Our featured boat for July is ‘Lærling’, commissioned as a training project to develop the skills of young people in the conservation, maintenance and operation of traditional vessels of all types. Designed by Paul Spooner and Jim Dines, she was built by the registered charity Heritage Marine Foundation. ‘Lærling’, a powerful gaff ketch, takes her inspiration from the classic Colin Archer design and other famous double enders. Built over four years at Downs Road Boatyard in Maldon, Essex with young people honing their skills under the supervision of Jim Dines and Ernst de Groote, she went on to be the winner of the 2025 ‘Spirit of Tradition’ Classic Boat Awards.
In the owner’s words
“For several years I have been gradually planning a future life world-cruising, starting with scoping out current production yachts for their suitability in handling extreme weather, something likely to increase with climate change. Simultaneously, I had fallen in love with classical yacht designs, in particular ‘old-gaffers’ and had gotten to know Jim and Catherine Dines at Downs Rd Boatyard who helped me consummate this love in 2015 by becoming the proud owner of ‘Lily’, a 28ft Essex Smack built by Peter Herbert on the Blackwater to lines of an original Smack called ‘Secret’.”
“In hindsight, I now realise this love started as a child growing up in Clacton-on-Sea watching Thames Barges and Smacks pass along the East Coast. More practically, however, I now appreciate first-hand why these robust and efficient historical working-boat designs first came about and crucially why they maintain their relevance today for modern cruising: with full-keel hull forms that can withstand hitting semi-submerged shipping containers, sea-kindly heavy displacements and perfectly matched (and beautiful) low-aspect gaff-rig sail plans to drive them effectively and safely. Moreover, the self-sufficiency of being able to maintain such classical and robust engineering, is a major plus for me.”
“Seeking these enduring benefits from the classical world, while integrating modern creature comforts and multiple layers of redundancy into the engineering systems, required designing an entirely new ‘modern-classic’ that I hoped would be an ideal blend for world-cruisers, and above all beautiful to the beholder.”
“Enter the expertise of Paul Spooner and Jim Dines and their design for 52ft LOD ‘Laerling’, which I believe captures all these desires tremendously, with an easily driven and stable double-ender hull-form and a flexible cutter ketch sail plan, along with topsail, topsail jib, mizzen staysail and even a square sail for downwind sailing. ‘Laerling’ has a retractable bowsprit and topmast, twin hybrid electric plus diesel engines with variable pitch props for recharging 1700Ah of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, internal and external helming positions, 1000L of fuel and water storage, an R/O plant, workshop, dive compressor and a wealth of other mod-cons all in a spacious 3-cabin pilot house layout.”
“The final point of note is the choice of name: ‘Laerling’ is Norse for ‘Apprentice’. It is a deliberate nod to Colin Archer and reflects the biggest reason why we embarked on this endeavour, which is to provide an exciting project for a new apprenticeship scheme at Downs Road Boatyard. ‘Laerling’ was built by inspirational young trainees, providing a legacy that we hope will continue to preserve and pioneer the benefits of classic yacht designs for many years to come.”
Words & photos: Chris Torrance & Jim Dines
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