Arwen's meanderings: July 2025

Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England between 2009 and 2025.

Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.

On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Although 'Arwen' has now been sold to another family and is sailing in new water, this blog will remain a source of inspiration and information for those interested in dinghy cruising and sailing the local waters around Plymouth Sound. So, continue to drop us a comment or ask a question and happy sailing and fair winds to you. Steve and Arwen

Steve and Arwen

Friday, 18 July 2025

The end of this particular blog

Hello. If you have arrived at this page - welcome. It details the starting points of the three blogs I write.

Arwen's Meanderings

Wherenexthun

UnderSouthWestSkies

The 'Arwen's Meanderings' blog has now ended after fifteen years. It will remain as a source of information for those of you into Dinghy Cruising. You may find something useful in the thousands of blog posts across the years. Use the right hand side menu or search bar to navigate to specific blogs. You can always contact me via comment box if you are looking for specific information.

Below are the home pages of the two other blogs I write:

For 'Wherenexthun' - our blog about our adventures and travels in our Autosleeper Broadway motorhome 'Bryony' then visit

www.wherenexthun.blogspot.co.uk

For my blog for those new to astronomy and astrophotography - 'UnderSouthWestSkies' - then please visit

www.UnderSouthWestSkies.blogspot.com

If you visit any of the three blogs, then drop me a comment and say hello. Look forward to chatting with you. 😀👍

John Welsford's 'Navigator' design

The 'Navigator' is a 14' 9" yawl with a beam of 5' 10". She weighs 309 lbs and has a sail area of 136 sq ft. Rigged with a standing lug sail, she has side, centre and front thwarts and space for four although she is an ideal single hander. There are a huge number of locker spaces. For more details about the design of navigators go to www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/navigator/index.htm

I have added two portable galley boxes, a collapsible sleeping platform, boom tarp tent and outboard bracket along with re-boarding straps. Details of all these adaptations can be found in various blog posts. Use the search blog facility.

Arwen's meanderings