A TRADITIONAL boat built by three teenagers is taking part in an inaugural world championship.

Finn Scott, Connie Maye Scott and Zach Doherty will take their boat named ‘Jabberwocky’ built for Arnside Sailing Club to the Gaffling 4.1 dinghy international championships at Levington near Ipswich next weekend.

The championships are being promoted by the Old Gaffers Association (OGA), the association for gaff rig sailing, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary.

The teenagers learnt how to build the boat on a course at Fyne Boats Kits at Gatebeck, south of Kendal last summer. The boat was then finished off at the Club with the help of volunteers.

Jabberwocky was built with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Grant. It is the sixth Gaffling dinghy to be built and was named by the teenagers after the Lewis Carroll poem.

Alasdair Simpson, Commodore for Arnside Sailing Club, said: “It is a great achievement for three teenagers to build a boat. Whilst we are not expecting to win the championships, it is great that the boat is going down to the East Coast to support the event.”

A gaff rig is a traditional boat rig and a Gaffling dinghy is an entry level boat to sailing gaff rig boats. It was designed by Andrew Wolstenholme, an international yacht designer, who grew up in the Morecambe Bay Area.

The Westmorland Gazette:

The OGA are also running an event at Ullswater Yacht Club on the Bank Holiday weekend in August as part of their anniversary celebrations.

“We also plan to take Jabberwocky to the Ullswater event at the end of August,” Mr Simpson added. She is a lovely boat to sail.”

Arnside Sailing Club were finalists for Sailing Club of the Year in 2019 and 2022. The Club offers sailing, paddle boarding and kayaking lessons. They also run sailing and water sports lessons at Arnside and Killington.