Whimbrel
| Design: | Navigator |
| Designer: | John Welsford |
| Length: | 4.6m |
| Owner/Builder: | Peter Kovesi peter.kovesi@gmail.com |
| Built: | 2009 |
| Trips: | Whimbrel has done perhaps 2000km of coastal sailing. She has cruised extensively in Shark Bay, Western Australia, has been sailed from Perth to Cape Naturaliste and back, cruised the Ningaloo coast, and took part in Tawe Nunnugah 2025. |
| Modifications: | The boat is rigged as a balanced lug cat ketch rather than as a yawl as designed. The rig is very quick to set up and performs well. The mast can also be stepped in the normal central position allowing the mainsail to be set on its own. More information on the modifications I have made can be found here. |
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Some Trips
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Lake Pedder Spectacular! Very, very cold one day, sunny and calm the next. |
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Tawe
Nunnugah 2025 A cruise in compny from Recherche Bay to Hobart over 10 days. Organised by The Living Boat Trust in Franklin. |
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Tawe
Nunnugah Return Raid 2025 Hobart to Franklin over 4 days. |
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Ningaloo April 2024 A 160km cruise of the Ningaloo coast over 7 days in the company of the Drascombe Longboat Fair Wind and the Welsford Whaler Bass and Flinders. |
| Around Rottnest then down to Garden Island and back. |
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Perth to Cape Naturaliste and
return. A 550km trip over two weeks in March-April 2022 |
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Shark Bay: Denham to L'Haridon
Bight to Monkey Mia The 2017 Shark Bay trip made with Chris Robinson. |
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Shark Bay: Cape Inscription or
Bust! The 2016 Shark Bay trip made with Stephen Holden. |
| Walpole in the Trees Regatta 2016 |
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Geographe Bay 2016 Cruising in company with Paul Rickets' Pathfinder. |
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Epic cruise
of Shark Bay made with Paul Ricketts in 2015. Videos below are by Paul Ricketts. Very sadly Paul is no longer with us. |
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Easter in Albany 2015 Video: Navigator Nutters |
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Day trip to Rottnest 2014
Videos: |
General Info and Articles
- Modifications made to Whimbrel
- My thoughts on dinghy cruising safety
- Some notes and advice on cruising in Shark Bay
- Rowing Geometry for Fat Boats - My rowing setup.
- Fibreglass Strength: - My attempt to understand how to design with fibreglass.
- Video: Capsize test
Trips in other boats
| Tawe Nunnugah 2023 and the Tasmanian Wooden Boat Festival sailed on Stef van den Hoek's Drascombe Longboat Fair Wind with Dave Cliff. |
| Sail Caledonia 2019 sailed with Jim Black and Dave Cliff in the Drascombe Lugger Two Brothers. |