http://www.junkrigassociation.org

Here's a list of websites and fora that members have found useful. Please send any links that strike your fancy to: New JRA Links

Associations, Clubs and Organisations

The French Association for Junk Rigs - La passion des jonques et des voiles de jonques. 

The Navigator and Venturer Association - "The Navigator & Venturer Association (NAVA) stems from the Association formed by Newbridge Navigator owners who wanted to share with other owners the pleasures of these small sailing cruisers. Owners of Venturers were invited to join when they came on the market."

The Kingfisher Yacht Owners' Association is the place to look for technical and other information, including boats for sale, about Kingfishers whether already junk-rigged or awaiting that conversion.

The Ocean Cruising Club's Cruising Information Service can be read by non-OC members.

The Jester Azores Challenge 2012 for single-handed yachts, under 30 feethas 67 entries at 16th March 2012.


Junk-specific

Duckworks Magazine is loaded with info on small junk rigs like those developed by John Welsford and Paul Fisher.

Cruising Resources has a long list of links to junk rig sites. 

Wikipedia's Junk Rig page.

Cranks with Planks presents a collection of Shanghai Sampans and Yulohs. 

Karsten Petersen, aka Global Mariner, has a fascinating photo collection of Chinese junks and junk rigs.

Jochen Kuhn, a man of many talents in Germany, has a veritable treasure trove of Junk information, in the original German, and in English translation.

William Thomas, author, journalist, lecturer and film maker has written a couple of pages describing Chinese Junks in the South China Sea area. 


Videos

YouTube gives access to many videos of junks sailing. That link takes you straight to David Tyler's 2012 slide show presentation 'Everything You Need To Know About Modern Junk Rigs'. A random sample of other junk videos is on the right.

The awesome twosome aboard Teleport, Chris and Jess Taunton, are about to start their season in Canada, heading for the NW Passage. YachtTeleport.com is well worth following, to see what can be accomplished when you have youth, strength and determination. At 1.3.2012 Teleport is overwintering half-way through the NW Passage. Photos, videos and maps.  

The Sailing Channel offers 'how to' and cruising videos. Most are 'pay for' but there are plenty of free samples.

 'Free China junk' is a feature-length documentary released in 2012, and that's the link to it. The publishers say that it 'represents a rare opportunity to capture the Free China story, a story whose back-drop in 1955 reflects the subtle relations between Communist China, Formosa (Taiwan) and the United States during this significant period in China's history.  It is this moment in history that prompts the Free China's crew to make a critical choice: to stay in Taiwan or risk everything to cross the vast Pacific without sailing experience in the hope of tasting a new kind of freedom.  With an invitation in hand to participate in a trans-Atlantic yacht race, they choose the ocean.' A great story and some fascinating shots of hard work (and chickens).


Forums

The Guide to Sailing and Cruising Stories - Windvane Forum - specifically for self-steering discussions.  


Sites and Wikis

Active Captain - The Interactive Cruising Guidebook - Marina Reviews, Fuel prices, Anchorages.

Shanties & Sea Songs collected by Andrew Droskóy.

East Coast Sailing - EastCoastSailing.co.uk is an active website that’s intimately linked to both www.EastCoastPilot.com (the updates website for the East Coast Pilot) an www.CrossingTheThamesEstuary.com (the website for the Estuary crossing planner, Crossing The Thames Estuary). ECS is home to East Coast news stories, Notices to Mariners, all the weather and tidal data you can possibly need, plus new products and books.

Sailblogs - Sailing Blog Hosting & Social Network - "Have an adventure to share? An on-line Sailblog and map can keep you connected from around the world!" 

Mr. Vee has archived Walt Murray's Self-Steering Designs  webpages. 

Learn how to build your own self-steering from Eric & Sherrell, crew of Sarana. They publish their work in two PDFs, the first of which is free and the second is $5.00 US. Well worth it if your interest is in trimtabs.

World Cruising and Sailing Wiki - A Free Cruising Guide in the "wiki tradition", interactive with free registration.

Stellarium Wiki - Stellarium is free GPL desktop software which renders realistic skies in real time with openGL. With Stellarium, you really see what you can see with your eyes, binoculars or a small telescope. Stellarium is also used in planetariums. - Linux, Windows or Mac. 

'Free China Junk' Preservation links to the organisation that's attempting to preserve the junk (see video above) and take it back to Taiwan - there's news in the 'News & Info' section, and a video clip too.

 

D.I.Y.

Polytarp sails: Mink Mulcahy's Duckworks article on making one for a dinghy. 

Soft shackles: L-36.com has a wealth of technical articles, not the least of which are a variety of "soft shackles".




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

         - the Chinese Water Rat

© The Junk Rig Association