Lapwing

The Lapwing Dinghy is a 12’6″ clinker dinghy, based at Aldeburgh in Suffolk. The first Lapwing was designed and built in 1947 by Morgan Giles.  The Aldeburgh Yacht Club commissioned the next 12 Lapwings in 1948 from both Morgan Giles and Nunns of Waldringfield, and sold them on to members of the club.  During the next 20 years the fleet expanded until it consisted of nearly 70 boats.

Lapwings have a smaller (6.96sq m), junior rig with red sails, and a larger adult rig with white sails.

Lapwings were the main racing dinghy at the Aldeburgh Yacht Club for much of the second half of the twentieth century.  With their larger white sails they were sailed by adults, and with the smaller, red sails they provided the only organised youth and children’s sailing at the AYC.

The Lapwings are still an active racing class.  They have their own start in the Aldeburgh Regatta and in the Club Wednesday Evening Series.  The Lapwing World Championships are held over a weekend each summer, and provide fine racing with the Margaret Tudor Bowl as a prize, and includes a good class dinner on the Saturday night.  They also have various races each year, with silverware to be won, including the Little Garrett Cup and the Acheson Trophy.

The Junior Lapwings have a separate Junior Weekend, which includes racing, picnic cruises, a seamanship challenge and games.  There is a Junior Lapwing Start in the Aldeburgh Junior Regatta

Lapwings command fierce loyalty.  Many have been owned by the same families since they were built.  Lapwing number 1 (named ‘Lapwing’) is still sailed and raced by the same lady for whom it was built in 1947.

The Class Captains can be contacted via the Aldeburgh Yacht Club  [email protected]