We bring the first of several reports about this Bank Holiday weekend event on Ullswater. Organised by the North West Area of the OGA it was attended by several East Coast OGA members, towing their boats up to the Lake District. Boats taking part in the event were all gaff-rigged but represented a wide range of design, rig and build: two Iain Oughtred designs, an Arctic Tern, ‘Keria’ and Willy Boat, ‘Milly, six Gaffling 4.1s, two Post Boats, a Lune Whammel, a Deben lugger, ‘Lulu’, two smacks boats, ‘Eureka’ and ‘Switha’ and a Cornish Shrimper 19 ‘Eagle Owl’.
35 Gaffers began to gather at Ullswater Yacht Club on Friday 22 August 2025 for the eagerly anticipated North West OGA UIlswater Rally incorporating the second Gaffling 4.1 Championships. Six Gafflings were brought on trailers from Suffolk, Essex the North East and Arnside while other members arrived from Scotland, the South West and London to stay in camper vans, tents or local hostelries with and without boats. We were joined by two boats owned by OGA members based at the Ullswater Yacht Club. The weather forecast looked very promising and those in camper vans were directed to a large grassy field beside the lake. The Club provided excellent storage and launching facilities for all the boats and made us most welcome in the Clubhouse. Having parked up and secured all the bunting the East Coast and South West Gaffers joined their North West hosts in the Clubhouse for a buffet, quiz and briefing for the weekend ahead.
Saturday morning dawned with very light airs and sunshine. The plan was for a gentle sail down to Howtown for a lunchtime drink at the pub. The sail was certainly very gentle with plenty of rowing involved and auxiliary power for those with outboard or inboard engines available. A few took advantage of a tow from those with engines. Sarah, Beverley and Dee cycled down the quiet road to join the sailors. This is the first time all six Gafflings have been together and several members took the opportunity to hire one to test out how well they sail. The general consensus continues to be very positive, with at least two ‘converts’ sailing them for the first time.
We hope this event will serve to encourage more interest in the Gaffling 4.1 amongst OGA members and more widely. The day was rounded off with a barbecue at the Clubhouse and careful scanning of various weather forecasts to see whether a sail all the way to Glenridding may be an option for Sunday.
Find photos and results for the Gaffling Championships, held on Bank Holiday Monday at Ullswater. The Gaffling 4.1 is available in kit form from Fyne Boats, Cumbria as a ‘self-build’ option. They also offer courses in how to build the Gaffling boat kit and will also build a Gaffling for you.
We would like to thank the following who ensured everyone enjoyed themselves on the water and ashore over the weekend:
Safety Boat helm: Alasdair Simpson, NW Area & Crispin (Chris) Vyner Brooks, boat loaned by Arnside Sailing Club
Photography: Jane Walker, Clare Thomas, Nick Costen, Steve & Beverley Yates
Hosts, providing launch, storage and campsite area: Ullswater Yacht Club
OGA Officers from the North West and East Coast Areas
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