Roger Barnes, April 10, 2026 – Testing the Deben Lugger
A daysail on the River Deben in Suffolk, England, to test the very impressive Deben Lugger. This vessel carries a double balance lug rig above an 18 foot fibreglass hull, and is purpose-designed for dinghy cruising.
THE DEBEN LUGGER
- LOA: 5.25m (18’3″)
- Beam: 1.9m (16’2″)
- Weight: 360 kg (792 lb)
- Sail area: 13.57 sq m (150 sq ft)
- CE category C for 6 persons.
Anglia Yacht Brokerage, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
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 books, The Dinghy Cruising Companion and Sailing The Shallows
- Join the Dinghy Cruising Association
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