Dawn, 1934

Dawn is a fine example of the Bermudan rigged Windermere 17ft class yacht. The Windermere 17ft yachts have been raced on Windermere since 1903 and are still raced on the lake today.

History of the Windermere 17ft Class

During 1903, Percy Crossley, a prominent member of the Royal Windermere Yacht Club proposed a new yacht class to replace the Una Class. A subcommittee was formed to consider the matter (the committee included Alfred Sladen who has many other connections with the historic boat collection) and by November 1903 they had drawn up the measurement rules for the 17ft Class.

The original rules of the Class were that the yacht must have a 17ft waterline length, 25ft 6 inches length overall, 5ft 10 inches minimum beam and 3ft 6 inches draught. The measured sail area must also not exceed 300 square ft. Over the years there have been various changes to the rules and it wasn’t until years later that Bermudan rigged yachts such as Dawn were allowed in the Class.

Restoration plans

We will prepare a detailed Conservation Management Plan for Dawn. As neccessary.her deck will be carefully removed to provide full access to the interior. The inside and outside of the hull will then be stripped back to bare wood. A full set of wooden supports will be made to support the hull, the keel will be removed and the keel bolts will all be replaced. The rigging anchor points will also be surveyed and ensured that they are safe. The mahogany hull and deck will then be re-varnished and new sails will be made using traditional materials and methods.

Dawn will be displayed in the wet dock and will be used for occasional sailing demonstrations at the museum.