The Junk Rig Association

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Formed in 1979 at the Southampton Boat Show by a group of junk rig enthusiasts, the JRA is for its members and about their boats and their rigs. It aims to:

promote the use of the junk rig through rallies, our tri-annual Magazine and this site
encourage the development of junk and related rigs, the building or conversion of boats to the junk rig, and the use of vessels with the rig or its derivatives
create an international community of people who've already 'junked' their boat, are thinking of doing so or are just interested in learning what it's all about.

Click to see where members are >>>>>>

One other things that we aim to do is get the rig talked about. Former Chairman David Tyler has certainly helped with that: the Ocean Cruising Club recently awarded him their Rose Medal "for the most meritorious short handed ...and exceptional voyage on board Tystie. You will have inspired many others, some of whom may well adopt a junk rig."

David's follow-up voyage can be tracked here. Arrived Alaska 3rd June 2013.

GET STARTED

For a quick look at current thinking and developments, we've a presentation which was
created as a talk-along 'slide show' for yacht clubs. It''s a great way to get started learning
about the rig. Watch it on YouTube (the pages turn themselves), or download the pdf.

LEARN

Find out about about membership benefits in ABOUT US, left. To begin to appreciate what makes the rig special,
see JUNK INFO. Browse a couple of fora below, and check out photographs of members' boats in our
Photo Gallery. Enjoy the stunning range of day-sailing, coastal cruising and ocean-going junks in this
Google Gallery or in these Google videos. Then lower your sails and join us - we're great value.

STOP PRESS

5th March 2013 - Alan Martienssen and engine-less Benford Dory 34 Zebedee have just completed their circumnavigation by arriving at Balboa after transiting the Panama Canal using a borrowed outboard. There's more about Zebedee here.
28th May 2013 - Member David Tyler and Tystie are approaching the Alaskan Bight after a fast passage from
Hawai'i. It was pretty rough a few days ago, but now they've got moderate easterlies. Check out their tracker
feed and David's blog here.
3rd June 2013 - David has arrived safely at Kodiak Harbour, Alaska.

La Chica is a much modified Tahitiana (a Weston Farmer design in turn based on John Hanna's Tahiti Ketch). Built by her owner Paul Thompson in 1989, she has been cruised extensively and has gone through three rig changes, the last being to a schooner junk rig.

She has 267 SqFt in her foresail and 402 SqFt in the main, giving a total of 669 SqFt. Both sails are cambered with a maximum of 12% in the foresail and 10% in the main, with the maxim camber being at 35% of chord. The masts are fabricated from steel sheet and were designed by Paul, who also made the sails. More details can be found in Paul's profile.

After an extensive refit La Chica was re-launched in March, and is now being prepared for a single handed non-stop circumnavigation. More info can be found at http://SailingWithoutaSound.com. The site is, Paul says, sadly out of date (a new one is imminent) but the story and details are current. When the circumnavigation will commence is not yet fixed as Paul is seeking a major sponsor so as to enable broadband coverage from the boat. However the weather window which opens in October effectively closes at the end of November, so if he does not make it this year, it will be in the next.

For previous Boats of the Month, click here.

The posts below are from selected fora. All were made
by members and, on the members' pages, are
attributed by name. Where fora may be viewed by non-members, names are shown by default as 'Anonymous' for reasons of privacy and security. Members may, however, opt to have their full name or just their first name shown. To view the full content of these fora, please use the menu at the left.

Please feel free to search the 'public' areas of the site, using the above Google box.

Here's the extraordinary cover of a brochure about an event which is taking place in Deauville, N. France, in July: BATEAUX EXTRAORDINAIRE.

Click here to find out more, including the link to the pdf of the brochure.

There are sure to be some junks there.

" ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats"

- the Chinese Water Rat