work started on the build in various locations in the two towns, initiated by Les Peto, a retired Naval Engineer. During his Naval Service, he was impressed by the Royal Navy 14' (or Admiralty) dinghy and obtained a set of plans. That dinghy was clinker built but Les chose to use the strip plank method of construction. The Wychcraft were decked with marine plywood, had a gunter rig, and the sails were Egyptian cotton on a sail plan designed by Uffa Fox. They were named Wychcraft after a river near where Les Peto had lived in Sussex and cost £120 to build. That would be nearly £3,000 today.
Wychcraft racing during the transitional period of change from Gunter to Bermudian rig in 1964 Courtesy Strangford SC
As some of the subsequent builds were slightly different from the original, it was agreed to divide the fleet into Mark 1 and Mark 2.
Initially, 12 boats were launched, and the success of the class in 1958 prompted new owners, and in the end, the fleet numbered 50. In the early 1960s, Mark 1 owners agreed to allow the ‘new’ material, Terylene, to be used for the sails and they could change to Bermudian rig if wished.
Gerry Reilly and Oliver Curran with Oliver’s newly restored Wychcraft at Strangford SC. Gerry’s restored Wychcraft is in the background
Strangford Sailing Club’s excellent Golden Jubilee commemorative booklet on the class in 2008 tells of interest in the class waning at the end of the 1960s. Some owners moved to Flying Fifteens, and another blow was the arrival of the much-needed Strangford Ferry, which meant the loss of the traditional moorings in Strangford. The club moved to the nearby National Trust property, Castleward. The Silver Jubilee was celebrated in 1983. This sparked off a renewed interest in the class, and despite weekly racing fading away, the class still attended regattas in the Lough.
Wychcraft in the Bar Buoy Race photo Andrew Steenson
There are now two Wychcraft active in Strangford Sailing Club and six in Portaferry.
In Strangford, Oliver Curran has just restored a very old Wychcraft, which he found in a barn in Killinchy near Whiterock on the western shore of Strangford Lough. It is no 9, called Master McGrath and was in poor condition, minus decks and ribs. It belonged at one time to Major Brownlow of Brownlow Estate in Lurgan Co Armagh, hence the name Master McGrath, which was one of the most celebrated greyhounds of all time and owned by Major Brownlow.
John Murray is the owner of two Wychcraft, Mary, which he built in 1958 and Bernadette (no 8), the last to be built in 1991. John keeps them on moorings opposite his home on the waterfront in Portaferry. Both are still sailed.
Recently, the fleet raced in good weather from Strangford round the Bar Buoy, which lies at the mouth of the Lough, and back. Winners were Gerry Reilly and Jordan Conway in Gerry’s restored Wychcraft (no 14) Kia Ora, and they lifted the new trophy in memory and bearing the maiden name of Andrew Steenson’s mother, Mary McDonnell, whose family were ferry people and sailors since the 13th century. And in the Wychcraft tradition, the winners receive the Cup and £5, which was the prize in the 1950s.
The Golden Jubilee booklet shows admiration for the Wychcraft. “It was one of the very few that was a true general-purposed dinghy. When rowed or fitted with an outboard motor, they were used for fishing, family picnics, generally pottering about and emergency ferry boats or to enjoy the carefree pleasure of sailing “.
Wychcraft owners from the Golden Jubilee booklet. Courtesy Strangford SC
