RNSA Admiralty Pattern Sailing Dinghy

The modified Island Class boat was adopted by the RNSA in 1935 (see Island Class Dinghy).  The RNSA was also charged with arranging and organising sailing and racing amongst its members serving in the various fleets abroad.  Subsequently its design was modified from an 18ft. mast to that of the Gunter rig for easy embarkation in HM Ships and became the subject of an Admiralty specification in 1937.

These robust little boats were mainly built by Shipwright Apprentices in their second year of training in the various home dockyards, which in 1935 were Portsmouth, Devonport, Chatham, Rosyth and Sheerness.  In Portsmouth it was in the northern half of No.7 Boathouse that this building work was carried out.  Today, on the overhead beams of the restaurant part of the building, can still be seen the lodgement for the building stocks of these little boats.

This RNSA dinghy was built by shipwright apprentices at Rosyth dockyard in 1960.

Boat Stats

Length Overall

14ft

Beam

5ft

Draft

9in (2ft with centreboard down)

Displacement

890lb

Engine

Sail

Construction

Mahogany clinkers on Canadian elm ribs and risers.

Date Built

1960

Boat Yard

Royal Navy Dockyard, Rosyth, Scotland

Supported by:

Supported by Regional Growth Fund