Roger has released the second video in a his series about visiting the US and getting some time on the water. In this installment, Roger visits Mystic Seaport Museum and the surrounding area and goes sailing with some members of the Northeast chapter of the Dinghy Cruising Association. He also tours the Herreshoff Marine Museum and visits additional sites in Rhode Island.
Roger Barnes, August 11th, 2025 – An English Sailor in New England
Episode 2 of a series of videos about Roger’s recent visit to the USA to sail dinghies, visit boatyards and generally hang out in port towns.
Note from Roger: This is a revised version, which corrects various foolish mistakes I made in the first version of this video! Maybe I am too much of a perfectionist, but there are rather too many errors perpetrated across the internet, and I do not want to add to them.
AVEL DRO, my own boat.
Avel Dro is an Ilur designed by François Vivier, and built of clinker plywood by Les Charpentiers Reunis of Cancale in 1994. I bought her in France in 2003 to import her into the UK, and more recently returned her to France again. The design is based closely on the traditional inshore fishing boats of Brittany in the early years of the twentieth century – hence her simple boom-less lugsail rig and lack of a mainsheet horse, (sometimes controversial among my viewers). Although rare in Britain, Ilurs are relatively common in France. Modern Ilurs are slightly different from mine, as they have more built in buoyancy. The name Avel Dro is Breton, Avel = wind, Dro = to turn – so it means a whirlwind.
- Length 4.44 m
- Sail area 12.2 m²
- Beam 1.70 m
- Draught 0.25 / 0.86 m
INTERESTED IN DINGHY CRUISING?
- Read Roger’s book, The Dinghy Cruising Companion
- Join the Dinghy Cruising Association
Joseph W Haley III says:
“good on ya Roger !!”
Eric Takakjian says:
Great video that captures the essence of a Southern New England summer!
Michael Davidson says:
Bill W
Just keep going out to the boat and doing one small thing every day. It not an obligation its a way of life.
You might say I’m in the same boat but I’ll not give it up because it keeps us going. Cheers and hang in there!
bill wilson says:
Great video. Will look for his book.
Live on the Chesapeake Bay. Have a 1966 Tartan 27 that I’ve been in the process of restoring for too long. Aging out now, so don’t know if I can keep it up.
James Thompson says:
God bless you, Bill, hang on, man. I have an old Tartan 27 yawl that I have been nurturing and loving for years, while the sailing world around me moves ever away from the nautical aesthetics of our green year — a boat I sailed for years on your wonderful Chesapeake.
Arthur Winer says:
I enjoy any video by Roger Barnes and this one is no exception.