Желкенді қайық "Wayfarer": сипаттамасы және тарихы

Wooden or fiberglass dinghy

The Wayfarer is a wooden or fibreglass hulled fractional Bermuda rigged sailing dinghy of great versatility; used for short 'day boat' trips, longer cruises and for racing. Over 11,000 have been produced as of 2016. The boat is 15 feet (5 m) long, and broad and deep enough for three adults to comfortably sail for several hours. Longer trips are undertaken by enthusiasts, notably Frank Dye who sailed W48 'Wanderer' from Scotland to Iceland and Norway, crossing the North Sea twice. The Wayfarer's size, stability and seaworthiness have made it popular with sailing schools, and led it to be used as a family boat in a wide variety of locations. Not only a versatile cruising dinghy, Wayfarers are also raced with a Portsmouth Number of 1105. As of 2013, it has a Portsmouth Yardstick rating of 91.6. From the original wooden design by Ian Proctor in 1957 many subsequent versions of the Wayfarer have been produced. There is also a double hulled Canadian clone, known as the CL 16, featuring a simplified rig but otherwise identical. Genuine Wayfarers can be identified by the "W" symbol on their sails. The sail plan consists of a Bermuda rig with a main, jib, and symmetrical spinnaker. The boat uses a retractable centreboard. An optional asymmetric spinnaker and spinnaker chute is available; also available is a "sail patch" which provides flotation for the mast in the event of a capsize (and particularly to prevent mast inversion Turtling). One design racing is active and competitive regionally, nationally and internationally.

Over its history several versions of the Wayfarer have been developed, as follows.

A Glass Reinforced Plastic version was introduced in 1965 and was similar in layout to the wooden boat. Over two thousand copies of this model were made and many are still in use through the world. In contrast to other GRP models, this version has a large hatch to the forward buoyancy compartment useful for stowage when cruising, and a forward bulkhead extending right up to the foredeck level. The Mark I has no side buoyancy, and consequently does not suffer from a tendency to invert when capsized that plagued later models. The Mark I was also available as a composite model with a GRP hull and bulkheads but plywood fore and side decks. The company sustained a multimillion dollar loss. An updated version (incorporating the 2008 design improvements by Phil Morrison of the Mark IV) is scheduled to begin future production in Canada; the "Wayfarer Cruiser" includes an optional asymmetrical spinnaker, which would not be allowed in racing.

Introduced in 2007 the MkIV was a significant redesign by Phil Morrison. The design is intended to be more modern and spacious inside, and easier to right and drain after a capsize. This version was also designed to be "as fast as but no faster than the fastest" of the older Wayfarers. The Mark IV is also available in the United States. This is the reason many cruising sailors prefer the older Wayfarer versions.