19' Oughtred Caledonia Yawl II (2019) - SPARGE

NOTE: Since the 2020 show, I converted my Balanced Lug rig to a Gunter Yawl rig in 2021. I have since switched back to the Balanced Lug Rig; it is the right choice for this boat in my opinion.

The first time I laid eyes on a Caledonia Yawl was at the Wooden Boat Show in Mystic, Connecticut. I fell in love. A 19’ 6” hearty, open, double-ended yawl. I didn’t have to test drive it, or even get on board . . . just gazing at the boat from the dock was enough. As I drove home from Mystic that day a wave of emotion came over me . . . I am going to build that boat. Much like, I imagine, a calling a Priest receives from God . . . there was no scenario left where I wasn’t going to build that boat and I immediately bought a set of plans from Iain Oughtred, the boat’s designer. I am an average handy man around the house, with no fancy tools. I borrowed a portable Ryobi table saw, bought an electric planner, and relied heavily on my 25 year old Black & Decker skill saw, a local shop offered access to a band saw and thickness planner when needed. After 500 hours, 6 elapsed months, and one of the most fulfilling chapters of my life, I became the proud owner of this beautiful boat. And now I can tell you from experience what I saw from that dock, “she sails like a witch!!” (Chris Blake, Off Ceneter Harbor Crew).

A Caledonia Yawl is 19’6’’ LOA with a hefty 6’5’’ beam, configured with a lug rigged mainsail and mizzen (other sail configurations are optional). She is built with modern technology often referred to as glued-lap construction, an attractive and efficient boatbuilding method for both traditional and modern wooden boats. The boat gains both its strength and beauty from the lapstrake construction combined with modern adhesives like epoxy.