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WHY THE LUGGER ?

In today's pleasureboating landscape where everything is hi-tech, where cruising boats are just direct spin-offs of raceboats, one might well ask "Why the lugger ?"

Elegant rigging... romantic even, but is there a more rational reason for a sailplan adapted to cruising?

To reply to these questions, one must first of all determine the needs of a cruising boat where rigging and sails are concerned.
Talking to numerous pleasurboaters who have gone cruising commonly or coastally, we came to determine which characteristics they desired in terms of sails and rigging on "their ideal yacht", you know, the one you always dream about...

• A cruising boat must have a simple and economical rig, repairable with what is available on board.
  
  
• The sails must be powerful but not too important to be handled by a reduced crew. The centre of gravity must be low enough to prevent too much (uncomfortable} listing!
  
  
• The sailplan must be divided to easily balance the boat under all conditions; this also allows, in most cases, for reefing-in.
  In fact, on a well-divided sailplan, one hauls down and hoists up the canvas according to the strength of wind.

It is in listening to all these desiderata that quite naturally we turned towards the lugger.
The lugger has been a rig used since long ago as much for fishing as for transport.

Why did our ancestors adopt this ?

For people who work at sea, sailing is not a sport but a necessity; it is the very motor to their boat.
Already at that period, considerations of economy were all-important as they are today: the head fisherman or the owner of a transport ship chose his equipment, his motor, in consideration of economy and reliability.

THE ADVANTAGES OF THE LUGGER ARE:

• "Piece-of-string" rigging repairable everywhere and at minimum cost.
  
  
• Manoeuvres with a reduced crew: once merely the captain and his cabin boy.
  
  
• Its qualities of windward cruising are legendary and its power allowed for voluminous workboat hulls.
  
  
• With minimum and divided sails, the canvas lasted longer and the boat was more stable.

For more information:

Stephan ZARZECKI
Avenue Jules César 27
B-1150 BRUXELLES
BELGIQUE
Tel/fax: +32 (0)2 772 68 32
GSM: +32 (0)498 11 13 62
Email: stephanzarzecki@aol.com
Web: http://www.dmnet.be/wanda/