Dreams of junk rig regatta events and my plans for sailing in 2023 came to an abrupt end on the 3 May when I got into difficulties trying to anchor in Bull Bay on Anglesey.
I’d set off from the north-west coast, bound for the River Dart where I intended to keep my Westerly Berwick Sesi for the summer, when I made what would have been an overnight stop in Wales. I was single-handing to Holyhead to meet a friend so we could sail together the rest of the way. But I didn’t make it.
Sesi was completely destroyed but I managed to get off onto rocks and scramble to safety before help arrived. I suffered nothing more than wet feet though nothing could be done to save the boat, which I had lovingly converted into a McGalliard rig.
The rise
was one of the popular Westerly series of 31ft family cruisers, not the raciest of boatsI was very happy with but I wasn’t confident in my single-handed ability to sail her to a safe haven in challenging conditions in the event of an engine failure. While considering the options I came across the excellent article by David Harding in in November 2011. It told the story of how Slieve McGalliard, of the Junk Rig Association (JRA), had invented the split junk rig. Slieve converted the Westerly Longbow to his split junk rig, it had cambered sails, was easy to handle, and outperformed many Bermudan rigs in the Round the Island races.
